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Punxsutawney Phil Makes His Official 2026 Weather Prediction
The news from Gobbler’s Knob is in, and it doesn’t sound good for the millions of people still dealing with the fallout from January’s ice and snowstorms. Punxsutawney Phil has officially predicted six more weeks of winter. But don’t worry quite yet! The groundhog doesn’t have the best track record.
On February 2nd—Groundhog Day—thousands of people gathered around Phil’s iconic tree stump in western Pennsylvania, despite single-digit temperatures, to see the beloved rodent’s prediction. As the age-old story goes, if he sees his shadow, the country will have six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn’t, an early spring is on its way. This year, he saw his shadow. When his handlers announced the news, the ground erupted in a mix of cheers and boos.
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This was Punxsutawney Phil’s 140th weather prediction since the tradition began in 1887. The official Groundhog Club staunchly maintains that today’s Phil is the same Phil who gave the first weather prediction. However, those who are skeptical of the math believe there have been around 13 different Phils.
But don’t think Phil is the gold standard meteorologist. He may be legendary enough to have had his own holiday since the 19th century, but he’s not a great weather predictor. Over the decades, he’s only been correct 39% of the time.
This story’s featured image is by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images.