Winter Weather

¿Q: Is it OK for our dog to play in the snow with our kids? A: Generally, yes -- with some caveats. A dog's normal body temperature is about 101 degrees, so they're a little warmer than us internally. But other factors explain why some dogs are better able to withstand winter weather. Small dogs with less body mass have a harder time staying warm. Dogs with double coats -- a top layer and a thick undercoat -- are naturally better insulated against cold (and heat, too, so people shouldn't shave dogs in an attempt to keep them cooler in hot weather)

It's a wet, snowy day in Western Maryland. The storm may not dump as much snow in Maryland as expected, or as much as has already fallen a bit further north, though. Traffic cameras show slick roadways and white on everything else. Forecasters are calling for 2-4 inches in Allegany and Garrett Counties, according to the National Weather Service. Two inches were reported in Frostburg as of 7 a.m., according to a weather spotter report to the National Weather Service.

Though occasional flurries fell in Baltimore throughout the afternoon and evening, the city was spared the predicted snow accumulation that brought out the salt trucks and sent people home early from work and school. What happened to the winter weather forecast for Wednesday? "There was a larger mass of warm air invecting inland than expected," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Kramar, who is stationed in Sterling, Va. That warm air coming off the ocean pushed the rain-snow line farther west, leaving Baltimore with a wintry mix that was mostly rain, he said.

Winter certainly isn't over, and these parts have seen some pretty impressive winter storms in March, and on occasion in April, even as the National Weather Service forecast indicates it'll be at least March before low temperatures are solidly below freezing — if a cold snap ever materializes. At the risk of tempting fate, it looks like the money set aside for snow removal by Harford County and its three municipalities will not all be needed. Even if there is a big snow storm before the end of the season, the cost of dealing with the effects of winter weather on local roadways isn't likely to be comparable to what has been the case in the previous few winters Such is the weather in these parts.

Commuters should be cautious Monday morning as light snow falls across the Baltimore area, according to the National Weather Service. A winter weather advisory has been issued through 9 a.m. as snow is expected to spread from Carroll and central Howard counties into Anne Arundel County, Baltimore and areas north and east of the city, said Kevin Witt, a meteorologist in the Sterling, Va., weather service office. Snow is already falling in some parts of Baltimore and Baltimore and Harford counties, such as the Inner Harbor and Dundalk and up through Aberdeen, he said.

A winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service will remain in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday in the Baltimore region, as the metropolitan area braces for snow accumulations between one and three inches. Snow showers had been expected to end around noon. A small amount of snow had accumulated in downtown Baltimore on Saturday morning, though major thoroughfares appeared clear. It was the second-straight morning that residents awoke to find a light dusting. No major accidents were reported.

You may need your mittens more frequently than normal this winter. Or not, apparently. Maryland's winter temperatures and precipitation are equally likely to be above, near or below normal, according to an assessment released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Across the southern United States, particularly Texas, this winter will likely be warmer and drier while the North and the Pacific Northwest will probably be wetter and colder than average, according to the report.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reported yesterday that mild ** winter weather put a deep freeze on its earnings for the first quarter of 1997, as the utility's profit fell nearly 30 percent.The company generated common stock profits of $64.2 million, 43 cents a share, for the period ended March 31, compared with earnings of $91.1 million, 62 cents per share, a year ago. Revenues for the quarter rose 3 percent, to $887.7 million.The company attributed the decline to an extended, unseasonable warm spell during the 1997 first quarter, a sharp bTC contrast to the blizzard-laden weather Baltimore faced in early 1996.

A hole the size of a car's trunk opened up on an aging bridge over Benson Avenue near Arbutus yesterday, turning one of the Baltimore Beltway's busiest stretches into a nine-mile-long parking lot.No one was injured in the incident, which shut down three of the four southbound lanes of the outer loop.The hole was reported at about 8:15 a.m. and patched less than eight hours later.Full traffic flow was restored to that section of Interstate 695 shortly before 4 p.m.State Highway Administration engineers blamed the damage on the effects of years of severe winter weather, culminating with the blizzard last March.

Fresh from its triumphant return to the NFL, Baltimore is trying to land pro football's biggest prize: the Super Bowl.Maryland Stadium Authority chairman John Moag has talked with league officials several times and on July 22 discussed the idea with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue at the league's New York headquarters.Moag acknowledges some hurdles must be overcome -- the league prefers warm-weather cities for its January championship, and the competition among cities is fierce -- but said the league has been receptive.

Though occasional flurries fell in Baltimore throughout the afternoon and evening, the city was spared the predicted snow accumulation that brought out the salt trucks and sent people home early from work and school. What happened to the winter weather forecast for Wednesday? "There was a larger mass of warm air invecting inland than expected," said National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Kramar, who is stationed in Sterling, Va. That warm air coming off the ocean pushed the rain-snow line farther west, leaving Baltimore with a wintry mix that was mostly rain, he said.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for the Baltimore area until 1 p.m. Saturday, as rain continues to fall on top of last night's snow, creating an icy mess. The wintry mix left less than an inch of snow around Baltimore City, but higher accumulations in the outer suburbs, according to observations from the National Weather Service, which lists 1.9 inches near Bel Air and 1.4 inches near Laurel. Freezing rain will continue to fall in the morning, changing to rain in the early afternoon, the National Weather Service says.

¿Q: Is it OK for our dog to play in the snow with our kids? A: Generally, yes -- with some caveats. A dog's normal body temperature is about 101 degrees, so they're a little warmer than us internally. But other factors explain why some dogs are better able to withstand winter weather. Small dogs with less body mass have a harder time staying warm. Dogs with double coats -- a top layer and a thick undercoat -- are naturally better insulated against cold (and heat, too, so people shouldn't shave dogs in an attempt to keep them cooler in hot weather)

Heavy rains throughout the day and into the night Wednesday will create the potential for flooding in the Baltimore area, and forecasters say a small amount of snow is possible overnight. As cold air from the north and west filters in to the Baltimore region, temperatures will drop in the evening, said Brian Lasorsa, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sterling, Va. An earlier winter weather advisory, calling for 1-2 inches of snow in the city, was canceled after 2:30 p.m. The advisory for the northern half of Baltimore County and Carroll, Harford, Howard and Montgomery counties was lifted by 10 p.m. Light snow was still a possibility as colder air moved into those counties, the weather service said, but accumulations would be less than one inch.

Hundreds of years ago, Halloween ornaments were displayed throughout Old World landscapes to scare off the unwelcome spirits of deceased relatives that insisted on paying their living relatives a visit on Halloween. But just like today, some of their Halloween displays weren't as frightening as they could have been, because their plant-life backdrops were mundane. There's nothing particularly frightening about scary-looking Halloween ornaments dangling from or peeking from behind commonplace trees and shrubs.

You may need your mittens more frequently than normal this winter. Or not, apparently. Maryland's winter temperatures and precipitation are equally likely to be above, near or below normal, according to an assessment released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Across the southern United States, particularly Texas, this winter will likely be warmer and drier while the North and the Pacific Northwest will probably be wetter and colder than average, according to the report.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect for the Baltimore area until 1 p.m. Saturday, as rain continues to fall on top of last night's snow, creating an icy mess. The wintry mix left less than an inch of snow around Baltimore City, but higher accumulations in the outer suburbs, according to observations from the National Weather Service, which lists 1.9 inches near Bel Air and 1.4 inches near Laurel. Freezing rain will continue to fall in the morning, changing to rain in the early afternoon, the National Weather Service says.

Marylanders enjoying the long, mild and sunny autumn of 1998 must be figuring they'll have to pay for it with a harsh winter.Relax. As weather forecasters open their winter season today, ,, they're predicting more of the same -- above-normal temperatures for the Baltimore region through March, with normal, or below-normal precipitation.That doesn't mean no snow."It's pretty rare that we escape a winter without snow. It's way too early to foreclose our hopes for snow right now," said Ed O'Lenic, a meteorologist at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Camp Springs.

Meteorologists say this week's crippling rush-hour snowstorm was a nightmarish mash-up of an unusually dynamic storm, some uncommonly sticky flakes and a pinch of bad luck. And it all combined to snare evening commuters who should have gone home an hour earlier. But it was also part of a complex weather pattern that has made winter storms especially hard to forecast this year, particularly with the kind of scale and precision the public may expect. "While it seems like we should be able to do it, even today we're not quite able to precisely indicate where the smaller-scale features in a larger storm will set up," said Pennsylvania State University meteorologist Fred Gadomski.