THE AGE-OLD TRADITION of allowing a chosen groundhog to predict the end of winter has continued in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The ceremony, made famous thanks to the 1993 Bill Murray film Groundhog Day, sees  the rodent Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his burrow and choose one of two scrolls to decide the upcoming weather.

One has a sunnier outlook, the other less so. 

And unfortunately Phil has opted for the scroll providing locals with six more weeks of winter.

Thousands of people gather every year at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle”, wearing top hats and traditional garb, summon him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he had seen his shadow.

According to folklore, spring would come early if he did not see it. 

The annual event has its origin in a German legend about a furry rodent.

According to records dating back to 1887, Phil has predicted winter more than 100 times.

Additional reporting from PA

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