STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Groundhog Day is Monday, Feb. 2, and that means Staten Island Chuck is getting ready to make his annual prediction
The Groundhog Day ceremony, which is set to take place at the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton, will begin on Monday at 8 a.m. However, the ceremony will be closed to the public this year due to the weather.
Fans of Chuck are invited to tune-in and watch the proceedings live on the Staten Island Zoo’s Facebook page. The Staten Island Advance/SILive will be on hand to cover the prediction. You’ll be able to catch the ceremony live from our Facebook page.
Chuck will make his grand appearance and determine his seasonal prediction at 8:30 a.m.
Here is everything you need to know about Groundhog Day.
1. Shadow or no shadow?
Every year on Feb. 2, for more than 120 years, Groundhog Day has held its tradition of assigning a groundhog to predict the remainder of winter.
For more than 40 years, Staten Island’s groundhog, Chuck, has carried out that duty. If the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If not, an early spring is expected.
2. The aged seers
Since 1981, Chuck, also known as Charles G. Hogg, has been predicting the outcome of the upcoming season.
Chuck has competed with his longtime rival, Punxsutawney Phil, who has been making predictions since 1886.
Phil lives at Gobbler’s Knob, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Fans interested in seeing Punxsutawney Phil make his prediction can view it online. The livestream will begin at approximately 6 a.m.
3. The history of Groundhog Day
The history of Groundhog Day is rooted in Christianity and traces back to the Christian holiday known as Candlemas.
Every Feb. 2, Christians would bring candles to church to be blessed, believing the prayers bring blessings to their household for the rest of the winter. Clear skies on Candlemas were a sign of an extended winter.
Over time, Germans adapted the tradition and determined that if the sun appeared on Feb. 2, a hedgehog would cast a shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.
4. Tracking Chuck’s predictions
To determine whether Chuck’s forecast is accurate, the weather over the following six weeks is tracked.
If the temperature rises above 40 degrees, the day is considered atypical. At the end of the six weeks, the total number of typical and atypical weather days is tallied.
If the number of atypical days exceeds the number of typical days, it is deemed an early spring. If not, six more weeks of winter are expected.
Chuck boasts an 85% accuracy rate from the last 20 years, according to 2025 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
5. Popular with politicians
Over the years, Staten Island’s groundhog, Chuck, has drawn visits from politicians and local officials during Groundhog Day celebrations.
The annual ceremony has become a popular stop for public figures, with Chuck appearing alongside officials such as Gov. Kathy Hochul, former Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
6. Memorable moments
Chuck has experienced a decade filled with memorable moments for a groundhog. In 2009, he made headlines for biting Bloomberg, setting the stage for even more dramatic events to come.
In 2014, an incident occurred when de Blasio dropped a stand-in groundhog named Charlotte, adding to the already dramatic history of Chuck’s Groundhog Day appearances.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, is pictured as Staten Island Chuck breaks free during the Groundhog Day ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo on Sunday Feb. 2, 2014.(Advance/SILive.com | Anthony DePrimo)
Following the incident, the Staten Island Zoo implemented a new safety policy, ensuring that only the official handler is permitted to hold Chuck