Seldom Heard in January: Hot Enough for Ya?

"Grill," she said, "and float in the river. We brought floats with us."

On the Mall, locals and tourists alike played a game of "summer, sort of." Here were people flying kites, there were bare-chested touch-football players. Some hoped, in vain, that the Tidal Basin's famous cherry blossoms might bloom.

But there were also reminders that the calendar does not lie: Refreshment stands were shuttered, some fields were cordoned off for maintenance, and pedal boats remained tucked away.

A strange mixture of June and January was also evident at the National Gallery's Sculpture Garden ice rink, where skaters tried to capitalize on the winter summer by skating in shirt-sleeves, even shorts. "Best of both worlds is the way I see it," said Danisha Mills, 46, in town with her two sons from Pittsburgh.

On M Street in Georgetown, people strolled in T-shirts representing any number of schools, colleges, summer camps and clothing brands.

A smattering of swimmers are regulars at the heated outdoor pool at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase YMCA. But that number multiplied dramatically as dozens more seized the opportunity to soak up the sun.

"It's been pretty exciting today," said Ben Wokas, one of several managers at the YMCA.

At the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the philosophy division closed at noon. Shawn McDermott, a librarian, said outside temperatures, which normally would have drawn heat from the building, coupled with a malfunctioning heating system, caused that room to become intolerably warm.

For many, the opportunity to trade snowflakes for sun rays was, though irresistible, a little scary.

"This is not how the Earth should be," said Hilary Nalven, 22, strolling along Connecticut Avenue near the zoo after eating with friends at Open City, where outside tables were suddenly popular.

Alan Reppert, a meteorologist at AccuWeather.com, said that, despite views to the contrary, global warming is not responsible for the region's unusually mild winter.

"The world is not coming to an end," Reppert said.

And, such protestations aside, people generally found a way yesterday to suppress that anxiety, at least judging by the sun-loving crowds.

Jason Hannon said he and his wife, Kim, ordinarily would be bundled up in their Fredericksburg, Va., home with the heat turned up high. Yesterday, their 18-month-old daughter, Carmen, wearing a pink T-shirt and pants, made her first trip to the zoo.

"We brought a little coat for her, but I really don't think we're going to need it," Kim Hannon said. "January and no coat. It's almost unbelievable."

Staff writers Jamie Stockwell, Martin Weil and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.