(NEWSnet/AP) – If a celebrity groundhog’s activity early Friday in Pennsylvania is any indication, an early spring is in the forecast.
Handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, the star of the Groundhog Day festival in Gobbler’s Knob, read their proclamation about 7:25 a.m. to cheers from bystanders.
[Earlier Report: How Groundhog Day Became a Sensation in Western Pennsylvania]
According to legend, if the designated groundhog does not see his shadow, it will be an early spring. The weather Friday morning was overcast, and the groundhog celebration took place right about local sunrise time.
While Gobbler’s Knob is the site of the most well-known Groundhog Day festivities in the country, it’s certainly not the only one. The mid-winter folklore came to this country with European immigrants, and has been celebrated for decades in various locations, especially in eastern and central Pennsylvania.
By the way, National Centers for Environmental Information, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has compared Phil's record with U.S. national temperatures over the prior decade and concluded he was right only 40% of the time.
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