Punxsutawney Phil Hath Spoken

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. The Groundhog Day ritual at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is in the books, with Phil predicting six more weeks of winter, reports USA Today.

• 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, per the AP. Punxsutawney's festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray.
• "Oh man, it just breaks up the doldrums of winter," said Lisa Gibson, attending her 10th ceremony. She was 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."

• Last year's announcement also 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 relay the meteorological marmot's muses about the days ahead.
• 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 .