Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring
The world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, did not see his shadow after emerging from his den in Gobbler's Knob, Pa., on Friday.
Why it matters: That heralds an early spring, according to the annual tradition.
Reality check: Phil's predictions are, sadly, unreliable. He and his groundhog ancestors have only been right 39% of the time since the tradition began in 1887, per CBS, citing the Stormfax Almanac.
Yes, but: Assessing Phil's accuracy is not an exact science — there is no single definition of an early spring — and an Axios analysis last year found that the groundhog actually performed far better than a coin toss over the last 75 years.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information about Punxsutawney Phil's track record.