Groundhog Day 2019: Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow this morning meaning there will be an early spring, despite the brutal polar vortex which has brought deadly cold to the Midwest and Northeast
- Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow Saturday morning meaning an early spring is on the way
- A large audience took to Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania for the announcement
- ‘If I were you I’d go out and buy swimsuits,’ crows were told after 7.27am
- The prediction was a surprise as in past years they have often announced six more weeks of winter
- Audience let out a faint sigh of disappointment as early spring was declared
- Fans wore custom-made balloon hats to celebrate the 133rd Groundhog Day
Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow Saturday morning meaning an early spring is on the way despite dangerously cold temperatures in the United States this week.
Jeff Lundy from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club welcomed the largest crowd ever seen on Groundhog Day Saturday as the country learned spring was on the way.
‘If I were you I’d go out and buy swimsuits,’ he told the crowd after waking up Phil just after 7.27am.
Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow Saturday morning meaning an early spring is on the way
‘If I were you I’d go out and buy swimsuits,’ he told the crowd after waking up Phil at 7.25am
It was a chilly 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania where Punxsutawney Phil made an appearance
It was a chilly 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania where 27 years ago Bill Murray stood in the same audience for the well-known movie.
‘I saw Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day. I’ve got that going for me which is nice,’ he famously said.
Gentlemen in top hats form the inner circle and look after Phil and their prediction was somewhat a surprise as in past years they have often announced six more weeks of winter.
The groundhog has seen his shadow 104 times and has not only 18 times in the past between 1887 and 2018. For 10 years there were no Groundhog Day records.
The audience let out a faint sigh of disappointment as spring was declared on the way before eventually mustering up a some minor cheers.
The prediction was read from a scroll in the town about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh
Gentlemen in top hats form the inner circle and look after Phil the groundhog all year
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club welcomed the largest crowd ever seen on Groundhog Day
Using a cane passed down through the years from club presidents, Phil was woken at 7.25am
This year the audience was joined by temperature expert, The Big Chill, as well as Ice man, Thunder Conductor and Moonshine.
As the Midwest and East Coast try to recover from this week’s dangerous Arctic blast, Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog was gearing up to reveal there would be some relief for the likes of Minnesota where -56F weather had brought air travel and road travel, the mail network, plus schools and businesses to a pause.
Members of Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW’-nee) Phil’s top hat-wearing inner circle plan to reveal their forecast at sunrise each year.
The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on February 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.
In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside Punxsutawney.
That’s about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
Fans wore custom-made balloon hats as they celebrated the 133rd Groundhog Day.
Others hats included one that lit up, one that appeared to be Phil’s head and another resembling his burrow.
The audience braved the cold weather to be a part of the popular annual event Saturday
Fans donned novelty hats and broad smiles to attend the event this weekend in Pennsylvania
Phil time: The crowd couldn’t wait to hear whether more cold weather was on the way
Some revelers wore inflatable Phil the groundhog headgear in the form of balloon animals