Tradition says that North America will get six more weeks of winter if Phil sees his shadow and an early spring if he does not. 'I see a shadow on my stage, and so no matter how you measure, it's six more weeks of winter weather,' a handler read off the scroll he said Phil had chosen. Unfortunately, on this blustery winter morning, he didn't find it. The groundhog - arguably the most famous member of his species and the most recognizable of all the country's animal prognosticators - did what he has done for the last 137 years: search for a sign of spring in front of a group of top hat-wearing handlers and adoring fans at Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania.
On Thursday morning, thousands of early risers either tuned in or bundled up to watch Punxsutawney Phil emerge from a tree stump and predict the weather.
