It’s almost time to ask the age-old question: is spring coming early, or will we get six more weeks of winter? That all depends on whether New York City’s very own Staten Island Chuck sees his shadow.
Viewers across the country will tune in on Wednesday to watch Chuck’s famous furry friend from Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, that’s not going to stop Chuck from weighing in himself.
As usual, Chuck will make his prediction in his home at the Staten Island Zoo. The zoo will be livestreaming a virtual Groundhog Day celebration on its Facebook page beginning at 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 2. The ceremony was also livestreamed last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his 2021 prediction, Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring, contradicting his pal Phil, who predicted six more weeks of winter.
According to the Staten Island Advance, Chuck has had a better track record of predicting the season than Phil, accurately predicting 10 out of 11 years before 2021.
Groundhog Day grew out of a Pennsylvania Dutch legend — if a groundhog sees its shadow and runs back into a hole on Feb. 2, the area could expect six more weeks of winter, but if the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, it likely means that spring weather would arrive earlier than usual.
Its popularity has grown in recent years following the 1993 hit movie “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray as a weatherman covering the holiday’s festivities in Punxsutawney, PA who winds up stuck in a time loop.
