Punxsutawney Phil prepares to make his annual Groundhog Day winter weather forecast

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil’s winter weather forecast is being announced in Gobbler’s Knob, the scene of the country’s largest and most well-known Groundhog Day celebration. The annual event, being held shortly after sunrise on Friday, is a tongue-in-cheek ritual in which Phil’s handlers reveal whether the groundhog has seen his shadow. If he does, they say it’ll usher in six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t, that will presage early springlike weather. Phil predicts more winter far more often than he sees an early spring. A federal agency took a look at his record last year and put his accuracy rate at about 40%.