High Temperatures

If you think July was hot, the players on the Dundalk VFW and Parkville senior citizens' softball teams have a name for you: wimp.Although temperatures at Baltimore-Washington International Airport climbed to 90 or higher on 21 days this month, the players, ranging in age from 64 to 78, were out fielding balls and taking swings three times a week."

The Baltimore area's January warm-weather streak -- which recorded its third consecutive day of 60-plus-degree ' temperatures yesterday -- may seem odd to those recovering from last week's freezing temperatures, but it's actually not unusual.In fact, there was a similar warm spell last January, when temperatures went from a cool high of 33 degrees on Jan. 1 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to 69 degrees four days later -- the record high for Jan. 5.This January "is almost a carbon copy, give or take 5 degrees each day," said Barry Goldsmith, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. "That's kind of ironic."

Maryland's tenacious heat wave, which has killed nine people so far, is expected to slog into its record-breaking 22nd day today. And the next few days are expected to bring increasing humidity, escalating the threat to people's health."

The high temperatures steaming Maryland played a role in six deaths in the state and caused the first-ever derailment of a Metro subway train yesterday.The deaths of Robert Podowski, a double amputee, and that of an unidentified Baltimore man may have been directly caused by heat, said Dr. John E. Smialek, the state medical examiner.Autopsies are being performed on both men, he said.Mr. Podowski, 39, was found Sunday in a van near 26th Street and Hampden Avenue in Hampden. He had been living in the van.The unidentified man suffered from heart disease and a lung infection.

It was not a mirage. The record heat wave became history yesterday as temperatures in the Baltimore area stayed well below the 90-degree mark for the first time in nearly a month.Weather forecasters said the next few days will bring sweet relief, with sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-80s, before the mercury climbs back up to 90 before the end of the week."Enjoy the first three days, because they'll be terrific," said Bob Melrose, a National Weather Service forecaster at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

A four-letter word is in the weather forecast again. But before the rain, you might have to deal with ice this morning.In a revised forecast late last night, the National Weather Service said sleet and freezing rain that had been expected north and west of Baltimore City likely would affect all areas west of the Chesapeake Bay."The morning rush may be a rough one on untreated roads," forecaster Dick Melrose said.A changeover to rain was expected after sunrise, heralding the arrival of warmer temperatures -- at least through tomorrow -- with highs in the 40s and lows in the low to middle 30s.But on Friday, break out the gloves and furry parkas.

As the days of high temperatures and humidity continue to add up, medical experts warn, the risk of heat-related illnesses also climbs, especially among Maryland's elderly."

The state entered its second week of wilting, sweltering weather yesterday, but a welcome northern cold front was expected to provide relief by Thursday.Yesterday's high of 96 degrees at 11 a.m. was the 38th time this year that the mercury has hit 90 degrees or better. The annual average is 31 days.Showers in Westminster and a brief sprinkle downtown helped to cool temperatures a tiny bit in midafternoon, but by the evening rush hour, the thermometer was back up to 96 degrees.The heat is caused by a "Bermuda high" -- a high pressure system sitting on top of the Southeast coast -- which is bringing hot, humid air up from the Gulf of Mexico.

A bobbing mercury hit 99 degrees in Baltimore three times yesterday afternoon as hot winds from the west blew across Maryland and stagnant heat settled in for a couple of days.The heat was severe enough to send a 36-year-old Northeast Baltimore man to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit with possible heat stroke and a body temperature of 105.6 degrees.Four others, fans watching the Orioles at Memorial Stadium, were treated for heat exhaustion at Union Memorial Hospital and sent home, and about 10 times that many were treated in the stands by city ambulance crews, the fire department said.

The Baltimore region's spring-like weather suddenly moved aside today as nasty Old Man Winter marched in on chilling winds that were dropping temperatures rapidly toward freezing for later today and Christmas Day.As an indicator of the sudden arrival of winter conditions, the temperature at 4:55 a.m. today in Baltimore was 64 degrees, tying a record for this date set in 1982. At the same time, a record high of 65 was tied at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, also established in 1982.

The data wizards at the National Weather Service are at it again. They've found the biggest day-to-day drop in high temperatures on record for Baltimore: from a high of 78 degrees on March 18, 1934, to a high of 36 degrees the next day - a 42-degree difference. The largest one-day gain is 40 degrees: from a high of 34 degrees on Dec. 27, 1946, to a high of 74 the next day. That's still the record high for a Dec. 28.

Joan Fessler has a pretty good idea how she must look. It's one of the most oppressively hot and humid days of the year. And she's in a room where the heat is cranked up to 105 degrees. On purpose. "Crazy?" the 52-year-old Towson preschool teacher guesses. While everyone else is searching for ways to cool off, devotees of "hot yoga" spend 90 minutes sweating through a series of stretches and poses in a room designed to be even hotter than Baltimore in July. "It's difficult to explain.

May at last. Maybe we can finally shake April's drizzle and chill. This month ends our risk of frost. Baltimore's latest trace of snow fell May 11, 1951. Average daytime high temperatures at BWI Marshall Airport climb from 69 to 79 by month's end. The average lows rise from 47 to 57. Record highs reach 98, while all-time lows linger in the 30s until the 30th. One of Baltimore's oldest record lows is 34, on the books since May 1, 1876.

Paul Manacher of Baltimore says our local forecasters are "usually accurate." But he asks why they "invariably underestimate summer high temperatures." The NWS warning coordination meteorologist for our area, Chris Strong, says his forecasters' predictions last summer averaged a quarter-degree too high for BWI. But they underestimated downtown highs by 3 degrees. Strong says they are not allowing for enough "heat island" effect -- heat absorbed, reflected or re-emitted by buildings and pavement.

Just as the long heat wave was beginning to ease, state health officials linked yesterday the deaths of two more Marylanders to high temperatures and humidity, bringing the statewide toll to six. In all, 21 Marylanders have died from heat-related causes since May 30, the authorities said. Seven of the deaths were in Baltimore. A measure of relief arrived yesterday with the midday passage of a weak "cold" front. There was no rain to go with it, but at long last the heat, and especially the humidity, abated.

Students from more than 20 city schools were sent home early this week because unseasonably high temperatures made it uncomfortable -- or in some cases, unsafe -- for them to stay in class. School system officials said yesterday that they think the worst of the school closings are behind them because students are off today for teacher training and weather forecasts show lower temperatures next week. But this week was particularly trying for the school system because of the heat. On Tuesday, officials closed all city schools about lunchtime, after temperatures reached 92 degrees by 11 a.m. The system's policy is to send students home if temperatures reach 90 by 11 a.m. Over the past two days, at least a handful of city schools have shut early, and some did not open, because of high temperatures.

After a week that felt like winter, Marylanders enjoyed a preview of spring yesterday -- and record-tying temperatures. They emerged from hibernation, shed their coats and basked in the unseasonable temperatures. Some even ice-skated amid the puddles of water at outdoor rinks. It was, they agreed, a day to spend outdoors. "Global warming has its good side," joked Kevin Bailey, 44, who walked his two mixed-breed dogs in Baltimore's Druid Hill Park. Temperatures were high across the state, but only Salisbury met a record.

If you think July was hot, the players on the Dundalk VFW and Parkville senior citizens' softball teams have a name for you: wimp.Although temperatures at Baltimore-Washington International Airport climbed to 90 or higher on 21 days this month, the players, ranging in age from 64 to 78, were out fielding balls and taking swings three times a week."

The Baltimore area's January warm-weather streak -- which recorded its third consecutive day of 60-plus-degree ' temperatures yesterday -- may seem odd to those recovering from last week's freezing temperatures, but it's actually not unusual.In fact, there was a similar warm spell last January, when temperatures went from a cool high of 33 degrees on Jan. 1 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to 69 degrees four days later -- the record high for Jan. 5.This January "is almost a carbon copy, give or take 5 degrees each day," said Barry Goldsmith, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. "That's kind of ironic."

It was not a mirage. The record heat wave became history yesterday as temperatures in the Baltimore area stayed well below the 90-degree mark for the first time in nearly a month.Weather forecasters said the next few days will bring sweet relief, with sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-80s, before the mercury climbs back up to 90 before the end of the week."Enjoy the first three days, because they'll be terrific," said Bob Melrose, a National Weather Service forecaster at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.