It’s Groundhog Day, and people gathered in Howell on Feb. 2, 2026, to watch Michigan’s groundhog determine this year’s forecast.
Woody the Woodchuck’s forecast works differently from a traditional groundhog.
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Woody determines the forecast by the time she spends outside on a ceremonial tree stump. If she stays on the stump 30 seconds or longer, that means there will be an early spring. Any less, and it’s six more weeks of winter.
At around 8:30 a.m., Woody predicted that there will be six more weeks of winter.
The livestream has ended.
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 introduced to the lore. According to German lore, if the hedgehog saw its shadow on Candlemas Day, there would be a “second winter” or six more weeks of bad weather.
German settlers came to the United States, as well and their traditions and folklore. Since there were no hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernation animal was chosen -- a groundhog. This has evolved to the present-day tradition.