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Punxsutawney Phil's Prediction Backed By Lesser-Known Groundhogs

The Associated Press

John Griffiths holds Punxsutawney Phil in front of a crowd of 13,000 today in Punxsutawney, Pa.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2009

TAMPA - It looks like six more weeks of winter weather. At least that's the consensus of an international cadre of weather predicting groundhogs.

Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog with the best press, may have spied his shadow today but there are other woodchucks in the weather prognostication business.

There are groundhogs in Canada where the length of winter is of great importance. Sun Prairie, Wis., another place where winter's duration is important, has one.

And one lives in Georgia that may be more relevant to weather in Florida, where there are no groundhogs, which are also called woodchucks and whistle pigs because of a sound they make when agitated.

According to the legend that stretches back to a German superstition, if a hibernating animal spots its shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last six more weeks.

If there's no shadow, spring will come early.

The tally so far this year is five groundhogs predicting six more weeks of winter and one opting for an early spring.

Phil, the best-known of the groundhogs, 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, and saw his shadow.

In Wisconsin, Jimmy the Groundhog saw his shadow.

Canadian woodchucks backed Phil's prediction.

Shubenacadie Sam in Nova Scotia is the first groundhog in Canada to take a stab at predicting the winter, and he saw a shadow.

Later, Wiarton Willie, a groundhog in Ontario, also cast a shadow this morning. Then Balzac Billy from Alberta, Canada, had an identical result.

The only one in disagreement was General Beau Lee, a groundhog in the Yellow River Game Ranch in Liburn, Ga., who saw no shadow.

Phil has lineage on his side with Groundhog Day predictions going back to 1887. 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.

Groundhog Day also falls on the Christian holiday of Candlemas, held on Feb. 2 when candles were blessed.

Information from The Associated Press was included in this report. Contact Neil Johnson at njohnson@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7731.

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