Staten Island Chuck

Staten Island Chuck, also referred to more formally as Charles G. Hogg, is a groundhog who resided in the Staten Island Zoo in Staten Island, New York City. He serves as the official groundhog meteorologist of New York City, who predicts the duration of winter each February 2 on Groundhog Day. The tradition dates back to 1981. He makes the prediction based on whether or not he sees his shadow during the ceremony between 7:00 A.M. - 7:30 A.M. on Groundhog Day. The ceremony at the zoo is sometimes attended and officiated by the Mayor of New York City. Chuck's prediction for 2017 was early spring, opposite that of Punxsutawney Phil.

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• Groundhog day 2017 watch staten island chuck s prediction
• Groundhog day 2017 guests enjoy staten island chuck s festivites prediction
• Past predictions
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Chuck had a contentious relationship with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whom he notoriously bit in 2009. In 2013, the mayor did not attend the ceremony for the fifth time out of 12 years in office. No reason for his absence was provided. Because of the Bloomberg incident, Chuck was secretly replaced by his granddaughter, Charlotte, for the first ceremony of Bill de Blasio. Despite this, de Blasio dropped the groundhog during his first ceremony. Charlotte died February 9, 2014, although the Staten Island Zoo did not make this public until several months later. Reports conflict about the cause of death; a report in the New York Post attributed the death to injuries sustained in the de Blasio incident, a charge that the zoo denies (the zoo's official stance is that Charlotte was not injured in the fall and that she died of unknown natural causes).

Chuck's daughter, Charlotte Jr., served in the same capacity for 2015. On February 2, 2015, this female "Staten Island Chuck" walked out of a hutch that an elevator had lifted onto the stage of a portable Plexiglass habitat, while de Blasio watched from six feet (1.8 m) away. De Blasio did not attend the 2016 ceremonies, as he was in Iowa campaigning for Hillary Clinton's Presidential bid; Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathy Hochul officiated the groundhog ceremony in de Blasio's stead (Hochul is not a New York City resident or native; her home territory of Western New York is served by a rival groundhog, Dunkirk Dave). He likewise skipped out on the 2017 ceremony, with multiple city officials overseeing the event that year. Although the original Chuck (as far as it is known) is still alive, he has been permanently retired out of fear he may bite again.

For the purpose of consistency, an early spring is defined as there being a majority of days with a high temperature of over 40 °F (4 °C) between Groundhog Day and the March equinox inclusive.