winter

Groundhog Day 2017: Six more weeks of winter? Bring it on!

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Japanese physical fitness enthusiasts pray while dipping in cold water during a winter ritual to keep themselves fit and to display their perseverance in Tokyo.

Russian men enjoy swimming in an ice hole on a lake after relaxing in sauna just outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009.

South Korean Marines are seen in the snow during a winter exercise in Pyeongchang, east of Seoul. More than 300 Marine soliders participated in the one-month winter exercise.

Winter swimmers wearing ballet costumes of swans from "Swan Lake" plunge into a hole in the ice, St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006.

Indian elephant "Rhena" ploughs her way through the snow, pulling children's sleighs at the Krefeld, Germany zoo Wednesday, Jan. 8, 1997.

Participants bathe during a European Sauna marathon in Estonian Winter Capita in Otepaa, Estonia, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

Participants run during a European Sauna marathon in Estonian Winter Capita in Otepaa, Estonia, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

A woman is thrown in the air as she celebrates Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, a traditional Russian holiday marking the end of winter that dates back to the pagan times.

A family on the frozen lake Balaton enjoys fun on ice near the Hungarian city of Siofok.

Japanese physical fitness enthusiasts hold blocks of ice while standing in cold water during a winter ritual to keep themselves fit and to display their perseverance in Tokyo.

Players fight for the ball during a soccer match in the snow at a height of 2,250 meters over sea level, in the resort of Verbier, Switzerland, Saturday, April 26, 2008.

Greek Orthodox men brave the cold weather to dive into Istanbul's Golden Horn and retrieve a wooden cross in a ceremony commemorating Epiphany or the baptism of Jesus Christ.

Hundreds of hockey players participate in the Pond Hockey ice hockey tournament in Lake Winnipesaukee's Meredith Bay Friday Jan. 31, 2014 in Meredith, N.H.

Students battle in a snowball fight Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009, in Dunn Meadow on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington, Ind.

Strollers play with a dog in the snow on a sunny winter day near Irschenberg, southern Germany on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007.

A man prays as he dips in cold water during a winter ritual to keep fit and display their perseverance at Teppozu Inari Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009.

Jamilya Rich, 10, of Washington, makes a snow angel by the sidewalk in Washington, on Monday, March 2, 2009.

A man takes a photo in front of "SnOpra" snow sculpture at Grant Park in Chicago.

Diego Penaloza, 6, of Mexico City, catches snowflakes on his tongue during a visit to Times Square, Friday, Jan. 21, 2011 in New York.

Gunter Hersch cleans a model of the Capitol of Washington model after heavy snowfall in the landscape park Miniwelt (Miniworld) in Lichtenstein, Germany, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012.

A snowman made with cookies and a red plastic cup sits in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.

Sabine Conrad plays with her French sheepdog El Lobo in front of the snow covered skyline of Erfurt, central Germany, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013.

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Groundhog Day 2017: Six more weeks of winter? Bring it on! Japanese physical fitness enthusiasts pray while dipping in cold water during a winter ritual to keep themselves fit and to display their perseverance in Tokyo.

(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

CHICAGO (WLS) -- If you haven't heard by now, our nation's rodent weather experts in Punxsutawney, Pa., and north suburban Woodstock are predicting six more weeks of winter.

While that may not have been the answer you were hoping for, it could be just the reminder we needed to fit in some cold-weather fun while we still can. Check out the photos above to see how people around the world embrace the season.

WATCH:Woodstock Willie can't contain excitement after seeing his shadow

Woodstock Willie got a little too excited after making his annual Groundhog Day prediction

Finding some snow to go along with our cold has been tough. So far this winter, the Chicago area has seen 18.3 inches of snow. While that's only 2.5 inches below average, we haven't seen an inch or more of snowfall in a single day since Dec. 17!

But at least there's one local winter activity that doesn't require snow - just a whole lot of courage.

PHOTOS: Surfers dive into icy Lake Michigan