HARLINGEN — For the first time in 13 years, palm trees were covered in snow yesterday morning and children in Harlingen and San Benito took full advantage.
With the weather nearing the 90s earlier this week, having a snowy December day seemed like a long shot.
But it happened, and for many children in Harlingen and San Benito, it was the first time they had ever seen snow.
HARLINGEN — For the first time in 13 years, palm trees were covered in snow yesterday morning and children in Harlingen and San Benito took full advantage.
With the weather nearing the 90s earlier this week, having a snowy December day seemed like a long shot.
But it happened, and for many children in Harlingen and San Benito, it was the first time they had ever seen snow.
AUSTIN ELEMENTARY
Alissa Gonzalez, 11, awoke at 5 a.m. There was something outside her mother wanted her to see. And it was beautiful.
“I was excited,” said the Austin Elementary fifth grader as she recalled her first moments in the snow yesterday morning.
It was still dark outside, but that didn’t stop her wondrous eyes from seeking out the snowflakes.
“I could see them in the lights,” she said, the memory still fresh. She sat in the front lobby of Austin Elementary recounting the experience. The white snow was still visible beyond the windows behind her.
“I had never seen it before,” she continued. “It felt so soft and cold and it was so cool.”
And the thought of the flakes themselves, so delicate, so wondrous.
“They felt really tiny. I caught some of it on my tongue.”
Ruben Moreno, 8, and his fellow Austin Elementary second-graders tried squeezing some of the snow into little balls.
“It was hard because it was a little slushy,” Ruben said.
He, like his classmates, was too young to remember the Valley’s last snow Christmas Day in 2004.
“This is the first time I’ve seen snow,” he said.
Mila Martinez, another Austin Elementary second grader, was also excited about the new experience.
“I like it!” she said with great exuberance. “It’s a different thing for us. We tried building snowmen. We couldn’t because there wasn’t too much snow.”
Nevertheless, 8-year-old Mila and her mother Christy Martinez were heading out to enjoy what was left of the nice “white” wintry weather.
TRAVIS ELEMENTARY
The snow still maintained a soft blanket of white around Travis Elementary, where 11-year-old Abby Garza showed her excitement.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen it,” said the fifth grader. “It was magical. First thing in the morning I saw it. We made tiny snowmen.”
Joshua Del Valle, another fifth grader at Travis, summed it up for everyone.
“It was probably the best day I have ever had in Texas,” said Joshua, 11. “I have never experienced snow before. I had never seen snow before. I wanted to throw snow balls but I couldn’t.”
“Awesome,” was the word Estrella Serdan, 10, used to describe the experience at Travis where she’s a fourth grader.
“It’s awesome, it was cool, because it’s the first time. I came out of the house and saw the house. It feels really, really awesome.”
FRED BOOTH ELEMENTARY
Ciria Moreno
2nd grade
“My fingers got numb and then they got red.”
Kassandra Garcia
2nd grade
“I ate some snow in the backyard.”
Carlos Salazar
2nd grade
“I made a snowball and hit my little brother.”
Santiago Diaz
2nd grade
“There was snow all over my trampoline.”
Maya Pineda
2nd grade
“I felt very happy.”
Alan Miranda
2nd grade
“The snow fell all over my head.”
Emmanuel Reyna
2nd grade
“I got to throw a snowball at my brother.”
Alyna Torres
5th grade
“I made a mini snowman. I woke up at 5 to see the snow.”
Sophia Hernandez
5th grade
“I was kind of iffy about there being snow, but then it happened.”
