(Photo : Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he did not see his shadow predicting an early Spring during the 138th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Friday Feb. 2, 2024, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Hoping for an early spring? Well, according to weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, Old Man Winter is taking an early hike this year.

Before a reported 40,000 spectators celebrating Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on Friday, a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club - which organizes the annual celebration - read the furry creature's prediction from a scroll.

"Another winter slumber pause, so I could meet the crowd," the prediction began. "Hard to sleep anyway when the party's this loud. I envy your energy, I envy the fun. I envy all of you and your opposable thumbs. But it's not what I feel, it's what I see and what you hear, so gather around and let me be clear.

"Atmosphere is a wonderful thing, and we can create our own and the weather it brings. It brings hope for the future and so much more, maybe some Punxsutawney Phil write-in votes in 2024. But what this weather did not provide is a shadow or reason to hide. Glad tidings on this Groundhog Day, an early spring is on the way."

In short - and much to the large crowd's joy - Phil failed to see his shadow, a favorable forcast the groundhog conveyed to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel in "groundhogese" Friday.

So, how reliable have these Groundhog Day predictions we receive every Feb. 2 been? The answer, according to the New York Post, is 40 percent of the time over the past century. Over the past decade, the Post reported - citing the National Centers for Environmental Information - that Phil's predictions have held up in 2014, 2016 and 2020.

(Photo : Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he did not see his shadow predicting an early Spring during the 138th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Friday Feb. 2, 2024. in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney began in 1887, the same year the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was founded.

The annual celebration has roots in Germanic tradition, brought over - according to El Pais - to what is now western Pennsylvania, "where the Pennsylvania Dutch (also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans) first started the tradition centuries ago, inspired by a Christian feast called Candlemas, which had a comparable tradition linked to an animal similar to the groundhog and weather prediction."

Groundhog Day grew in popularity after the success of the 1993 film of the same name. It starred Bill Murray, Andy MacDowell and Chris Elliott, and has since been considered a classic.