PITTSBURGH — Punxsutawney Phil will text his weather prediction this Groundhog Day.

Mickey Rowley, Pennsylvania's deputy tourism secretary, said he realizes that not everyone can come to Punxsutawney for Groundhog Day, so this is a good way to get the word out.

"We thought we'd get into the social media thing this year," Rowley said Tuesday. Punxsutawney Phil also has section on the tourism department's Facebook site.

Those who want to find out whether the famous groundhog predicts an early spring or six more weeks of winter can text "Groundhog" to 247365. They will get a text message with the prediction on Feb. 2.

"We'll probably sneak a few messages out in the next few weeks, getting the message out there," Rowley said.

Each year, thousands of people descend on Punxsutawney to find out whether Phil sees his shadow.

Members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club pull the marmot from its hiding spot and, they say, listen for his prediction in a language they call "groundhog-ese."

"He's grounded in deep tradition and he only speaks groundhog-ese, and he only speaks to the Inner Circle," Rowley said. Someone from the club will translate and deliver the text in English.