Punxsutawney Phil “sees his shadow” during the Groundhog Day ceremony held every year on February 2 at Gobbler’s Knob in Pennsylvania, usually around sunrise (about 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time), if the sky is clear enough to cast a shadow on the ground.

What the question really means

When people ask “when does Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?” , they usually mean one of two things:

  • On what date does this happen?
  • At what time of day during the event does it happen?

The core tradition is:

  • Groundhog Day is always on February 2 each year.
  • Phil is brought out around sunrise , and the key “shadow or no shadow” moment happens shortly after, typically a few minutes after 7 a.m. ET.

If it’s sunny or bright enough, he is said to see his shadow , which by legend means six more weeks of winter.

If it’s cloudy and he “doesn’t see” it, that means an early spring.

How it works in practice

In modern times, Phil doesn’t literally look around and react to a shadow in a scientific way; the Inner Circle of the Groundhog Club stages a scripted ceremony:

  • They bring Phil out of his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob in front of a crowd.
  • A member “speaks Groundhogese” to Phil and then reads from one of two prepared scrolls: one for “shadow” (more winter), one for “no shadow” (early spring).
  • That reading is treated as Phil’s official prediction for that year.

So the exact moment Phil “sees his shadow” is really the moment the scroll is read and the prediction is announced, not an actual measured observation.

Latest news and recent pattern

  • In 2026 , Phil did see his shadow on Monday, February 2, predicting six more weeks of winter.
  • The 2026 ceremony and its “shadow-viewing” were scheduled for just after 7 a.m. ET.
  • Historically, records show Phil has seen his shadow the majority of the time, with well over 100 “shadow” calls since the tradition began.

This keeps the event in the “fun, seasonal tradition” category rather than serious meteorology, but it reliably trends every year as a light, viral news topic and a frequent forum discussion point around February 2.

TL;DR: Phil “sees his shadow” during the Groundhog Day ceremony every February 2 , shortly after sunrise (about 7 a.m. ET) , whenever conditions and the official announcement say he has a shadow—meaning, by tradition, six more weeks of winter.

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