Groundhog Day 2024: Punxsutawney Phil did not see shadow, predicts early spring (2024)

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. -- Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction for 2024 Groundhog Day. The honorary groundhog did not see his shadow Friday morning, predicting that there will be an early spring. The day marks the 21st time Phil has not seen his shadow during the 138-year-old tradition.

The spotlight was on Gobbler's Knob in western Pennsylvania early Friday morning, when handlers of a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil announced whether he saw his own shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

WATCH: Phil predict early spring in 2024

Groundhog Day 2024: Punxsutawney Phil did not see shadow, predicts early spring (1)

Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction for 2024 Groundhog Day: There will be an early spring!

Thousands gathered to attend the annual event that exploded in popularity after the 1993 Bill Murray movie, "Groundhog Day."

It's part of a tradition rooted in European agricultural life, marking the midpoint between the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It's also a time of year that figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas.

And in eastern and central Pennsylvania, where people of German descent have been watching the groundhog's annual emergence from hibernation for centuries, there's a tradition of groundhog clubs and celebrations that are independent of Phil.

Some dismiss the Punxsutawney event as an unworthy rival to their own festivities, which they say forecast more accurate weather predictions. There have been weather-predicting groundhogs in at least 28 U.S. states and Canadian provinces, and less formal celebrations far and wide.

One thing it's not: serious business.

"We know this is silly; we know this is fun," said Marcy Galando, executive director of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. "We want people to come here with a sense of humor."

WILL PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL GET IT RIGHT IN 2024?

Some well-meaning efforts have sought to determine Phil's accuracy, but what "six weeks of winter" means is debatable. Claims that a groundhog has or has not seen its shadow - and that it's able to communicate that to a human - are also fair territory for skeptics and the humor impaired.

By all accounts, Phil predicts more winter far more often than he predicts an early spring.

Groundhogs are mostly solitary creatures who start to emerge in midwinter to find a mate. The science behind whether they can make any accurate weather predictions is problematic at best.

Among the skeptics is the National Centers for Environmental Information, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 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.

WHAT ARE GROUNDHOG DAY'S ORIGINS?

Celtic people across Europe marked the four days that are midway between the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice and the fall equinox. What the Celts called Imbolc is also around when Christians celebrate Candlemas, timed to Joseph and Mary's presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Ancient people would watch the sun, stars and animal behavior to guide farming practices and other decisions, and the practice of watching an animal's emergence from winter hibernation to forecast weather has roots in a similar German tradition involving badgers or bears. Pennsylvania Germans apparently substituted the groundhog, endemic to the eastern and midwestern United States.

RELATED: The legend of the immortal Punxsutawney Phil

Historians have found a reference in an 1841 diary to groundhog weather forecasts in early February among families of German descent in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, according to the late Don Yoder, a University of Pennsylvania professor whose 2003 book about Groundhog Day explored the Celtic connection.

Yoder concluded the festival has roots in "ancient, undoubtedly prehistoric, weather lore."

WHY IS GROUNDHOG DAY CELEBRATED IN PUNXSUTAWNEY?

Punxsutawney is an area that Pennsylvania Germans settled - and in the late 1880s started celebrating the holiday by picnicking, hunting and eating groundhogs.

The annual event dates to 1887 when a group of groundhog hunters first dubbed themselves "The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club" and proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil to be the one-and-only weather prognosticating groundhog. Since then, thousands of people gather each February 2 to watch the groundhog emerge.

The Punxsutawney groundhog makes predictions but he's not always predictable. The designated groundhog emerged before sunrise in 1929 and didn't come out until late afternoon in 1941.

Members of Punxsutawney Groundhog Club care for Phil at a customized space beside Punxsutawney Memorial Library - where there's a window with a view into the creature's burrow.

The Bill Murray movie caused such a resurgence of interest that two years after it came out, event organizers voiced concern about rowdy crowds drinking all night, people climbing trees and others stripping to their underwear. In 1998, a groundhog club leader wearing a $4,000 groundhog suit reported being assaulted by a half-dozen young men.

Alcohol is now prohibited at Gobbler's Knob, Phil's spot some 80 miles (123 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.

DOES PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL HAVE ANY COMPETITION?

The early festivities in Punxsutawney were followed in 1907 by folks in Quarryville, a farming area in Lancaster County in Pennsylvania's southeastern corner. The roughly 240 members of the Slumbering Groundhog Lodge there report the winter forecast from Octoraro Orphie, or least via his well-preserved remains.

Quarryville lodge board chair Charlie Hart said the organization has dinners and other social events throughout the year but is largely focused on Groundhog Day.

RELATED: PETA offers giant gold coin to replace Punxsutawney Phil

Hart credits Orphie as a far better forecaster than Phil.

"Octoraro Orphie has never been wrong," Hart said. "This is the 116th year, and in the previous 115 he has been right on the money every year."

WHISTLE PIGS ON THE MENU?

The groundhog is a member of the squirrel family and related to chipmunks and prairie dogs. It's also known as a woodchuck, a whistle pig - or in the parlance of Pennsylvania Dutch, a language with German roots, a "grundsau."

Groundhogs are herbivores that are themselves edible to humans, although they are not widely consumed. Their lifespan in the wild is typically two or three years.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission says about 36,000 hunters reported killing more than 200,000 groundhogs last year.

Game Commission spokesperson Travis Lau found groundhog a bit stinky to clean, with thick skin.

"It was actually really good, no doubt about it - and to my taste, more like beef than venison is," Lau said. "The whole family ate it and liked it, and everybody had apprehensions."

Some cooks advise groundhogs are best taken when they are young and after clover is in bloom, since a clover diet is thought to improve the meat's taste.

WHEN DID CLUBS AND LODGES SPRING UP?

Starting in the 1930s, groundhog lodges opened in eastern Pennsylvania. They were social clubs with similarities to Freemasonry.

Intended to preserve Pennsylvania German culture and traditions, clubs would sometimes fine those who were caught speaking anything but their Pennsylvania Dutch language at meetings. They were traditionally all-male groups and 15 such clubs remain active.

They all share the unifying feature of a groundhog's weather prognostication, said William W. Donner, a Kutztown University anthropology professor and author of "Serious Nonsense," a book about such lodges and other efforts to preserve German heritage.

"I think it's just one of these traditional rituals that people enjoy participating in, that maybe take them away from modern life for 15 minutes," Donner said.

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Groundhog Day 2024: Punxsutawney Phil did not see shadow, predicts early spring (2024)

FAQs

Groundhog Day 2024: Punxsutawney Phil did not see shadow, predicts early spring? ›

It's official, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow! This means spring is expected to come early in 2024. Punxsutawney Groundhog Club President, Tom Dunkel estimated over 35,000 people and as many as 40,000 attended this year's event. Governor Josh Shapiro named Phil the “Official meteorologist of Pennsylvania.”

Did the groundhog not see his shadow 2024? ›

(CBS) -- Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Groundhog Day 2024, meaning an early spring is on the way. Like most Feb. 2s in the past 137 years, crowds gathered at Gobbler's Knob to hear Punxsutawney Phil make his prediction.

What is the prediction if Phil doesn't see his shadow? ›

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Does Punxsutawney Phil ever predict an early spring? ›

Vice President Dan McGinley read the decision, written in verse, from the chosen scroll and announced, "Glad tidings on this Groundhog Day and early spring is on the way." The last time Phil predicted an early spring was 2020. The 2021, 2022 and 2023 forecasts called for six more weeks of winter.

Did the groundhog see his shadow 2024 Alabama? ›

SARDIS CITY, Ala. (WHNT) — North Alabama's Groundhog Day mascot, Sand Mountain Sam, did not see his shadow! Early Friday morning in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, predicting an early spring for Americans.

Will spring come early 2024? ›

First day of spring 2024

The reason the first day of spring was March 19 was because 2024 is a leap year. Leap years are caused by Earth's rotation. A year is 365 days, but technically it takes the Earth slightly longer to orbit around the sun.

How long can a groundhog live? ›

Lifespan: In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average. In captivity, groundhogs reportedly live up to 14 years. Breeding: Groundhogs tend to be solitary except in the spring when a litter of four to six young are born. Litters of one to nine have been recorded.

Is Gobbler's Knob a real place? ›

While the community's downtown is quaint, there's another location that draws tourists from near and far: Gobbler's Knob. Each February, hundreds of visitors and locals alike flock to a wooded location known as Gobbler's Knob to see Punxsutawney Phil predict when spring will arrive.

When was the last time Phil didn't see his shadow? ›

Table
YearResultsNotes
2023Saw shadowPunxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of winter.
2024No shadowThe most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania didn't see his shadow early Friday morning. It marks the 21st time in the 138-year-old tradition that he has predicted an early spring, a news release states.
137 more rows

How old is Phil the groundhog 2024? ›

How old is Phil the Groundhog? According to the club that cares for him, Phil has been making predictions since 1886, which would make him 138. The site also says Punxsutawney Phil gets "longevity from drinking the elixir of life, a secret recipe." Most groundhogs live up to 14 years.

What did Phil predict for 2024? ›

-- Punxsutawney Phil has made his prediction for 2024 Groundhog Day. The honorary groundhog did not see his shadow Friday morning, predicting that there will be an early spring.

How old is groundhog? ›

It is claimed that this one groundhog has lived to make weather prognostications since 1886, sustained by drinks of "groundhog punch" or "elixir of life" administered at the annual Groundhog Picnic in the fall. The lifespan of a groundhog in the wild is roughly six years.

What was the result of 2024 Groundhog Day? ›

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow in front of thousands of spectators Friday morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, part of the annual Groundhog Day tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada. That means, according to the legend, we're in for an early spring.

What did Punxsy Phil predict for 2024? ›

Punxsutawney, PA – Pennsylvania's very own world-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring after not seeing his shadow this morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney — marking the 21st time Phil has not seen his shadow during the 138-year-old tradition.

Is the groundhog prediction real? ›

"If Punxsutawney Phil is right 39% of the time, that's much, much worse than a climatological prediction," Roche said. "Even if you flip a coin, you'll still be right close to half of the time. That's a 50% percent accuracy rate. So you'll be better off flipping a coin than going by the groundhog's predictions."

What did the groundhog say for 2024? ›

Early in the morning of February 2, 2024, Punxsutawney Phil—that Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Weather Prognosticator Extraordinary— emerged from his burrow (with a little help from his handlers) to make his much-anticipated forecast and did NOT see his shadow, which indicates an early spring!

What did Phil the groundhog predict 2024? ›

Punxsutawney, PA – Pennsylvania's very own world-famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring after not seeing his shadow this morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney — marking the 21st time Phil has not seen his shadow during the 138-year-old tradition.

What are the results of Groundhog Day 2024? ›

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow in front of thousands of spectators Friday morning at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, part of the annual Groundhog Day tradition celebrated in the U.S. and Canada. That means, according to the legend, we're in for an early spring.

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