It didn’t matter to Jim Marcero that the temperature was just barely above freezing, the ground remained covered with snow and ice skating still was considered the sport of choice.
What mattered was that for the past week, he left home only to go to school, and when he did, he wore so many layers of clothing to keep warm he could barely walk.
And what mattered was that the temperature now technically had soared by more than 60 degrees.
It was enough to convince him to don a skimpy pair of shorts and go jogging along Lake Michigan.
“This feels like a tropical heat wave compared to what we’ve had the last couple of weeks,” said Marcero, an 18-year-old accounting student at De Paul University. “It feels great to get out at last.”
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Get out at last was exactly what hundreds of residents in Chicago and its suburbs did Sunday.
Temperatures rose to a high of 40 degrees-11 degrees above normal-after plunging and sticking in miserable, record-breaking sub-zero depths for more than a week.
It won’t last for long: temperatures are expected to reach a high of 40 degrees on Monday and 36 degrees on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, they’ll fall back down to a high of 33 degrees when a potentially strong winter storm will bring snow and rain to Chicago in the evening and continue through Thursday morning, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Evert Schmidt. By Friday, temperatures will drop to a high of 26.
Nevertheless, the weekend brought a much-needed-if only temporary-respite from the freeze that kept many area residents trapped in their homes and workplaces for days, with little more to do than go stir-crazy.
The sudden warm spell made for what seemed like a curious clash of seasons: powdery white snow turning into sun-warmed puddles of water, and joggers in shorts sharing public park space with ice skaters in mittens.
Perhaps nowhere was that more evident than Crystal Lake, where hundreds of die-hard golfing enthusiasts hit the ice-yes, the ice-for the 24th annual Doc Haznow Chili Open Golf Classic. The event features a chili lunch for participants.
They teed off on the frozen Crystal Lake, which was elaborately transformed into a nine-hole golf course.
Snow was plowed off the ice to create fairways, and astroturf was laid by each hole. Old Christmas trees were strewn by the artificial greens for hazards.
“It was a beautiful day for the tournament,” said Pat Harkins, 35, a commodities trader from Crystal Lake. “It was a great day to break out of winter. When we went into the deep freeze, I got cabin fever. It was great to be outdoors.”
In the end, Harkins’ score was slightly higher than the temperature-he shot a 47-but he was grateful for both.
The weather brought out a number of other eager spring sports enthusiasts.
Early Sunday, Laura Blyskal packed her sports bag and headed for a Schaumburg health club-the only place she has exercised since the year began.
As soon as she set foot outdoors, the 23-year-old changed her mind.
Instead, she went for a 3-mile run near an industrial park. Well, run and walk.
“When I left the house and saw how warm it was, I said, `No way. I’m taking full advantage of this,’ ” Blyskal said. “Of course, it’s been such a long time . . . I’m a little out of shape.”
It brought out winter sports enthusiasts as well, although the warmer temperatures made such activities a bit more challenging, as Mike Nicholson and Eva Murray of Chicago discovered. The 35-year-old design director and 25-year-old brokerage firm assistant hit the skating rink at a park near Belmont Avenue, only to have their blades carve ruts in the melting ice.
People weren’t the only ones benefitting from the warmer temperatures; pets, particularly dogs, hit the outdoors as well.
John Colgate took his dogs-Bandit and Harley-to the park for only the second time in a week. Said the 35-year-old airline food preparer: “Man, it’s great to get out.”
The weather proved to be a boon for many businesses: at Old Orchard mall in Skokie, for example, cars drove up and down the aisles in the lot, vainly searching for a place to park.
It wasn’t so good for others: the nearby Chalet Shops, a home gardening center, was deserted except for workers installing springtime displays.
Although wintertime usually is slow, manager Larry Thalmann III said, the warm weather meant the establishment wasn’t even selling firewood.
By far, however, the most popular site for breaking cabin fever was much more mundane: the car wash.
At the Car Love Car Wash Inc. on 151st Street in Orland Park, automobiles dulled by three weeks of salt buildup circled the building and blocked the parking lot awaiting a soapy shower.
It was the busiest day manager Richard Koche has seen in the 10 years the establishment has been in existence.
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“We’re really jammed; everybody is really jammed,” said Koche, who is also president of the Chicagoland Car Wash Association. “The cold weather has ended up being good for business.”
When the morning drizzle subsided and the sun began to shine, dozens of motorists lined up at Chuck Barry’s Car Wash in Rolling Meadows for the same reason.
“It was too cold to do it any other day,” said Rashana McConnell, 16, as she scrubbed her car floor mats while her stereo blared. “In reality, it’s still freezing out here, but compared to the way it was, it’s warm.”
Added George Romero, 25: “It’s like summer is coming.”