Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, 6 more weeks of winter!
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania (WABC) -- Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog, "the immortal Punxsutawney Phil", woke up early to make his prediction.
Punxsutawney Phil's handlers announced at sunrise Friday that the prognosticator saw his shadow, meaning he predicts six more weeks of winter.
New York's Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring!
Mayor Bill de Blasio did not attend again this year after dropping a stand-in groundhog "Charlotte" back in 2014. Charlotte died several days after the fall. City Comptroller Scott Stringer did the honors this year.
Which rodent do you believe?
Legend has it if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, expect six more weeks of winter-like weather. If not, expect spring-like temperatures.
In reality, 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.
Records dating to 1887 show Phil predicting more winter 103 times while forecasting an early spring just 18 times, including last year. No records exist for the remaining years.
The illustrious rodent has become such a huge draw, especially since the release of the 1993 film Groundhog Day, that the "Inner Circle" that plans for about 51 weeks out of the year to make sure the event runs smoothly.
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