Punxsutawney Phil Predicts More Winter: BIG PIC
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Feb. 2, 2010 -- The groundhog has spoken: Six more weeks of winter.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa. early this morning and saw his shadow, announcing a bleak wintry forecast to hundreds of onlookers who huddled as temperatures hovered in the teens.
German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.
The Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club annually announces Phil's forecast at dawn on Gobbler's Knob, about 75 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
The Groundhog Club says since 1887 Phil has predicted more winter weather by seeing his shadow nearly 100 times, but there are no records for nine years.
Although he's famous, Punxsutawney Phil may not be much of a meteorologist.
According to stormfax.com, Phil is correct a mere 39 percent of the time. And The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has claimed the animal has "no predictive skill."
Photo and source credit: Associated Press
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