Jennifer Kelly sat on the steps of Old Main yesterday with her sweatshirt tied around her waist as she slowly savored each spoonful of her Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream, enjoying the spring-like afternoon.

But -- as students like Kelly (senior-nursing) soaked up the unseasonably warm weather this weekend -- reality was about to set in.

Spring has yet to arrive.

"Winter just took a vacation," said Laura Anderson, a senior forecaster for Accu-Weather, 619 W. College Ave.

Anderson said the recent break from the cold and snow will end tonight. Temperatures are expected to climb to the mid-50s one last time today, but to return to the normal upper 30s range by tomorrow, she said.

But students said they would rather concentrate on the warm temperatures.

"I'm not watching the weather because I don't want to know," Kelly said.

Even worse for warm-weather lovers, Anderson said forecasters have predicted snow for Wednesday but do not know how much may fall.

As students sporting shorts and T-shirts strolled the downtown streets, local merchants coped with an unexpected rush.

Chris Summers (junior-labor and industrial relations), an employee at Towne Gentleman, 110 E. College Ave., said he noticed a lot more people walking around.

"The weather brings them out to look around," he said. "We've had an increase in our business."

While the store recently received its shipment of spring clothing, Summers said the past weekend prompted some shoppers to get a jump on their warm-weather wardrobes.

Gary Filkins, manager of Rude Boyz, 200 W. College Ave., said he has seen an increase in business as well.

"I think people have cabin fever," he said.

The weekend warmness also brought a renewed spirit to victims of the winter blahs.

Meredith Gilchrest (freshman-international politics) and Allison Molnar (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) enjoyed the break from the wintry weather while walking downtown yesterday.

"It's easy to be in a good mood on such a beautiful day," Gilchrest said.

Allison Molnar (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) was perplexed at the warm weather coming in the dead of winter.

"It's just February, and it's hot, and it's weird," she said.