The second of February… The chill of Pennsylvanian air tickles any inch of skin that it can crawl upon. Along the edges of the woods, the morning sun creeps upwards and paints a captivating scene for the honorary, historical event. A crowd of adoring fans gather to see if the groundhog will bless them with six more weeks of winter or an early spring season.
Groundhog Day is celebrated all over the country, but the official ceremony takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. The star of the show is Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who comes out of his hole to cast his shadow or not. While it is not a federally-recognized holiday, it does not take away from the celebrations seen around North America.
“I watch the movie Groundhog Day and I also get up in the morning to watch Punxsutawney Phil see or not see his shadow,” said junior Karsen Graeter.
Waking up early to view the ceremony live is a common way to celebrate this holiday.
“I watch the judging ceremony every year,” said senior Broden Schoettmer.
More importantly, the spectacle determining the seasons is debated amongst people whether or not it is accurate. However, according to Live Science, Phil’s accuracy rate is only 36%. Many students agree that Phil’s predictions lean to be more incorrect.
“I’m pretty sure he’s not even at 50%. If he just randomly picked, he picked wrong,” said senior Jade Carnes.
Yet some students disagree, believing in the wonder of the groundhog.
“I like to believe that [Phil is accurate], yeah,” said Graeter.
Phil rises from his hole to predict the upcoming seasons. If he can see his shadow, then six more weeks of winter is on its way. But if there is no shadow, then spring has finally arrived. As the crowds gather in and the groundhog prepares to stretch from his hole, students make their predictions of what is to come.
“[I’m hoping for] an early spring because I’m tired of it being cold,” said Carnes.
Spring seems to be popular amongst students, many hoping for the cold chills to fade and for the sun to come back out.
“[I’m hoping for an] early spring. I’m tired of this cold weather. I’m ready to warm up,” said Graeter.
When there is adoration for spring, there is always the hope for winter from other students.
“I’m hoping for more winter so we can have a week of snow days like last year,” said Schoettmer.
Groundhog Day is one of the most known holidays for animals predicting the seasons. However, across the states, there are several other ceremonies similar to it, stemming from their own origins and traditions. Some students argue that Phil is only a fraud compared to the other animals.
“I don’t like the groundhog because he’s very bad at determining the weather. There’s this opossum that’s in Alabama, right? His name is Sand Mountain Sam. They kidnap a random opossum and they make him like judge the weather, and he’s right 90% of the time,” said Schoettmer.
This event is known as “Possum Day,” taking place on Jan. 31 in Albertville, Alabama. While it is illegal to own an opossum as a pet in Alabama, an exception was made for the handler of Sam. He predicts the weather by emerging from a barrel to see his shadow or not.
According to the News19, Sam has a prediction record of 31-1, only being incorrect in 1993.
Whether you celebrate Groundhog Day or Possum Day, these animals are coming to predict the upcoming seasons. If you want to view the 2026 prediction of Phil, you can view it at groundhog.org at sunrise. Roughly, sunrise in Punxsutawney, PA is at 7:35AM eastern time. Be prepared and make your prediction: Will Phil see his shadow or will spring melt all this snow?
