PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) It may be hard to believe as a large swath of the U.S. thaws out from a bitter polar vortex, but spring is coming early, according to handlers for some of the countrys most famous prognosticating groundhogs.

Just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW-nee) Phil emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania at sunrise and didnt see his shadow. Nearly the same series of events unfolded about 300 miles (483 kilometers) to the east, where Staten Island Chucks handlers also revealed the same prediction.