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Cold Temperatures Grip Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's not your average January.  A deep freeze has temperatures well below average. While some are able to avoid these temperatures by staying indoors, many are forced to spend the entire day outside.

Adam May spent the day with the people this weather impacts the most.

As an Arctic blast grips Maryland, most people in downtown Baltimore are on the move, trying to escape the cold. 

In Westminster, Goug Barnhouse braved the elements to put food on the table.

"I need the money and the economy is so bad, I need to do something for a living," Barnhouse said.  "It's a job; someone's got to do it."

Also expect to see more utilities workers outside, with more water main breaks predicted, and a rise in your BGE bill, with an additional 150 hours below freezing, compared to last winter.

"Our customers are using more power, more natural gas and electric to heat their homes, and so their bill will reflect that usage," said Linda Foy, BGE.

BGE's unit price for electricity is down eight percent from last year to help offset this cold snap.

And it's been so cold for so many days in a row that a lot of the ponds and creeks across Maryland appear frozen over, but sometimes a closer look reveals a hidden danger.

"I told them they were gonna fall if they walked on it, but they didn't listen," said Jared Gore.

Moments later, the Carroll County eighth-grader, who was hiking along a creek, heard cracking ice and screams of three younger children.

"I saw one kid go suddenly down and the ice splash," he said.  "I just stuck out my hand and helped pull him out.  The other two could get out [by themselves.]"

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