Groundhog Day 2024: Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA — Punxsutawney Phil has issued his forecast. An early spring awaits.

Phil annually makes his prediction on Feb. 2 before tens of thousands of revelers at Gobbler's Knob, about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. This will be the 138th Phil attempts to show meteorological mettle.

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club credits The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper with printing the first observance in; the first trip to Gobbler's Knob occurred the following year.

Various incarnations of Phil have predicted 107 years of more winter and 20 early springs. There are nine years without any records. Most recently, Phil has seen his shadow for the past three years.

The groundhog club's inner circle, consisting of about 15 active members, manages and hosts Groundhog Day festivities that culminate at around 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 2. Donned in tuxedos and top hats, they lift Phil up before cheering crowds of thousands awaiting his forecast.

The annual event inspired the classic 1993 comedy "Groundhog Day," in which a weather forecaster played by Bill Murray is sent to cover the rodent's annual moment of celebrity. The forecaster then finds himself in a time loop in which he awakens every morning to Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney.

You're probably wondering why Groundhog Day occurs on February 2. There's a reason.

The Christian holiday of Candlemas Day traditionally was celebrated then. On that day, Christians would take their candles to the church to be blessed to bring good fortune to their households for the rest of winter.

Germans expanded on the concept by selecting a hedgehog as a way of predicting weather for the rest of winter. Yes, it was strange. German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition but switched to groundhogs, which are numerous in the state.