By Elma Aksalic

Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog and central figure to the Feb. 2 tradition, delivered a disappointing weather forecast after seeing his shadow and predicting six more weeks of winter.

Thousands of spectators gathered at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, for the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day and to witness Phil emerge from his burrow.

The annual ritual dates back more than two centuries, stemming from European folklore brought by German settlers.

Significantly growing in popularity over the years, the tale states that if a groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, an early spring is coming.

The announcement was made by the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Tom Dunkel, joined by groundhog handler A.J. Dereume, who presented Phil to the crowd.

Using a cane handed down from club president to president, Dunkel communicated with Phil through “nods, chirps, winks and purrs” and direct club members to the proper scroll containing the weather prediction.

“It’s my great honor to answer your annual call,” read Vice President Dan McGinley from the scroll. “So I rise again this morning to greet you all. But today, I wake thinking of numbers and time. America turns 250 and I’m at least 139. Let’s celebrate all young, old, babies, or millennial, and kick-off America’s semiquincentennial.

“We look to the future and not just the past, so I suppose this party could use a forecast. It is my job this Feb. 2 to look to the skies and report back to you that there is a shadow here on my ground. Six more weeks of winter abound!”

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club is a group of “inner circle local dignitaries” who are responsible for carrying out the yearly Groundhog Day tradition as well as feeding and taking care of Phil.

Pennsylvania isn’t the only state to hold Groundhog Day predictions, with other informal celebrations delivering a split verdict as to whether more cold is on the way.

According to countdowntogroundhogday.com, events in New York, Alabama, and Georgia agreed with Punxsutawney Phil, while groundhogs in North Carolina and Ohio signaled warmer days ahead.

The news came as eastern parts of the nation saw a winter storm that brought ice, freezing temperatures, and intense snowfall over the past week.

Forecasts predict another blast of arctic air over the next week, with the potential for record-breaking temperatures and dangerous wind chills to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.