might think last week.

On Thursday, the US Weather Office reported that the temperature high for the day was a bracing 57 degrees Fahrenheit.

Consequently, The Royal Gazette printed the figure on its front page as part of its daily temperature guarantee scheme coverage.

But a call to the Weather Office yesterday revealed that the Island's temperature on Thursday had actually climbed higher.

"Fifty-seven wasn't the official high for the day,'' a Weather Office spokesman said last night. "We went back and saw that the temperature had gone into the sixties around one or two in the morning.'' Even so, the temperature didn't rise high enough to keep many of the Island's hotels from offering their guests a discounted rate that day.

Under the Tourism Department's temperature guarantee scheme, participating hotels are obliged to knock 10 percent off their guests' bills if the temperature fails to reach 68 degrees.

Guests are also provided with "passports'' for next-day discounts at participating stores, free admission to cultural attractions and unlimited use of the Island's buses and ferries.

"There have been 13 days below 68 degrees since January 1,'' the spokesman said.

The guarantee programme, which includes 29 hotels this year, runs from January to March.