Cold Weather

Take record snow in December, add a long stretch of below-average temperatures and a weekend of howling north winds and you've got what's beginning to look like a real winter for Maryland this year. High temperatures are expected to lag a full seven degrees or more below normal throughout the week, pushing energy bills higher and making it at least uncomfortable - and possibly dangerous - to spend much time outside. Baltimore's emergency shelters are packed with homeless looking for a respite from the weather.

There were more cold days in this winter than last, so Central Maryland residents should expect to receive higher energy bills, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. said Friday. "Although BGE's commodity prices have remained stable … extreme weather generally triggers significant increases in energy usage, which in turn can lead to higher-than-expected bills," said Jeannette M. Mills, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. "Even when the thermostat is kept at the same temperature, heating units must work harder to maintain the set temperature," Mills said.

The recent weather swings have had most horsemen running ragged trying to keep their horses comfortable and healthy throughout the changes.Sooner or later, the weather will start acting like winter, and horsemen's thoughts will turn to low temperatures and wind-chill factors.Extension agent Bob Shirley of the Carroll County Extension Service office has some cold-weather horse management tips for Maryland horsemen.Shirley said that the hardest thing to convince horse people of is that feeding hay generates more body heat than feeding grains.

At least two cold-weather-related deaths were confirmed in the Baltimore area during last week's snap of frigid weather, and more dangerous cold is in the forecast. Hypothermia was a factor in the deaths of an elderly Baltimore County woman and an elderly Baltimore man during the week that ended Monday, according to a weekly report from state health officials. The total number of cold-weather-related deaths that state medical examiners have confirmed so far this winter has reached 14. Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 95 degrees, causing vital organs to shut down.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Joseph Karnes spent the past year living in a remote part of Alaska, working as a clerk for a judge and, when the weather permitted, training for the U.S. Olympic men's marathon trials."

The forecast for Saturday's divisional playoff game at Pittsburgh is 32 degrees with a 30 percent chance of snow. Those conditions will make the Ravens feel right at home at Heinz Field. Over the past two winters, the Ravens have heated up when the temperatures have dropped, winning their past five games when the temperature at kickoff is below 35 degrees. And the Ravens don't just win in the frigid cold. They slam teams into the frozen turf. Their average margin in those five wins has been 16.4 points, including a 30-7 rout of Kansas City on Sunday when the wind chill was 16 degrees.

Fall and winter have been on Bonita Glaser's mind, and now they're depicted in her exhibit "Familiar Journeys" at the Artists' Gallery in Columbia. Although her subject matter extends beyond those two seasons, viewing the show in mid-October does make you sensitive to every dropped leaf and fallen snowflake. The watercolor medium facilitates the atmospheric effects and overall moods she's going after in her seasonal views. Colors melt and softly glow in these works. In "Autumn Gold," Glaser provides a close-up view of tightly spaced trees in a forest.

It's getting colder outside, but many people still want to get in a daily run, ride or walk. Outdoors exercise can be done safely in lower temperatures, says Dr. David Buchalter an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at OrthoMaryland. But some precautions are necessary. It's important to stretch, drink fluids and cover your head in the cold. And if your New Year's resolution is to begin exercising this winter, you need to ask yourself some questions first. Question: What's different about cold-weather exercising, and how do you prepare?

Reducing access to life-saving Code Blue shelter services gives us the chills ("City revises emergency cold weather criteria," Dec. 8). Each year, too many of our homeless neighbors experience frostbite, amputations and even death because they lack adequate shelter. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that 700 homeless people in the U.S. die every year from hypothermia. These are entirely preventable deaths. In Baltimore, we commemorate some of these deaths on Homeless Persons Memorial Day, Dec. 21, the longest night of the year.

From Jay Hancock's Blog: A cold weather forecast has pulled natural gas prices up from an eight-year low, Bloomberg reports. That will probably be reflected in BGE's residential natural gas price for January. But while prices may have notched up, they're rising from really low levels. The recession and a worldwide natural-gas glut have depressed gas prices and profits. The default natural gas price for BGE customers this month (the floating price you get if you don't lock in with another supplier)

The Baltimore City Health Department has issued a code blue cold weather alert for the rest of the week because of frigid temperatures with the potential to cause health problems, such as hypothermia. Under the alert, which runs through Sunday, city emergency shelters will extend hours and private shelters will be encouraged to do the same. Emergency workers will reach out to the homeless, elderly and other vulnerable residents to make sure they have shelter and heat. City health officials are also minding residents with a heart condition not to exert too much physical activity.

Joe Flacco isn't above trying something different to become a better quarterback. But the Ravens starter said one change he won't consider is wearing a glove on his throwing hand. After joking that he thinks a glove “looks stupid” on his hand, Flacco said he prefers being able to touch the laces and ridges on the leather of the football while taking a snap or attempting a pass. “I like to feel the football,” he said after Wednesday's practice. “Even growing up playing baseball, I never wore batting gloves.

With four deaths from hypothermia already reported by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Preparedness and Response (OPR) this winter, the Harford County Health Department is reminding residents to take necessary precautions as temperatures drop throughout the coming months. Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly said extra precautions taken for exposure to colder temperatures can mean the difference between enjoyment of winter activities and serious injury or even death.

State health officials confirmed two more cold weather-related deaths in Maryland over the past week, bringing the death toll to four in Maryland so far this winter. Hypothermia was a factor in the death of a Calvert County woman aged 45-64 some time between Jan. 1 and Monday. Cold weather also contributed to the death of a Carroll County man aged 45-64 some time earlier this winter but only confirmed since Jan. 1. Since New Year's Day, all but one day has dipped below freezing at BWI Marshall Airport and all but two days reached the 20s. In December, 13 days dropped below freezing.

The season for singing about a white Christmas, sleigh rides with jingle bells, Frosty the Snowman and the delights of a fire when the weather is frightful has largely passed, but over the next few weeks, such thoughts and images will become increasingly relevant. Ice skating, snow and winter sports are a big part of the holiday season's lore, but, at least in these parts, not so much a part of reality. White Christmases are few and far between, coming about 20 percent of the time if you count dustings like the one experienced on the most recent Eve of the Nativity.

An elderly man in Frederick County died of hypothermia recently, the first cold weather-related death of the winter season, state health officials said Thursday. The man was aged 65 or older. Maryland medical examiners confirmed hypothermia as his cause of death some time between Dec. 18 and Dec. 24. The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene did not release additional details on the death, citing privacy concerns. State residents – the elderly, children, and anyone who remains outside for prolonged periods in particular – are encouraged to prepare for the cold.

With four deaths from hypothermia already reported by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Preparedness and Response (OPR) this winter, the Harford County Health Department is reminding residents to take necessary precautions as temperatures drop throughout the coming months. Harford County Health Officer Susan Kelly said extra precautions taken for exposure to colder temperatures can mean the difference between enjoyment of winter activities and serious injury or even death.

Wally Vait has a good eye for such things, so I'm not surprised that during a hike Saturday on the North Central Railroad Trail in Freeland, he spotted an Eastern garter snake on a sun-splashed rock. The question: What was it doing there, after one of the coldest Novembers on record, and with the winter solstice two weeks away? Did a snake aboveground portend doom for us all, as in the purported Mayan prophecy for Dec. 21, 2012? Was this a sign of the Almighty's unhappiness with Maryland's same-sex marriage law?

A cold rain mixed with sleet brought a rude awakening to many Tuesday morning after three straight days in the 60s in Baltimore. Reports of the wintry precipitation cropped up across the state, according to reports on Twitter. WBAL-TV forecasters Tom Tasselmeyer and Ava Marie reported a wintry mix on TV Hill in Woodberry about 10 a.m., while Foot's Forecast saw some in Towson. Others tweeted about it in Scaggsville, Glen Burnie and Columbia. A cold front passed through the region late Monday night, with temperatures still in the lower 60s shortly before midnight at BWI Marshall Airport but dropping to a low of 42 degrees early Tuesday.