Groundhog Day Prediction 2010: Punxsutawney Phil Says 6 More Weeks Of Winter

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — Punxsutawney Phil might be an expert at shadow spotting, but texting? Not so much.

About two hours after the famous groundhog "saw" his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, the rodent's inaugural stab at text-messaging appeared. Phil also sent a Twitter update at about that time.

Officials with the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club didn't immediately return calls about Phil's texting skills.

German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 – the Christian holiday of Candlemas – winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

The Inner Circle annually announces Phil's forecast at dawn on Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Comments

[magibrotherhood]

10:12 PM on 02/02/2010

I went to this one year when I was in college...­don`t remember too much of it ....`cept I was drunk and it was freakin freezing.

[mafina]

09:12 PM on 02/02/2010

Six more weeks of winter and just so happens that US. Spring Season begins on March 20 right at the time of the six weeks groundhog prediction­. Phooey. I saw Cheney's shadow and ran, thought I was going to get shot.

[Pierogi kid]

10:24 PM on 02/02/2010

geeze are you people eating short bus sandwiches ? The "predictio­n" so to speak is not six more weeks of winter yes that is the end of winter . Rather the prediction is when he (phil) does not see his shadow that means winter ends early. If he does see his shadow than winter ends at its regularly scheduled time in six weeks . it so happens this year( as he does most years) he(Phil) saw his shadow therefore, winter ends on time (in 6 weeks) Come on it is not that hard

[UncleJimbo]

06:48 PM on 02/02/2010

It's a Place name and it's in the Story you Ran!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!

[UncleJimbo]

06:47 PM on 02/02/2010

I just love saying Gobbler's Knob all Day!

[Tunghoy]

06:17 PM on 02/02/2010

Has anyone else been feeling an odd sense of deja vu today? I don't know, I keep thinking I've been through all this before....­..........­..........

[CPAwADD]

04:14 PM on 02/02/2010

So the little bugger saw his shadow, how about roasting Punxsatawn­ey Phil on a spit. I'll bet he tastes like chicken.

[folderol]

02:44 PM on 02/02/2010

I never understood this. If he sees his shadow, the sun is shining, so doesn't that portend an early spring?

[SallyBaughn]

08:10 PM on 02/02/2010

You could be right, depending on which side of the tree his hibernatio­n hole is located.

But, going with tradition,­, may I help you out... if he sees his shadow, we'll have six more weeks of winter; if he doesn't, we'll have spring in only a month-and-­a-half.

[GlassMask]

02:19 PM on 02/02/2010

Why has Phil the Groundhog STILL not produced a valid US birth certificat­e?! He's a furriner, I tells ya! What's his agenda?

[Soule23]

08:58 PM on 02/02/2010

Steal jobs from the god-fearin­g american citizens who used to predict the onset of spring, produce unwanted anchor groundhogs to overwhelm our groundhog services system, and beat a native born Panamanian to the presidency­. Isn't it obvious?

[hottingers]

01:59 PM on 02/02/2010

In Alaska they have Marmot Day. The marmot came out and saw Sara P@lin, sh# t himself and ran in front of a truck on purpose.

[CPAwADD]

04:09 PM on 02/02/2010

He must have seen the Turkey pardoning!

[Soule23]

08:59 PM on 02/02/2010

Haha, or the grey wolf conservati­on effort

[BobLobblaw]

01:53 PM on 02/02/2010

I have it from a good source that Phil actually has no formal meteorolog­ical training. This whole thing is a sham.

[cocolola]

01:35 PM on 02/02/2010

Well Staten Island Chuck said that we're having an early Spring. Since I live New York I'm going with my homie's prediction­.

[Whitley2009]

03:44 PM on 02/02/2010

This is Juiliani and Blumberg NYC subterfuge­. The New Yorkers are just trying to crush the prognostic­ation of Phil. And, the Rethugs are blaming Obama for Phil's ruling, alleging that Phil is a Democrat ,and he and Obama are bringing us six more seeks of winter.

[vooter]

01:30 PM on 02/02/2010

Thanks for predicting six more weeks of winter, Phil. We'll try to overlook the fact that after February 2, there are almost exactly, um, six more weeks of winter....

[Princeton123]

02:37 PM on 02/02/2010

What it means is that we will not have an early Spring.

[Whitley2009]

03:45 PM on 02/02/2010

A mere technicali­ty as to the time line.

[telebob59]

01:09 PM on 02/02/2010

Weird that having been born and raised 45 or so miles away that I've only been to "Punxy (as the locals call it these days)" but two times, and not once on Ground Hog day. Those damn Germans! I say this as someone whose Great-grea­t Grandfathe­r came over to western PA in 1838 from Bruckneau, Bavaria.

[Whitley2009]

12:45 PM on 02/02/2010

The Republican­s are already crying that Phil is part of the Obama conspiracy­. It is Obama's fault that we will have six more weeks of winter. Just ask any Rethug if this is not true.

[Conservador-Rebelde]

01:37 PM on 02/02/2010

Wouldn't that be the other way around??? Were the groundhog for Obama, wouldn't he predict an early spring, making us all believe in global warming again? He rather gives us more proof to against the hoax that is global warming.

[Whitley2009]

03:47 PM on 02/02/2010

You're confusing me with more Rethug rhetoric about global warming. You just wait until Obama speaks on this subject, and he declares Phil wrong, and that he will bring us all spring and flowers and balmy breezes -- sort of.

[Soule23]

09:02 PM on 02/02/2010

Your post does suggest that global IQ-warming is not an issue that we have to worry much about.

[MrJoyboy]

12:20 PM on 02/02/2010

These guys should be asrrested for molesting a groundhog.

[Whitley2009]

03:48 PM on 02/02/2010

FREEDOM! FREEDOM FOR PHIL! FREE THE GROUNDHOG! GROUNDHOG LOVERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!

[Soule23]

09:03 PM on 02/02/2010

Have you ever seen an unhappy groundhog? It's not pleasant. I doubt that they are molesting him too much.