Thursday is Groundhog Day! That means thousands will gather at Gobbler’s Knob to see Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his burrow and give his much-anticipated forecast. According to legend, if Phil sees his shadow we are in store for six more weeks of winter. If Phil doesn’t see his shadow, then an early spring is coming.
The tradition goes back to 1887. Looking back, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 102 times, no shadow 18 times and there is no record on 9 Groundhog Days.
According to Groundhog Day organizers, the rodents’ forecasts are very accurate, 75-90%. However, according to StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Phil’s predictions have only been correct 39% of the time.
