Only 35% of Punxsutawney Phil’s winter predictions are accurate, while Staten Island Chuck’s forecasts have 85% accuracy

Scientists have cast doubt on the reliability of America’s most celebrated rodent forecaster – whose apparent knack of predicting how long winter will last forms a hallowed tradition in the US.

Punxsutawney Phil, made famous by the 1993 film Groundhog Day, attracts thousands of visitors every 2 February to the Pennsylvania town from which he takes his name.