HAS SPRING SPRUNG?

Region enjoys unseasonably mild weather for February

POTTSTOWN >> The temperatures might be abnormal for February but you won’t hear anyone around here complaining.

Once the fog cleared and the sun reappeared, warm weather brought area residents out of their homes Thursday to enjoy the early taste of spring. Temperatures reached a record-challenging high of 70 degrees. According to Accuweather.com, on Feb. 23, 2016, temperatures only reached as high as 39 degrees with the average temperature sticking around 43 degrees.

Pottstown residents could be seen taking advantage of the warmth by spending time with family outdoors and doing activities the usual February weather doesn’t allow them to do.

“It’s such a beautiful day and it’s my day off from work so I wanted to bring my granddaughter, Jackie, to come and ride her new bike,” said Barb Faison of Pottstown, who was enjoying the warm afternoon in Riverfront Park. “I time her as she runs around that loop up there. I put my stopwatch on and she tries to beat her record.”

While Faison and her granddaughter skipped stones along the river, others could be seen jogging, dog walking and fishing.

“We like coming down here on my day off and now that the weather is nice,” added Faison. “We’re looking forward to summer.”

The park wasn’t the only place people spent their time Thursday. Several families visited Ryerss Farm to feed and interact with the horses. The families said the weather was perfect for the occasion.

“My daughter goes to a nature camp so we bring extra carrots and apples for the horses,” said Allison Remaley of West Chester. “It was just so beautiful today. We picked apples up at Weaver’s Orchard up in Morgantown and they were getting to the point where we didn’t want them so last night we cut then all up and brought them here to give to the horses on this beautiful day.”

There’s still a couple of days left to enjoy the warm weather according to forecasts by The National Weather Service. Temperatures for Friday are expected to reach 69 degrees with a slight chance of showers and fog. Chances of showers will increase Saturday with a high around 68 degrees and clouds are expected to clear out Sunday as temperatures drop to the 40s.

MARIAN DENNIS — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Barb Fiason of Pottstown walks along side her granddaughter, Jackie, as she rides her bike in Riverfront Park Thursday.

MARIAN DENNIS — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Pottstown residents enjoyed the spring-like weather Thursday as they strolled through Riverfront Park. Afternoon temperatures hovered around the 70-degree mark after heavy fog cleared late in the morning.

MARIAN DENNIS — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Riley Blank, 2, pets a horse at Ryerss Farm on Thursday during an unusually warm day. Her mother, Jen Irick, of Birdsboro said the weather was perfect for the trip.

MARIAN DENNIS — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Left: A fisherman casts his line into the Schuylkill River in Riverfront Park on Thursday as temperatures climbed to nearly 70 degrees.

MARIAN DENNIS — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Above: Barb Faison sits with her granddaughter, Jackie, 4, as she skips rocks on the Schuylkill River. The weather brought many people outdoors to enjoy an unusually warm February day.