Staten Island Chuck Makes Groundhog Day 2021 Forecast

STATEN ISLAND, NY — Staten Island Chuck emerged from his winter slumber Tuesday to find a New York world buried in more than a foot of snow and the crowd that usually awaits his prediction replaced by a virtual one.

The good news is, he failed to see his shadow.

Under Groundhog Day lore, that means an early spring.

The furry meteorologist made his prediction at an eerily quiet Staten Island Zoo. The spectacle was viewed on the zoo's Facebook page as coronavirus – and a massive snowfall – meant the usual crowd was unable to gather.

But there was some groundhog controversy – the event, which billed itself as live on Facebook, appeared to be pre-recorded, with Chuck leaving his burrow and finding not a snowflake in sight.

"My kids want to know how you made all of the snow disappear, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do," one poster commented.

"That magic of Chuck melted the snow," the zoo replied.

The prognosticator, which boasts a higher accuracy rating than his more famous rival Punxsutawney Phil, called for the early spring for the sixth year. This is his 40th forecast.

His prediction was opposed by his Pennsylvania rival, which saw a shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.

Chuck survived another Groundhog Day unharmed as de Blasio skipped the ceremony for the sixth year in a row.

During his first Groundhog Day ceremony in 2014, de Blasio dropped Chuck — later revealed to be a stand-in called Charlotte — when he took her out of the burrow. She died a week later from internal injuries.