Furry forecaster sees more cold weather

There was good news for skiers today as the world’s most famous furry forecaster saw his shadow on Groundhog Day, predicting six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog tradition is rooted in a German superstition that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2 – the Christian holiday of Candlemas – winter will drag on.

If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

In the past 117 years, the groundhog is reported to have seen his shadow 93 times, including the last four Groundhog Days.

Groundhog Day also entails a lot of revelry, although alcohol has been banned from Gobbler’s Knob, the site just outside the Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney where Punxsutawney Phil issues his proclamation.

Mike and Anne Castledine, a retired couple from the UK, caught groundhog fever after seeing the 1993 cult movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.

“We were quite hooked once we’d seen the movie,” Anne Castledine said. “Back in England, there’s really no knowledge of what it entails.”

Because this year’s Groundhog Day fell on a weekday, crowds were down considerably, though the festivities still include seven scheduled weddings.

“We couldn’t care less if he sees his shadow,” said Bill Cooper, president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. “It’s a people holiday.”

The movie Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray playing an obnoxious weather forecaster who is forced to endlessly relive a single day.