Bad news, everyone: Potomac Phil saw his shadow on Saturday morning, meaning six more weeks of winter. But wait — didn't Punxsutawney Phil say the opposite?
Potomac Phil — the completely legitimate, not at all stuffed prognosticating “National Groundhog” — comes out every year on Groundhog Day for a forecast at Dupont Circle.
WTOP/Melissa Howell
Potomac Phil’s adoring fans crowded into Dupont Circle for the event’s eighth annual installment on Saturday.
WTOP/Melissa Howell
Unlike his more animated cousin, Potomac Phil saw his shadow on Saturday (or, rather, his handlers did, given they have real eyes) — seemingly at odds with the Pennsylvania groundhog.
WTOP/Melissa Howell
“Six more months of political gridlock,” tweeted non-profit Dupont Festival, which organizes the event annually.
WASHINGTON — While hundreds gathered in rural Pennsylvania for Punxsutawney Phil’s annual weather prediction, his lesser-known, somewhat lesser-animated cousin had his own ceremony in D.C.’s Dupont Circle.
Bad news, everyone: Potomac Phil saw his shadow on Saturday morning, meaning six more weeks of winter.
Unlike Punxsutawney Phil, Potomac is a stuffed groundhog — “taxidermy is a dying art,” its Twitter page said on Saturday. But like his more animated cousin, D.C.’s own Phil has throngs of adoring fans willing to brave the cold for a hand in the festivities.
The far more lively Punxsutawney Phil, meanwhile, didn’t see his shadow up north — setting the stage for months of groundhog gridlock.
Punxsutawney Phil could not be reached for comment.
Alejandro Alvarez joined WTOP as a digital reporter and editor in June 2018. He is a writer and photojournalist focusing on politics, political activism and national affairs, with recent multimedia contributions to Reuters, MSNBC and PBS.
