40 Groundhog Day trivia questions and answers

Forty questions on the tradition, Punxsutawney Phil, real groundhogs and the 1993 film, with answers. Groundhog Day 2027 is Tuesday, February 2.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Nov 20268 min read

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An office team laughing and conferring over paper answer sheets during a winter trivia round at a conference table

Groundhog Day trivia is a quiz on the February 2 weather custom: where it came from, Punxsutawney Phil, groundhogs as animals, how often the forecast is right and the 1993 film. Here are 40 Groundhog Day trivia questions and answers in five rounds of 8, each marked easy, medium or hard. One round takes about 7 minutes, so it fits the start of a meeting or a full lunch break.

Round 1: the Groundhog Day tradition

Where the custom comes from. Start here: most teams get six or more.

1. On what date is Groundhog Day every year?Easy
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February 2
2. In the tradition, what does it mean when the groundhog sees its shadow?Easy
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Six more weeks of winter
3. And when the groundhog sees no shadow, what is the forecast?Easy
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An early spring
4. Groundhog Day shares February 2 with which older church feast, when candles were blessed?Medium
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Candlemas
5. German settlers brought a February 2 weather custom to Pennsylvania. Which animal did it use back in Germany?Medium
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A badger (and before the badger, a bear)
6. An old Scottish rhyme says a fair, clear Candlemas means how many winters in the year?Medium
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Two
7. In the German custom, a shadow on February 2 meant how many more weeks of winter?Hard
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Four (the American version made it six)
8. The earliest known American mention of Groundhog Day is in a Pennsylvania storekeeper's diary. From what year?Hard
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1840 (James Morris of Morgantown, Pennsylvania)

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Round 2: Punxsutawney and its famous forecaster

The small Pennsylvania town that turned a folk custom into a national event.

9. What is the name of the famous forecasting groundhog of Punxsutawney?Easy
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Phil
10. What do members of the Groundhog Club's Inner Circle wear on Groundhog Day morning?Easy
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Top hats and tuxedos
11. On what hill outside Punxsutawney does Phil give his forecast?Medium
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Gobbler's Knob
12. In club lore, what language does Phil use to tell the club president his forecast?Medium
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Groundhogese
13. The club says Phil has forecast every year since 1887. What does he sip at the yearly club picnic to stay so young?Medium
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The elixir of life (club lore says each sip adds seven years)
14. Where do Phil and his mate, Phyllis, live for the rest of the year?Hard
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At the Punxsutawney Memorial Library
15. The town's name comes from a Lenape name. What is it usually said to mean?Hard
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Town of the sandflies
16. Groundhogs have forecast in Punxsutawney since the 1880s. In what year did the forecaster first get the name Phil?Hard
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1961

Round 3: groundhogs, the real animals

Questions about the animal itself. Nature fans on the team will shine here.

17. Which other common name for the groundhog shows up in a famous tongue twister?Easy
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Woodchuck
18. Are groundhogs mostly plant eaters or meat eaters?Easy
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Plant eaters (grasses, clover, berries and crops)
19. Groundhogs are marmots. Which family of rodents do marmots belong to?Medium
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The squirrel family
20. Which nickname do groundhogs get from the high whistle they give when they sense danger?Medium
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Whistle pig
21. Heavy as they are, can groundhogs swim and climb trees?Medium
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Yes, both
22. In deep hibernation, a groundhog's heart slows to about how many beats a minute?Hard
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About 4 to 10
23. How many entrances does a groundhog's burrow usually have?Hard
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Two to five
24. What is the groundhog's scientific name?Hard
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Marmota monax

A remote employee at a home desk raising her hand to answer during a team video call on a snowy morning

Round 4: forecasts, rivals and the track record

How often the shadow call comes true, and the other groundhogs who make one.

25. Over the years, which has Phil called far more often: more winter or an early spring?Easy
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More winter (club records show over 100 shadow years and about 20 early springs)
26. Wiarton Willie, a white groundhog, makes forecasts in which Canadian province?Easy
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Ontario
27. Which US science agency checks Phil's call against real temperatures each year?Medium
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NOAA (its National Centers for Environmental Information)
28. To score Phil, NOAA compares his call with US temperatures in which two months?Medium
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February and March
29. In its January 2026 review, NOAA found Phil right about what share of the time over the previous 10 years?Medium
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About 30 percent
30. February 2 falls roughly halfway between which two points of the year?Medium
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The winter solstice and the spring equinox
31. General Beauregard Lee makes Groundhog Day forecasts in which Southern state?Hard
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Georgia
32. Which Nova Scotia groundhog is often the first in North America to forecast, thanks to its time zone?Hard
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Shubenacadie Sam

Want a round about your own team next to the groundhog questions? A hosted virtual trivia game can add a custom round if you ask about 4 weeks ahead.

Round 5: the 1993 film Groundhog Day

Facts about the comedy that turned the holiday's name into a phrase for a day that keeps repeating.

33. In the 1993 film, what is the name of Bill Murray's TV weatherman?Easy
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Phil Connors
34. Which song wakes the weatherman on the clock radio every morning of the loop?Easy
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“I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher
35. Who directed the film?Medium
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Harold Ramis
36. Which actor plays Rita, the weatherman's producer?Medium
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Andie MacDowell
37. Which Illinois town stood in for Punxsutawney on screen?Medium
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Woodstock
38. What is one of the skills the weatherman learns while he lives the same day again and again?Medium
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Piano, ice sculpting or French
39. Which actor plays Ned Ryerson, the insurance salesman the weatherman keeps running into?Hard
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Stephen Tobolowsky
40. In what year did the Library of Congress add the film to the National Film Registry?Hard
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2006

Play it on a shared screen

Pick a round, share this screen and click through the questions. Show the answer, mark it, and the last card shows the score and what your team missed.

TraditionQuestion 1 of 10 · Score 0

On what date is Groundhog Day every year?

Say your answer out loud, or write it down, then check it.

3 Groundhog Day activities for work

Quick ideas to go with the trivia. Each one works in the office and on a video call.

1. Shadow or no shadow poll
Post a two-option poll in your team chat the week before: six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Phil's call comes out early on the morning of February 2, so share the result at standup and give the winning side first pick of the next meeting's playlist.
5 minutes the week before, 2 minutes on the day
2. Same day again
A memory game in the spirit of the film. The leader reads the eight-line day below, slowly, once. Then they read it again with one detail changed, and the first person to call out the change scores a point. The changes get smaller every loop. Swap in details from your own office to make it yours.
The day, read in full each loop
1. The alarm goes off at 6:47.
2. Coffee drips onto the left sleeve.
3. The elevator stops on the fourth floor for no one.
4. Standup runs two minutes over.
5. Lunch is tomato soup and a grilled cheese.
6. The printer jams on page three.
7. Someone leaves lemon bars in the kitchen.
8. The sun sets at 5:31.
What changes
- Loop 2: The lemon bars become brownies.
- Loop 3: The elevator stops on the fifth floor.
- Loop 4: The alarm goes off at 6:41.
10 minutes, any group size
3. First warm day guess
Everyone guesses the date your office's city first reaches 60°F. Keep the guesses in a shared doc; the closest guess wins a small prize, like a coffee or the best seat at the next team lunch.
2 minutes to set up, settles itself in March

Rather hand the whole hour to someone else? Winter Showdown puts your team through five hosted rounds of winter trivia with a live leaderboard, and a free quote takes one email.

How to run Groundhog Day trivia at work

It works in a conference room, on a hybrid call or fully on video. You need one reader and 15 to 35 minutes.

Make teams of four to six. Tables in the office, breakout rooms on video. Let each team pick a weather word for a name.
Read one round of 8. Read each question twice and give 30 seconds. A round takes about 7 minutes, so two rounds fill a 15-minute slot and all five make a 35-minute game.
Hold the answers until the round ends. Then tap each question's answer open on this page, or put the quiz below on the shared screen and step through it.
On a hybrid call, read from one screen. The room and the remote guests see the same quiz; remote teams send their answers to the reader in a private chat.
Easy and Medium are worth 1 point, Hard is worth 2. Tie-breaker, closest guess wins: how many days are there from Groundhog Day 2027 to the spring equinox on March 20? (46.)

For 40 or more people on video, a host keeps the rounds moving and the breakout rooms on time: see our virtual game shows, or get a free quote for your date.

Groundhog Day trivia FAQ

When is Groundhog Day 2027?

Groundhog Day is Tuesday, February 2, 2027. It falls on February 2 every year, the same day as the old feast of Candlemas.

What are good Groundhog Day trivia questions for work?

Questions on where the custom comes from, Punxsutawney Phil, groundhogs as animals, how often the forecast comes true and the 1993 film. This page has 40 in five rounds of 8, each marked easy, medium or hard, with the answers hidden until you open them.

How often is Punxsutawney Phil right?

Not often. In its January 2026 review, NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information found Phil right about 30 percent of the time over the previous 10 years, scoring each call against US temperatures in February and March.

What are some Groundhog Day activities for work?

Run a shadow or no shadow poll the week before, play the Same day again memory game on a call, guess the first warm day for a prize, and play a round or two of the trivia on this page. For a full hour, book hosted winter games for the whole team.

Can someone host a Groundhog Day trivia game for our team?

Yes. A live host runs Winter Showdown, a five-round winter trivia game on Zoom (or Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request) with a leaderboard. Hosted games book about 2 weeks ahead. Ask for a free quote with your date and headcount.