The famous Groundhog Day groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, traditionally comes out of his burrow around 7:20–7:30 a.m. Eastern Time on February 2, with many recent events putting his emergence at roughly 7:25 a.m. ET for the “will he see his shadow?” moment.

Quick Scoop: When does the groundhog come out to see his shadow?

  • Groundhog Day is held every year on February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
  • The main ceremony happens at Gobbler’s Knob , a hill just outside the town.
  • Festivities and live coverage usually start around 6:00 a.m. ET , with music, speeches, and celebrations before Phil appears.
  • Phil typically emerges around 7:20–7:30 a.m. ET to “make his prediction,” often cited as about 7:25 a.m. ET , give or take a few minutes.

What the shadow means

  • If the groundhog sees his shadow , folklore says there will be six more weeks of winter.
  • If he does not see his shadow , it’s supposed to mean an early spring.

How to watch it

  • Local Pennsylvania outlets and national media stream the event live starting around 6:00 a.m. ET , with Phil’s moment a bit after 7:00 a.m. ET.
  • Official tourism and event pages for Pennsylvania usually host or link to a livestream on the day.

TL;DR: The groundhog comes out to “see his shadow” shortly after sunrise, around 7:25 a.m. ET on February 2, after an hour or so of early-morning festivities.

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