After unexpected snowfalls and flooding rains, Thursday’s sunshine was a welcome change — one that hopefully is here to stay.

Although spring officially sprung last month, recent weather patterns seemed to have ignored that memo.

Luckily, Thursday’s high of 79 degrees was just the beginning of a warm and mostly sunny weekend.

The forecast for today calls for temperatures to reach 84 degrees, calm westerly winds and only a 20 percent chance of rain.

Tonight, temperatures are expected to drop just below 60 and settle around 58 degrees.

Although temperatures seem to peak today, Hall County residents still will have the opportunity to take in weekend events under clear skies.

On Saturday, forecasters project that the temperatures will reach 82 degrees and that the day will be sunny with southeast winds around 5-10 mph.

Sunday also will be another mostly sunny day, but the high temperatures are expected to drop to 80 degrees. Throughout the weekend, overnight temperatures are not projected to fall below 57 degrees.

For those seeking to go out and enjoy the nice weather, there will be many outdoor activities to enjoy this weekend.

Among other things, the Spring Chicken Festival will be held Saturday in the Roosevelt and Main Street squares in downtown Gainesville and will feature a chicken cook-off and a host of children’s activities.