Bad news! The groundhog sees his shadow

Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, handlers say

Carolyn Kaster / AP

Cheryl Lechtanski of Middletown, N.J., joins hundreds of others at Gobbler's Knob in the predawn hours for Punxsutawney Phil to be pulled from his stump Monday in Punxsutawney, Pa.

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Feb. 2: Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, harkening six more weeks of winter — or so his handlers say. MSNBC's Willie Geist reports.

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Jan. 28, 1985: When Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his hole, he’ll be continuing a tradition that came to America with German immigrants in the 1700s. TODAY's Al Roker explains.

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updated 12:25 p.m. ET Feb. 2, 2009

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting this already long winter will last for six more weeks.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black-and-gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory the night before.

"There's significant buzz from the Steelers win and quite a few Terrible Towels floating from the crowd," said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for tourism in Pennsylvania.

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The annual ritual takes place on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced the forecast in a short proclamation, in which Phil acknowledged the Steelers' 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

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Groundhog is a reliable forecaster?

According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.

Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

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Rowley said the Groundhog Day festivities is Pennsylvania's largest tourist gathering in the winter. And if Phil's forecast proves correct it should bring even more tourists to the state.

"It's six more weeks of skiing," Rowley said.