Groundhog Phil "forecasts" six more weeks of winter

Groundhog Phil "forecasts" six more weeks of winter

Punxsutawney Phil, the famed "weather-predicting" groundhog, has declared six more weeks of winter, disappointing the crowds gathered in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania for the annual Groundhog Day festivities.

Amid chants of "Phil," the groundhog was brought out from his tree stump early Sunday morning to make his prediction. According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter, while no shadow suggests an early spring.

"There's a shadow up here, get ready for six more weeks of winter this year," a member of the Groundhog Club announced.

Groundhog Day, celebrated in the US and Canada, draws tens of thousands of people each year. The tradition is believed to have originated from German Candlemas celebrations, where it was thought that if a badger stayed in its burrow on February 2, there would be four more weeks of snow. As German-speaking settlers arrived in America, the badger was replaced by the groundhog.

The first official Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney took place in 1887. The event is run by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, whose "inner circle" of 15 members, dressed in top hats and bowties, care for Phil and preserve his weather-predicting legacy.

The club jokingly claims that the same groundhog has been forecasting the weather at Gobbler's Knob for over 100 years, thanks to a "secret elixir" that keeps Phil youthful and long-lived. According to the club, this elixir is given to Phil every summer. In reality, however, groundhogs typically live about eight or nine years, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Last year, Phil predicted an early spring after he didn’t see his shadow on Groundhog Day. However, the accuracy of Phil’s forecasts has been questioned. Between 2014 and 2023, he was correct just 30% of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The event gained wider fame with the 1993 film Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

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