It appears Punxsutawney Phil and the calendar are in sync — there will be six more weeks of winter.
Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his temporary home on Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania Monday morning for his annual Feb. 2 prediction, per USA Today.
This year, he saw his shadow, which, according to Goundhog Day tradition, means six more weeks of winter. The first day of spring is March 20, according to the calendar.
Watch:
If he does not see his shadow, an early spring is coming.
The groundhog made his prediction at Gobbler’s Knob, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, about 80 miles from Pittsburgh. Every year, thousands gather there to celebrate the holiday and Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction.
At around 7:25 a.m., tens of thousands of revelers stood in -2 degree weather, to watch Pennsylvania’s “official state meteorologist” make his prediction, per Fox News.
This is the 140th year of the celebration.
AccuWeather’s chief long-range weather expert, meteorologist Paul Pastelok seemed to agree for now, stating the week will remain cold, with below average temperatures in the eastern United States.
“We’ve still got some more snow and ice to contend with” in the mid-Atlantic, Ohio River Valley and Northeastern U.S., he said.
“The farther out you get the accuracy is not specifically on point all the time, but we can get trends,” Pastelok added about any long-range forecasts.
