On Monday, February 2, 2026, the nation’s famous groundhogs, Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck, extended the German and Christian tradition of Groundhog Day superstitions in Pennsylvania and New York after both predicted the forecast of six more weeks of winter.

When Christians first started the tradition of Groundhog Day, it was originally just “Candlemas,” where clergy blessed and distributed candles for the winter and predicted how long and cold the season would be. Germans built on this tradition, and made groundhogs the predictors of this holiday to honor the Christian celebration.

On the morning of February 2 of every year since 1887, both of the groundhogs are brought out shortly after sunrise in order to predict the rest of the winter season and the possible start of the spring. If a groundhog comes out of their den and sees their shadow from the sun, there is a chance that winter will carry on for another six weeks. If the day is cloudy and there is no shadow to be seen, the spring season is predicted to come early.

In Pennsylvania, shortly after sunrise at 7:25 a.m., Phil saw his shadow, leading to the conclusion that winter will be prolonged for another six weeks. Although both groundhogs take part in the superstition, Phil is known to only have a 35% accuracy rating according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) when looking at his previous predictions. Due to this statistic, tension and uncertainty rose as the wait for Chuck’s forecast stretched into the 8:00 hour, since his accuracy is at 85% as stated by NOAA.

By 8:30 a.m. in New York, Chuck had woken up and the verdict was made, as announcer’s revealed that there will be six more weeks of winter in 2026. Debates were settled about groundhog Phil’s prediction for the winter by groundhog Chuck’s confirmation of the winter season’s prolongation.

Groundhog Day is a national holiday in America that has been consistently celebrated for centuries, and this year was no different in spite of the chill in the air. The sunny winter day allowed both Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck to see their shadows, allowing for the interpretation that winter will continue for half a dozen more weeks.