Groundhog Day

A top hat of a member of the Inner Circle is silhouetted by fireworks before the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is removed from his stump at Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa.

Six More Weeks... — AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Punxsutawney Phil's handlers hold him in the air after removing him from his stump at Gobbler's Knob on Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, as did Ohio's furry prognosticator, Buckeye Chuck and North Carolina's Sir Walter Wally.

Ben Hughes, handler of the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil in the air after removing him from his stump at Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. Since 1887, the groundhog has seen his shadow 97 times, hasn't seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

Cheryl Lechtanski of Middletown, N.J., looks to Gobbler's Knob as she waits in the predawn hours for the weather predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, to be pulled from his stump on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. Thousands of revelers gathered on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough of about 6,100 residents.

John Griffiths, center, holds the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil as Phil is interviewed by media at Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. The Groundhog Club said Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. To the left is Bill Cooper and at right is Ben Hughes.

John Griffiths, a handler of the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, holds Phil in the air after removing him from his stump at Gobbler's Knob on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa. Interest in the Groundhog Day festivities got a huge boost after the release of the 1993 film in which Bill Murray plays a television reporter covering the event.

Al Donst, of Belvidere, N.J. wears a groundhog with an American flag on his hat as he waits at Gobbler's Knob in the predawn hours for the weather predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil to be pulled from his stump on Groundhog Day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Punxsutawney, Pa.

Staten Island Chuck

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lures the city's prognosticating rodent, Charles G. Hogg, also known as Staten Island Chuck, from his enclosure at the Staten Island Zoo, Monday Feb. 2, 2009. The rodent bit through Bloomberg's glove and chomped on his left index finger when the mayor was trying to coax the animal into view with an ear of corn. Chuck drew blood, but there's no risk of rabies.