Some schools were delayed Wednesday amid bitter cold; slight warming trend to start Thursday

Most of Maryland is under a cold weather advisory from the National Weather Service through Thursday as temperatures plunge well below freezing.

“This is pretty strong for how cold it’s gotten. We’re not breaking any daily records, but it’s definitely changing temperatures to be well below normal,” said weather service meteorologist Brendon Rubin-Oster.

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Temperatures have been between 10 and 20 degrees below average, he said.

Harford County Public Schools and Carroll County Public Schools will open two hours late Wednesday because they are still dealing with the aftermath of this weekend’s snowstorms and freezing weather.

Baltimore County Schools also had a two-hour delay Wednesday, with morning kindergarten classes canceled.

The Baltimore City Health Department declared a “Code Blue,” a decision aimed at reducing hypothermia deaths among the homeless, older adults and other groups vulnerable to extreme cold. It triggers several public safety initiatives, including a free hot drink program at the Salvation Army.

Code Blue came into force on Sunday night – before a body was pulled from a burning and vacant home on North Avenue — and is scheduled to remain in effect through Thursday.

In addition, the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services has extended Code Purple winter shelter activation to Thursday at 9, extending hours for city-run shelters. Residents in need of emergency shelter should call the Baltimore City Shelter Hotline at 443-984-9540.

As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disturbance in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air normally trapped around the North Pole.

As the jet stream that brought snow to Louisiana relaxes this week, the Baltimore area should return to normal temperatures, Rubin-Oster explained.

Wednesday’s forecast calls for sunny skies with a high around 21 with wind chills in the single digits. Low temperatures on Wednesday evening will be around 15 degrees.

Thursday will be a bit warmer with a high of around 32 and a low of around 21, the weather service said.

The slight warming trend is expected to continue on Friday, with highs reaching around 33 degrees and lows around 17.

Saturday will see highs around 36 with lows in the upper 20s, and Sunday could see the high temperature rise to a more seasonable 44 degrees for the first time all week, the forecast says.

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