Will the Groundhog See Its Shadow?

Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow today?

Groundhog Day is a popular tradition celebrated in the United States and Canada on February 2. The tradition derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day sees a shadow due to clear weather, it will retreat to its den and winter will persist for six more weeks. If the groundhog does not see its shadow because of cloudiness, spring will arrive early.

 

The Groundhog Day ceremony held at Punxsutawney in western Pennsylvania, centering around a semi-mythical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, has become the most attended.

While the tradition remains popular in modern times, studies have found no consistent correlation between a groundhog seeing its shadow or not and the subsequent arrival time of spring-like weather.