Phil sees spring coming

Much of America has recovered from freezing temperatures over the past few weeks — and the world-famous groundhog fill is now giving the nation hope that spring is on its way.

On Friday, the 138th Groundhog Day, the rodent from the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, couldn't see his shadow, a sign that a harsh winter would soon give way to a mild spring. Thousands cheered Phil on in freezing temperatures following the forecast.

Tradition calls for members of the “inner circle” of the “Groundhog Club” to take the groundhog out of its treehouse at sunrise and interrogate it. Phil has been making accurate predictions for over 130 years. The Groundhog Club explains that discrepancies between the actual weather and Phil's forecast are translation errors, not miscalculations. In fact, the groundhog is correct in less than half of all cases – a coin toss is the most accurate prediction.

The tradition of celebrating February 2nd around the world was probably brought to Pennsylvania by German immigrants. He gained particular fame with the Hollywood movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray and Andy McDowell.