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Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow this Groundhog Day and saw his shadow. According to tradition, this means we’re in for six more weeks of winter.
The famed groundhog makes his prediction every February 2nd at Gobbler’s Knob, a hill near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This year’s ceremony, held under partly cloudy skies with temperatures around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, marked the 139th iteration of the event.
The members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, dressed in top hats, presided over the ceremony. Their mission is to uphold the legend of Punxsutawney Phil and his weather prognostication.
Phil’s predictions over the last decade have been fairly balanced between early spring and extended winter. However, historical records show he has predicted longer winters over 100 times since 1887.
Specifically, Phil has foreseen six more weeks of winter 107 times and an early spring only 21 times, with records missing for 10 years.
It’s important to remember that Phil’s predictions are more folklore than meteorology. His accuracy rate over the past decade has been less than a coin flip. He only correctly predicted the weather four times between 2013 and 2022.