PUNXSUTAWNEY, pa. — The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, said Monday the furry rodent has forecast six more weeks of winter.
Members of the top-hat-wearing Inner Circle announced the “prediction” Monday morning.
A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If not, spring comes early.
The forecast was delivered after a steady predawn rain turned to snow.
Despite the German legend, Phil’s handlers don’t wait to see if he sees his shadow — as he likely would not have on such an overcast day. Instead, the Inner Circle decides on the forecast ahead of time and announces it on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill in the town for which the groundhog is named, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Records going back to 1887 show Phil has predicted more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times. There are no records for the remaining years.
