BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore city officials say they are lowering the temperature needed for the city to offer additional services for the homeless during the winter.

City officials say they will activate the Code Blue program when the wind chill reading is 13 degrees, down from 20 degrees last year. Under the program, officials also distribute information on shelters and respond to calls regarding people at risk for extreme cold exposure.

Part of the reason for the change is to combat message fatigue and ensure warnings about cold temperatures are heeded.

A health department spokesman tells The Baltimore Sun the change was also made to bring the city in line with other cities.

However, the spokesman said the city’s health commissioner has flexibility in deciding when to declare a Code Blue day.
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