Ms. G, Drumlin Farm groundhog, says spring is on the way

By Alli Knothe, Globe Correspondent

Ms. G doesn’t care what Punxsutawney Phil says. Spring is on the way in New England.

Ms. G has been at the farm since 2003. (Joanne Rathe)

The groundhog works as an educational ambassador for the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, where she has been living since 2003.

After being released from her cage in front of a crowd of about 100 people today, Ms. G walked around, sniffing the area, without fear of her shadow, which onlookers interpreted as the traditional sign that winter has run its course.

Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, on the other hand, saw his shadow this morning and “predicted” another six weeks of winter.

“It will be interesting to see who’s more accurate,” said Tia Pinney, a naturalist at Drumlin Farm.

Whether or not there are six weeks left in winter, uncommonly warm temperatures have been normal this season. Highs today are forecast to be in the upper 30s to lower 40s, which, according to the National Weather Service, is above normal for this time of year.

No precipitation, snow or rain, is currently in the forecast for the Boston area for the next week.

As of Wednesday, Boston had accumulated 7.8 inches of snow this winter, while the average up to this point is about 24 inches.

Last year was unusually snowy, with 67.1 inches falling by this time. Ms. G didn’t even have a prediction last year because the event was snowed out.

The record for the least snow in a season is 9 inches, which accumulated in the winter of 1936 and 1937, said meteorologist Charlie Foley.