Sad News As Phil Sees His Shadow And Forecasts Long Winter

It goes all the way back to 1897, believe it or not, long before Bill Murray was even born. I'm talking about Groundhog Day and the legend of Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous forecasting groundhog who was at it again today, February 2, 2026.

The story goes that, when the sun rises on February 2, if Phil sees his shadow, we are in for another six weeks of Winter before Spring arrives. If he doesn't see his shadow, Spring comes early.

More: All Things Groundhog Day, From The Movie to the Event

For starters, since Phil can't talk we don't really truthfully know what he sees or doesn't see, I guess but that's not the point. The larger question is wouldn't the fate of a such an important prognostication be highly dependent on whether or not it was cloudy the day he pops out of his little house? But I digress.

Sad news to report this year, as Phil did in fact see his shadow, meaning we are in for another six weeks of winter this year. Bummer.

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The hilarity begins about 25 minutes into the video.

If you're wondering how often he's right versus how often he's been wrong over the years, the official tally goes something like this.

Since 1897, he's seen his shadow more than 100 times, so roughly 100 out of 129. That prediction means six more weeks of winter. As a kid I remember that six weeks feeling like forever.

The good news is historically he's only been right about 39% of the time, according to NOAA, and in the last decade? He's only been right 30-40% of the time. So here's holding out hope for an early Spring!