WEST BRIGHTON, Staten Island (PIX11) — There’s a rodent rift, as Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring Thursday morning, breaking from the forecast of his more prominent prognosticating groundhog counterpart, Punxsutawney Phil.
In a ceremony streamed on the Facebook page of the Staten Island Zoo, Chuck did not see his shadow, suggesting that an early spring is on the way.
That bucked the prediction of Punxsutawney Phil, who saw his shadow, indicating that winter will linger on for six more weeks.
At least in the short term, Phil may be onto something. An arctic blast is expected to hit the New York and New Jersey area Friday into Saturday, dropping temperatures in some spots below zero when factoring in the wind chill.
