Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow Monday, predicting six more weeks of winter from Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania, the scene of the country’s largest and best known Groundhog Day celebration. It’s the second year in a row that Phil predicted six more weeks of winter, by far the groundho g’s most common assessment and not much of a surprise during the first week of February. It also comes as much of the country is locked in the midst of a cold spell that shows no signs of letting up anytime soon. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow, forecasting an early spring, was in 2024. Tens of thousands of revelers descended on Gobbler’s Knob to witness this year’s prognostication, which was made after the groundhog was brought to the stage from his hatch on a tree stump. Lisa Gibson was at her 10th Groundhog Day, wearing a lighted hat that resembled the tree stump from which Phil emerges shortly after daybreak. “Oh man, it just breaks up the doldrums of winter,” said Gibson, accompanied by her husband — dressed up as Elvis Presley — and teenage daughter. “It’s like Halloween and New Year’s Eve all wrapped up into one holiday.” Gibson, a resident of Pittsburgh, had been rooting for Phil to not see his shadow and therefore predict an early start to spring. Rick Siger, Pennsylvania’s secretary of community and economic development, said the outdoor thermometer in his vehicle read 4 degrees Fahrenheit on his way to Gobbler’s Knob. “I think it’s just fun — folks having a good time,” said Siger, attending his fourth straight Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney. “It brings people together at a challenging time. It is a unifying force that showcases the best of Pennsylvania, the best of Punxsutawney, this area.” Phil isn’t the only animal being consulted for long-term weather forecasts Monday. There are formal and informal Groundhog Day events in many places in the U.S., Canada and beyond. This year marked the first Groundhog Day for Phil’s new “zoo” at Gobbler’s Knob, where he splits time when he’s not inside his longstanding home beside the town library. His top-hatted handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist Phil’s “groundhogese” of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are being interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot’s musings about the days ahead. The national popularity of Groundhog Day was supercharged by the 1993 Bill Murray film of the same name. Mostly it’s a few hours of harmless, early morning fun — although alcohol is no longer allowed at the site after a series of unfortunate incidents. “We just like to remind people that there’s a lot of serious things in this world and this life, and Groundhog Day is not one of them,” said home appraiser Dan McGinley, a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle for about a decade. “We take not taking ourselves too seriously, seriously. But seriously, this is not a serious thing.” Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club Vice President Dan McGinley reads the scroll as handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog Club President Tom Dunkel taps on the burrow of Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during theduring the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog handler AJ Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil after he saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday Feb. 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) A crowd gathers while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) A crowd waits for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) Toni Massey, of Bismack, N.D., right, celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) George Morar, of Youngstown, Ohio., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) Cami Lutgens, of Blacksburg, Va., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) John Carpenter, of Buffalo, N.Y., celebrates while waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, to come out and make his prediction during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (Barry Reeger/AP) An estimated crowd of 30,000 braved sub-zero temperatures to await Punxsutawney Phil’s weather prediction of 6 more weeks of winter during the 140th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Monday February 2, 2026, in Punxsutawney, Pa. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images) Show Caption1 of 25Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, Phil’s handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (Barry Reeger/AP) Expand Groundhog Day has also become a marketing juggernaut. Phil was brought out for an online news conference last week at which he and a couple tuxedo-wearing club members fielded questions about the event, its history and the planning that goes into it. Punxsutawney club members say there are two types of people who show up at Phil’s spot about 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh — those seeking to validate their beliefs and doubters who want to confirm their own skepticism. Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2, the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s a time of year that also figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas. Pennsylvanians of German descent have been watching for the annual emergence from hibernation of groundhogs for centuries. A culture of clubs and celebrations grew up around the tradition in the U.S., Canada and beyond. In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Germans began celebrating the holiday in the 1880s by picnicking, hunting and eating groundhogs. Safe to say it’s a history about which Phil, his “wife” Phyllis and their two pups, Shadow and Sunny, would surely prefer to remain ignorant. Groundhog Day 2026 photos: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction ...read more read less