Punxsutawney Phil is the world's smallest and furriest weather forecaster
and February 2 is his day.
February 2, 2024 - around 7:25 am ET - Punxsutawney, PA
Phil did not see his shadow and thus spring is just around the corner!
February 2 is a sacred day.
The Groundhog Day Guestbook
The legend
of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If
Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.
The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.
The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.
Approximately 90% of the time, Phil sees his shadow.
Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution.
The Groundhog Day GuestbookRESTORED: Erik Ellis' sequence of events from the movie Groundhog Day
The Internet Movie Database's entry for the movie Groundhog Day
One More Recommended Groundhog Site
Obtain the Groundhog Day badge on foursquare
Jason Patton