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Groundhog Day 2024: Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, predicts an early spring

According to legend and tradition, we can expect an early spring if Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow on Groundhog Day every February 2.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — It's Groundhog Day! Again...

Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Did he predict an early spring or six more weeks of winter?

Our annual questions were answered early Friday morning when Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow at Gobbler's Knob in western Pennsylvania.

His prediction? Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, which means an early spring is on the way!

RELATED: Exploring the origins and history of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney

While there's nothing remotely scientific or accurate about the Groundhog Day weather prediction, it's a longstanding tradition that always generates national attention every Feb. 2.

While the hope of an early spring seems to be the primary excitement behind the Groundhog Day celebrations, it turns out that Punxsutawney Phil has only made that prediction (not seeing his shadow) less than two dozen times.

RELATED: Did Buckeye Chuck see his shadow? Celebrating Groundhog Day 2024 in Ohio

So how many times has Punxsutawney Phil seen his shadow? How many times has he predicted an early spring? Here are the numbers as announced by the Groundhog Day "Inner Circle"...

  • Saw shadow: 109 times
  • No shadow: 21 times (including 2024)
  • No record of what happened: 10 times

RELATED: PETA offers unconventional replacement for Groundhog Day's Punxsutawney Phil

The last time Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow was in 2019 and 2020, offering a back-to-back dose of his rare early spring prediction.

Oh, and if you want a bit more to make you smile for Groundhog Day, we'll just leave you with this... Because it's Groundhog Day again.

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