Crowds gathered in Punxsutawney, PA this morning for the 126th celebration of Groundhog Day at Gobbler’s Knob.
The throng of onlookers, estimated at between 15,000 and 18,000, booed heartily when the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club representative announced that there’ll be six more weeks of winter.
Actually this winter has been particularly mild. TODAY host Matt Lauer remarked, “With the winter we’ve been having, it’s like spring anyway.”
According to the AP, the groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 99 times since 1886; with an early spring predicted only 16 times.
The truth of the matter is that 15 members of the Inner Circle, dressed for the occasion in top hats and tuxedos, decide in advance on a yearly prognostication. According to the group’s V.P Mike Johnston, “We’ve never been wrong. I guarantee you someone’s going to have six more weeks of winter.”
Despite having no input, Johnston still refers to Phil as “the great Oz of weather forecasting.”
See the official proclamation below:
Check out this morning’s event on webcam here.
Photos: Video Screen Grabs