Muscoot Farm's Cluxatawney Henrietta Groundhog Day Prediction

KATONAH, NY — Contradicting Punxsutawney Phil, Hudson Valley's own Cluxatawney Henrietta is bringing us news about the possibility of an early spring worth crossing the road for.

The end of "fowl weather" is near, according to Muscoot Farm’s weather-predicting chicken, Cluxatawney Henrietta. The hen, with a growing fanbase, laid an egg this morning, signifying an early spring for the region.

For the fourth year in a row, Muscoot Farm curator, Jonathan Benjamin brought us Muscoot’s Groundhog Day celebration, which mirrors the more traditional Groundhog Day celebration featuring Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, but with a feathery twist.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, predicting another 6 weeks of winter, but Henrietta made a different call.

“Here at Muscoot Farm, we don’t have a Phil, a groundhog, so we have to do things a little bit differently,” Benjamin explained.

Benjamin then introduced Cluxatawney Henrietta. He read 4.5-year-old Henrietta’s letter, written in “chicken scratch.”:

“It’s February 2nd, and you know what that means. Will it be 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring? I woke up this morning with weather on my mind. Will we get more winter storms or will the forecast be more kind? I heard in Pennsylvania that Phil is predicting more ice and snow but what’s in store for Westchester County, I bet you’d like to know. The time is here. You don’t have to beg. Early spring, here is my egg. Thank you for watching and hearing what I had to say. Have a safe and wonderful year and Happy Groundhog’s Day.”

Cluxatawney Henrietta's rosy prediction aside, it seems Mother Nature has at least one more wintry blast in store for us. A winter storm, at the end of the week, is predicted to bring a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

SEE ALSO: Next Storm Bringing Wintry Mix To The Hudson Valley

“Muscoot Farm has found such a special way to observe Groundhog Day, which is unique to the farm, and I am proud that Westchester County Parks has its own weather-predicting chicken,” Westchester County Parks Commissioner Kathy O’Connor said thanking Westchester's most famous chicken for the good news.

A video of Cluxatawney Henrietta's full prediction can be viewed here.