Each year, Central Texas residents look to the armadillo to determine when winter will allegedly come to an end.
BEE CAVE, Texas — While Pennsylvania celebrates Groundhog Day with Punxsutawney Phil, Central Texas uses a different animal to predict the start of spring.
On Monday, an armadillo named Bee Cave Bob will make his prediction in the town just west of Austin. If he see his shadow, that means he’s predicting six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, we could see an early spring.
This year, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter could be on the way.
Last year, the armadillo predicted an early spring. His verdict was the same in 2024 and 2023.
Bee Cave Bob has been forecasting spring in Central Texas for more than 10 years now. The armadillo has only seen his shadow three times since 2011, meaning more often than not, he predicts an early spring.
Other Texas animals that make Groundhog Day predictions
Outside of Bee Cave, other Texas cities also look to unique animals for guidance on when winter is over.
In Buda, a dachshund named “Beans” determined that an early spring is on the way this year. In 2025, “Nacho” the dachshund predicted six weeks of winter in the “Weiner Dog Capital of Texas.”
Then in Lubbock, “Prairie Dog Pete” makes the call for early spring or a longer winter.
In East Texas, an 1,000-pound alligator named “Big Al” helps determine Beaumont’s winter weather outlook. He is given a chicken breast, and if he eats it, winter is over. If he doesn’t, the cold might continue.