January's quirky warm weather — expected to persist at least through what is traditionally the coldest week of the year — has given many people the opportunity to clear salt stains from cars, sport light jackets and drive without fear of black ice.

Eunice Hixon used it to heal.

"I praise God for the sunshine," said Hixon, 66, of Middlesex Township.

Hixon, a retired nurse, has been using natural factors such as sunshine, laughter and prayer to fight off breast cancer since she was diagnosed in the summer of 2004.

The dreary, snowy December left her feeling down and giving in to traditional medical treatments, including chemotherapy.

But those methods brought much less than the feel-better effects she had hoped for.

The past week with high temperatures 15 to 16 degrees above average has renewed Hixon's desire to sit in her window and absorb sunlight like medicine.

"It lifts your spirits if nothing else," Hixon said. "I look for the greater things in each day."

Warm weather lovers have found plenty to enjoy this season.

"We've been in a warm weather pattern," said Bob Reed of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

The weather has set no records…"nowhere close," Reed said. For example, the record high for Jan. 11 was set in 1898 at 67 degrees. The record high for Jan. 25 is 75 degrees, set in 1950.

Yet one didn't need to be a meteorologist, like Reed, to know this month's "wintry mix" has been less than wintry.

The line around the Ritenour Car Wash in Butler Township Thursday afternoon was almost as telling as the line on any thermometer.

"A nice day like this in the middle of winter? You have to take advantage of that," said Todd Wuchevich of Prospect. "I was out playing with my toys."

Wuchevich, 37, whose hobby has been remote-controlled aircraft for more than a decade, usually uses the winter months to construct his model airplanes and helicopters.However, on Wednesday, he got a chance to fly them."My chances (to fly the planes) are few and far between this time of year," he said. "This is just one of those rare days."Traditionally, the third week of January is the coldest in Western Pennsylvania winters with highs in the 30s and lows in the teens, Reed said.Yet warm, southern winds kept temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average since the new year began, Reed said.Temperatures are expected to dip this weekend then revisit the mild side next week.Although a few flakes are anticipated for the weekend, they'll stand in the precipitation minority for the month.Precipitation is up overall for the year-to-date, but this region has experienced only an accumulated one inch of snow as of Thursday morning."That's hard to believe," Reed said.In an average year, Western Pennsylvania has 12.3 inches of snow during January.While the warm weather might have a positive impact on our seasonal affect — surprisingly — it's had the opposite impact on local road budgets.Cranberry Township manager Jerry Andree said the short day-or-two freezing spells we have experienced eat up more road salt than the one big storm that often hits here.Cranberry, which typically uses 4,000 to 6,000 tons of road salt a year, actually is ahead of past year's use, having put down 2,900 tons of road salt this winter.Center Township, which uses about 2,000 tons a winter, already used 1,045 tons.Yet, this past Tuesday, instead of a snowplow on Route 68, one man was actually seen mowing his field on a tractor.And spring bulbs and woody ornamentals — fooled by the spring-like weather — are starting to pop in some yards.That's not necessarily a good thing as foliage could be stunted or burned when winter returns.Donna Zang, director of the Penn State Extension in Butler Township, said any long-range impact of the warm spell on gardens will be decided by what weather follows and how far along plant growth becomes before the weather tide turns.But make no mistake, winter will be back."We have a ways to go," Reed said.