Punxsutawney Phil is going virtual for Groundhog Day

There won’t be thousands of winter-weary souls waiting for hours in the frigid cold.

But Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog and prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, will still make an appearance on Tuesday — Groundhog Day — for those eager to learn if we’ll have to endure another six weeks of winter.

Phil and his inner circle will deliver the prediction virtually by means of a live internet stream and website, straight from Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill just outside the borough of Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Jefferson County. Organizers decided back in November not to allow any guests to attend the event due to the pandemic.

Tuesday’s livestream will start at 6:30 a.m. and Phil usually emerges at sunrise — around 7:30 a.m. — to make his long-awaited prediction. The annual tradition has its origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.

If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, Phil takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.

Records dating to 1887 show Phil has predicted longer winters more than 100 times, while forecasting an early spring just 18 times. Nine years are missing from the record. The 2020 forecast called for an early spring. (In reality, Phil’s prediction is decided ahead of time by the group of handlers on Gobbler’s Knob.)

Some interesting Punxsutawney Phil facts:

▪ The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May.”

Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob was made on Feb. 2, 1887.

Oh, and Phil has also gone social — you can catch him on Instagram (punxsyphil).

And if you have some cash, $85 will get you a message from Phil this year via the video-sharing platform Cameo, which allows people to pay for customized videos from celebrities and, of course, animals. Phil appears in his videos in the arms of his handler and Inner Circle member A.J. Dereume (aka the Rainmaker).