--- title: What Is Groundhog Day? Punxsutawney Phil Predicts More Winter description: Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter are coming canonical: https://time.com/3691918/groundhog-day/ author: Laura Stampler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-02T13:21:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:16:26.233Z og:title: 6 Things to Know About Groundhog Day og:description: Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter are coming og:url: https://time.com/3691918/groundhog-day/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7b71ac12fe3922b/69877d200b72e3783f6dd76a/groundhog-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Ron Ploucha og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Things to Know About Groundhog Day twitter:description: Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter are coming twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7b71ac12fe3922b/69877d200b72e3783f6dd76a/groundhog-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 6 Things to Know About Groundhog Day > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Feb 2, 2015 1:21 PM UTC  Groundhog Club handler Ron Ploucha, center, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 129th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2015. Groundhog Club handler Ron Ploucha, center, holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 129th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Feb. 2, 2015. Gene J. Puskar—AP by [Laura Stampler](https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/) ## Laura Stampler Feb 2, 2015 1:21 PM UTC Weather forecasters once again ceded the stage Monday morning to a furrier expert: a groundhog named Phil. That’s because Feb. 2 is the 129th official Groundhog Day. This time Punxsutawney Phil left his cozy burrow in Pennsylvania’s Gobbler’s Knob near Pittsburgh, saw his shadow, and [broke the news that we’re doomed](http://fox8.com/2015/02/02/its-groundhog-day-punxsutawney-phil-to-forecast-if-winter-is-over/) to another six weeks of winter rather than treated to an early spring. [Every Bill Murray fan knows the basics](http://youtu.be/wE8nNUASSCo)—if Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter are in store—but here are 6 facts you might know about Groundhog Day. **1.** Legend has it that Punxsutawney Phil communicates his yearly forecast in the language [“grondhogese”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI3AI9t9y%5Fs) to the head of what’s known as the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, who just so happens to be fluent in the ancient, animal tongue. The Inner Circle members actually decide ahead of time. **2.** Phil has a sassy side. During [prohibition](http://www.groundhog.org/about/history/), the groundhog threatened 60 more weeks of winter unless Punxsutawney finally let him have a drink. **3\.** Groundhog Day is a formal affair. Beginning in the 1960’s, Inner Circle President Sam Light decreed that officiants needed to dress in top hats and tuxedos to show appropriate deference to the beloved marmot. **4.** The tradition has ancient roots. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Groundhogs Day’s origins are linked to “ancient European weather lore,” in which a badger or sacred bear made the prediction. **5\.** Even though groundhogs tend to live between six and eight years, Punxsutawney Phil is depicted as immortal. A version of him has made predictions since the first trek to Gobbler’s Hill in 1887—by drinking the [“elixir of life”](http://www.groundhog.org/about/about-groundhog-day/) every summer, as groundhog lore tells it. **6\.** While Stormfax [says](http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm) Phil has only been right 39% of the time, the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club [says](http://www.groundhog.org/about/about-groundhog-day/) he has 100% accuracy. _Read next:_ [_The Original Groundhog Day Involved Eating the Groundhog_](http://time.com/3685895/groundhog-day-history/?xid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://www.time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3691918/groundhog-day/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3691918/groundhog-day/"},"headline":"6 Things to Know About Groundhog Day","datePublished":"2015-02-02T13:21:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:16:26.233Z","description":"Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks of winter are coming","url":"https://time.com/3691918/groundhog-day/","keywords":["Newsfeed","weather","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7b71ac12fe3922b/69877d200b72e3783f6dd76a/groundhog-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Stampler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/laura-stampler/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7b71ac12fe3922b/69877d200b72e3783f6dd76a/groundhog-day.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ron Ploucha","caption":"Ron Ploucha","creditText":"Gene J. 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