Punxsutawney Phil gives his Groundhog Day 2023 forecast in Pa.
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/CNN) -- The famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, meaning there will be six more weeks of winter.
Thousands of people from around the world made the journey to see Punxsutawney Phil make his 2023 grand debut this Groundhog Day, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Seeing his shadow means there will be six more weeks of winter. Had he crawled unbothered, it would have indicated early spring weather was around the corner.
The town of Punxsutawney, in Jefferson County, got ready for a wave of tourists coming in for Thursday's celebration. Only about 6,000 people live in the town. But on Groundhog Day, there were about 20,000 people in Punxsutawney.
Every February 2, the members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club trek to Gobbler's Knob, Punxsutawney Phil's official home just outside of town. Donning top hats and tuxedos, the group waits for Phil to leave his burrow.
According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers said.
The 2022 forecast called for six more weeks of winter, as did the year before.
