Groundhog Day 2019: Did Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow… but did he see his shadow? Find out whether we’re in for another six weeks of winter or if spring will be coming early this year!

The results are in! Punxsutawney Phil DID NOT see his shadow, which means we’ll have AN EARLY SPRING. For the 133rd year, the infamous critter kicked off Groundhog Day on Feb. 2 by emerging from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m. ET. The groundhog then proceeded to determine what kind of weather we can expect over the next few months. He relayed his findings to the members of his Inner Circle, who then explained the prediction to thousands of people in attendance, and even more watching live.

The Groundhog Day legend states that if Phil sees his show, he will go running back into his burrow because winter is far from over. However, if he doesn’t see his shadow, he’ll hang around outside because spring is near! While the celebration has gone down in Punxsutawney every year since 1886, the animal’s predictions aren’t entirely accurate. Statistics show that he has only been right 39 percent of the time. In 2018, he claimed he did see his shadow – which is the same outcome for the majority of his predictions. He’s only predicted an early spring 18 times (now 19!).

If you’re wondering how this little guy has been able to predict the weather for more than a century, there is an explanation. The legend of Punxsutawney Phil states that he drinks a magical “elixir of life” every year that adds an extra seven years to his lifespan with every sip. So if you didn’t like 2019’s outcome, there’s always next year!