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No shadow: Pennsylvania groundhog ‘predicts’ early spring

According to the superstition, if Phil sees his shadow we’ll have an additional six weeks of winter.

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Punksutawney Phil has already made his prediction and says spring will come early. If Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, six more weeks of winter weather will ensue.

The Weather Channel is reporting a Groundhog Day winter storm could bring blizzard conditions across the Rockies and the Central United States.

Well, he’s seen repeating the day 38 times in the actual film, while director Harold Ramis estimated on the DVD he had spent around 10 years in Punxsatawney – later suggesting it could have taken longer given how many new skills he acquired.

There’s something charming about Punxsutawney Phil and the whole Groundhog Day thing, but at the same time it’s kind of a waste.

Folks will be able to watch Groundhog Day 2016 unfold live online with streaming video of Punxsutawney Phil’s big annual prediction.

Though Phil’s method may seem flawed – anticipating that the sight of his shadow determines a longer winter, while no shadow calls for an early spring – he has a tendency to get it right.

But for such an odd holiday Groundhog Day certainly has fascinating origins, and has inspired enduring celebrations – and at least one very good movie.

While Groundhog Day is a way to have a little fun at mid-winter, climate records and statistics tell us that winter probably isn’t over.

As Bill Murray’s character, Phil, put it, “This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather”.

Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil and the top hat-wearing members of his inner circle plan to reveal their forecast at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m.

Phil has a 40 percent accuracy rate in weather forecasting.

He may be older than your grandpa’s grandpa, but Phil has adapted with the times.

Tuesday will make it America’s 129th weather prediction.

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During his seven years, Milltown Mel was pretty accurate with his predictions with a 6-1 record.

Inner Circle President Bill Deeley shows Punxsutawney Phil to tourists a day before Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney Pa. on Monday Feb. 1 2016. Members of the Inner Circle planned to reveal their forecast at sunrise Tuesday. A German legend says that