Staten Island Chuck has spoken: spring is coming early!
On Feb. 2, Chuck put his predicting skills to work in a live event sponsored by Investors Bank. The event happened live at the Staten Island Zoo, in contrast to 2021 where the Groundhog’s Day festivities were pre-recorded.
On the chilly Wednesday morning, Chuck — formally known as Charles G. Hogg — emerged from his house at the Staten Island Zoo and did not see his shadow, indicating an early spring for 2022. The ritual comes from Pennsylvania Dutch legend which suggested that if a groundhog sees its shadow and runs back into a hole on Feb. 2, the area could expect six more weeks of winter — however, if the groundhog doesn’t see its shadow, it likely means that spring weather would arrive early.
This year, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil reportedly saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. This is not the first time in recent history that the two have disagreed — last year, the two groundhogs disagreed, with Phil predicting there would be six more weeks of winter and Chuck predicting an early spring.
We’ll see whether Chuck or Phil will be correct in their prediction in the weeks to come. Click here to watch the full ceremony.
