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Did Flatiron Freddy see his shadow on Groundhog Day? Here's the answer

The top hat-wearing, stuffed, yellow-bellied marmot and Punxsutawney Phil were on the same page this year.

BOULDER, Colo. — Not to be overshadowed by his more famous weather-predicting rival in Pennsylvania, Boulder's own Flatiron Freddy made his annual Groundhog Day prediction Thursday. 

The stuffed yellow-bellied marmot got dressed up in his best top hat and cape – and saw his shadow.

The prediction from Boulder's "seer of seers" is that there will be six more weeks of winter.

That meant Freddy and Punxsutawney Phil, who also saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, were on the same page.

RELATED: Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Of course, no matter what various rodents and their handlers predict on Feb. 2, spring will begin March 20. But Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks department has a lot of fun with the annual tradition.

Flatiron Freddy became a Groundhog Day weather prognosticator about a decade ago. He was enjoying a peaceful afterlife in Flagstaff Nature Center when he was accidentally left out during the winter instead of being stored with the other mounts. His fur was damaged, and he was dumped in the garbage.

But Ranger Dave Gustafson saw potential in Freddy. He pulled him from the trash, gave him a top hat, and a legend was born.

The last time Flatiron Freddy didn't see his shadow was in 2017, on a cloudy day when the marmot made his entrance by riding in a tiny canoe attached to a zipline.

Credit: Boulder Open Space
Flatiron Freddy

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