Spring is finally coming, or so it seems. The groundhog has finally made its verdict and it appears that we have six more weeks of winter to push through before spring comes again. Following a 132-year-old tradition, on the morning of Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil crawled out of his burrow in central Pennsylvania, much to the anticipation of weary northwesterners, longing for the warmth of spring. To everyone’s dismay, Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow, indicating that there are a few more weeks of winter before the warmer weather comes around.

The tradition is very popular across the U.S. and Canada and was first introduced by German settlers in Pennsylvania. It originates from the Christian holiday Candlemas, known as the “festival of lights”, also on Feb. 2. The Germans built upon the tradition and originally looked to the hedgehog for their meteorology prediction, but later switched to the groundhog.

Although Punxsutawney Phil is not the only rodent in the U.S. that can predict the weather, he is by far the most popular. If you believe his handlers, the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, then he is also the seemingly immortal groundhog that started the tradition in 1887, and apparently, the only one whose opinions matter. However, this results in conflict as groundhogs further north have predicted an early spring. Nova Scotia’s groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam, could not find his shadow this morning, contrary to Punxsutawney Phil. Unfortunately, Punxsutawney Phil’s accuracy has been on decline during the last few years, averaging at around 20-30% accuracy. Last year, he predicted that there would be six more week of winter, but according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), both February and March were warmer across the nation on average. Last February was the second-warmest to date.

Regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions are accurate or not, America still gathers around to watch the groundhog take its first steps out after hibernation and this year was no different and will not be for years to come.