His top-hatted handlers said Sunday from Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania that Punxsutawney Phil had seen his shadow and was forecasting six more weeks of snowy weather.
The annual tradition of the woodchuck’s weather forecast, which has its origins in European agriculture and has gained enormous popularity since Bill Murray’s 1993 film Groundhog Day, was broadcast to a large audience.
According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, an early spring is predicted when Phil is reported to have failed to see his shadow. There will still be six weeks of winter before he sees it.
What that entails may vary from person to person.
An attempt to measure Phil’s accuracy revealed that he was correct fewer than half the time, and he has predicted a longer winter significantly more frequently than an early spring.