Punxsutawney Phil Says Winter isn’t Over Yet

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The famous groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter.

Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day in the United States. As with every year before, the center of the Groundhog Day celebration is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the world’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, gave his annual prediction for the remainder of the winter season.

This morning, the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in front of the gathered press, where Phil was retrieved from his burrow alongside the “Groundhogeese” scroll that details his prediction. The club members read out Phil’s prediction, revealing that the critter saw his shadow upon leaving his burrow that morning, which means the winter season will last for six more weeks.

As a reminder, according to Groundhog Day folk tradition, should the groundhog see his shadow upon emerging, that signals an extended winter season. If, however, he does not see his shadow and leaves his burrow, that means that the spring season will come early that year.

Phil is currently on a three-year streak of predicting extended winters, having previously predicted them in 2022 and 2021. Another prominent American groundhog, Staten Island Chuck of New York City, has countered Phil’s prediction, claiming that this year’s spring season is right around the corner.

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