Punxsutawney Phil has prognosticated his Groundhog Day 2016 forecast and has predicted an early spring. People are happy. Groundhog Day is an annual holiday in the United States celebrated every February 2. It was officially established in 1887 by the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club who have monitored the event every year since. "Punxsutawney Phil" has been the name of the resident groundhog for the club since its inception, and they jokingly claim there has only ever been one Punxsutawney Phil. According to the legend, if it's cloudy when Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it's sunny, the groundhog will get scared by its shadow and run back into its burrow, bringing on six more weeks of winter. In 2016, Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow.