Legendary Groundhog Declares 'Six More Weeks Of Winter'

Posted by Editor on 02/03/2010

'As the sky shines right above me, my shadow I see beside me - six more weeks of winter it will be!' This was the dire prediction that legendary groundhog 'Punxsutawney Phil', made yesterday, in front of thousands of people gathered in the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

According to the legend, if Phil sees his shadow, he scampers back into his hole, indicating that winter is likely to continue for at least another six weeks! If he stays out, it means that spring is around the corner - which obviously did not happen this year!

Groundhog day was started by German Settlers who came to Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th century.

Since then, the holiday is celebrated all across the United States, every February 2nd.

While there are many groundhogs and even an armdillo (in Texas )  who make predictions in other cities of the United States, Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous.

That's because according to local folklore, Phi, kept alive by a magic potion is 123 years old, and has been predicting the weather for over 110 years now.

If that wasn't enough, the little critter received international recognition after he was featured in a 1993 movie called 'Groundhog Day'.

Groundhogs, also called Woodchucks, Land Beavers or Whistle Pigs are the largest members of the squirrel family, and grow between 17-26 inches in length and up to 4lbs in weight. Unlike Phil, these largely herbivorous animals have a lifespan of between 6-8 years in the wild.

Whether Phil can truly predict the weather is matter of opinion. Weather experts say he has been right only 39% of the time, while the folks at Punxsutawney say he has a perfect record -  Either way, the event sure makes for a great party!

sources:wikipedia.org,huffingtonpost.com,news8austin.com

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  1. natasha about 3 hours later:
    Yay I love summer I hate winter
  2. sam about 3 hours later:
    i love summer
  3. natasha about 3 hours later:
    oh by then
  4. Miley Lover about 5 hours later:
    Oh man! I really can't wait til spring comes! I am sick of this cold weather. I want to go outside and go for a bike ride and stuff. Well, I have to deal with it. :-(
  5. lipincott about 6 hours later:
    blah, i want summer
  6. Gia lol about 12 hours later:
    I want summer too!
  7. abbie 1 day later:
    phill is fat
  8. NIKI 2 days later:
    HE IS
  9. Max St.Stanislaus 2 days later:
    WHHHATTT Are u kidding me? won more thing t say Hello
  10. smilygirl762 2 days later:
    phill is soooo cute and fat!!!!
  11. Miley 5 days later:
    I agree with you Mileylover I want to ride my bike
  12. miley hater 10 days later:
    deal with the coldness, mileylover and miley! Gosh! P.S. Phil IS fat, no offense to those who think he isn't or likes him
  13. miley hater 10 days later:
    deal with the coldness, mileylover and miley! Gosh! P.S. Phil IS fat, no offense to those who think he isn't or likes him
  14. winnter go away 21 days later:
    6more weeks!what im freezing
  15. dada 22 days later:
    onn the beaver looks so cute
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