WEST BRIGHTON — Ditch those winter coats, spring is on its way.
Staten Island Chuck, the famed furry weather reporter, predicted the city will see an early spring this year during a Thursday morning ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo.
"Spring is here, spring is on the way," Deputy Borough President Ed Burke said at the ceremony. "Thank you Chuck, that's a great prediction."
The meteorologist — who has a better track record than his more famous rival Punxsutawney Phil — did not see his shadow when he emerged from his burrow on Groundhog Day, calling for an early spring for the third year in a row on his 36th forecast.
Chuck's prediction differed from his Pennsylvania rival, who saw his shadow and warned people to expect six more weeks of winter.
Chuck also breathed a sigh of relief that Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to skip out on the ceremony for the second year in the row, with Public Advocate Letitia James and Comptroller Scott Stringer taking his place.
During his first Groundhog Day, de Blasio dropped Chuck — later revealed to be a stand-in Charlotte — in 2014. Charlotte died a week after the ceremony because of internal injuries.
"You're safe with us, we have your back," said Stringer. "If we could do this for Wilbur, we can do this for you," he said, referencing a pet pig in the borough that recently was given a reprieve from a city ordered eviction.
Chuck was once again kept safe from the slippery hands of elected officials in a Plexiglass box and lifted out of his burrow by an elevator.
Despite his rocky relationships with the city's mayors, Chuck has a stellar track record for predicting the weather. A DNAinfo analysis of forecasts since 1992 found Chuck was accurate 68.2 percent of the time, beating out Phil's 42.1 record.
This morning, Punxsutawny Phil tweeted: "I'm SO SO sorry folks. I have seen my shadow. 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER #GroundhogDay #6MoreWeeks"
