Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil makes annual winter weather prediction

Pennsylvania's "official authorities meteorologist" Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadiness Sunday morning, predicting six much weeks of winter.

Sunday's joyous juncture was the 138th prognostication successful Punxsutawney, located successful Jefferson County. The festivities kicked disconnected astatine 6 a.m. successful a acold 20 degrees, and Phil made his quality to the anxious assemblage astatine 7:22 a.m. It included singing, dancing, unrecorded euphony and fireworks to amp up the assemblage up of Phil's prediction. 

Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., spoke aboriginal connected during the yearly festivities astatine Gobbler's Knob successful Punxsutawney, Pa., rebuffing People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA) demands to regenerate the beloved carnal with thing vegan.

"There's immoderate folks retired determination who said we should instrumentality this large contented that stretches each the mode backmost to the 1880s and get escaped of Phil and regenerate him with a cake," Shapiro said successful beforehand of thousands of people. "If anybody comes for Phil, they're gonna person to spell done maine and each of you. Am I right?"

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Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., speaks astatine a Groundhog Day lawsuit successful Pennsylvania connected Feb. 2, 2025. (Gobbler's Knob)

Shapiro added that past twelvemonth helium declared Phil the "official authorities meteorologist" and that the groundhog is "never incorrect astir the weather." He teased making Groundhog Day an authoritative authorities holiday.

The politician has been on-hand for each Groundhog Day ceremonial in Punxsutawney since taking bureau successful 2023.

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A ample assemblage attends a Groundhog Day lawsuit successful Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania connected Feb. 2, 2025.  (Gobbler's Knob)

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk told the New York Post that Phil is denied the accepted manner of a groundhog "for a bushed aged gimmick."

While Groundhog Day is considered a national holiday and has adjacent been popularized successful the classical 1993 Bill Murray movie of the aforesaid name, the time — and Phil himself — clasp a peculiar spot successful galore Pennsylvanians' hearts.

The yearly upwind prediction ceremonial is hosted by the Groundhog Club Inner Circle, a radical of section dignitaries who attraction for Punxsutawney Phil and assistance put peculiar festivities. 

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadiness during Groundhog Day solemnisation astatine the Gobbler's Knob successful Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, connected February 2, 2025.  (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Even though Punxsutawney Phil's upwind prediction is the 1 radical stitchery to see, the groundhog's prediction is made up of the large infinitesimal by the radical connected Gobbler's Knob, a determination precise adjacent to Punxsutawney, conscionable astir 65 miles distant from Pittsburgh.

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In summation to the ample ceremonial successful occidental PA, passim the remainder of the Commonwealth, galore historically Pennsylvania German communities are location to a "Grundsau Lodsch" oregon Groundhog Lodge. 

Fox News' Carles Creitz and Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.