Don’t put away those snow shovels just yet!
The world-famous prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he emerged from his den in western Pennsylvania early Sunday, meaning six more weeks of winter, according to the beloved and age-old 132-year-old folklore.
If Pennsylvania’s fluffy meteorologist hadn’t seen his shadow, it could have meant Spring was near.
Sunday marked Phil’s first Groundhog Day as a father.
In March 2024, Phil and his groundhog wife Phyliss gave birth to two healthy babies, who were later named Sunny and Shadow.
Before Phil was woken up, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro taunted PETA’s petition to replace the beloved groundhog with a ‘weather reveal’ vegan cake.
The animal rights organization sent a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club offering the vegan treat in exchange for Phil and his family to retire to a “reputable sanctuary.”
“Some folks out there who say we should take this great tradition and get rid of Phil and replace him with a cake, that’s their crazy idea,” Shapiro said Sunday. “Hear me on this Punxsawtawney, if anybody comes for Phil, they’re gonna have to come through me and all of you am I right.”
While the tradition attracts over 40,000 people to the small town of Gobbler’s Knob each year, the weather-predicting groundhog hasn’t been as accurate as the legend expects him to be.
The furry prognosticator has only accurately predicted the change in seasons about 35% of the time over the past 20 years, according to an NOAA study.
The annual ritual dates back to 1887, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
It originates in the Feb. 2 holiday of Candlemas in Europe, where Christians would take candles to a church to have them blessed.
A popular English folk song declared that winter would have “another flight” if conditions on Candlemas were fair and bright.
The song’s interpretation of the holiday became accepted throughout most of Europe until it reached Germany, where a hedgehog became part of the tradition. If the animal saw its shadow on Candlemas, a “second winter” was expected.
“As German settlers came to what is now the United States, so too came their traditions and folklore,” Punxsutawney organizers said on its website.
“With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen.”
A mention of Groundhog Day first appeared in a local Punxsutawney newspaper in 1886, and the following year marked the first official event at Gobbler’s Knob, organizers said.
But while Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous, he’s not the only groundhog foretelling the year’s weather forecast.
New York’s own Staten Island Chuck is the most reliable and has accurately predicted the arrival of spring 85% of the time over the last 20 years, according to NOAA.
Georgia’s General Beauregard Lee is another contender for the cutest meteorologist, who has been right with an impressive 80% over the last two decades.
As for Phil, he is not even in the top 10, ranking 17th place.
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