‘Heat Wave’ Tempts Many to Leave Coats--and Jobs

Many people took the day off for a romp in the sunshine Monday, as temperatures rose to T-shirt comfort range on the third day of a winter heat wave. From the northern Plains to New England, records as old as 108 years were broken.

As far north as Boston and Upstate New York, short sleeves replaced winter coats for biking, hiking or a stroll on the beach.

Temperatures matched or tied records in at least 36 cities in Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and Delaware, the National Weather Service said.

In Washington, D.C., a high of 70 degrees surpassed the record for the date, set in 1883. President Bush took advantage of the warm day to go jogging on a track at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

On one of his last laps, Bush flashed the “V” signal and asked reporters looking on, “Know what this is?”

“Peace?” guessed one reporter.

“Victory?” suggested another.

“It’s how Julian Caesar ordered four or five beers,” the President joked (mangling the name of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar).

“V” is the Roman numeral for five.

New York City’s high of 68 degrees broke a record, also set in 1883. The previous record for the date was 54; the normal high is about 39 degrees.

Hundreds of sun-worshipers--some admittedly playing hooky from school or work--flocked to Jones Beach on Long Island to stroll on the boardwalk, bake on lounge chairs, ride bikes or push strollers. The brave dipped a toe into the water, which was around 40 degrees.

“It’s a great day to get the cobwebs out of your mind,” said James Patrick of Locust Valley, who said he had called in sick.

Monday’s sunshine closed some outdoor skating rinks and made ski resort managers nervous.

“It’s wreaking havoc on our skiing, but we still are skiing and snowshoeing,” said Dan Groves, an employee at the Adirondack Loj in New York, 12 miles from Lake Placid. “Actually, there were some guys out yesterday with their shirts off.”