Chattanooga Chuck may not have the national name recognition of Punxsutawney Phil, but who you gonna call to peek outside here on Groundhog Day?
Phil is 600 miles to the north. Even Atlanta’s General Lee is 120 miles away. When it’s raining in Georgia or chilly in Philly, Chuck may be basking in a Scenic City swelter next week.
So Wednesday, the official forecaster of the Tennessee Aquarium will issue his annual prediction for the rest of the winter in Chattanooga. According to folklore, if he sees his shadow, he scurries back to the burrow for six more weeks of wintry weather.
Aquarium communications manager Thom Benson predicts Chuck’s popularity will depend on how many people he disappoints with his forecast.
“He’ll either need a thick coat of fur [to face the crowd] if he predicts more snow,” Benson said. “Or he’ll be carried out of the River Journey building on the shoulders of a cheering throng if he says it’s going to be an early spring.”