What a shock, we will have another six weeks of winter. Apparently the groundhog saw his shadow on Sunday, Feb. 2. 

Why would you listen to a weatherman when you can rely on a groundhog to predict the weather? The most famous groundhog named Phil, often called Punxsutawney Phil, came out from his burrow on Sunday morning to determine if he could see his shadow. 

As the tradition goes, if it is cloudy outside when the groundhog emerges from his burrow, winter will soon end. If it’s a sunny day, the groundhog will see his shadow and retreat back to his burrow and we should then expect six more weeks of winter. 

Around 7:30 a.m. in Punxsutawney, Pa., Phil saw his shadow. He then went on to speak in “groundhogese” his prediction and it was translated by a group of local dignitaries called the Inner Circle. 

“A Super Bowl winner I will not predict, but my weather forecast you cannot contradict. Why that’s not a football but my shadow I see, it’s six more weeks of winter it must be,” Phil said. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, Phil only has a 39 percent accuracy rate. But this doesn’t stop people from listening to him. 

Last year when Phil didn’t see his shadow and he ‘predicted’ that spring would be right around the corner, he was wrong. Winter didn’t leave for a while. According to an article from the USA Today, people in Butler County, Ohio weren’t pleased by this false prediction and filed an indictment against the groundhog. Officials said that Phil’s prediction was an “unclassified felony” and they were seeking the death penalty. 

Hopefully, Phil has a better year and predicted correctly. Wouldn’t want the little fellow to face the death penalty again. 

Even though there are many unhappy with Phil’s prediction, there are even more who love to come and watch the groundhog emerge from his burrow. Thousands gather in Punxsutawney in the cold just to see the groundhog forecast the weather every year. 

This year, it was the 128th gathering of the Inner Circle and Punxsutawney Phil. For more information go to groundhogday.org