Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow, But Accuracy Doubted

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Punxsutawney Phil, the famous weather-predicting groundhog, emerged from his burrow on Groundhog Day and saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter. However, Phil's predictions have historically been wrong more often than right, with his forecasts only coming true about 39% of the time over the past 140 years.

Why it matters

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's annual Groundhog Day event is a beloved tradition, but the accuracy of Phil's predictions has been increasingly called into question in recent years as climate change makes long-range weather forecasting more difficult.

The details

Since 1887, Phil has seen his shadow 110 times and not seen it 20 times, but his predictions have only come true about 39% of the time. In the last 14 years, he has seen his shadow 9 times and not seen it 5 times, with his predictions not matching the actual weather patterns.

• On February 2, 2026, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow and saw his shadow.
• The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club has been holding the annual Groundhog Day event since 1887.

What’s next

The National Weather Service will continue to monitor weather patterns in the coming weeks to see if Punxsutawney Phil's prediction of six more weeks of winter comes true.