May 24, 2013
it's a record!
It hit 92 degrees in Central Park Sunday - easily shattering the 1942 record high of 83, according to the National Weather Service. The beaches at Coney Island were packed as sun lovers lolled on the sand but avoided the frigid water.
"It's a relief. It gives me a taste of summer," said Rachel Parsons, 27, a teacher at Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School who was lounging on the beach.
"It makes me think I can hang on until June."
The suddenly sweltering city has lots of company up and down the East Coast, where winds from the Southwest are roasting residents from the Carolinas up into southern New Hampshire.
Sunday's 92-degree scorcher is higher than normal temperatures even for July, when the city usually reaches the mid-80s.
Even steamy Phoenix doesn't usually hit 90 degrees in April.
The ocean water's temperature is expected to stay in the 40s for several weeks, according to the National Weather Service.
That didn't keep Felix Leyderman, 68, from taking a dip.
"I swim here all year long," said the retired Coney Island resident. "I think it is better when it is cooler."
Dorcas Aljimenz, who moved to the Bronx from Puerto Rico six years ago, was not planning to join in the aquatic fun.
"I'm a tropical girl from the Caribbean," she said. "I stay out of that."
Winds are expected to shift tomorrow, and highs should reach only the mid-80s.
And don't pack up all of your sweaters.
Tuesday will be slightly cooler, and by Wednesday, the high will reach only about 70 degrees, and temperatures could drop to 60 by the end of the week.
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