WATCH LIVE: Punxsutawney Phil reveals whether or not 2023 will see early spring or six extra weeks of winter

Punxsutawney Phil wailing emerge at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, round 6:30 a.m. Thursday to foretell whether or not or not spring will come early this 12 months.

Thursday's celebration marks the 137th Groundhog Day, in accordance with the Punxsutawney Groundhog Membership, which handles Phil and the festivities.

RICK SCOTT CRIES POLITICAL RETRIBUTION AFTER LOSING SPOT ON COMMITTEE

Custom says that if Phil emerges and sees his shadow, there might be six extra weeks of winter. If he emerges and would not see his shadow, heat climate will usher in spring early.

The custom of utilizing animals to foretell the climate dates again to historic occasions — the Romans would use hedgehogs (there have been no groundhogs in Europe on the time) to foretell the arrival of spring yearly on Feb. 5, in accordance with the Wall Avenue Journal.

Germans and Celts had their very own model of the custom that was delivered to the US by means of German and Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania, historian Dan Yoder wrote in his definitive historical past of the vacation. The badger utilized by the Pennsylvania Dutch was swapped with a groundhog, giving method to a vacation that gained prominence with the discharge of the favored 1993 movie starring Invoice Murray.

Groundhog Day initially concerned the Groundhog Membership consuming Phil after he made his prediction, CNN reported. Regardless of this, the Groundhog Membership insists that there has solely been one Phil since 1887, even with groundhogs having a lifespan of solely six years within the wild and as much as 14 in captivity.

Phil's longevity is attributed to a magical "elixir of life" he receives on the summer season Groundhog Picnic. The elixir "magically provides him seven extra years of life."