Punxsutawney Phil Celebrates 140 Years of Weather Predictions: Will Spring Come Early?

In Pennsylvania, the renowned groundhog Punxsutawney Phil made his annual appearance on Monday morning, catching a glimpse of his shadow and thereby foretelling an extension of winter for another six weeks.

Thousands converged at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney for the 140th Groundhog Day celebration, eagerly awaiting the moment when the celebrated groundhog would emerge from his burrow.

In the meantime, AccuWeather’s lead long-term weather analyst, meteorologist Paul Pastelok, has cautioned that the upcoming week is expected to stay chilly, with temperatures dipping below the seasonal norm across the eastern United States.

“We are still expecting more snow and ice, particularly affecting the mid-Atlantic, the Ohio River Valley, and the Northeastern U.S.,” he remarked.

In a previous Groundhog Day celebration on February 2, 2023, Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume was seen holding Punxsutawney Phil, the famed weather-forecasting groundhog, during the 137th event at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)

“The farther out you get the accuracy is not specifically on point all the time, but we can get trends,” Pastelok said about any long-range forecasts.

While Phil made his annual prognostication, the National Centers for Environmental Information remains a skeptic of the animal’s prediction ability. The government agency last year compared Phil’s record with U.S. national temperatures over the prior decade and concluded he was right only 40% of the time.

Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 139th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger, File)

Among the political figures drawn to the Gobbler’s Knob stage on Monday was U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, who noted his mother was from Punxsutawney. Also spotted were state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is currently pursuing the governorship, and top state Senate Republicans Joe Pittman and Kim Ward.

While Groundhog Day is considered a national holiday and has even been popularized in the classic 1993 Bill Murray film of the same name, the day — and Phil himself — hold a special place in many Pennsylvanians’ hearts.