How Baltimore Residents Are Staying Warm As Cold Grips Region

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  Mother Nature isn't releasing her icy grip on Baltimore anytime soon. Until the next warm up, residents will have to stay warm and prepared.

"I just knew it was going to be this cold," Marvin Hawkins, Baltimore resident, said.

Baltimore's third Cold Blue Alert of the season has been extended through Tuesday, Jan. 2.

"Put two jackets on...it's just so cold out here," says Baltimore resident Makayla Kess, bundled up as she waits for the bus.

They're not the only ones fighting the freeze with extra layers.

"It is very cold out. I don't like the cold weather," Abbott Garnett said.

Garnett's commute to work Thursday meant heading out in the cold.

If you're behind the wheel this winter, the dipping temperatures will bring some different problems.

"It affects your wear on your tire, it affects the temperature of the tire, it affects your traction, your handling and stability, so it's a big deal," says Chris Storms of AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Dropping tire pressure, frozen radiators, broken belts, cars overheating -- Storms says it all comes with the extreme weather.

AAA says it has helped 930 Marylanders with dead batteries during the cold snap.

Storms' advice is to stay ready year round.

"All that stuff can be prevented," says Storm.

Storms also recommends keeping a blanket, some water and food in the trunk, just in case you break down in this weather.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook