'Seasonably mild' weather hits 76

College Green was a sea of skin yesterday as would-be sunbathers flocked outside to take advantage of the sunshine.

"All the girls wore pastels," Wharton junior Cleveland Burthey said.

Scooping in another mouthful of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, he added that he and his friends celebrated the warmth with barbecued steaks and Canadian beer.

"We're bringing in spring," he said, noting that yesterday was the best weather he has experienced this semester. "It was the breakthrough day. Winter was totally broken apart."

Noting the high of 76 degrees, AccuWeather meteorologist John Dlugoenski said that yesterday's sunny skies were expected.

"We had actually been predicting the warm weather since last weekend," he said, adding that the fluctuation in temperature was normal. "Spring time is very erratic when it comes to the weather. ... It's absolutely not uncommon to see what we've been seeing."

Still, students were quick to exploit the lapse in chilly weather.

College junior Rasika Chakra-varthy skipped her 1 p.m. class to enjoy the sunlight outside Harnwell College House.

Sporting a floral skirt and black sandals, Chakravarthy recounted her afternoon shopping spree downtown.

"We walked there and back," she said, adding that she and her friends had spent an hour sitting outside. "I really had an ice cream craving, but I didn't succumb."

Other students did not exhibit the same resistance toward the sweet treat, as more than a dozen students were lined up outside the recently-opened Scoop deVille around 7 p.m. yesterday.

Engineering freshman Matthew Moore -- decked out in shorts, sandals and a white T-shirt -- was one of them.

"The nice day is kind of an encouragement to go get some ice cream," he said, as he waited his turn in the Houston Hall location.

Shop owner Matt Shore, however, said that business has remained steady since the April 1 opening.

"Usually, weather isn't an issue," he said, noting though that Saturday was "dead."

Yesterday was clearly different. Within minutes, the line outside the University branch of the Rittenhouse favorite had doubled.

Six blocks away, its 40th Street competitor was also enjoying significant patronage.

"Since the weather warmed up, business almost doubled," Ben & Jerry's assistant manager Noah Mewes said.

Employee Jesse Alvis agreed, calling the situation "ridiculous."

It was "hell on earth in an ice cream shop," he said.

The heat wave might not last long though, as a cold front -- which will bring thunderstorms -- is approaching, Dlugoenski said. The front should leave by the weekend.

"It'll be what I like to say 'seasonably mild,'" he said, noting that the warm weather will be perfect for yard work.

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