By Della Hasselle and Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Staff
MANHATTAN — Spring is finally here — at least for the day.
Temperatures soared up to 70 degrees Thursday as New Yorkers headed outdoors to bask in the sun and mild weather.
"Feels like spring!!" user rawwr24 wrote on Twitter.
Forecasters expected the balmy weather to last until the end of the day, though the sky will cloud over and a brisk wind will blow through, with gusts of up to 54 miles per hour, according to AccuWeather.com.
The brief hiatus will end when rain showers arrive overnight, and temperatures are expected to fall to 44 degrees Thursday night.
The weather will cool off over the next few days, with a predicted high of 52 degrees and clouds on Friday, followed by a sunny weekend with a high of 45 degrees Saturday and 55 degrees Sunday.
The warm snap prompted New Yorkers to peel off their extra winter layers and soak up the sun.
"It's gorgeous and I want it to stay forever," said Zoe Sloan-Weiss, 20, a waitress who lives on the Upper East Side. She was wearing short blue shorts and a black leather jacket.
A pair of construction workers at Seventh Avenue and 52nd Street said they were going to mark the warm weather with a night on the town.
Marc Piazza, 23, of Staten Island, said "I'll probably go out for a night in the city."
His partner Chris Criswell, 25, from Long Island said his plans tended to a sportier pastime.
"It's great, I love it. it's handball weather," Criswell said.
