Punxsutawney Phil delivered the prediction many people await each year during the annual Groundhog Day celebration in western Pennsylvania.
According to his handlers at Gobbler’s Knob, Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.
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Thousands of people gathered for the announcement despite temperatures hovering around zero Monday morning.
The tradition dates back more than a century but gained wider popularity in the 1990s after Bill Murray’s film “Groundhog Day” became a cult classic.
Records show Phil has seen his shadow more than 100 times, while failing to see it about 20 times. There is no record from 10 Groundhog Days.
Despite the pomp and ceremony surrounding Phil’s emergence from his burrow, his accuracy remains questionable. In the 21st century, Phil has been correct less than half the time.
Several other rodents are in the weather prognostication business, including Buckeye Chuck in Ohio and Staten Island Chuck in New York.
