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Pennsylvania groundhog does not see shadow

Posted at 7:37 AM, Feb 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-02 07:37:58-05

Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog did not see his shadow Tuesday morning, the Weather Channel tweeted. 

Members of Punxsutawney Phil's top hat-wearing inner circle revealed their forecast at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

A German legend has it that if a furry rodent sees his shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last an additional six weeks. If not, spring comes early.

RELATED: Pennsylvania groundhog set to 'predict' whether winter ends

In reality, Phil's "prediction" is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler's Knob. The tiny hill is located just outside the town of Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Records going back to 1887 have Phil forecasting more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times. There are no records for the remaining years.