Snow in 60 Degree Weather Making Dreams Come True!

Saturday, January 29, 2011---1 p.m.

There is a sight you do not often see. I took this picture of snow flying in the blue skies with temperatures in the lower 60s at Durbin Creek Elementary School in St.Johns County this morning! Yes, they got out the snow-making machine for the 3rd annual snow day at Durbin Creek. Principal Falaney started this event about three years ago to help raise money for local charities which teaches all the kids how important community involvement really is first-hand. First Coast News Chef Robert was a judge at the chili cook off and I had a great time helping kids make snow balls and snowmen! There were some amazing stools made by some of the kids including a Starry Skies Vincent Van Gogh replica that looked to nice to sit on.

It was a ton of fun for all the kids and they learned one of the most valuable lessons in life. Yes, the more you help others the more amazing life becomes! This was not just a snow day but a dream come true for Hannah Houlihan and her family. Most of the proceeds of this event are going to the MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE foundation which will help fund a Disney Cruise for Hannah and her family. She is a doll and I am glad I got to meet her. The good news is her cancer is in remission and her eyes lit up when she told me she was going on a cruise with her favorite Disney princesses. She is a princess herself and the Houlihan family is very thankful of how wonderful and giving everybody has been. Yes, this certainly was the best snow day I have ever been a part of! Have fun Hannah!

Last year the snow did not totally melt until Monday after this event. This year I think it will be gone by Sunday afternoon since I am forecasting temperatures today near 70 and lower 70s for our Sunday. Yes! Get out and enjoy! The nicest weekend of the year is here! Although New Years weekend was in the 70s we have had 9 freezes since then so I think we will appreciate this even more. We are up to 29 freezes for the winter and after 45 freezes last year those 70s will feel like the best ever! You can see it was a packing snow that made it easy to make snowballs and even miniature snowmen. The kids had the best of both worlds with lots of snow to play in and pleasant weather. The sledding was extra fast because the icy snow was melting. I saw a few wipe-outs! It was the first time I have ever seen kids wear hats and gloves in 60 degree weather, but that snow was cold. I do not think the rest of us will have to get out the hats and gloves the rest of this week or even over the next 10 days! This should make you happy! I snapped this picture of our free First Coast News 10 Day App that is an absolute must have. Our weather team keeps it updated on a daily basis with your exclusive 10 day forecast and street-level radar mapping that did a great job during this past weeks storms. Make sure to add it by searching for FCN Wx or First Coast News Weather.

This would be the warmest stretch of weather since November and the best part is we even have more needed rain for our drought conditions by Ground Hog Day. While much of the country will continue to see adverse weather it does look like Florida will be the place to be as finish January into February. January has been running about 5 degrees below average and this is quite a big pattern change for us. You can see why everybody has been complaining about the weather. The jet stream has brought us 9 polar blasts since December. Our average number of cold outbreaks is only 6 for the entire cold season. Last weekend we set yet another record low of 25, but this weekend we have no freezes to worry about for once!

Now the overall pattern is changing to more of a SPLIT LONGWAVE PATTERN as we go into February. The active polar jet stream that has roughed us up this winter will move well north of us and the weak southern jet stream will occasionally flare up bringing us needed rain. This weekend at least it is the northern jet stream that will stay active so even though we will see a few more clouds on Sunday we will remain dry. This is a great pattern for us and one we just have not seen much of over this strange past year. This means the battle zone will move well north of Florida along with the coldest of the weather as you see below.

I am working on the February forecast so make sure to tune in tonight for this on First Coast News at 6,6:30, and 11:00 p.m. You do not have to wait for the Ground Hog this year to find out if Spring is coming early....lol... I will tell you why we will not see a repeat of last year and if you can put away the heavy coats in the attic for good. I will see you soon. Thanks for reading and to all the great folks in St. Johns County I met at the Durbin Creek elementary SNOW DAY!