Arctic cold front hits Maryland ahead of holiday weekend

An Arctic cold front is moving across Maryland with temperatures dropping into the teens going into the holiday weekend.

According to the National Weather Service, conditions will deteriorate as winds increase coupled with a drop in temperatures. By late afternoon, temperatures across the region will be 20 degrees or below, producing wind chills at or below zero by sunset.

Due to the temperature, expect any standing water or moisture on untreated surfaces to rapidly freeze. The NWS advises drivers to be aware of parking lots and side streets and to be prepared for slippery roads when travelling.

On Thursday, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa issued a Code Blue Extreme Cold declaration for the city beginning Friday morning and lasting through Monday morning, Dec. 26. This is the first Code Blue the city has declared during the 2022-2023 season.

Hypothermia — when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it — can be fatal, said Dr. David Gatz, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. People struggling to stay or get warm should seek immediate medical attention, he said.

Another risk is injury due to cold-related exposure, which can cause conditions including frostnip, frostbite, and trench foot — foot damage due to moisture.

“They aren’t really things we think of as being lethal, but they can cause serious morbidity,” said Gatz, also the associate medical director for the adult emergency department at the downtown campus of University of Maryland Medical Center. “This is how people end up losing limbs. They have to be amputated, they lose part of their ear, part of their nose, one of their hands, something like that.”

Some populations will be more at risk of hypothermia and cold-exposure injuries such as frostbite, he added, including older adults, children, people with cardiovascular disease and people who are unhoused. People with drug and alcohol dependency may also be at higher risk, Gatz said, as substances can lower inhibitions and cloud cold-weather judgment.

Gatz advised people in low-power and low-heat situations who have external generators to keep them outside, since they release toxic carbon monoxide into the air.

“It’s not something you can smell or see or taste, but it is lethal. And just about every winter we have some situation where it’s an entire household that has to get brought in to the hospital with this potentially life-threatening diagnosis,” Gatz said.

Baltimore Gas and Electric crews and contractors are working to restore power for customers as trees and tree limbs knocked down by strong winds damaged electric distribution equipment throughout BGE’s service area.

As of 9 p.m. Friday, over 43,000 customers are without service across Central Maryland, the utility company said.

The frigid weather comes as many people take to the roads or head to airports for holiday weekend travel.

Jada Harrington, 30, has been at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport for almost 20 hours. She arrived Thursday a little before 5 p.m. to board her Southwest flight at 8:50 p.m.

Following numerous delays, the airline finally canceled her flight to Dallas a little before 3 a.m. Friday. She has been rebooked on standby twice — one for 7:15 a.m. and another at 9:40 a.m. — but has still yet to board a plane.

”It’s getting worse by the hour, so don’t change anything if you don’t have to,” Harrington said.

Southwest has cited issues of the weather, not having a pilot and waste hose management as reasons for the delays and cancellations, according to Harrington.

“They’ve told me they can’t do anything for me. No hotel stay, no flight credit, and my family can’t find my bags,” Harrington said. “So I’ll see what happens from here.”

Sandra Do, 22, and her boyfriend, Hunter Strange, 24, said they should be on a plane heading home to Southern California.

But after receiving delay notifications for their Frontier flight for two hours straight, they figured a cancellation would follow. And it did.

”It was really hard to chat with their customer service, but we finally chatted with someone and we were able to rebook a new flight,” Do said.

”We just hope we arrive before Christmas,” she added.

The couple got a new flight with American Airlines for 2:30 p.m., but that has been canceled, too.

“The flight was supposed to come from Chicago to here, but any Midwest flight right now is just dilapidated,” Strange said.

Strange and Do will head down to Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National to board a 5 a.m. flight. All they want for Christmas now is for their flight back to California to be on time, they said.

Noah Florio, a junior molecular biology major at Johns Hopkins University, is headed home to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for winter break.

His flight is at 10 p.m. Friday, but he came to BWI nearly eight hours early to avoid any mishaps.

”I came so early because of the windy conditions and just want to do anything I can to avoid any delays, but they won’t even let you check in until four hours before boarding,” Florio said jokingly.

He said he is happy to head home and get a break from the weather in Baltimore.

”This break is definitely needed. I’ll be with my family in warmer weather for a few weeks so I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Florio said.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens are preparing to host the Atlanta Falcons for a 1 p.m. Saturday game; temperatures are expected to be in the teens at kickoff.

Those who have the option to limit their outdoor exposure during the next few days should do so, Gatz said. For those who will be exposed to the elements, Gatz recommends dressing in lightweight, loose-fitting layers, paying special attention to covering the feet, head, hands and face, and keeping the outdoor trips short.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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