GROUNDHOG PLAY: Fire Cadet Jokingly Predicts Spring Is Here And Gets It Wrong As Winter Hits Back

This is the light-hearted moment a fire service cadet stages his own version of Groundhog Day and gets it badly wrong when he predicts winter is about to end just before the country was hit by a once-in-a-lifetime freeze.

The short clip was posted online by the Camano Island Fire And Rescue, which said: "Legend holds that every February 2 on Camano Island, the fire department's cadets emerge from hibernation.

"If the cadet sees its shadow, it retreats back into its burrow (AKA the training prop) and the island is in for six more weeks of winter. Or possibly school.

"If the cadet doesn't see its shadow, spring is likely to arrive early. Unlike the end of school, which will arrive sometime in June."

The legend of Groundhog Day, which is celebrated on 2nd February, is maintained in some countries since ancient times and says that on that day, a groundhog will emerge from its den.

If the weather is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, it means that cold weather is to be expected and the animal will return to hibernation. If he does not see the shadow, it means that spring is coming and it goes out of the den.

However, it is questionable as to whether the legend has much value as this year since heavy snows and freezing conditions have hit much of the US, indicating that the prediction that spring has arrived may have been somewhat premature.

As he was predicting spring is here, more than 15 million people in the US north-east were bracing for a 'once-in-a-generation' Arctic blast as meteorologists warned frigid weather could bring record-breaking low temperatures.

The National Weather Service (NWS) also warned dangerous wind chills were likely in an area stretching from northern Pennsylvania to Maine.

The icy blast came after a winter storm left hundreds of thousands of Texans without power and ice storms killed at least 10.

Camano Island is a large island in Possession Sound, a section of Puget Sound that is part of Island County, Washington.