Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow; six more weeks of winter
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Members of Punxsutawney Phil’s top hat-wearing inner circle announced at sunrise that the famous groundhog had seen his shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter are ahead.
The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.
In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney. That’s about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Records dating to 1887 show Phil predicting more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times — including last year. There are no records for the remaining years.