OHIO — A fur-covered forecaster is making his annual appearance this Friday.

The state's groundhog, Buckeye Chuck, is preparing to make his forecast for Ohio. The live event is set to take place Friday, Feb. 2 at the Studios of AM-1490 WMRN, 1330 N. Main Street in Marion, Ohio from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m.

The event will also be LIVE on 1490-AM WMRN Radio, on the iHeart app and on Buckeye Chuck’s Facebook Fan Page.

This year, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is providing the groundhog, named Murray.

Murray is estimated to be born in May 2022 and was rescued from the side of the road and became habituated to humans. In June 2023, a local animal rehabilitator determined he was not a candidate for release and he moved to the museum.

"Chuck has been studying weather patterns, jet stream anomalies, computer models, and napping in order to procure Ohio’s most accurate springtime forecast," a press release from iHeart Radio. "Buckeye Chuck is an animal ambassador residing at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and is preparing to emerge from his personal den."

A stuffed groundhog used to be in place of Buckeye ChucK in 2023. For years, Kokas Exotics, a breeder in Marion County, would help supply a groundhog that would make its prediction behind WMRN-AM. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, otherwise known as PETA, called on the station to stop using a live groundhog, saying it's a "tired tradition by dragging sensitive groundhogs out of hibernation and displaying them as props in front of rowdy crowds." 

Buckeye Chuck has been predicting since 1979, the year he became the state's official groundhog. 

Correction: A previous version of this article said Buckeye Chuck was a stuffed groundhog. This year, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's groundhog "Murray" will make the prediction. (Feb. 1, 2024)