It’s Groundhog Day, and thousands gathered in Pennsylvania to watch Punxsutawney Phil determine this year’s forecast.
On Feb. 2, 2026, Punxsutawney Phil woke from his hibernation and found his shadow, predicting there will be six more weeks of winter.
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The livestream began at 7 a.m. The event ended just after 7:30 a.m.
Read more here --> Punxsutawney Phil is said to have seen his shadow, forecasting 6 more weeks of wintry weather
What is Groundhog Day?
It’s the day that the Groundhog comes out of its hole after a long winter sleep to look for its shadow.
If it sees its shadow, it regards it as an omen of six more weeks of winter and returns to its hole.
If the day is cloudy, and the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, it takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.
The holiday stems from Candlemas Day, where Christians took their candles to the church to have them blessed. According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s website, they believed that the candles would bring blessings to their household for the remainder of the winter.
Eventually, an old English folk song highlighted the Candlemas tradition into a weather foretelling, "If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again."
The interpretation of Candlemas Day then became the norm for most of Europe.
Why a Groundhog?
The traditional belief was introduced to Germany, where an animal was then brought into the lore. According to German lore, if the hedgehog saw its shadow on a sunny Candlemas Day, there would be a “second winter” or six more weeks of bad weather.
German settlers then came to the United States, bringing their traditions and folklore. Since there were no hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernation animal was chosen. This has evolved to the present-day groundhog tradition.
Is Punxsutawney accurate?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the famous Punxsutawney Phil has only be 30% right over the past 10 or so years.