POV: You're Stuck In A Haboob

Punxsutawney Phil was pulled from his burrow in Gobbler's Knob Tuesday morning and saw his shadow, which, according to legend, means six more weeks of winter.

Of course, even the organizers of the annual Groundhog Day event in western Pennsylvania acknowledge that turning to a large rodent for weather forecasting is mostly a way to break up winter monotony.

With snow gently falling, Phil's handlers pulled him from a tree stump, newly installed this year, about 7:25 a.m. Tuesday.

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This year's event was much more subdued because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitors were not allowed into Gobbler's Knob. Phil's emergence from his den was live-streamed. Tens of thousands of viewers from around the world tuned in online or watched on The Weather Channel.

One of Phil's top-hatted handlers read from a scroll, "It’s a beautiful morning this I can see, with all my fans viewing virtually. My faithful followers being safe and secure, our tradition of Groundhog Day must endure.

(WATCH: 5 Groundhog Day Fun Facts)

"We have all passed through the darkness of night but now see hope in morning’s bright light. But now when I turn to see, there’s a perfect shadow cast of me. Six more weeks of winter there will be."

The denizens of Punxsutawney have celebrated Groundhog Day every Feb. 2 since 1887. The tradition was brought over by German immigrants.

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Since that first gathering, Punxsutawney Phil (there have been a few since then) has predicted more winter 104 times, according to none other than the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year marked the 20th time Phil did not see his shadow. Records are missing for 10 years.

In the past 10 years, according to NOAA, Phil's predictions has been right about 50% of the time.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.