(Photo : Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil on Feb. 2, 2024 after he did not see his shadow predicting an early Spring during the 138th annual Groundhog Day festivities. He did, however, go on to sire two baby groundhogs with mate Punxsutawney Phyllis.

And he thought shadows were trouble ...

Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-prognosticating groundhog, is now a first-time papa to two baby groundhogs, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club announced this week.

Punxsutawney Phil and Phyllis recently welcomed two healthy baby groundhogs, and the famous rodent family is happy in their burrow at the zoo at the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, in Punxsutawney, Penn., where they are cared for year-round.

A video shared by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle shows the young groundhogs nestling together in a pile of leaves.

Visitors to the Punxsutawney Memorial Library can see the groundhogs, also called woodchucks, through their viewing window.

A long line of groundhogs named Punxsutawney Phil have been emerging from the stump at Gobbler's Knob each Groundhog's Day since 1886. The groundhogs emerge to look for their shadow, and if they see it, that means six more weeks of winter. If they don't, it's an early spring.

This year, Phil predicted an early spring — an uncommon occurrence.

In the history of the tradition, Punxsutawney Phil has predicted 107 continued winters and 21 early springs, not including 10 years in the late 1800s when no records were kept.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Phil's only been right about a third of the time.

— with reporting by TMX