Punxsutawney Phil's babies are named Shadow and Sunny

Punxsutawney Phil's offspring person names that conscionable mightiness assistance the famed weather-forecasting groundhog to foretell spring

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pennsylvania -- There was large quality retired of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania connected Mother's Day this year!

The celebrated weather-forecasting groundhog Phil and his woman Phyllis announced the names of their two caller babies.

The caller babe groundhog names conscionable mightiness assistance their dada foretell erstwhile outpouring volition begin.

The miss is named Sunny and the lad is named Shadow.

The names were announced aft the public was encouraged to measurement in.

The president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says they reviewed the entries past consulted with Phil successful "groundhog-ese."

"Today the archetypal household of groundhogs has grown, Punxsutawney Phil and woman Phyllis person 2 kits of their own," McGinley work from a scroll announcing the names of the pups "born to royalty" successful a video posted connected societal media connected Sunday.

Each spring, Phil makes a prediction astir the magnitude of the remaining winter. According to tradition, if helium sees his shadiness determination volition beryllium six much weeks of cold. This year, Phil did not spot his shadiness and truthful predicted an aboriginal spring.

ALSO SEE: PETA offers elephantine golden coin to regenerate Punxsutawney Phil

"These kits of his are not replacements, they're not the heir apparent," Dan McGinley, vice president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle, said successful a telephone interrogation Monday. "Sunny and Shadow volition not beryllium portion of the ceremonial - it's inactive Phil's job. There's inactive lone 1 Punxsutawney Phil."

The babe woodchucks came arsenic a full astonishment since the nine insists this is the archetypal clip Phil has fathered children successful 138 years.

The additions to the household were discovered successful March by a nine subordinate who was feeding effect and vegetables to Phil and Phyllis. The groundhog household was surviving successful a climate-controlled burrow astatine the section room but person since moved to a caller location astatine Gobblers Knob.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.