Groundhog Day puts Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast about winter’s length in the spotlight

Groundhog Day puts Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast about winter’s length in the spotlight 1 of 3 | Toni Massey, of Bismack, N.D., right, celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">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., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) 2 of 3 | George Morar, of Youngstown, Ohio., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">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., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) 3 of 3 | Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File) 1 of 3 Toni Massey, of Bismack, N.D., right, celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">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., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 3 George Morar, of Youngstown, Ohio., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">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., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 3 Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Punxsutawney, Pa. (AP) — It’s already been a long, cold winter across much of the United States, and on Monday, Punxsutawney-phil" class="entity-link entity-person" data-entity-id="23250" data-entity-type="person">Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers were poised to announce whether the weather-predicting groundhog says there’s more of the same to come.When Phil is said to have seen his shadow upon emergence from a tree stump in rural Pennsylvania, 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.Tens of thousands of people were on hand at Gobbler’s Knob for the annual ritual that goes back more than a century, with ties to ancient farming traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney’s festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.Lisa Gibson was at her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree stump from which Phil emerges shortly after daybreak. “Oh man, it just breaks up the doldrums of winter,” said Gibson, accompanied by her husband — dressed up as Elvis Presley — and teenage daughter. “It’s like Halloween and New Year’s Eve all wrapped up into one holiday.” Gibson, a resident of Pittsburgh, was rooting for Phil to not see his shadow and therefore predict an early start to spring.Rick Siger, Pennsylvania’s secretary of community and economic development, said the outdoor thermometer in his vehicle read 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) on his way to Gobbler’s Knob. “I think it’s just fun — folks having a good time,” said Siger, attending his fourth straight Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. “It brings people together at a challenging time. It is a unifying force that showcases the best of Pennsylvania, the best of Punxsutawney, this area.”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. His top-hatted handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist Phil’s “groundhogese” of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are being interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot’s muses about the days ahead. AccuWeather’s chief long-range weather expert, meteorologist Paul Pastelok, said early Monday some clouds moved into Punxsutawney overnight, bringing flurries he called “microflakes.”Pastelok said the coming week will remain cold, with below-average temperatures in the eastern United States.Phil isn’t the only animal being consulted for long-term weather forecasts Monday. There are formal and informal Groundhog Day events in many places in the U.S., Canada and beyond.Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2, the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a time of year that also figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas.___Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Scolforo is an Associated Press reporter in the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. Vejpongsa is a video journalist for The Associated Press in Philadelphia. She was previously based in Taipei and Bangkok.