When is Groundhog Day?
In 2026, Groundhog Day falls on Monday, February 2, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Groundhog Day
Groundhog Day grew from European weather lore carried to Pennsylvania by German-speaking immigrants. An old belief held that the weather on Candlemas, February 2, could predict whether winter would linger. In Pennsylvania, the groundhog became the animal said to make the forecast after emerging from its burrow.
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, staged its first well-documented Groundhog Day celebration in 1887. The town’s Punxsutawney Phil ceremony later became nationally famous through newspapers, radio, television and the 1993 film “Groundhog Day.” It remains folklore and entertainment rather than meteorological science.
The custom was already being recorded in Pennsylvania before the Punxsutawney event. A Berks County diary entry from February 2, 1841 described the belief that a groundhog seeing its shadow meant another six weeks of winter, and Punxsutawney newspapers reported the local observance in 1886. Modern forecasters stress that a single animal cannot predict a season; the ceremony survives because it turns old weather lore into community theatre.
How Groundhog Day is observed
Groundhog Day is not a public holiday. Ceremonies are held early in the morning, and schools, offices and businesses generally follow normal schedules.
Traditions of Groundhog Day
Watching the forecast
Crowds gather before sunrise to hear whether the featured groundhog has supposedly seen its shadow. Tradition says a shadow predicts six more weeks of winter, while no shadow points to an early spring.
Local groundhog ceremonies
Punxsutawney Phil is the best-known animal forecaster, but communities across the United States and Canada have created their own ceremonies, mascots and playful rivalries.
Weather-themed school activities
Classrooms often use the day for lessons about seasons, animal behavior and the difference between folklore and scientific forecasting. Children may record the prediction and compare it with later weather.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official USAGov holiday and observance guidance. State, local, school and private-employer schedules may differ.
History sources: Library of Congress, National Weather Service Pittsburgh.
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