Groundhog Club handler John Griffiths holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 126th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2012.
On Groundhog Day every Feb. 2, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, all eyes are on a furry rodent emerging from his burrow. According to tradition, if Phil sees his shadow, then there will be six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t, then the weather will get warmer, and an early spring is on the way. Since the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper first reported on groundhog’s winter predictions in 1886, STORMFAX’s Weather Almanac claims they have been accurate 39 percent of the time. Perhaps that’s why one particularly incensed Ohio prosecutor argued Phil should receive the death penalty because the weather was still in the 30-degree range just days after he predicted an early spring (the charge was dropped a few days later).