PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. – Punxsutawney Phil, will you provide New Yorkers with some hope?
After days of subfreezing and dirty snow piled on the ground, the gloomy Big Apple may already concede that Pennsylvania’s famous prognosticating groundhog will predict six more weeks of winter.
Watch live using the media player above as Phil’s handlers and tens of thousands of visitors gather at Gobbler’s Knob for Phil to emerge from a tree stump. Remember, if he sees his shadow, that’s considered a forecast for six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, an early spring is said to be on the way.
George Morar, of Youngstown, Ohio., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monda
The backstory:
This event at Gobbler’s Knob dates back over a century and has ties to ancient European farming traditions. Punxsutawney Phil has been a member of the Groundhog Club since 1886. The “140-year-old” groundhog is said to get his longevity by drinking a secret and magical, life-giving brew that only he can drink.
The festivities have only grown since the 1993 movie Groundhog Day.
Toni Massey, of Bismack, N.D., right, celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Mon
Last year’s prediction
Dig deeper:
Last year’s announcement was six more weeks of winter, by far Phil’s more common assessment and not much of a surprise during the first week of February.
NYC’s mid-winter forecast
What Our Expert Says:
Why listen to a groundhog for your weather-forecasting advice when you have local meteorologists? According to NOAA, the groundhog’s prediction is only correct 40% of the time.
We asked our very own Nick Gregory for his assessment of the rest of winter, and unfortunately, it’s looking quite grim.
“You can blame the polar vortex for a lot of this.”
The fractured polar vortex Gregory is referring to is the reason behind both the frigid temperatures and large amounts of snowfall the city has seen in recent months.
Due to the fractured polar vortex, arctic air is likely to continue to affect the eastern half of the country.
Gregory expects the bitter cold to continue “at least until the middle part of February.”
He does, however, believe that average temperatures could make a return at some point in March.
The Source: This article used reporting from the Associated Press and a long-range forecast from meteorologist Nick Gregory.