Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil virtually predicts six more weeks of winter

Punxsutawney Phil on Tuesday predicted a further six weeks of winter in an entirely virtual Groundhog Day event.

The famous groundhog emerged around 7:25 a.m. The usual crowd of spectators was absent this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the event was livestreamed beginning at 6:30 a.m.

The prognostication came as heavy winter weather battered much of the East Coast, including multiple days of snow in the Washington, D.C., area.

JUST IN: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow. https://t.co/kedmTqeAdg pic.twitter.com/ijPDmyd2Ig

— ABC News (@ABC) February 2, 2021

Phil’s New York counterpart, Staten Island Chuck, made his own prediction around 8 a.m. at the Staten Island Zoo. Like Pennsylvania’s event, Chuck’s emergence was livestreamed rather than taking place amid the usual crowds due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Chuck contradicted Phil’s prediction and called for an early spring, according to Bree Driscoll of NY1.

#statenisland Chuck says we will have an early SPRING!

— Bree Driscoll (@BreeDriscoll) February 2, 2021