Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil is said to have seen his shadow, forecasting 6 more weeks of wintry weather

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania – Punxsutawney Phil is said to be expecting another six weeks of wintry weather after he saw his shadow on Monday.

His annual forecasts were translated by his handlers at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says that when an elephant is believed to have not seen his shadow, it means there will be an early spring. When he sees her, six more weeks of winter have passed.

Phil tends to predict a much longer winter than early spring.

Tens of thousands of people were at Gobbler’s Knob for this annual ritual dating back more than a century and linked to ancient agricultural traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney celebrations have grown dramatically since the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.

Lisa Gibson was on her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree trunk from which an elephant emerges shortly after dawn.

“Man, he breaks the winter slump,” Gibson said, accompanied by her husband, dressed as Elvis Presley, and her teenage daughter. “It’s like Halloween and New Year’s rolled into one holiday.”

Gibson, a Pittsburgh resident, was encouraging Phil not to see his shadow, thus predicting an early start to spring.

Rick Seager, Pennsylvania’s secretary of community and economic development, said the outside thermometer in his car read 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) on his way to Gobbler’s Knob.

“I think it’s just fun — people are having a good time,” said Seager, who attended his fourth consecutive Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. “It brings people together in a challenging time. It’s a unifying force that showcases the best of Pennsylvania, the best of Punxsutawney, and this region.”

Last year’s announcement was six more weeks of winter, which is by far the most common assessment of Phil and unsurprising during the first week of February. His top-hat handlers at the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist that “Phil’s winks” of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are explained when they relate the badger’s meteorological thoughts about the days ahead.

Early Monday, some clouds moved into Punxsutawney overnight, bringing with them flurries he called “microflakes,” said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s chief long-range forecaster.

Next week will remain cold, with below-average temperatures in the eastern United States, Pastelok said.

Elephant isn’t the only animal being consulted about Monday’s long-range weather forecast. There are official and unofficial Groundhog Day events in many places in the United States, Canada and abroad.

Groundhog Day falls on February 2, the midpoint between the shortest and darkest day of the year at the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. It is a time of year that also appears in the Celtic calendar and Christian Candlemas.