Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow Friday, predicting an early spring from Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, the scene of the country’s largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration.
Just after sunrise, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced Phil’s prediction. Had the groundhog seen his shadow, it would have presaged six more weeks of winter.
This marks the first time Phil predicted an early spring since 2020.
The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent. Records dating to the late 1800s show Phil has predicted longer winters more than 100 times.
This marks the 138th year of the festivities in Punxsutawney, which date back to 1887. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to the national weather over the last decade and found “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time.”
The Morning Call
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The Morning Call, founded in 1883, is the leading media company in the Lehigh Valley and the third largest newspaper in Pennsylvania.
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