It’s official — SUNY Brockport students can expect the winter weather to continue for six more weeks. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow during this morning’s Groundhog Day ceremony.
Read more to learn about this year’s weather prediction and the history of the holiday.
This year’s prediction
This morning at 7:25 a.m., the weather-predicting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. This means he predicted six more weeks of winter weather. If Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow this morning, it would mean an early start to springtime was expected to come.
The livestream of this morning’s ceremony is on YouTube.
Past predictions
Punxsutawney Phil has only predicted an early spring about 20 times since the first Groundhog Day in 1886. The most recent prediction of early spring was in 2024. Before 2024, the most recent times Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow happened back-to-back in 2020 and 2019.
The full record of Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions is listed on The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s website.
Groundhog Day’s origins
Groundhog Day’s origins can be traced back to the Christian holiday Candlemas Day. The Feb. 2 holiday, originally centered around Christians going to get their candles blessed, was later used to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
German celebrations of Candlemas Day started to incorporate a hedgehog with their traditions: if the hedgehog saw its shadow, it meant people could expect six more weeks of winter. When German settlers came to the United States, they continued their celebration with a groundhog instead of a hedgehog because there were no hedgehogs in the area.
American traditions
The first American observation of Groundhog Day happened in 1886 in Punxsutawney, Pa. For over a century, Punxsutawney has been home to one of the most popular Groundhog Day celebrations in the country. The annual festivities take place on Gobbler’s Knob, where a group of men known as the “Inner Circle” meet with the groundhog of the hour to find out his weather predictions for the remainder of winter.
Groundhog Day has grown from being exclusively celebrated in the Pennsylvania borough to a national tradition. Punxsutawney Phil has gained a cult-like following, as tens of thousands of travelers visit every year to participate in the annual festivities.
While Punxsutawney Phil made his 2026 prediction, it’s never too early to get ready for his 2027 prediction. Fans of Punxsutawney Phil can keep up with him all year long through Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Instagram. But until he can make his next prediction, it’s time to prepare for six more weeks of winter.
