Groundhog Booed After Controversial Forecast

There is a decision by Punxsutawney Phil and the groundhog was booed after making a controversial forecast.

Slideshow: Phil Misses The Forecast?

Phil was taken from his den around 7:25 a.m. and then after some consultation, his handlers proclaimed that the rodent said he saw many shadows and we would have six more weeks of winter.

One problem: it was very cloudy in western Pennsylvania and the only lights came from TV cameras.

The crowd of 18,000 then turned on Phil and his handlers and booed them like they were at a Philadelphia Eagles game.

According to figures from the Stormfax Almanac , Phil is only right about 39 percent of the time.

This is the 126th year Phil and is ancestors have predicted the weather. Over the years, the groundhogs have cast a shadow 99 times, indicating an early winter; produced no shadow 16 times, suggesting early spring; and the club is missing records for nine years.

Get Forecasts For Rest Of Year: www.myfoxphilly.com/subindex/weather/trends/planner

Last year, Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. Was he right? It depends on what part of the country you were in: The South and Southeast saw an early spring thanks to La Nina , while the central part of the country was dumped with extra snow. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states saw above or below normal temperatures, but the Southwest experienced a warm, dry winter and early spring.

This year, NOAA is calling for early spring in the South and Southeast and a longer winter in the Upper Plains and Northwest.