Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks Of Winter
Posted: 2:54 pm EST January 30,2008Updated: 2:34 pm EST February 2,2009
The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday, meaning, legend has it, that this already long winter will last for six more weeks.Punxsutawney Phil's forecast was announced in front of about 13,000 people gathered at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney.
Punxsutawney Phil Sees His Shadow
Officials said more people showed up than expected and spectators gathered Monday morning in near freezing temperatures, Organizers said people began arriving around 3 a.m., just hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl victory Sunday night.Groundhog Day fell on the day after the Super Bowl one other time, in 2004.German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has failed to see it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil didn't see his shadow was in 1999.
Officials said more people showed up than expected and spectators gathered Monday morning in near freezing temperatures, Organizers said people began arriving around 3 a.m., just hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl victory Sunday night.Groundhog Day fell on the day after the Super Bowl one other time, in 2004.German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 -- the Christian holiday of Candlemas -- winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has failed to see it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil didn't see his shadow was in 1999.
Copyright 2010 by WJACTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.












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