Punxsutawney Phil “comes out” every year at daybreak on Groundhog Day, which is February 2, during the sunrise ceremony at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

When does Phil the groundhog come out?

  • The tradition is that Phil emerges from his burrow at daybreak on February 2 each year.
  • The ceremony is timed to sunrise, so his appearance is usually in the early morning around 7 a.m. local time , give or take a bit depending on the year’s sunrise.
  • The moment he’s lifted from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob is when he is said to “make” his weather prediction for the next six weeks.

A tiny bit of story

Every February 2, thousands of people gather before dawn at Gobbler’s Knob, bundled up in the cold, waiting for Phil’s handlers in top hats to bring him out of his burrow. As the sky starts to lighten, Phil is raised up on a stump, and the Inner Circle’s president “talks” with him in so‑called Groundhogese to find out whether he’s seen his shadow, signaling either six more weeks of winter or an early spring.

TL;DR: If you’re wondering “when does Phil the groundhog come out?” it’s at daybreak on February 2 (Groundhog Day) each year, during a sunrise ceremony at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney.

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