Is an early spring in the cards for 2026?
Following a frigid week of back-to-back snowstorms, many Americans are likely eager to hear Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck’s predictions.
The two most prominent rodent prognosticators will “predict” the arrival of spring on Monday morning from Pennsylvania and New York City, respectively, as the annual Groundhog Day tradition returns Feb. 2.
If either groundhog emerges from his den and sees his shadow, winter will continue for six more weeks. If the furry weather predictor does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s festivities:
Where and when can you watch the Groundhog Day 2026 ceremonies?
The festivities for Phil will take place at Gobbler’s Knob, where the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a ceremony for weather enthusiasts to celebrate the holiday as early as 3:00 a.m. EST.
Phil will emerge to make his prediction at sunrise, which will be around 7:07 a.m. EST on Monday. For those who can’t make it to the festivities, the ceremony will be livestreamed on Visit Pennsylvania’s website starting around 6 a.m.
His legendary Big Apple counterpart, Staten Island Chuck, will take the stage at the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton around 8 a.m., according to SI Live.
This year’s ceremony will be closed to the public due to the weather, but fans of Chuck can watch a livestream of his prediction on the zoo’s Facebook page.
Are Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck’s predictions accurate?
Staten Island Chuck is the most accurate prognosticator, reigning supreme among his fellow groundhogs with an 85% accuracy rate in predicting the six-week weather forecast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Punxsutawney Phil, however, only has a 35% accuracy rating, data compiled by NOAA last year revealed. Last year, the famous rodent predicted six more weeks of winter.
Why do we celebrate Groundhog Day?
Groundhog Day was first celebrated on Feb. 2, 1887, at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Penn., for a holiday that stems from German and Christian traditions.
The holiday originated in the ancient Christian tradition called “Candlemas,” where clergy blessed and distributed candles for the winter and predicted how long and cold the season would be, according to History.com.
Germans expanded upon the concept and selected the hedgehog to predict the outcome of the tail end of winter.
Once German settlers came to Pennsylvania, they chose groundhogs — which were plentiful in the state — instead of hedgehogs to continue the celebration.