DUNKIRK, N.Y. -- He came, he ate and after some coaxing, Dunkirk Dave gave the world his end-of-winter prediction.
The forecast was then interpreted by his handler, Robert "Bill" Will.
"Six more weeks of winter weather folks, sorry, but if it's anything like the past, it won't be too bad because we've had a pretty good winter so far,” said Will.
After disagreeing last winter, this year, Dave is on the same page as Punxsutawney Phil who saw his shadow too.
Will says this year's Dunkirk Dave, is actually one of several groundhogs who all share forecasting duties.
"We try to find one who's adaptable to it and is more friendly when compared to the other ones. We do wildlife rehabilitation here, so we can choose one who is easier to work with,” said Will.
According to Will, Dave's been at this for nearly 60 years and has a 93 percent accuracy rate. However, Time Warner Cable News forecaster Dan Russell says Dave might want to rethink his day job.
"If we look at some of our long-range computer models everything is hinting at above average temperatures especially by the third and fourth weeks of February,” said Russell.
For Russell the error doesn't really come as a surprise, he says Dave's famous counterpart in Philly, has a history of getting it wrong.
"I know Punxsutawney Phil has about a 39 percent accuracy rate. In other words you have a better chance of being correct flipping a coin,” said Russell.
So if you’re really looking for a hint at upcoming winter weather, it's probably best to check in with a human meteorologist. Or you can take a page from Dunkirk resident Janet Meyers and skip winter all together.
"We have to suffer for six more weeks. Well I'm going to Florida in two weeks, so works for me,” said Meyers.