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Groundhog Phil Predicts an Early Spring

You could go with Ohio’s official weather-predicting whistle pig, Buckeye Chuck, who says we’re in for six more weeks of winter. Since 1988, the weather-predicting groundhog has been correct 13 times and wrong 15 times.

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Lundy is one of the top hat-wearing group that announces the forecast every year.

Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog famous for his yearly predictions on the arrival of spring based on whether or not he sees his shadow, made his appearance Tuesday morning as he emerged from his burrow.

On this Groundhog Day, you may be wondering where the annual tradition of watching for Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow began.

A hundred and thirty years after its initial celebration, the groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow on Tuesday, so winter ends early this year, according to the legend.

Nine days after a blizzard hit the Basking Ridge residents will wait and see if Phil’s forecast of an early spring is accurate.

Phil’s fans cheered as Phil’s handlers helped Phil from his home.

Phil then turned around and whispered his prediction to Bill Deeley, the President of the “Inner Circle”, and the only person that understands Groundhogese. But in Providence, 65 degrees did beat the previous record of 64, set the same year as the Boston record.

Records going back to 1887 have Phil forecasting more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times.

Regardless of whether the animals are right, Groundhog Day is a fun tradition that was started by German settlers that migrated to Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th century.

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But according to a 2015 Washington Post investigation, don’t count on Punxsutawney Phil. From 1984 to 2014, the average daily temperatures across the country during the six weeks following Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, were only marginally in line with the groundhog’s predictions.

It's Groundhog Day: WATCH LIVE to find out if winter is finally over