On February 2nd, which is known as Groundhog Day in North America, the famous groundhog weather observer Punxsutawney Phil was pulled out of his warm burrow bright and early. Upon seeing his shadow, it is said to indicate that there will be six more weeks of winter ahead.
Every year on Groundhog Day, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club in Pennsylvania gather at Phil’s official residence at Gobbler’s Knob to await his important weather prediction.
Shortly after sunrise on Sunday, amidst cheers from the crowd, Phil was pulled out of his burrow and made his prediction for the year. He selected a scroll containing the forecast, which was read out loud by a club member.
“Today is Groundhog Day, and though life may be cyclical, I miss my burrow… so I’m going back. I saw my shadow, so get ready for six more weeks of winter,” Phil said in his forecast.
Tom Dunkel, the President of the Inner Circle, mentioned that this year saw one of the largest turnouts for the Groundhog Day event.
The Groundhog weather forecast is a popular annual ritual in western Pennsylvania. Legend has it that if Phil sees his shadow, it means winter will last for another six weeks. Conversely, if he doesn’t see his shadow, an early spring is predicted for the year.
Regardless of the Sunday prediction, winter in the United States officially ends with the vernal equinox at 5:01 a.m. Eastern Time on March 20th.
According to Phil’s website, Phil and his friends at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, have been predicting the end of winter since 1887.
Phil’s track record on weather predictions is not perfect. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that between 2014 and 2023, Phil’s accuracy rate stood at 30%. He correctly predicted a longer winter in 2014, early springs in 2016 and 2020.
In last year’s forecast, Phil didn’t see his shadow, indicating an early spring was on the way, which did indeed come to pass. All eyes are now on whether his 2025 prediction will be successful once again.
Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 107 times. According to NOAA, he has predicted early springs 20 times, with 10 years of no records. However, NOAA admits that predicting spring arrival across the entire United States is challenging due to the country’s diverse regional climates. After all, Phil is just a groundhog, not a meteorologist.