Sam Champion interviews Sam Champion the groundhog

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Sam Champion talks to Sam Champion the groundhog

Our very own Sam Champion spoke with an aspiring meteorologist of a different kind-- Sam Champion the groundhog.

QUOGUE, Long Island (WABC) -- Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck may get the spotlight most Groundhog Days, but not to be outdone, Sam Champion also gave his prediction on Tuesday.

But not the Sam Champion you might be thinking -- a rodent on Long Island is actually named Sam Champion.

The all-knowing weather forecasting rodent was once named Quogue Quigley, but now goes by the same name as Eyewitness News' own Sam Champion.

Sam the groundhog tends to be right about 70% of the time, his handler said.

Sam took last year off but is back on the job this year and predicted six more weeks of winter at the Quogue library.

"It's been a joy to meet Sam Champion who is actually super cute but I asked why is Sam so cute...it's his youth, he's only 4 years old so he still has his baby good looks," Champion said.

His handler apparently has another groundhog named Al Roker.

While Punxsutawney Phil called for six more weeks of winter, the three-month temperature outlook for February through April 2023 calls for above-normal temperatures across the eastern and southern U.S. and below-normal temperatures for the northwestern U.S., according to the Climate Prediction Center.

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