Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog rose from his lair on Friday morning to be met by his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.
Punxsutaney Phil’s handlers announced that the rodent saw his “royal shadow” when he arose at 7:18 a.m., just after sunrise on Groundhog Day, February 2.
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When Phil first emerged for the crowd, the cheers of thousands echoes throughout Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but they quickly turned to groans as he predicted six more weeks of the season that has been a record-breaking freezing temperatures across the U.S.
See the moment of truth here:
“Here is my forecast, not lead but solid gold; I see my royal shadow, six more weeks of winter to go,” the groundhog’s handlers proclaimed on behalf of the famous rodent. He also saw his shadow last year, predicting an extended winter season.
In reality, though, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the tuxedo-clad group of men on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside of Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
This year marks the 132nd Groundhog Day celebration, which occurs annually at Gobbler’s Knob in the 5,500-person town. Records dating to 1887 show Phil has predicted more winter 102 times, while forecasting an early spring just 18 times. No records exist for the remaining years.
According to the Pennsylvania Tourism Office, as many as 30,000 people descend on the tiny town annually to watch Phil emerge from his slumber, either seeing his shadow and running back into his burrow, meaning six more weeks of winter, or bravely lingering outside, meaning spring is around the corner.
The office says the Groundhog Day tradition dates back to the early days of Christianity in Europe, born of a winter festival called Candlemas Day. On that day, clergy would distribute candles and bless them — and if the skies were clear, it meant an extended winter was in the forecast.
Though the average lifespan of a groundhog is around six years, legend has it that Phil is the only furry rodent to have the ability to predict winter’s length. Phil (or Phils) has enjoyed his celebrity status throughout the years, visiting President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., in 1986, Oprah Winfrey in Chicago in 1995 and Regis Philbin, CBS and CNN in New York City in 2001.
