What you should know
- A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.
- People gathered at Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday when members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” called him down from his tree stump at dawn to ask if he had seen his shadow.
- According to folklore, when he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will come earlier. The annual Punxsutawney event grew out of a German legend about a furry rodent.
A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration.
People gathered at Gobbler’s Knob on Thursday when members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” called him down from his tree stump at dawn to ask if he had seen his shadow. According to folklore, when he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, spring will come earlier.
Lélo en español aqui.
The “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for planning the events and feeding and caring for Phil himself.
The annual Punxsutawney event grew out of a German legend about a furry rodent. The event in the community about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh attracts thousands annually.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to national weather for the past 10 years and found that “Phil was correct, on average, 40% of the time.”
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/punxsutawney-phil-accuracy-rate-pennsylvania-northeast/3488623/
This year, Phil’s prediction came during a week in which a jumble of ice, sleet and snow lingered over much of the southern United States
According to records dating back to 1887, Phil predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because records were not kept, organizers said.
The forecasts for 2021 and 2022 also called for six more weeks of winter.
While Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous marmot seer, he is certainly not the only one. New York’s Staten Island Chuck made his prediction for an early spring during an event Thursday at the Staten Island Zoo. Phil and Chuck are among a wide variety of rodents that are said to predict the weather.
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