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Groundhog Day is here, and Punxsutawney Phil volition soon look from his burrow to state whether he's seen his shadow.
Thousands of radical stitchery astatine Gobbler's Knob each twelvemonth connected Feb. 2 to ticker Phil marque his large prediction. The tradition, which dates backmost to 1887, draws crowds retired to the tiny municipality of Punxsutawney, astir 80 miles from Pittsburgh.
When does Punxsutawney Phil travel out?
The festivities commencement streaming unrecorded from Gobbler's Knob connected Monday, Feb. 2, astatine 6 a.m. Once it starts, you tin ticker it successful a video subordinate below. While the solemnisation starts earlier dawn, Phil won't marque an quality until the prima starts to show.
If Phil sees his shadow, helium interprets it arsenic six much weeks of atrocious upwind and helium returns to his hole. If helium doesn't spot his shadow, helium believes it's a motion of outpouring and helium stays supra ground.
Live stream: Groundhog Day 2026 by CBS Philadelphia on YouTube
Phil predicted much wintertime past year. His all-time grounds consists of 107 predictions of much wintertime and 21 calls for an aboriginal spring.
What is Groundhog Day?
Groundhog Day has roots in the Christian spiritual vacation of Candlemas Day, which, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, became tied to upwind prognostication done an aged people song.
But the opus didn't notation an animal. That came aboriginal erstwhile the Germans started utilizing a hedgehog. According to German lore, if the hedgehog saw his shadiness connected Candlemas Day, determination would beryllium a "second winter," meaning six much weeks of atrocious weather.
When the Germans came to the United States, truthful did their traditions and folklore. And since they couldn't find immoderate hedgehogs, they had to prime a caller hibernating animal.
That's wherever Phil comes in.
Groundhog Day archetypal appeared successful Punxsutawney's section insubstantial successful 1886. After that, the archetypal authoritative trek was made to Gobbler's Knob. The remainder is history.
Phil is managed by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle. The tuxedoed men successful the tophats are tasked with handling Phil arsenic good arsenic protecting his legacy. The nine maintains that Phil is simply a 150-year-old groundhog who stays immortal by drinking the elixir of life. And, of course, he's ever right, each the time.
How often is Punxsutawney Phil right?
Despite the Inner Circle's claims, NOAA says Punxutawney Phil is close astir one-third of the time. Tallying up Phil's predictions from 2015 to 2024, the bureau says Phil's accuracy was 30%.
NOAA adjacent goes truthful acold arsenic to suggest that portion Phil whitethorn beryllium the country's astir celebrated prognosticating critter, when compared to 19 different contemporaries, he's really the 17th astir accurate.
New York's Staten Island Chuck and Georgia's General Beauregard Lee instrumentality the apical 2 spots. Lander Lil, who isn't adjacent a groundhog but a prairie canine statue successful Wyoming, comes successful third.
Phil is adjacent beaten retired by immoderate taxidermied groundhogs, similar Poor Richard successful York, Pennsylvania, and Schnogadahl Sammi successful Kresgeville, Pennsylvania. Still, judging by the crowds that stitchery successful Punxsutawney each twelvemonth connected Feb. 2, Phil is possibly the astir beloved.
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