Groundhog Day 2025: Will Punxsutawney Phil, Buckeye Chuck see their shadows? What to know
Ohio's Buckeye Chuck—and his Pennsylvania counterpart who gets more publicity, Punxsutawney Phil—will emerge from their burrows on Sunday to tell us if we can expect an early spring or six more weeks of winter.
So why do we rely on these hibernating rodents to forecast the weather? It's a tradition that spans centuries, USA TODAY reports. Here's what to know about Groundhog Day.
Weigh in on spring: Will Buckeye Chuck see his shadow?
Groundhog Day is Feb. 2. This year it will be on a Sunday.
According to lore, the Old Farmer's Almanac says a groundhog will emerge from its burrow on Groundhog Day. If it sees its shadow, it will retreat back into its hole and we can expect another six weeks of winter. If there's no shadow, that's a sign of an early spring.
Groundhog Day is an "unusual holiday," according to the Farmers Almanac, that dates back centuries to European traditions.
It was originally a Celtic festival marking the year's first cross-quarter day, or a midpoint between seasons, per the almanac. In the Northern Hemisphere, Feb. 2 marks the midpoint between the winter solstice in December and the spring equinox in March. Feb. 2 is also known as St. Brigid's Day, mixing figures from pagan traditions and Christian beliefs.
In Europe, groundhogs weren't the animal of choice for the festival, according to the almanac. France and England looked to the bear for a sign. In Germany, it was the badger. German immigrants brought the legend with them when they settled in Pennsylvania in the 1800s. Finding no badgers, they turned to the groundhog.
Punxsutawney Phil is the best-known groundhog who has been making predictions since 1886, according to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The Groundhog Day tradition as we know it dates to 1887.
According to the club, Punxsutawney Phil is also known as the:
Seer of Seers
Prognosticator of Prognosticators
Weather Predictor Extraordinaire
Br'er Groundhog
National Treasure
Buckeye Chuck will return for his 46th year of predicting the weather from 7 to 8 a.m. Sunday at the Marion County Fairgrounds, roughly 50 miles north of Columbus, according to the Marion Star.
The event will be broadcast live on 1490 WMRN and on the Buckeye Chuck Facebook fan page.
Buckeye Chuck is an animal ambassador who resides at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, according to WMRN. In 1979, the Ohio legislature named him the official groundhog for the Buckeye State, per Groundhog-Day.com.
While Phil is the most famous, he isn't the most accurate, USA TODAY reports.
He is only right around 39% of the time, according to the Stormfax Weather Almanac.
In comparison, Buckeye Chuck, has been correct an estimated 75% of the time, according to the Marion Star, a part of the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: When is Groundhog Day 2025? Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?
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