On Groundhog Day, Phil Sees His Shadow

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 2, 2021 6:44 AM CST
Punxsutawney Phil Predicts a Longer Winter
Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 135th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021.   (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow on a snowy Tuesday morning to perform his Groundhog Day duties, per the AP. Members of Phil's “inner circle” woke up the furry critter at 7:25am at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., to see whether he would see his shadow. Shortly after this year's prediction was revealed, one of the members of the inner circle shared a message he said Phil had told him earlier in the day: “After winter, you’re looking forward to one of the most beautiful and brightest springs you’ve ever seen.”

The spectacle that is Groundhog Day still went on, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, revelers weren’t able to see Phil and celebrate in person: This year, it was all virtual. The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent. Records dating to the late 1800s show Phil has predicted longer winters more than 100 times. The 2020 forecast called for an early spring—however, Phil didn't say anything about a pandemic.

(More groundhog day stories.)

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