Tens of thousands gathered this morning in Gobbler’s Knob, PA, to watch the 140th annual groundhog day weather forecast prediction.
Just a week after a major winter storm hit North America, the fabled groundhog known as Punxsatawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter, evoking boos from the crowd.
As the legend states, if Phil is said to see his shadow when he emerges from his stump, that signals six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, an early spring is bound.
Phil made his prediction early in the morning, at around 7:25 a.m. ET.
The whimsical woodchuck saw his shadow this morning, indicating, in ‘Groundhogese’, that six more weeks of winter are due.
Last year, Phil also predicted six more weeks of winter, his most common prediction, and the prediction that has made up 5 of the last 6 groundhog days.
The national ‘holiday’ falls on February 2nd every year, halfway between the winter solstice, the shortest, darkest day of the year, and the spring equinox. It is celebrated across North America, from rural Pennsylvania to D.C.’s Potomac Phil.
The tradition has been in place since 1887, and dates back to can be traced back to European agricultural customs. Groundhog Day organisers have acknowledged that the holiday exists to break up the monotony of long, dark winters.
Phil’s call for six more weeks of winter last year fell flat, and with long-term trends showing Winter to be the fastest-warming season, the prediction seems unlikely to ring true once more.
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