Phil Emerges on Groundhog Day — Will Spring Arrive Early in 2026?

The winter season, for many, is comparable to a cold glass of eggnog. One taste and you’re done. Sure, winter gives off cozy, warm vibes, but it also brings storms and temperatures so cold you can barely stand to be outside for more than a few minutes. So it’s understandable why many turn to weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil for his winter update on Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day — hoping he’ll see his shadow and we’ll be rid of the cold sooner rather than later.

As the tradition goes, if Phil doesn’t see his shadow, spring will arrive early. But if he does, we’re in for another six weeks of winter. So, did Phil see his shadow on Feb. 2, 2026?

Drum roll … Phil did see his shadow on Feb. 2, 2026, which allegedly means another six weeks of winter are ahead of us. But this weather prediction isn’t meant to be taken literally; it’s more of a folklore tradition that adds a little excitement as winter nears its end and spring approaches. If you take it literally, spring is set to arrive on March 20, according to Almanac.com, which means winter would actually last about seven more weeks.

So even with Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter, it’s not like we’re getting extra days of cold weather, it basically means winter is expected to run its usual course.

While Phil’s forecast is probably the most famous, he’s not the only groundhog keeping tabs on the seasons. Across the U.S., dozens of groundhogs make their own predictions about whether spring will arrive early or if winter will stick around a little longer.

When most people think of Groundhog Day, they immediately think of Punxsutawney Phil, who resides in his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania. He’s apparently been providing predictions every year since 1886, with Groundhog-Day.com noting that his unusually long life is credited to the “groundhog nog” he gets at the annual Groundhog Picnic.

It’s a little tale-ish, but still, Groundhog Day is one many look forward to, and depend on, with crowds forming in freezing cold weather to see if the famous (and apparently everlasting) groundhog will see his shadow.

Over the course of his time as a weather predictor, Phil has made 131 predictions as of 2026, with more than half of them resulting in him seeing his shadow (meaning a longer winter), and just under 20 percent predicting an early spring.

But what about the other groundhogs across North America? Did they see their shadows too? Octoraro Orphie, who is also based in Pennsylvania, saw his shadow in 2026, as did General Beauregard Lee in Georgia.

Meanwhile, plenty of other furry forecasters across the U.S. predicted an early spring, including Jimmy the Groundhog in Wisconsin, Buckeye Chuck in Ohio, and French Creek Freddie in West Virginia. Over in Ontario, Canada, Wiarton Willie also predicted that spring would arrive early.

Since the predictions are split, we’ll have to wait and see what the weather brings to know which groundhogs were spot-on with their forecasts.