Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, declares 6 more weeks of winter
By
Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Feb 2, 2022 8:36 AM EDT
|
Updated Feb 2, 2022 1:06 PM EDT
AccuWeather’s Lincoln Riddle reports that Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication on Feb. 2 is six more weeks of winter.
Legendary weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow early Wednesday morning and saw his shadow, which means that there will be six more weeks of winter.
Phil's anticipated prediction drew thousands of onlookers to the small western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney for the first time since 2020 after the event was held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a chilly morning in Punxsutawney when Phil emerged at 7:25 a.m., with temperatures around 30 F being reported at the time.
Of course, Phil isn't the only forecaster capable of long-range weather outlooks. AccuWeather's team of meteorologists released its own spring forecast for the U.S. Wednesday morning.
The reaction to Phil's decision was met with disappointment by some on social media.
"Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow — and that means we're in for a long winter," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wrote on Twitter. "On behalf of Pennsylvania. Sorry, America."
The Virginia Department of Transportation took umbrage with Phil’s forecast, tweeting, “Oh, #PunxsutawneyPhil. You did us dirty. Another six weeks of #winter? Really? We would love to have a chat with you about your prediction for 2023." The message also had an image of Phil on a “wanted” poster that said the groundhog had committed the crime of predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Those disappointed with Phil's prognostication need only look about 300 miles to the east of Punxsutawney for a second opinion. At the Staten Island Zoo, where temperatures were in the low 30s but high humidity and cloudy skies sent the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature to about 37 degrees on Wednesday morning, New York City's resident groundhog weather prognosticator had a different take. According to The New York Post, Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow, thereby suggesting an early start to spring is in the offing.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon emceed the event and observed that there were “lots of clouds” overhead just before Chuck emerged from his burrow. Then, after the animal emerged, McMahon said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just heard from Staten Island Chuck here at the Staten Island Zoo," the Post reported. "He did not see his shadow, we will have an early spring!” According to the Staten Island Zoo, Chuck's accuracy rate over the years has been 85%.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Weather News
Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, declares 6 more weeks of winter
By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Feb 2, 2022 8:36 AM EDT | Updated Feb 2, 2022 1:06 PM EDT
AccuWeather’s Lincoln Riddle reports that Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication on Feb. 2 is six more weeks of winter.
Legendary weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow early Wednesday morning and saw his shadow, which means that there will be six more weeks of winter.
Phil's anticipated prediction drew thousands of onlookers to the small western Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney for the first time since 2020 after the event was held virtually in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a chilly morning in Punxsutawney when Phil emerged at 7:25 a.m., with temperatures around 30 F being reported at the time.
Of course, Phil isn't the only forecaster capable of long-range weather outlooks. AccuWeather's team of meteorologists released its own spring forecast for the U.S. Wednesday morning.
The reaction to Phil's decision was met with disappointment by some on social media.
"Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow — and that means we're in for a long winter," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wrote on Twitter. "On behalf of Pennsylvania. Sorry, America."
The Virginia Department of Transportation took umbrage with Phil’s forecast, tweeting, “Oh, #PunxsutawneyPhil. You did us dirty. Another six weeks of #winter? Really? We would love to have a chat with you about your prediction for 2023." The message also had an image of Phil on a “wanted” poster that said the groundhog had committed the crime of predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Those disappointed with Phil's prognostication need only look about 300 miles to the east of Punxsutawney for a second opinion. At the Staten Island Zoo, where temperatures were in the low 30s but high humidity and cloudy skies sent the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature to about 37 degrees on Wednesday morning, New York City's resident groundhog weather prognosticator had a different take. According to The New York Post, Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow, thereby suggesting an early start to spring is in the offing.
Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon emceed the event and observed that there were “lots of clouds” overhead just before Chuck emerged from his burrow. Then, after the animal emerged, McMahon said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just heard from Staten Island Chuck here at the Staten Island Zoo," the Post reported. "He did not see his shadow, we will have an early spring!” According to the Staten Island Zoo, Chuck's accuracy rate over the years has been 85%.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo