Afterwards, Punxsutawney Phil's handlers dragged the groundhog meteorologist out of his Pennsylvania burrow during a ceremony on Gobbler's Know, where he also saw more winter on the way. The groundhog's prediction was read by Mike Johnson, vice president of the town's Inner Circle, from a scroll that stated: “ The bright sky above me shows my shadow before me, and six more weeks of winter it will be.”

 

According to a study by the US National Climate Prediction Center, Phil and other US and Canadian groundhogs get it right about 39% of the time, even if town authorities say that Phil is always correct about the duration of winter. According to folklore, if a groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, February 2, he'll go back to his burrow, predicting six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it means there will be an early spring.

 

This belief, that hibernating creatures can foresee the arrival of spring, was brought to North America by German immigrants in the 18th century. Other groundhog prognosticators include Balzac Billy in Balzac and Manitoba's Merv in Oak Hammond Marsh. Furthermore, Snewsje, a gopher from Moose Jaw and Watson Willow from Watson can also predict the weather. It remains to be seen if Punxsutawney Phil's predictions will fulfill this year.