How does Punxsutawney Phil's spring prediction line up with AccuWeather's?

It turns out Phil could be right for part of the country, but quite wrong for another part.

Transcript

00:00Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!

00:03It's Groundhog Day, and maybe life is on a loop.

00:08But I miss my burrow.

00:11I miss my coop.

00:13So I'm headed back down.

00:16There's a shadow up here.

00:18Get ready for six more weeks of winter this year!

00:22Whoo!

00:24Happy Groundhog Day!

00:28Well, there you have it.

00:30Phil officially put out a verdict.

00:33Quite poetically, I might add, six more weeks of winter.

00:38Many may not be surprised, since it's been a frigid start to 2025.

00:43But there is a big change from January,

00:46where persistent extreme cold held a firm grip across the country.

00:52Now the jet stream has lifted,

00:54and that cold air has been pushed back to the north and northwest.

00:59Expect this area to stay active through early February at least.

01:03Now the jet stream is looser to the east,

01:06allowing milder air to build and spring-like conditions to settle across the south.

01:11This sharp temperature contrast will set the stage for storms to follow that dividing line,

01:17a track, like a track, bringing a wintry combination of snow

01:22and a mix to northern sections and thunderstorms to the south.

01:27So in comparison to the exclusive AccuWeather forecast,

01:30Phil can be considered sort of right.

01:33Starting early spring will make its presence known across the south,

01:37of course with maybe a few setbacks,

01:39while winter will be harder to push out completely in the north.

01:43And winter wants a shot in the northwest and the northern Rockies,

01:46as we've already been seeing with this snow.

01:49Stay tuned to AccuWeather.

01:51Our full spring forecast comes out on Wednesday.