6 more weeks of winter? Here’s what Punxsutawney Phil predicted for 2026
It's already been a brutal winter in New England, with a winter storm bringing nearly two feet of snow and an extended stretch of below-freezing temperatures — with more arctic air on the way.
And if Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil is to be believed, no relief is in sight.
On Monday morning, the groundhog saw its shadow, meaning that, if folklore is to be believed, six more weeks of winter are to follow.
But Massachusetts' official state groundhog — Ms. G — has yet to make her weather prediction. She is set to issue her prognostication at her home at Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln at 10 a.m.
While Ms. G has only been making predictions since 2008, her accuracy rate is an impressive 64% , compared to Phil's 35% . Click here to learn how you can watch her at home.
Phil tends to predict a longer winter far more often than an early spring.
The annual ritual goes back more than a century, with ties to ancient farming traditions in Europe. Punxsutawney's festivities have grown considerably since the 1993 movie "Groundhog Day," starring Bill Murray.
Last year's announcement was six more weeks of winter, by far Phil's more common assessment and not much of a surprise during the first week of February. His top-hatted handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club insist Phil's "groundhogese" of winks, purrs, chatters and nods are being interpreted when they relate the meteorological marmot's muses about the days ahead.
Groundhog Day falls on Feb. 2, the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It's a time of year that also figures in the Celtic calendar and the Christian holiday of Candlemas .
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report .
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