Each Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction about a late end to winter weather or early start to spring temperatures. Here's how accurate his forecasts have been over the years. Groundhog handler AJ Derume holds Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow, predicting a late spring during the 136th annual Groundhog Day festivities on February 2, 2022 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil came in at 17th out of 19 -- behind a trio of taxidermied groundhogs -- with an accuracy rate of just 35%, NOAA said. Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club takes care of Phil year-round, and on each Feb. 2, members of the club's Inner Circle rouse Phil at sunrise (this year he emerged at 7:25 a.m. EST) to see if he Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil during the 138th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger) Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 137th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Thursday In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time Groundhog Day appeared in the newspaper, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob. In the near term, the groundhog’s accuracy rate is slightly worse. According to the NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, Phil has been right about 30% of the time over the past decade. ANIMALS OTHER THAN PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL THAT WILL TRY TO PREDICT END OF WINTER ON GROUNDHOG DAY. In 2021, Phil predicted more winter. Phil’s accuracy issues don’t detract from what Groundhog Day is really about. It’s a massive festival event in Punxsutawney filled with music, celebrations and tourism dollars. The people who take care of Phil, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, however, insist that Phil’s predictions are 100% accurate. The first known record of Groundhog Day Here's when Groundhog Day began: The first mention of Groundhog Day came in 1886 in Punxsutawney. Over the years, several other locations have begun using their own groundhog, including General Beauregard Lee of Atlanta, Dunkirk Dave of Dunkirk, New York, and Jimmy of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Here's the forecast for Sunday morning: Cloudy conditions and chilly temperatures in the upper-20s are expected in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania when Phil makes his prediction around 7:08 a.m. ET As Groundhog Day approaches, all eyes are on Phil, but the pressure is on as the famous groundhog has a not-so-great accuracy rate. According to the StormFax Weather Almanac , Phil has an overall Here's what the weather forecast shows for Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for Groundhog Day on Sunday morning. Groundhog Day Forecast 2025: Will Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow And How Accurate Punxsutawney Phil is the best-known groundhog who has been making predictions since 1886, according to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The Groundhog Day tradition as we know it dates to 1887. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring on Groundhog Day 2024.But warm weather fans hoping for an early end to winter may not want to put their faith in the groundhog's prognostications. How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil? His Groundhog Day predictions aren't great, data shows. The famed Punxsutawney Phil gives us his winter weather prediction every Groundhog Day, but historically "Although he is not the most accurate seasonal prognosticator, we would be remiss not to honor the longest-running weather-forecasting groundhog in the United States, Punxsutawney Phil,“ they wrote. Groundhog Day is almost here: What to know about the rodent, the shadow, and the weather Punxsutawney Phil is the most famous weather-predicting rodent, but he apparently isn't the most accurate. While the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says Phil is correct 100% of the time, according to the StormFax Weather Almanac, Phil has an overall accuracy rate of 39% over 135 years.
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