It will be an early spring, and that’s on the wise prediction of none other than Punxsutawney Phil, a famous groundhog.
Lifted in front of thousands of spectators on Friday morning (February 2) at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA, Phil was once again the star of the annual Groundhog Day tradition celebrated in the US and Canada.
Friday’s event reportedly marked the first time since 2020 that Phil predicted an early spring and the 21st time since records were kept.
The tradition goes like this: If Phil sees his shadow, that means six more weeks of winter. If Phil doesn’t see his shadow, it means spring is on the way. On Friday, the adorable animal didn’t see his shadow, and the crowd was ecstatic.
Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring on Groundhog Day
The annual Groundhog Day tradition is celebrated in the US and Canada
Punxsutawney Phil has a record of seeing his shadow more often than not. Prior to 2024, the groundhog had seen his shadow 107 times and not seen his shadow 20 times, with no record of 10 of those years since 1887, according to the York Daily Record.
There were a few years in the late 1800s when there was no record of his forecast, and 1943 was the only year he did not make an appearance, USA Today reported.
Punxsutawney Phil isn’t the only animal making a fabulous weather forecast today. There’s also Buckeye Chuck in Ohio, General Beauregard Lee in Georgia, and Staten Island Chuck in New York, who also reportedly all emerged on Friday morning to predict either the continuing winter or the coming spring.
The event marked the first time since 2020 that Phil predicted an early spring and the 21st time since records were kept
Clips of Phil’s announcement show men in top hats surrounding him during the ceremony. They are known as members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle. According to their website, their role is to “protect and perpetuate the legend of the great weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil.”
An estimated 30,000 people annually attend the festivities, which originally stemmed from the Christian holiday Candlemas Day as well as Pennsylvania Dutch traditions going back several generations, according to Good Morning America.
The men in top hats surrounding Phil during the ceremony are known as members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle
You can watch a segment of Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prediction below:
Image credits: ABC News
Many of Pennsylvania’s early settlers were Germans who had the tradition of Candlemas Day, which marked the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
According to Time, Germans initially believed that if the sun appeared and the hedgehog saw his shadow, there would be six more weeks of bad weather, or a “Second Winter.”
Upon arriving in the US, the settlers switched the hedgehog to the groundhog, which could be more easily found in their new home.
“It’s the face of determination for an early spring,” a reader quipped
