Ground Hog Day 2023: Did Staten Island Chuck see his shadow?
Staten Island Chuck #StatenIslandChuck
Staten Island Chuck is on a hot streak.
New York City’s “weatherhog” did not see his shadow early Thursday morning during the Staten Island Zoo’s annual Groundhog Day ceremony, signaling that springtime is near.
As the tradition goes, had Chuck seen his shadow, New York City would be left with six more weeks of winter.
While the West Brighton ceremony was closed to the public, students from Susan Wagner High School who will be tracking Chuck’s prediction cheered on the plump prognosticator.
The small crowd gathered erupted into cheers as Chuck appeared.
One onlooker noted, “I don’t see a shadow.”
Others can be heard chiming in from a Facebook livestream of the event, yelling, “No shadow!”
Chuck has an 80% accuracy rate in his predictions, according to the zoo’s board of trustees President William Frew — whereas Chuck’s fellow prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil, who has a mere 39% accuracy — regrettably spotted his shadow early Thursday morning.
Mayor Eric Adams did not attend the event like his predecessor, Bill de Blasio, who eventually began to skip the tradition after he infamously dropped Chuck’s 10-month-old stand-in, Charlotte, in 2014.
Charlotte fell nearly six feet, and died of acute internal injuries a week later.
To play it safe, Adams sent in a pre-recorded message for the crowd taken from the safety of City Hall.