Ten things you never knew about... Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day, when a rodent named Phil is lured from his burrow in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to predict the onset of spring.

1. The Groundhog Day tradition, made famous by a 1993 film in which Bill Murray repeats the same day again and again, dates back to 1886.

2. The tradition began in Europe with Candlemas Day when hedgehogs or badgers predicted the weather. German settlers brought it to America.

3. Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks, land beavers or whistle-pigs.

4. “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary” is Phil’s full name.

5. If Phil cannot see his shadow on February 2, an early spring is predicted. A shadow means six more weeks of winter.

6. According to the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, Phil is never wrong…

7. …but meteorological records suggest that his accuracy is no more than 39 per cent.

8. Forecasts take place at Gobbler’s Knob. Knob is an old word for a hill; Gobblers refers to turkeys.

9. Milwaukee Zoo’s groundhog forecaster died last year so they are using a polar bear this time.

10. Staten Island also has a forecasting groundhog called Charles G Hogg VII, also known as Chuck.