STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 Staten Island Chuck (a.k.a. Charles G. Hog) is famous for his accuracy when it comes to predicting whether an early spring is on the way or we\u2019ll be stuck with six more weeks of winter.<\/p>\n
He calls the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton his home, and comes out each Groundhog Day and seeks his shadow, letting us know if we\u2019ll have to wait longer for winter\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
And he can boast of a higher accuracy rate than his well-known adversary, Punxsutawney Phil, of Gobbler\u2019s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what to know about the borough\u2019s most famous furry rodent and his predictions:<\/p>\n
– Chuck has established himself as a highly reliable weather forecaster. His predictions on the arrival of spring are more than 85% accurate, a statistic the zoo plans to update on Feb. 2, 2026. This makes him one of the most dependable furry prognosticators in the business.<\/p>\n
– The groundhog has been on an impressive winning streak, with his predictions for an early spring or extended winter being correct for the last 16 consecutive years. <\/p>\n
– The year 2009 was the last year his weather prediction was officially declared inaccurate. <\/p>\n
– For more than a decade, Staten Island Chuck has shown a strong preference for optimism. By 2021, he had predicted an early spring for seven consecutive years, and this trend has largely continued. From 2015 through 2025, with the exception of the year his prediction was contested, Chuck has consistently failed to see his shadow, signaling an early end to winter.<\/p>\n
– His predictions in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 were all for an early spring, and all were deemed accurate. This contrasts sharply with the often grim forecasts of his Pennsylvania rival.<\/p>\n
– While Chuck\u2019s record is overwhelmingly accurate, it is not perfect. In 2017, he predicted an early spring, much to the delight of the chilly crowd. However, his prediction was officially contested and declared wrong, marking his first inaccurate forecast since 2009. The verdict came from an dedicated group of young meteorologists: the third-grade class at PS 45 in West Brighton. <\/p>\n
– Staten Island Chuck entered the 2020s with his predictive powers fully intact. His two most recent public forecasts, in 2024 and 2025, both called for an early spring. The 2024 ceremony marked the return of the public to the zoo for the event for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Both predictions were ultimately proven correct. <\/p>\n
This year\u2019s ceremony<\/p>\n
This year, the Groundhog Day ceremony, which is set to take place on Monday, Feb. 2, at the Staten Island Zoo, will be closed to the public this year due to the weather.<\/a><\/p>\n The ceremony, featuring Staten Island Chuck, will begin on Monday at 8 a.m. Fans of Chuck are invited to tune-in and watch the proceedings live on the Staten Island Zoo\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\n