Students, Oakland residents greet the spring

Around Oakland, the playful tune of an ice cream truck coupled with sunshine, warm temperatures… Around Oakland, the playful tune of an ice cream truck coupled with sunshine, warm temperatures and the sight of students in flip-flops and shorts marked the first official day of spring.

The streets hummed with activity throughout the morning and afternoon, but — in typical Pittsburgh fashion — the skies later grew overcast and more than a sprinkle of rain began to fall. With a few rays of late-afternoon sun still peeking through, the rain stopped after about 15 minutes.

Students caught without umbrellas were quick to improvise. One lifted his backpack over his head as a makeshift cover. Another wore his hooded sweatshirt by the hood, letting the rest drape behind him like a cape.

The precipitation will continue throughout the week, according to Weather.gov. Today’s forecast calls for rain showers and a high of 52 degrees. Wednesday’s forecast calls for thunderstorms and Thursday’s for possible snow showers.

The large patch of grass at Schenley Plaza and the surrounding tables — a favorite place for students to enjoy Pittsburgh’s milder weather — emptied shortly before the rain. People dragged tables to the covered tent area to get them out of the downpour.

However, the wet weather didn’t stop some students from enjoying the first full day of spring — determined by the vernal equinox, which was Sunday. Spring officially officially began at 7:21 p.m. Sunday, making Monday the first full day of spring.

Earlier, when Pitt sophomore Aidan Gallagher realized it was such a nice day, he reached for his phone to assemble his friends.

“I saw that it was a nice day, and I just sent out a mass text: ‘Everyone meet at the Cathedral at 4:30,’” he said.

Gallagher is the president of the Panther Parkour club, and about a half-dozen members of the club joined him for a practice session on the stone patio of the Cathedral, near the Stephen Foster Memorial on Forbes Avenue.

Leaping from a piece of the stone walkway into the grass below, members practiced side flips and other moves. One member slipped slightly after landing a front flip into the wet grass. Though the grass was more slippery after the rain, it was also softer and better for absorbing falls, Gallagher said.

Pitt junior Brian McGrath didn’t remember it was the first day of spring, but the nice weather felt spring-like enough, he said. Feeling a need to get out and explore amid the balmy temperatures, McGrath headed to Shadyside to run some errands instead of staying in Oakland. He later wanted to go to Market Central for dinner with his sister — Pitt freshman Ali McGrath — but she wanted to stay out and enjoy the day, so they grabbed coffee at Starbucks instead.

“I’m a huge coffee drinker. Since it’s warm outside, I switched to iced coffee,” the junior said, enjoying the last few sips of his drink while seated at a green table under the tent area in Schenley Plaza. Before the rain hit, McGrath sat at one of the tables outside the tent.

Pitt freshman John Lavanga sat chatting with some friends at Schenley Plaza. The balmy weather hadn’t changed his plans for the day.

“If the weather was nice, I’d spend it outside. If the weather wasn’t nice, I’d spend it outside anyway,” he said.