Groundhog Day 2026: What time will Punxsutawney Phil come out?
PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 02: 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, Pennsylvania on February 2
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa - It's that time of year again! Punxsutawney Phil is getting ready to make his winter prediction, but you'll have to wake up early if you want to see the famed groundhog.
What we know:
Punxsutawney Phil will reveal his annual winter prediction on Groundhog Day in front of a crowd of very excited spectators in Pennsylvania's Gobbler's Knob.
The rest of the nation will watch along from home to see if we are getting an early spring, or six more weeks of winter.
When is Groundhog Day?
Timeline:
Groundhog Day is always held on February 2, which is a Monday this year.
Festivities will begin at 3 a.m. onstage at Gobbler's Knob, and last through the afternoon. Phil is expected to emerge around sunrise, which is currently 7:07 a.m.
If the groundhog rises without seeing his shadow, Phil's official "interpreter" will read the spring proclamation!
For a full list of events, check out the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
What is Groundhog Day?
The backstory:
Groundhog Day originates from the Christian festival of Candlemas, a European tradition held on February 2 that uses a badger or hedgehog to predict the weather based on its shadow.
When German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania, they swapped the badger for a groundhog, because it was more common in the area.
The U.S. holiday appeared in a local newspaper in 1886, but the first official trip to Gobbler's Knob didn't happen until the following year.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.