(For the latest information on what Phil has predicted, click here)
Here is America's favorite holiday. The big question everyone is asking is: will Phil predict early spring or will the cold winter drag on for another six weeks?
The quirky rodent will show his magical prognostication early in the morning, and therefore, there are no worries that his show will clash with the Super Bowl.
Punxsutawney Phil will pop up from his borrow at around 7:20am and tell the nation what the weather condition is going to be like for the next month or so.
According to the curious folklore, if the groundhog sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter weather. But if the rodent does not see his shadow, and hence does not return to his borrow, it means he has predicted an early spring!
The day (2 February) during which Phil makes his famous prognostication is known as 'Groundhog Day' in the US and Canada. Phil is considered the world's most powerful prognosticating rodent, and during the rest of the year when is not tasked with the job of forecasting the weather, he lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis.
The National Weather Service has predicted a cloudy day on Sunday, with some rain and snow possible. But Phil is often known to be fickle, so it's not really possible to say what he will actually do.
While all the attention is on Phil, he will not be the only groundhog to predict the weather. In Staten Island Zoo there will be two other groundhogs, Staten Island Chuck and Buckeye Chuck, who will be stepping out of their burrows as well. Silive.com has said that Mayor Bill de Blasio will officiate the groundhog ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo. The news outlet notes that this will be Staten Island Chuck's first prediction during the new mayor's administration.
But the spotlight is still on Phil, though the National Climatic Data Center has described Phil's forecasts as "average, inaccurate". "The groundhog has shown no talent for predicting the arrival of spring, especially in recent years," a spokesperson said.
However, it remains to be seen what Phil will really do this morning. Live streaming of Groundhog Day 2014 can be seen at VisitPa.com.
