Punxsutawney Phil: Groundhog Says Six More Weeks of Winter

An estimated 15,000 people gathered on a chilly morning to see Phil, the original weather-predicting groundhog.
Punxsutawney Phil: Groundhog Says Six More Weeks of Winter
One of Phil's handlers, Ben Hughes, protects him from the crowds. Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times
Jan Jekielek
Jan Jekielek
Senior Editor
|Updated:
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Bill_speaks_to_Phil_medium.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-99168" title="Bill Deeley, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president speaks to Phil himself in Groundhogese, getting this year's winter weather prediction. To his right is Mike Johnston, vice-president, and holding Phil is John Griffiths, one Phil's two handlers. (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Bill_speaks_to_Phil_medium.jpg" alt="Bill Deeley, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president speaks to Phil himself in Groundhogese, getting this year's winter weather prediction. To his right is Mike Johnston, vice-president, and holding Phil is John Griffiths, one Phil's two handlers. (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)" width="320"/></a>
Bill Deeley, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president speaks to Phil himself in Groundhogese, getting this year's winter weather prediction. To his right is Mike Johnston, vice-president, and holding Phil is John Griffiths, one Phil's two handlers. (Jan Jekielek/The Epoch Times)

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa.—Six More Weeks of Winter, foretold the rodent ‘Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators’ at Gobbler’s Knob, in his apparent 124th appearance in that role.

An estimated 15,000 people gathered on a chilly Tuesday morning to see Punxsutawney Phil, the original weather-prognosticating groundhog, come out of his burrow. Today, he saw his shadow, which means, according to local legend, that six more weeks of winter are guaranteed.

If you believe the hype, there has been only one Phil since 1887, and he is the only one true prognosticator among many imitators. In the mid-1970’s, local businessmen took to popularizing the tradition as a source of tourist revenue for the town, but it took the 1993 release of Groundhog Day, the movie, to bring the crowds in 15,000 – 30,000 strong. Being a Tuesday, and a particularly cold one, crowds were a bit thinner than usual but still impressive—all things considered.

Since 1887, Phil has only predicted an early spring 15 times.

Jan Jekielek
Jan Jekielek
Senior Editor
Jan Jekielek is a senior editor with The Epoch Times, host of the show “American Thought Leaders.” Jan’s career has spanned academia, international human rights work, and now for almost two decades, media. He has interviewed nearly a thousand thought leaders on camera, and specializes in long-form discussions challenging the grand narratives of our time. He’s also an award-winning documentary filmmaker, producing “The Unseen Crisis,” “DeSantis: Florida vs. Lockdowns,” and “Finding Manny.”
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