Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 with the first official Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, taking place in 1887. It has grown into a popular event, attracting thousands of visitors each year. I think they should ask a fox, myself.

However, with February 2 marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Groundhog Day, not Fox Day, is a thing.

The day’s origins are believed from ancient Europe with the tradition of using a groundhog to predict the weather believed to have originated in Germany, where a hedgehog was used for this purpose. German settlers brought the custom to the United States, specifically to Pennsylvania, where the groundhog, or woodchuck, became the animal of choice.

The most famous Groundhog Day star, Punxsutawney Phil, is said to emerge from his burrow. If he sees his shadow, it is believed that there will be six more weeks of winter; if he does not, an early spring is expected.

Punxsutawney Phil is correct only about 39% of the time, according to data from the Stormfax Almanac, which has been tracking Phil’s predictions since 1887.

Yet, over the last 12 years, he’s improved to about 42%. Here are the results since 2013.

  • 2013: No shadow, correct prediction
  • 2014: Shadow, correct prediction
  • 2015: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2016: No shadow, correct prediction
  • 2017: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2018: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2019: No shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2020: No shadow, correct prediction
  • 2021: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2022: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2023: Shadow, incorrect prediction
  • 2024: No shadow, correct prediction

Just so you know, foxes like to use the groundhog dens for homes, too.

So, how smart can a groundhog really be if they make their den so accessible to foxes who are one of the primary predators of groundhogs, along with coyotes, hawks, bobcats and dogs.

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is predicted to be cloudy with 89% cloud cover this Sunday, February 2, with a high of 28 degrees. Let’s see what happens with the prediction and the outcome in six weeks.

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