On Feb 2, Punxsutawney Phil made his prediction on the duration of winter. According to tradition, there will be six more weeks of winter if he sees his shadow, and an early spring if he doesn’t. This year, Phil decided we would be getting an early spring. President of Phil’s ‘Inner Circle’ – also known as Punxsutawney Groundhog Club – confirmed this as it is the responsibility of the President to speak to Phil himself in ‘Groundhogese’ and then announced it publicly to the rest of the club members, as confirmed by CBS News.
Groundhog Day is rumored to have begun in 1887 in Pennsylvania. Residents of Punxsutawney would venture out to Gobbler’s Knob, where they first began entrusting a groundhog with a meteorologist’s job. This original location has remained the site of determination ever since. The people of Punxsutawney later named the ceremonial Groundhog “Phil,” after King Phillip. Over the years, Phil has met his life partner in Phyliss, a fellow groundhog. However, according to Punxsutawney’s Groundhog Club, their love is doomed to a tragic end, as Phyllis was not administered the so-called ‘Elixir of Life’ and will therefore not share in eternity beside Phil. Punxsutawney’s Groundhog club also details that in order to fulfill his responsibilities, Phil drinks a single sip of the ‘elixir of life’ every summer, which adds seven years to his lifespan.
Between 2013 and 2023, Phil saw his shadow seven times but was only correct one of those times. This year, Phil’s prediction was matched by Staten Island’s Chuck, a groundhog with an 80% accuracy rate, in anticipating an early spring.
