Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Contact 90.5 WESA with a story idea or news tip: news@wesa.fm

Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow, Bringing 6 More Weeks Of Winter

Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
Groundhog Club member John Griffiths hold Punxsutawney Phil as he predicts the weather on Feb. 2, 2017.

Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog foresees no early end to winter.

Punxsutawney 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 northeast of Pittsburgh.

Spectators bundled up and bopped to music amid the camp and kitsch with the temperature around 11 degrees.

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.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.