When is Groundhog Day 2017? Well, it’s just around the corner.

Groundhog Day 2017 will take place on Feb. 2, 2017, which is this Thursday. The event has Americans looking to rodents to determine what the weather will be like for the next six months. If the groundhog sees its shadow, there’s six more weeks of winter on the way. However, if it doesn’t, then it will be an early spring.

Knowing when Groundhog day is isn’t actually vital to planning the next few weeks. However, it is a fun tradition that dates back to 

1841 in the United States. The tradition came from Germans immigrating to America and bringing some folklore with them.

The German immigrants were living in Pennsylvania when the tradition got its start in the U.S. While we use groundhogs to tell the weather now, the original folklore from Europe had a badger or bear giving the weather predictions.

Punxsutawney Phil is one of the most famous groundhogs of Groundhog Day. Knowing when is groundhog day is vital for this little guy. The tradition has him greeting crowds and new stations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to predict the weather.

There are also other famous groundhogs that get media when Groundhog Day rolls around. They include Staten Island Chuck, General Beauregard Lee, Buckeye Chuck, Balzac Billy, Shubenacadie Sam and others. These groundhogs don’t always agree on what the weather will be like for the next few weeks.

Punxsutawney Phil accurately predicted an early Spring last year, but Buckeye Chuck was looking for six more weeks of winter. Forecast for Thursday are showing cloud cover in Punxsutawney. This means that Punxsutawney Phil will likely predict an early Spring again this year.