On Sunday morning, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob, spotted his shadow, and delivered his annual forecast: six more weeks of winter.
Each year on February 2, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club gather to watch the famous groundhog’s weather prediction. According to tradition, a shadow means winter continues, while no shadow signals an early spring.

While Phil’s forecasts are beloved folklore, they are not always accurate. According to NOAA, the groundhog has only been correct about 35% of the time since 2005. Last year, he predicted an early spring—and February and March 2024 ended up among the warmest on record.
This winter, the U.S. has experienced dramatic regional contrasts. The eastern half of the country has endured brutal cold, with some of the coldest temperatures in decades, while the West has remained relatively warm. Meteorologists at the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center forecast above-average temperatures in parts of the Rockies, South, and East, suggesting Phil’s latest prediction may not hold true.
No matter what the famous groundhog says, winter will officially end with the spring equinox on March 20.
Source: CNN