Groundhog Day traditionally determines whether or not we’ll experience six more weeks of winter, depending on if a groundhog does or doesn’t cast a shadow. If the groundhog does not cast one, it means we’ll have an early spring.
However, this morning, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (indicating six more weeks of winter), while Staten Island Chuck did not (meaning spring is near).
That said, it should be noted that Phil’s forecast has only been correct 39 percent of the time since 1887, according to Stormfax.com. On the other hand, the Staten Island Zoo claims that Staten Island Chuck has an 80 percent accuracy rate!
Apparently, these are the same predictions the two critters have made for the past two years. And with the way winter has been in NYC so far, practically snowless and warmer than average, we’re hoping Chuck doesn’t let us down.
According to the National Weather Service, NYC temperatures will dip quite low this week in the 20s and go back up to the 40s by the end of the weekend.
Also published on Medium.