This year on Feb. 2 was the 139th annual Groundhog Day, in Punxsutawney, PA, where the groundhog saw his shadow, and burrowed down for six more weeks of winter. This year, the crowd that watched Phil see his shadow was the largest yet, with around 40,000 people.
Phil the groundhog lives in the Punxsutawney Memorial Library, around where all the Groundhog Day festivities take place. Up to 35,000 people attend the Groundhog Day Festival each year.
According to the lore of Groundhog Day, there has been only one Punxsutawney Phil. Supposedly, he’s 138 years old, 30 times the lifespan of the normal groundhog. Only 15 people are in the inner circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, and they are the only ones that know the truth about Punxsutawney Phil.
Phil the groundhog has a mate, Phyllis the groundhog. They had two children in March of last year. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said Phil was “the first prophetic groundhog to do so since 1886.”
They named the kits, which is the term for baby groundhogs, Sunny and Shadow. Sunny is a female and Shadow is a male.
If you drive through Punxsutawney any time of the year, you will see statues of groundhogs everywhere. There are 41 of them and they are all made out of fiberglass and designed by local and national artists. These statues are called Phantastic Phil’s and they are six feet tall, ranging from a groundhog Statue of Liberty to a groundhog Wendy’s employee.
However, groundhogs are not legendary, all-seeing creatures. Since 2005, Phil has only been right about 35% of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since then Phil predicted 14 more weeks of winter and seven early springs.
This year, Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. It is unknown if he is absolutely correct yet, but based on recent weather, he is.