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It’s Groundhog Day in 2018 and the festivities start very early in the morning. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow this year? Get all the details on what time to watch the announcement, predictions and more below.
DATE: Friday, February 2, 2018 is this year’s Groundhog Day. The occasion always falls on the 2nd of February and the “holiday” is actually derives from a Pennsylvania Dutch superstition. According to Visit PA, in 1886, those who were groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania called themselves “The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” and “one member was an editor of Punxsutawney’s newspaper. Using his ink, he proclaimed Punxsutawney Phil, the local groundhog, to be the one and only weather prognosticating groundhog. He issued this proclamation on Candlemas, and yes, Groundhog Day.”
ANNOUNCEMENT TIME: According to Visit PA, Punxsutawney Phil will show himself at sunrise to reveal whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter. The official coverage of this begins at 6 a.m. ET and the live stream runs until 7 a.m. ET.
LIVE STREAM: Click here for the official live stream of Punxatawney Phil on Groundhog Day. It begins at 6 a.m. ET.
LOCATION: The location of the announcement is in Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When Punxsutawney Phil is not predicting the weather, reportedly lives near the town library with his wife Phyllis. They reside in a burrow at Barclay Square.
FIRST EVER GROUNDHOG DAY DATE: The first ever Groundhog Day took place on February 2, 1887.
WHAT THE GROUNDHOG’S PREDICTION MEANS: If Phil comes out and “sees his shadow,” it’s supposed to mean that there are six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means Spring is just around the corner. According to NJ.com, the Inner Circle, aka the guys you see in top hats with Phil, are made aware of Phil’s prediction first, since they speak “Groundhogese”, and then the President of the Inner Circle announces it to the public. Most often, Phil does see his shadow.
WEATHER IN PUNXSUTAWNEY: For those gathering in Gobbler’s Knob, you may want to bundle up a bit. According to Accuweather, between 5 – 8 a.m. ET, the temperature outside will range from 10- 14 degrees. There is also a forecast of cloudy skies and possible snow flurries.
GROUNDHOG DAY PREDICTIONS: Accuweather has predicted six weeks of more winter, so for those of you busting out your light jackets and florals, we are sorry to tell you that the cold weather may continue for a while. According to York Daily Record, Punxsutawney Phil will predict an early spring. So, it looks like the predictions are split. We will just have to wait and see what the official announcement states.