6 more weeks of winter?...Meet Chuck

Today is Groundhog Day-the day much anticipated day that tells whether Spring weather will arrive early this year or if it's still six more weeks away.

After a week of cold, snow, and ice, schools and businesses closed and being snowed in with the kids, Stone County is definitely ready for Spring.

Punxsutawney Phil has been the national groundhog day predictor since 1886. Today, Old Phil saw his danged shadow and did indeed predict another six long weeks of winter.

But hold up...there's another groundhog making predictions, and he does a much better job than Phil!

Meet Staten Island Chuck...Chuck lives at the State Island Zoo in New York, and I have a strong Sopranos New York accent and swagger playing in my head as I imagine Chuck emerging from his burrow this morning. Chuck ain't afraid of 'nuttin.' Chuck says spring is on its way...NOW.

We are adopting Chuck's for our office. Phil has a 39% accuracy rate. He was correct 13 times from 1988-2017. Chuck, on the other hand, Chuck has an 80% accuracy rate. His recent misses include 2017 and then again in 2009.

Here at the newspaper office, we are officially done with winter. It was pretty for a day, but we'd just as soon see it go now.

The Stone County Republican/Crane Chronicle officially endorses Staten Island Chuck as our springtime weather predictor.

Sorry, Phil, you're outta here.