US / groundhog day Punxsutawney Phil Declares: Early Spring Famed groundhog didn't see his shadow By Kate Seamons, Newser Staff Posted Feb 2, 2011 6:58 AM CST Copied In this file from Feb. 2, 2009, John Griffiths, a handler of the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil after removing him from his stump at Gobbler's Knob. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Can it be? A glimmer of good, 45-degree news? Punxsutawney Phil emerged today and did not see his shadow, meaning his annual weather forecast is for an early spring, reports the AP. To the cynical: Phil has seen his shadow 98 of the 113 years that have been recorded since 1887, meaning he had about an 87% chance of predicting six more weeks of winter. (More groundhog day stories.) Report an error