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According to folklore, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town early Friday morning will predict either six more weeks of winter or an early spring during the annual Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
Thousands of people are expected to gather Friday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summon him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow or not. Phil makes his prognostication around 7:28 a.m. Eastern Time.
What does it mean when the groundhog sees his shadow?
According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.
The “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for planning the events, as well as feeding and caring for Phil himself.
The annual event in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, originated from a German legend about a furry rodent.
How often has Punxsutawney Phil been right?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to the national weather over the past decade and found “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time.” Going back all the way to his first prediction in 1887, he’s been right only 39% of the time, according to an analysis from Stormfax Weather Almanac.
Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers previously said.
The last time Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow was in 2020, and before that in 2019, offering a back-to-back dose of his rare early spring prediction.
