Punxsutawney Phil Says 6 More Weeks of Winter

PUNXSUTAWNEY – The world famous Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair this morning for the 126th celebration of Groundhog Day.

According to his handlers, Phil greeted thousands of onlookers before “seeing his shadow” and predicting another 6 weeks of winter.

Today’s Groundhog Day custom began here in America in 1887 when a group of Pennsylvania groundhog hunters dubbed themselves “The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.” A newspaper editor who joined the club “used his editorial clout to proclaim that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was the one and only official weather prognosticating groundhog.”

The rest is history.

For 126 years members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club have carried on the tradition. Records show Phil has seen his shadow 100 times and not seen it 16 times since 1886. Records for the remaining years are not available.