PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) -- A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction.
Phil did not see his shadow on Friday which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.
Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 14 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.
More than 15,000 revelers milled about in a misty snow waiting for the prediction, as fireworks exploded overhead and the "Pennsylvania Polka" and other music blared in the background.
Since a late spring would lend credence to predictions of global warming, the office of former Vice President Algore released a statement that warmists would in the future be using their own version of Punxsutawney Phil, one they are tentatively calling Rotund Rosie.
"The rodent is too hit and miss, and we were all holding our breath," an anonymous warmer told the gathering media, "She doesn't see HER shadow, and that means the Klingon Empire has blowed up the sun.
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