PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. >> Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog foresees no early end to winter.
Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW’-nee) Phil’s handlers announced Friday the weather prognosticator saw his shadow.
Legend has it if the furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, expect six more weeks of winter-like weather.
Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside of Punxsutawney. That’s about 65 miles (about 100 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.
Spectators bundled up and bopped to music amid the camp and kitsch with the temperature around 11 degrees (minus-12 Celsius).
Records dating to 1887 show Phil predicting more winter 103 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times. No records exist for the remaining years.
