“It’s like skating in a puddle,” said a girl who gave her name only as Marjona, 14.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s environmental information center, the previous record for Feb. 21 was set in 1930, when the temperature in Central Park reached 68 degrees. By 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said it was 78 degrees in Manhattan.

Ming Fei, 18, grew up ice skating in Shenzhen, China, and now, as a student at Parsons School of Design, she likes to come to Bryant Park to skate with a friend. On Wednesday, they cut their outing short because there was so much water on the ice.