Brace yourself for six more weeks of winter.

Today, February 2, is Groundhog Day, a United States tradition that supposedly predicts when spring will arrive. According to legend, the groundhog, also called the woodchuck, awakens from winter sleep on February 2 and emerges from its burrow. Winter sleep is a state of reduced activity similar to hibernation. If the sun is shining that day and the groundhog sees its shadow, it will be scared back into its den, and there will be six more weeks of winter.  But if it is cloudy and the groundhog does not see its shadow, it will come out, and spring will arrive soon. The groundhog belongs to a group of rodents, or gnawing mammals, known as marmots. Groundhogs live in parts of Canada and the United States.

This morning, when the groundhog was awakened, it saw its shadow. It then scampered into its den and began preparing for a several more weeks of cold. Maybe it made a cup of hot cocoa!

The groundhog, also called a woodchuck, is a burrowing rodent with a chunky body. Credit: © Leonard Lee Rue III, Tom Stack & Assoc.

For hundreds of years, European farmers had similar traditions that involved bears, badgers, and other animals. Germans who settled in Pennsylvania brought the custom to America. The groundhog, which is plentiful in the eastern and Midwestern United States, became linked with the custom. Today, Groundhog Day is treated largely as a joke. But the custom is partly based on ancient and traditional weather signs. People have long looked to the awakening of hibernating animals as one of the first signs of spring.

In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a groundhog named Phil has been the nation’s official spring prognosticator (predictor) since 1887. The celebration has become a media event, and it draws a crowd of thousands. (This year, the celebration will be a virtual affair—part of ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.) According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil’s full name is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” Except for Groundhog Day and other special occasions, Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat at the Punxsutawney Library. Phil starred alongside Bill Murray in the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day.

Feb. 2, 2012

Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous weather-forecasting groundhog, saw his shadow this morning. According to legend, that dark sight predicts that spring will not arrive for another six weeks. As Phil has every Groundhog Day since 1887, the prognosticating marmot emerged from his den on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to greet a crowd waiting for his meteorological forecast. Tradition says that if the groundhog sees its shadow, it will be scared back into its den, and there will be six more weeks of winter. But if it is cloudy and the groundhog does not see its shadow, it will come out, and spring will arrive soon. (Groundhogs are also known as woodchucks.)

Groundhog Day is based on a tradition brought to the United States by German immigrants who settled in western Pennsylvania. For hundreds of years, European farmers had similar traditions that involved bears, badgers, and other animals. One of these traditions was Candlemas Day, a Christian festival celebrated on February 2. An English rhyme associated with the holiday says, “If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another flight. But if it be dark with clouds and rain, winter is gone and will not come again.” The groundhog, which is plentiful in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, became linked with the custom in the New World. The modern celebration in Punxsutawney, a town about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, draws an international crowd of thousands.

The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, is a burrowing rodent with a chunky body. The woodchuck in this photograph has reddish-brown hair with pale gray tips. An adult woodchuck measures about 18 to 26 inches (46 to 66 centimeters) long, including the bushy tail. Leonard Lee Rue III, Tom Stack & Assoc.

According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, there has been only one Punxsutawney Phil, whose official name is “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” The club maintains that Phil has enjoyed such a long life because of a secret “groundhog punch” that he receives every summer at the town’s Groundhog Picnic. Except for Groundhog Day and other special occasions, Phil lives in a climate-controlled habitat at the Punxsutawney Library. On Groundhog Day, he travels to a heated burrow in a simulated tree stump on Gobbler’s Knob, from which he emerges to make his prediction.

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