Groundhog Day 2009: Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow, More Winter to Come

Did the Groundhog See His Shadow?

That's the big question on everyone's mind this morning.  The world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow early this morning, which means that we will likely be in for another six weeks of winter. Follow along live here.

With another winter storm headed for the east coast tomorrow, we're inclined to believe him.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of a crowd of about 13,000 onlookers, many donning their black-and-gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl victory last night.

"There's significant buzz from the Steelers win and quite a few Terrible Towels floating from the crowd," said Mickey Rowley, deputy secretary for tourism in Pennsylvania.

The annual ceremony takes place on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough that lies about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced the forecast in a short proclamation, in which Phil acknowledged the Steelers' 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

According to German superstition, if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2,€” the Christian holiday of Candlemas,€” winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early.

Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 15 times, and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

Rowley said that Groundhog Day is Pennsylvania's biggest tourist attraction during the winter months.  Thousands come out to ask the question, "Did the Groundhog See His Shadow?"

"It's six more weeks of skiing," Rowley said.

Groundhog Day 2009 Video