The school district’s favorite rat is back for Groundhog Day 2023. Potomac He has Phil emerged, but his shadow has not been seen this year.
According to Phil, that means we’re ready for early spring.
Unfortunately, his predictions for the country’s political climate are less than optimistic. Phil, as usual, predicts another six months of political stalemate in our future.
Those familiar with Groundhog Day in the United States may already know Puncta Tawny Phil, the living groundhog that emerges from its burrow in Pennsylvania to predict the country’s weather each year.
But people in the Washington, DC area rely on Potomac Phil, a stuffed groundhog with a corn cob.
The Potomac Phil forecasts the weather and political climate each year at the nonprofit DuPont Festival’s Groundhog Day celebration. This year, the Groundhog Day celebration at Dupont Circle took place on a Thursday.
“National Groundhog’s Potomac Phil is coming to provide weather and political forecasts,” the nonprofit’s event description reads. “Phil will let us know if we have another six weeks of winter or early spring.”
The celebration promised “music, polka dancers, puppet shows, lots of coffee, VIP celebrities, and more” at the Dupont Circle fountain.
The nonprofit also warned visitors that the timing wasn’t accurate, in keeping with the typical demeanor of marmots.
The Potomac Phil’s promise of early spring continues its contrarian trend, but it runs counter to Punksutawney Phil’s predictions.
According to Potomac Phil’s handlers, he’s actually the brother of a famous Pennsylvania marmot. It is not yet known which of the two brothers has the more accurate weather forecast.
