New Jersey man not waiting for the snow to arrive; he's making his own snow

HAWTHORNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Before the approaching storm due to hit Saturday, we had been having a virtually snow-free winter.

But that wasn't the case for one man in Hawthorne, New Jersey, who made sure his front lawn would look like a winter wonderland.

Michael Jannicelli loves snow so much, he built his own snow machine to cover his yard with about a foot of snow.

It's great for snowball fights with the kids, and when he gets the machine cranked up just right, he can make about an inch of powder per hour.

It needs to be at least 35 degrees and the relative humidity has to be just right.

Over the past few weeks, Michael has put down about six inches of snow on his yard.

Along with the snow, he still has some Christmas decorations.

Jannicelli, 48, owns a landscaping business and works at the Campgaw ski area in Mahwah during the winter.

He said working at the ski area inspired him to scale down and buy the smaller technology for a residential area.

Along with the smaller snow gun, he said he makes the snow with compressed air, water and "magic."

Jannicelli said he has received positive feedback from his neighbors. The snow has also been a huge hit with his 11-year-old son, Michael.

Jannicelli said his son wants to be a meteorologist one day and loves learning about the snow.