Code Red

With temperatures rising and the potential danger to residents, the Baltimore City Interim Health Commissioner Olivia D. Farrow declared Sunday a Code Red Heat Alert Day. She recommended that residents avoid outdoor activities and, if necessary, visit one of the city's emergency cooling centers offering cool air, water and ice. "We want to encourage residents to check frequently on those who are medically frail and our seniors, especially those who...

The Code Red Heat Alert in the city has been extended through Friday, meaning cooling centers will be open with free water and cool air. The National Weather Service said the high could reach 96 with heat index up to 108 in some areas. There's a 60 percent chance of rain and possible thunderstorms. Temperatures don't get cooler until Sunday, with a forecasted high of 89.      

Smog in metropolitan Baltimore didn't quite reach the unhealthy levels meteorologists had predicted yesterday, but it came close. And it could get there today. Yesterday's 90-degree temperatures and clear skies created perfect conditions for ozone levels that can cause breathing problems for some. But the state's air-quality monitoring stations in Baltimore and Harford counties, which usually have the highest readings, peaked just short of the 125 parts per billion that mark "code red," or unhealthful conditions.

Summer's off to a smoggy start in Maryland and across the country, it seems. Since the first official day of summer June 20, there have been nine days when ozone pollution made the air unhealthful for at least some Marylanders to breathe, according to Clean Air Partners , which publishes air-quality forecasts.  In that period, the Baltimore metro area has seen six days bad enough to pose problems either for sensitive individuals or everyone....

The air pollution that Marylanders created yesterday will come back to irritate them today, meteorologists said, predicting "code red" smog for the Baltimore area. Ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, is expected to reach levels that can cause breathing problems in children, the elderly, and those with heart or lung problems. People in those high-risk groups should limit time outdoors today, and healthy adults should limit strenuous outdoor work, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

For the first time this year, the Baltimore area is in for a three- or four-day stretch of air pollution high enough to be unhealthy for everyone, according to forecasters at the University of Maryland and the Maryland Department of the Environment. "Code red" levels of ozone pollution were recorded at air monitors in Essex, Edgewood and Suitland late yesterday. Forecasters said that by early afternoon today, the entire metropolitan area will reach code red conditions for ozone. Pollution will stay high at least through tomorrow, forecasters predict.

Heat and humidity have prompted the Maryland Department of the Environment to issue a Code Red ozone alert for the second straight day today, when the heat index is expected to hit 105 to 106 degrees by this afternoon.Yesterday's temperature in Baltimore reached 95 degrees about p.m. at the Maryland Science Center in the Inner Harbor, a reading that didn't shatter any records. The local record for June 25 was recorded a year ago at 99 degrees.Officials said that high temperatures, bright sun and pollutants -- primarily car exhaust -- result in unhealthy air. A Code Red alert is issued when smog particles reach more than 125 parts per billion, high enough to violate a federal anti-pollution law and threaten the health of children, the elderly and those with heart and breathing problems.

Yesterday's heat brought an unwanted guest to Maryland for the first time this year - really bad air. State environmental officials issued their first Code Red ozone alert yesterday and said they might issue similar warnings today and tomorrow. Code Red means air that can cause burning eyes, coughing and chest pains, even in healthy people. It might also increase children's asthma risk. Experts recommend staying indoors as much as possible, refueling cars after dark, avoiding outdoor exercise and minimizing the use of gasoline-powered engines.

Because it was a Code Red day, and extremely hot as well, Jessica Clements and her fiance, Josh Itzoe, had already delayed their run until after the sun set and the air was less polluted. Usually, the Baltimore couple can easily run five or six miles around the Inner Harbor. On this steamy summer night, though, they felt "out of sorts" after three miles and quit early. "Both of us were commenting on how we felt dehydrated ... and how difficult it was to breathe," says Clements, a 24-year-old public relations specialist at Union Memorial Hospital.

The principal's announcement was short and blunt: "We have a code red in the auditorium. A code red in the auditorium."With that, the classroom doors of Owings Mills High School slammed shut. Students moved away from windows. Administrators hurried to the school's command post. Owings Mills High was in a lockdown.Responding to last year's spate of shootings at schools nationwide, Owings Mills held its first "code red" drill yesterday -- a precursor to what likely will become a standard safety practice for schools throughout Baltimore County.

Maryland health officials have activated a state heat emergency plan, and some counties have followed suit, with temperatures already topping 90 degrees by 11 a.m. Wednesday. The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is warning residents to be wary of heat-related illnesses like heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Heat stroke symptoms include  dry red skin, convulsions, disorientation, delirium and coma. Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat stroke and can cause  extreme weakness, muscle cramps, nausea, or headache.

Summer arrived in Maryland Monday with temperatures already well into the 90s, and forecasters advised residents and public health officials to expect the heat, humidity and bad air quality to persist all week with sweltering numbers more typical of mid-July. Health authorities grappling with the first extended heat wave of the year stood ready to reopen cooling centers in Baltimore. The power company braced for rising demand as air conditioners spun up across the region. And anyone who had to be outdoors just sweated it out and wished for something better.

With temperatures rising and the potential danger to residents, the Baltimore City Interim Health Commissioner Olivia D. Farrow declared Sunday a Code Red Heat Alert Day. She recommended that residents avoid outdoor activities and, if necessary, visit one of the city's emergency cooling centers offering cool air, water and ice. "We want to encourage residents to check frequently on those who are medically frail and our seniors, especially those who...

Summer doesn't arrive officially until the solstice at 7:29 Monday morning. But forecasters say the summer's first weeklong stretch of 90-degree heat and high humidity is set to begin this weekend. And that has spurred Baltimore health authorities to roll out this summer's plans to provide heat relief for the city's most vulnerable residents. "High temperatures can be lethal, especially for our most isolated, vulnerable residents," said Robert Maloney, director of the city's Office of Emergency Management.

With some of the highest temperatures of the summer predicted through Tuesday, Baltimore city's health department issued the year's first Code Red Heat Alert and announced Sunday that the city will open emergency cooling centers and provide free bus passes to help residents seek shelter from the heat. Interim Health Commissioner Olivia D. Farrow declared the alert after the National Weather Service forecast a potentially hazardous combination of high temperatures and humidity for the next two days.

Waiting until the last possible day to turn on the air conditioning might have saved some costly kilowatts. But if your cooling system just wheezed and died when you flipped the switch, you're paying for it now in sweat. The sudden onslaught of 90-degree weather since Saturday in Central Maryland has had air-conditioner repair crews running hard. And late. "We're pretty well swamped. The work load has probably picked up triple compared to normal," said Chris Mergler, service manager at Clean Air Heating and Air Conditioning in Baltimore.

With some of the highest temperatures of the summer predicted through Tuesday, Baltimore city's health department issued the year's first Code Red Heat Alert and announced Sunday that the city will open emergency cooling centers and provide free bus passes to help residents seek shelter from the heat. Interim Health Commissioner Olivia D. Farrow declared the alert after the National Weather Service forecast a potentially hazardous combination of high temperatures and humidity for the next two days.

An article in yesterday's Maryland section on reducing smog misstated details of an incentive to motorists who refuel after 7 p.m. The article should have said Amoco is offering rebates of $4 after five purchases of 8 gallons or more at any of the company's 225 Maryland service stations on days the state declares that ozone is expected to reach "Code Red," or unhealthful levels. A flag will be displayed at the stations on "Code Red" days.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 5/30/96

James Williams was looking for relief. A deep drink of water. A seat in the shade. A towel to wipe the sweat from his brow. The homeless man, whose shirt was damp with perspiration, said he was grateful for the bottle of water he got from an outreach worker who found him resting in the shade outside St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in downtown Baltimore. "It's the terriblest day of my life," said Williams, 50, who was aided by Health Care for the Homeless of Baltimore. "The heat just makes everything that much harder."

There's bad news going around for the Goldilockses in Hollywood. Word on the street: Blondes had more fun. Just check out the recent hair colors on some of the biggest stars going: Nicole Kidman. Lindsay Lohan. Tyra Banks. Desperate Housewife Marcia Cross. Will & Grace's Debra Messing. Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon. Sorry Reese. Too bad Paris. Bye-bye Britney, bye-bye. These days, the sexiest sirens are of the Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Ambrose set. "Red is the new blond," says Tim Rogers, editorial stylist and spokesman for Charles Worthington hair and beauty salons in London.