Will spring arrive early? Find out if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow

Anna Kaplan
Updated ·2 min read

There will be six more weeks of winter this year, according to Punxsutawney Phil.

The famous groundhog emerged from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, shortly before 7:30 a.m. ET on Feb. 2 and saw his shadow, predicting there will be not be an early spring.

Groundhog day (Barry Reeger / AP)
Groundhog day (Barry Reeger / AP)

Thousands of people gathered to watch as members of the groundhog's "inner circle" helped to reveal his annual prediction, where if Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t, there will be an early spring.

Phil's "inner circle" includes a group of locals who help plan the events of Groundhog Day at Gobbler's Knob. They also feed and take care of the groundhog.

Image: Punxsutawney Phil Looks For His Shadow In Annual Groundhog Day Tradition (Michael Swensen / Getty Images)
Image: Punxsutawney Phil Looks For His Shadow In Annual Groundhog Day Tradition (Michael Swensen / Getty Images)

How did Groundhog Day start?

According to Visit Pennsylvania, the tradition began as part of the early Christian holiday, Candlemas, where clear skies on Candlemas meant a longer winter. Roman legions brought the holiday to Germanic tribes, who then added the groundhog element.

German immigrants brought the tradition to Pennsylvania, according to Visit Pennsylvania. In 1886, a member of a group of groundhog hunters, "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club," declared in the newspaper that their local groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, was the weather prognosticating groundhog, according to Visit Pennsylvania.

This year marks the 137th time Phil has looked for his shadow, which also coincides with the 30th anniversary celebration of the 1993 classic film "Groundhog Day."

Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, 1993. (Alamy )
Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, 1993. (Alamy )

In the film, Bill Murray stars as weatherman Phil Connors, who ends up reliving Groundhog Day over and over until he becomes a nicer person, which allows him to wake up and finally see Feb. 3.

Phil's forecast for more winter comes as an "epic" ice storm left 370,000 people across the southern U.S. without power, according to the National Weather Service. As of Feb. 1, eight deaths had been connected to the storm, which sent freezing temperatures from Texas to Tennessee, NBC News reported.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com