Getty Groundhog handler John Griffiths holds Punxsutawney Phil in 2014.
Happy Groundhog Day 2020! If you want to watch a live stream of Punxsutawney Phil making his annual prediction of whether we’ll be facing more winter this year, then you’ve come to the right place. He’ll be making his prediction around sunrise on Sunday, February 2, 2020. That means you should start tuning in around 5:45 a.m. Eastern, which is when the official live stream begins.
At sunrise, we’ll learn if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. If he does, then we’ll be expecting six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, then spring is expected to be just around the corner.
Watch a Live Stream Below
The live stream kicks off on VisitPa.com at 5:45 a.m. Eastern. You can watch it at the VisitPa.com webpage here. The stream is supposed to begin at 5:45 a.m. Or you can watch on the Facebook link here or below.
The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club says that Phil traditionally makes his prediction at 7:28 a.m. Eastern, but you’ll want to tune in sooner than that. Technically, sunrise in Pennsylvania is at 7:09 a.m. Eastern on February 2, 2020. You’ll want to be watching just in case he makes his prediction earlier so you don’t miss out.
The Facebook live video above is scheduled to begin early in the morning, before Phil’s big prediction. If the video above doesn’t appear for you, you can find the link here or you may need to refresh the page right around the time it’s supposed to begin.
Here are some fun facts about Punxsutawney Phil while you’re waiting.
The Groundhog Day tradition began with an early Christian holiday called Candlemas, according to VisitPa.com. Clear skies meant a longer winter. Eventually, the Germans decided that if it was sunny, which would help the groundhog cast his shadow, we’d have six more weeks of a “second winter.” German immigrants then brought the tradition to Pennsylvania. Then in 1886, a local newspaper editor declared that the local groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, was the “one and only weather prognosticating groundhog.” Phil soon became famous, and now more than 20,000 join the celebration as he looks for his shadow every Groundhog Day, along with millions who watch online or on TV.
And here’s a cute video about the history of Groundhog Day.
Here are some fun facts about Phil:
- He threatened to predict 60 weeks of winter if he didn’t get a drink during the Prohibition.
- He wore a yellow ribbon in 1981 in honor of the American hostages who were in Iran.
- He met President Reagan in 1986.
- He was on Oprah in 1995.
- Gov. Ed Rendell was the first sitting governor to attend Groundhog Day in 2003.
- He supported the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Super Bowl win in 2009. (So yes, Phil loves football.)
- He’s been featured in a Discovery Channel documentary.
- The groundhog’s predictions, back in the 1880s, were in private wooded areas and weren’t so public.
- He’s woken up every year by members of the “Inner Circle.”
As you can see, there’s a lot of wonderful history to Groundhog Day. What will Phil predict this year?