Springtime sunshine draws residents outdoors before quick cold snap Monday

Bonita Tharpe was smiling as she walked with four of her nieces and nephews inside the grand entrance of their favorite park for the first day of spring.

"They love the swings and, you know, different little activities you can do like walking around," Tharpe, 56, said Sunday afternoon as she headed toward the fountain in Tattnall Square Park. "It's kind of cool, but it's still nice though. ... A gentle breeze is really nice. It gets us out of the house and it gets us to be together and, you know, that's the main thing: family."

Mercer University students reclined in hammocks strung between trees, children played in the fountain's wind-blown splashes and families spread out blankets for afternoon picnics.

Krysta Therieau, 19, was lying in her hammock listening to music in the shade about 3 p.m.

"It's pretty cool, I wish it was a little warmer," said Therieau, a Mercer University freshman studying music education. "I'll probably hang out here. I might hang out with some friends later. I don't know, we'll see. It's a chill day."

White chairs were aligned in perfect rows at Washington Square Park as a couple exchanged nuptial vows, a joyful scene visible to passers-by on College Street and Washington Avenue.

Down at the Ocmulgee River Walk, 14-year-old Rico Bonner and 13-year-old Tandre Johnson cast their lines into the river, holding their fishing poles and waiting for a bite.

"This is our first time coming down here," Bonner said, adding that he hoped to catch a bass.

While the blue skies and temperatures in the low 60s brought many outdoors, Monday is expected to be much cooler as a mass of cold air from Canada makes its way toward Georgia, said Carly Kovacik, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

"We're beginning to feel the effects of it," Kovacik said, adding that temperatures on Sunday and Monday nights are expected to be in the mid 30s. "Looking at the forecast, it looks like (Monday) will be the chilliest day" with highs in the 50s and 60s.

Monday's cold snap is predicted to be short-lived as temperatures are expected to creep back up into the 70s and 80s later this week, Kovacik said.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 and follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Springtime sunshine draws residents outdoors before quick cold snap Monday ."