Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog, was summoned from his tree stump as people waited to learn if he would see his shadow, determining if there will be 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring.
Punxsutawney Phil makes his winter weather prediction for 2023
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, crowds gathered for the annual Groundhog Day celebration, during which the town’s famous groundhog would make his prediction of 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring.
Punxsutawney Phil, Pennsylvania’s most famous weather-predicting groundhog was summoned by his “inner circle” from his stump, emerging from his burrow at dawn on Thursday, NBC reported. Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries who take on the responsibility of feeding and caring for the groundhog, as well as the planning of events.
More winter or early spring?
According to legend, If the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. However, if the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, then we can expect an early spring
According to the odds for 2023, the chance that Punxsutawney Phil would not see his shadow was 78.5 percent, roughly 20/73 (yes, the numbers don’t add up to 100 percent), and 30 percent, roughly 9/4, that he would see his shadow according to Penn Live.
As it happened, Punxsutawney Phil woke up and saw his shadow on Thursday morning, which legend says means there will be six more weeks of winter, CNN reported.
How accurate are Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions?
According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): “On average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time over the past 10 years.”
According to the Climate Prediction Center of the NOAA: The 3-month temperature outlook for February through April 2023 calls for above-normal temperatures across the eastern and southern US and below-normal temperatures for the northwestern US.
If you’re going by the calendar, winter officially ends at the spring equinox on March 20 – no matter what Phil predicts. However, we all know mother nature doesn’t always stick to what the calendar says. She acts on her own timetable – and so does Phil.
Bottom line: Despite science – and the odds – only time will tell if Phil is correct.
