Watch live: Groundhog Day events around the U.S.

It’s the midwinter moment we’ve been waiting for: Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow Sunday morning. 

LiveNow from FOX will share Groundhog Day ceremonies from across the U.S. starting at 6 a.m. ET Sunday, Feb. 2. You can watch them live in the video player above. 

Groundhog Day events in the U.S. 

FILE - Punxsutawney Phil takes a break after he did not see his shadow predicting an early Spring during the 138th annual Groundhog Day festivities on Friday February 2, 2024 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Punxsutawney Phil, near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania: 6 a.m. ET

Punxsutawney Phil's handlers will disclose early Sunday whether the weather forecasting marmot has seen his shadow, and whether there will be six more weeks of winter ahead.

Holtsville Hal’s Famous Forecast, Brookhaven, New York: 7:30 a.m. ET

Brookhaven Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro will announce Holtsville Hal’s famous forecast. 

General Beauregard Lee Prediction, Jackson, Georgia: 7:30 a.m. ET

General Beauregard "Beau" Lee will be at Dauset Trails Nature Center, where Georgia’s Official Weather Prognosticator will make his prediction.

Staten Island Chuck, Staten Island, New York: 8 a.m. ET

Staten Island Chuck, the Staten Island Zoo’s famous groundhog, will take part in his annual Groundhog Day ceremony. The free event is open to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, with gates opening at 7:30 a.m. and the ceremony starting at 8 a.m. Chuck's prediction will be made at 8:30.

Jimmy the Groundhog, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin: 8 a.m. ET

Jimmy the Groundhog has an extremely high accuracy rate on his annual predictions, making him an outstanding leader in meteorological circles. Jimmy’s prediction is the grand finale of the Sun Prairie annual Frozen Fest. 

What’s the history of Groundhog Day?

The backstory:

Celtic people across Europe marked the four days that are midway between the winter solstice, the spring equinox, the summer solstice and the fall equinox. What the Celts called Imbolc is also around when Christians celebrate Candlemas, timed to Joseph and Mary’s presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem.

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Ancient people would watch the sun, stars and animal behavior to guide farming practices and other decisions, and the practice of watching an animal’s emergence from winter hibernation to forecast weather has roots in a similar German tradition involving badgers or bears. Pennsylvania Germans apparently substituted the groundhog, endemic to the eastern and midwestern United States.

Historians have found a reference in an 1841 diary to groundhog weather forecasts in early February among families of German descent in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, according to the late Don Yoder, a University of Pennsylvania professor whose 2003 book about Groundhog Day explored the Celtic connection.

Yoder concluded the festival has roots in "ancient, undoubtedly prehistoric, weather lore."

Why is it celebrated in Punxsutawney?

Dig deeper:

Pennsylvania Germans settled in the area, and in the late 1880s, they started celebrating the holiday by picnicking, hunting and eating groundhogs.

Members of Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, organized in 1899, care for Phil and his woodchuck family at a customized space beside Punxsutawney Memorial Library, where there’s a window with a view into the creature’s burrow.

The Punxsutawney groundhog makes predictions, but he’s not always predictable. The designated groundhog emerged before sunrise in 1929 and didn’t come out until late afternoon in 1941.

The 1993 Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day" caused such a resurgence of interest that two years after it came out, event organizers voiced concern about rowdy crowds drinking all night, people climbing trees and others stripping to their underwear. In 1998, a groundhog club leader wearing a $4,000 groundhog suit reported being assaulted by a half-dozen young men.

Alcohol is now prohibited at Gobbler’s Knob, Phil’s spot some 80 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

The Source: This report includes information from the Associated Press, the official website of Groundhog Day, Staten Island Zoo, the city of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, the town of Brookhaven, New York, Dauset Trails Nature Center in Georgia and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting. 

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