Punxsutawney Phil, known as the weather forecaster, once again surprised viewers by announcing his spring prediction. This event took place in the early morning hours at a temperature of about -18 °C. The animal's handlers pulled him out of his burrow in front of the crowd, after which they reported that Phil saw his shadow. According to popular belief, this foretells an extension of winter.
Despite the frosty weather, tens of thousands of spectators attended the celebration and greeted the announcement with cheers and discontented murmurs. This year, taking photos with the groundhog was not allowed to avoid exposing the animal to the cold for too long.
The tradition of asking groundhogs about the weather dates back to the 1880s when German immigrant farmers in the USA began observing the hibernating animals to predict the duration of winter cold. Now, thousands of people gather to see Phil, and if he sees his shadow, it means winter will last for another six weeks; if no shadow is seen, spring will arrive early.
On this day, similar events are held in other cities across the USA and Canada. For example, groundhog Chuck on Staten Island in New York also predicted six more weeks of winter. Early data shows that predictions for "winter" and "early spring" are nearly evenly split, with around a hundred similar events expected in total. However, Phil's opinion from Punxsutawney holds a special reputation across the country.
