Punxsutawney Phil wakened on Sunday and noticed his shadow, that means we’re destined for six extra weeks of winter, in keeping with legend.
Legend has it that if Punxsutawney Phil, maybe the world’s most well-known groundhog, sees his shadow then winter will proceed for one more six weeks, but when he does’t see his shadow spring will come early.
Brittany Dagrava from Wheeling, West Virginia, stands subsequent to Taylor Hunt from Knoxville, Tennessee, in the course of the Groundhog Day festivities, at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Feb. 2, 2025.
Alan Freed/Reuters
The climate in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in the course of the announcement was partly cloudy with temperatures hovering at about 20 levels Fahrenheit. Snow was anticipated afterward Sunday.
Phil’s precise prediction, nonetheless, takes place forward of time in a spot referred to as Gobbler’s Knob, a small hill simply exterior of the city, and has finished so every year since 1887. This yr marks the 139th time the occasion has occurred, in keeping with the Pennsylvania Tourism Workplace,
AJ Dereume holds up groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, as he makes his prediction on how lengthy winter will final, in the course of the Groundhog Day festivities, at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Feb. 2, 2025.
Alan Freed/Reuters
The boys in high hats surrounding Phil in the course of the ceremony are members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Membership Internal Circle. In keeping with their web site, their function is to “defend and perpetuate the legend of the good weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.”
Phil’s predictions have been pretty even over the previous decade or so. From 2015 to 2020, the groundhog predicted an extended winter 3 times and an early spring 3 times. However general, relationship again to 1887, in keeping with the Related Press, Phil has predicted six extra weeks of winter greater than 100 occasions.
Folks pose with Groundhog Membership’s internal Circle Vice President Dan McGinley, on the day groundhog Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction on how lengthy winter will final, in the course of the Groundhog Day festivities, at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Feb. 2, 2025.
Alan Freed/Reuters
In actual fact, Punxsutawney Phil has now predicted six extra weeks of winter 107 occasions and an early spring solely 21 occasions — with no document of 10 of these years since 1887, in keeping with The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
On this file picture, Groundhog Membership co-handler A.J. Dereume, left, locations Punxsutawney Phil, in his carrying capsule, in the course of the 133rd celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
In the end, Punxsutawney Phil’s “predictions” ought to actually be taken with a grain of salt.
Within the 10 annual predictions from 2013 to 2022, Punxsutawney Phil was much less correct together with his climate predications than flipping a coin would have been. He was proper 4 occasions in that interval — 2020, 2016, 2014 and 2013 — and was incorrect within the six different cases.
