when does phil see his shadow

Punxsutawney Phil “sees his shadow” — or not — once a year on Groundhog Day, the morning of February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, during a brief ceremony just after sunrise.

When does Phil see his shadow?

• The event happens every year on February 2 , known as Groundhog Day.

• Phil is brought out around sunrise; the key “shadow moment” is typically a few minutes after, roughly around 7 a.m. local time, when his handlers announce whether he has seen his shadow.

• By tradition, if Phil sees his shadow, legend says there will be six more weeks of winter; if he does not, it’s said to mean an early spring.

What happened this year (2026)?

• On Groundhog Day 2026, Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow , which, according to the folklore, predicts six more weeks of winter.

Quick folklore refresher

• “Shadow = more winter”: Seeing the shadow means colder weather is expected to hang on for about six more weeks.

• “No shadow = early spring”: Not seeing it means milder weather is said to be on the way sooner.

TL;DR: Phil makes his appearance once a year on the morning of February 2, just after sunrise, and that’s when he either “sees his shadow” (more winter) or doesn’t (early spring), according to tradition.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.