Punxsutawney Phil sees shadow, six more weeks of winter predicted
Published in Weird News
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (UPI) -- Pennsylvania's famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole Sunday and saw his shadow, indicating six more weeks of winter, his handlers said.
Phil came out of his hole at Gobbler's Knob at about 7:20 a.m. Sunday -- Groundhog Day -- and saw his shadow, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said on its website.
"A Super Bowl winner I will not predict, but my weather forecast, you cannot contradict, that's not a football lying beside me, it's my shadow you see; so, six more weeks of winter it shall be!" Bill Deeley the president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, read from a scroll at the event.
About 25,000 people showed up in the cold and rain to see Phil emerge from his burrow, Pennlive.com said.
As far as accuracy goes, the StormFax Weather Almanac said that since the groundhog began predicting the length of winter in 1887, Phil has been right about 39 percent of the time.
"We do this for the fun of it," said Bill Cooper, past president of the Groundhog Club's Inner Circle. Groundhog Day doesn't continue because it's the most sound meteorological weather forecast. Groundhog Day continues because it's fun.
Copyright 2014 by United Press International
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