This morning, both Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck made their predictions for when winter will end — and they didn’t see eye to eye.
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 85 percent accuracy rate!
Apparently, these are the same predictions the two critters made as last year, which led us into a bitterly cold February but warmer-than-average March. According to the National Weather Service, here in NYC temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s for the next week, which is a welcome change from the teen and single-digit temps we’ve been experiencing lately!