It may be hard to imagine an early spring when the snow is still falling and bitterly cold wind gusting and swirling, but there you have it: The groundhog has spoken.

After first proclaiming, "The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!" the world's most famous groundhog passed a message on to the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at 7:25 a.m. today:

"He surveyed his surroundings carefully," said club president Bill Deeley, who was clad in the club's trademark tuxedo and top hat, "and found that there was no shadow around, so an early spring it will be!"

The crowd at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA, erupted into a cheer.

Meanwhile, in Howell, MI, Woody Woodchuck walked out of her little house just after 8 a.m., looked around for a few seconds, turned around and went right back inside, according to the Livingston Daily Press.

Translation: six more weeks of winter. Sorry, Michigan.

The tradition of using furry little animals to predict the weather dates back more than 100 years. Each year, on the second day of February, the most prolific of prognosticators, Punxsutawney Phil, emerges from his burrow on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, PA to predict the weather for the rest of winter.

"According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather," reads the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's official website. "If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring."

After emerging, Phil speaks "Groundhogese" to the Groundhog Club president, and his proclamation is then translated for the world.

This year marks Punxsutawney Phil's 125th consecutive prediction; the first organized ceremony was held in 1886.