Groundhog Day 2026: Furry forecasters spot their shadows
Furry forecasters from Suffolk County to Pennsylvania predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing their shadows on Groundhog Day.
The local prognosticator, Holtsville Hal, climbed out of his burrow to make the call in a prerecorded appearance on the Brookhaven Town website. Piles of snow from last week’s storm still crusted the ground following a weekend of bitter cold from the bomb cyclone that hammered the East Coast.
Based on this week’s forecast, Hal and his more famous Pennsylvania counterpart, Punxsutawney Phil, might be onto something. The National Weather Service expects temperatures to remain below freezing all week on the North Fork, with a chance of snow Friday and brutal cold for the weekend.
The Arctic blast poses different challenges to the farming community, said Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski Jr., whose family has been farming on the North Fork for generations.
“It’s not just the temperature and the precipitation that are a factor, but it’s also the wind that makes every year a challenge,” said the owner of Krupski Farms in Southold. “Mother Nature can create a lot of work and you make the adjustment.”
While farms that make a living off the land are fairly dormant, limited to fixing equipment and other winter chores, winery owners were busy plowing through the icy snow so they can prune the vines, he added. The greenhouse folks are also very active.
Monday’s high will reach about 30 degrees, though wind chills will make it feel closer to 10 to 20. Similar conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs near 32, before colder air settles in Thursday, when temperatures top out at just 28 and drop to around 15 overnight.
Friday brings a 30% chance of snow after 1 p.m., with a 40% chance Friday night before 1 a.m. as temperatures plunge to around 10 degrees with blustery conditions.
The weekend offers little relief. Saturday’s high may struggle to reach 18 degrees, with gusty winds and overnight lows plunging to 6. Sunday remains cold and breezy, with a high near 19.
