As in every February 2, crowds gathered in the town of Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania to watch members of the town's groundhog club pull the toothy woodchuck out of his burrow and announce whether winter will be trailing off, or if Americans should brace for more cold.

Observing a groundhog's shadow is an old tradition inherited from German immigrants and farmers who watched the animal's behavior closely to make decisions about when their fields should be planted.

If he does not see his shadow, the old saw goes, he comes out of his burrow and ends his hibernation because spring is just around the corner.

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