Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction

Punxsutawney Phil’s winter weather forecast is in! The groundhog has predicted we will have an early spring this year. Phil’s meteorological prediction was announce just after sunrise Friday in Gobbler’s Knob, the scene of the largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration in the United States. The annual event is a tongue-in-cheek ritual in which Phil’s handlers, members of a club with roots in the late 19th century, reveal whether the groundhog has seen his shadow — ushering in six more weeks of winter weather — or hasn’t, presaging early springlike weather. About 10,000 people have made their way in recent years to Punxsutawney, where festivities begin in the dead of night and culminate in the midwinter forecast. A bundled-up crowd, some wearing groundhog-themed hats, watched musical performances and fireworks as they waited for sunrise and the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil. READ MORE: