New York City’s “seer of seers and prognosticator of prognosticators” says we can expect an early spring.
The groundhog named Staten Island Chuck was plucked from his Staten Island Zoo den on Groundhog Day, Sunday morning, to provide New York City with its annual prediction of how much longer winter will last.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson was the guest of honor and, at about 7:30 a.m. Feb. 2, helped deliver Chuck’s forecast for a crowd of admirers. Apparently, Chuck didn’t see its shadow this morning — which means that the city can expect an early spring.
#StatenIslandChuck said early spring, the sun is coming out and we just finished up one of the greatest traditions this city has. I am so honored to have been a part of this. Happy #GroundhogDay everyone! pic.twitter.com/1jqK7A0D2s
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) February 2, 2020
Chuck’s forecast was in line with its more famous peer to the west — Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania — who also indicated an early spring arrival. However, Long Island’s Malverne Mel did see a shadow, which in Groundhog-ese means six more weeks of winter.
It remains to be seen whether New York City’s favorite prognosticating rodent is correct — but maybe it’s on to something.
So far, New York City has had a rather mild winter. According to accuweather.com, the city experienced 24 days in January where temperatures were above normal.
And we can expect more of the same mild feel this week. The National Weather Service‘s extended forecast shows high temperatures into the 50s for Monday and Tuesday, but dropping into the 40s later in the week, with wet weather expected. Even so, the predicted highs are well above average for this time of year.
