Staten Island Chuck, Punxsutawney Phil reach Groundhog Day consensus

Spring is in the air, according to the groundhogs.

Staten Island Chuck awoke early Friday and emerged from his burrow, but his shadow was nowhere to be found, suggesting warmer weather would be here sooner rather than later. If he had seen his shadow, it would have indicated he foresees another six weeks of winter rather than an early spring.

The Groundhog Day celebration on Friday marked 10 years since former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio dropped Staten Island’s favorite groundhog in 2014, shortly after he predicted the brutal winter chill would persist. The animal died a week later from internal injuries, though a zoo spokesperson at the time told CBS they were unrelated to the tangle with de Blasio.

Nevertheless, the incident appeared to put the kibosh on mayoral handling of the groundhog. Mayor Eric Adams did not participate in Friday’s ceremony.

The recent forecasting event was also the first time the Staten Island Zoo opened up the ceremony to the public since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Chuck’s prognostication sparked cheers from those in attendance, all of them delighted by the prospects of an early spring.

According to zoo officials, Staten Island Chuck has been accurate more than 80% of the time when considering his predictions dating back to the first Groundhog Day festivities at the Staten Island Zoo in 1981.

“I’m glad that that imposter from Pennsylvania, Phil, is not here because it is less than 50% accuracy rate,” boasted Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon. “In Staten Island, we prosecute all crimes, including wrongful prediction,” he added.

However, Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast also included an early spring.

“Now on this February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the seer of seers, prognosticator of all prognosticators, was awakened from his wintry nap at dawn on Gobbler’s Knob,” Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Vice President Dan McGinley said, reading from an official scroll.

He continued on in verse: “What this weather did not provide/Is a shadow or reason to hide/Glad tidings on this Groundhog Day/An early spring is on the way.”

Woodstock Willie similarly called for spring. He lives some 570 miles to the west of Punxsutawney Phil, in Woodstock, Ill., where the beloved Bill Murray movie “Groundhog Day” was filmed.

With News Wire Services