It’s Phil time: to shadow or not to shadow?

That means that spring is supposedly coming early!

Groundhog Day celebrations have been cancelled in Manitoba due out of respect for Willow, who died last Friday at the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Members of the Inner Circle planned to reveal their forecast at sunrise Tuesday. If a shadow is seen, then six more weeks of winter is ahead.

“There is no other groundhog like Phil”, said Jeff Grube of the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, volunteers who care for Phil year-round and run the annual Groundhog Day festivities in central Pennsylvania’s Jefferson County. The ancient Candlemas legend and similar belief continue to be recognised annually on February 2, due to the efforts of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

The US National Weather Service notes that the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day predictions have been right 10 times and wrong 15 times since 1988. “An early spring is my forecast!” So, according to a German legend, spring will come early instead of another six more weeks of winter. The annual event that started with a small group of men known as the Inner Circle now attracts up to 30,000 visitors to Punxsutawney, Jefferson County, located about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in the Pennsylvania Wilds region. But in Providence, 65 degrees did beat the previous record of 64, set the same year as the Boston record.

While Valentine’s Day usually gets most of the attention in the beginning of the year, let’s not forget about Groundhog Day.

The groundhog did not see his shadow as he emerged from his home at the Staten Island Zoo early Tuesday.

Records going back to 1887 have Phil forecasting more winter 102 times while forecasting an early spring just 17 times.

Punxsutawney Phil’s people were surprised by news of his colleague’s death – but also surprised by news of her existence.