Groundhog Day 2026: Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

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The 2026 Groundhog Day results are in!

On Monday, residents of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, gathered to see if Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow.

To many of the watchers’ disappointment, the legendary groundhog did in fact see his shadow.

NPR reported what Phil seeing his shadow means:

Punxsutawney Phil is said to be predicting six more weeks of wintry weather after he saw his shadow Monday.

His annual prediction was translated by his handlers at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says that when Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that means there will be an early spring. When he does see it, it’s six more weeks of winter.

Phil tends to predict a longer winter far more often than an early spring.

Tens of thousands of people were on hand at Gobbler’s Knob for the annual ritual that goes back more than a century, with ties to ancient farming traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney’s festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray.

Lisa Gibson was at her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree stump from which Phil emerges shortly after daybreak.

Watch here:

Here’s a brief history of Groundhog Day provided by the Groundhog Club:

The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day has become most commonly associated with the current celebration, but it’s roots are older than that. The celebration started in Christianity as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. This, they felt, would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter.

As time rolled on the day evolved into another form. The following English folk song highlights the transition to weather prognostication.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.

This “interpretation” of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe.

As you can read, there is no mention of an animal of any kind in the preceding song. It wasn’t until this traditional belief was introduced to Germany that an animal was introduced into the lore, hence another evolution of February 2nd. If, according to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather.

As German settlers came to what is now the United States, so too came their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen. This leads us to yet another evolution in the legend and to present day Punxsutawney.



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