as well. in the next 15 minutes the mayor of philadelphia will give us an update on what the city is doing to get ready for the storm. we'll bring you this live as soon as it gets under way. but right now our team of meteorologists are tracking all the components of the storm, the snow, wind, also the flooding. let's get right to glenn "hurricane" schwartz. glenn, the first question everyone wants to know here is when is the snow getting here? >> i would say the first flakes don't start falling until more than 24 hours from now. so we still have plenty of time before the first flakes fly. and in delaware, that's where it's going to start. there's a blizzard watch for parts of the area, many places in our area will be getting ten inches or more and there's a possibility at least of major coastal flooding. what is a blizzard? there's a strict definition for that. not just heavy snow and kind of windy. it's got to be 35 mile an hour

winds sustained or frequent gusts for three hours or greater in a row and low visibility for three straight hours. rarely happens around here. even the blizzard of '96 wasn't really a blizzard. there's the blizzard watch in this area in lavender. just about all of south jersey except cape may county. areas north and west, which normally get more snow, you're going to get less snow this time, but still enough for a winter storm watch. pretty significant winter storm. then sussex county, delaware, cape may county, winter storm watch there, too. you're going to get heavy snow, lots of wind, coastal flooding, a lot happening at the shore. we have two systems that are going to combine, they haven't done it yet, and that is going to lead to the snow coming in. it starts after 8:00 on friday, the heaviest of it is 4:00 a.m.

to noon, and then it may start mixing in some parts of the area. more on the snow totals and the rest of the timing in just a few minutes. >> all right, glenn. let's turn to sheena parveen. sheena, you have new information on just how much snow we can get. >> yes, keith. we are expecting quite a bit of snowfall across the area, but it really depends where you live with this system and again, like glenn's going to mention coming up here, really going to depend where you live as far as any flooding concerns. here's a look at the snowfall map, this is what we expect right now. we have increased the totals a bit. you see the highest amounts for chester county, northern delaware, interior new jersey, 14 to 18 inches here. philadelphia area, 10 to 14 inches and surrounding suburbs, extending into inland parts of new jersey, six to ten inches through the lehigh valley, that's going to extend close to the shore, but along the immediate shore two to six inches. lesser amounts towards the poconos, edge of the snow is going to be up in that area. here's a zoomed in look at the

14 to 18 inches, chester county, delaware county, salem, and new castle county in delaware. here's an even closer look. this is just delaware, new castle and kept counties, we'll look at the rest of the area coming up, but for new castle county, 14 to 18 inches for most of the county if you are in this area in delaware, kent county, 10 to 14 inches here, less the farther south you go, so more snow is expected the closer to wilmington, bit of a rain/mix, heaviest snow 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on saturday and some could be heavy, wet snow. strongest winds in southern delaware, closer to the beaches, so keep that in mind. because we are expecting moderate to major flooding in those areas, but these are going to be some of the highest amounts in this area for parts of delaware. coming up, other counties around the area, neighborhood by neighborhood, we'll look at them and how much snowfall you can expect, as well as a closer look at the timing. that's all coming up. >> great information, sheena, thank you.

this winter storm could affect parts of the region very differently, but no matter where you live, nbc 10 has you covered. we've sent a team of reporters all across the area. beginning in pennsylvania, governor tom wolf declaring a state of emergency, the decision becomes hours after a blizzard watch was issued for much of the reason. the pennsylvania emergency management agency told residents today be prepared for power outages. >> make sure you write down all the information from your utility companies now before the lights go out, so if you have that information, put it in your cell phone, so it's available. >> another word of advice, make sure you have a cell phone charger in your car in case the power goes out. nbc 10's deanna durante has been traveling around montgomery county, she's live in center square tonight. deanna, crews are treating the roads right now. >> reporter: many of them have called it an evening for now, but they'll be back out first thing in the morning. a lot of long days for road

crews that have spent the time stocking up, filling up salt trucks and brining and also asking for you to stay inside during the storm. >> on to my 27th year. >> reporter: welcome to the office. >> that side coming up, the west side was already brined. >> reporter: in total, more than three dozen years under his belt and behind the wheel, so he knows a thing or two about snow. >> seems it would be a pretty big deal, although this time last year they called for the big storm we only got a couple inches out of, so prepare for the worst and hope best, i guess. >> reporter: he's part of a hefty road crew. there are two dozens here and hundreds of others hitting the road across the county this weekend and they'll be glad if you did not. >> for me when it comes to the plowing part, if you can keep your cars, if you have driveways, please, use your driveways. keep the cars off the road. closer we can get to the curb,

better off it's going to be for everybody. >> reporter: brining today and plowing will begin friday night. the crew here is hoping if you do venture out you'll at least stay out of their way. >> trying to pass me or get around me, chances are you're going to get stuck. >> reporter: and they are also asking when you go to clear out your car or driveway, not to shovel that snow directly back into the street where it's already been plowed, it's going to create icing headaches. deanna durante, nbc 10 news. >> deanna, thanks. our first alert weather team coverage continues now. doug shimell is live in trenton. people are stocking up so they don't have to leave their homes once the snow starts. >> reporter: this is the food bizarre here and it's not just an integral part of south trenton, it's an integral part of the region. many people know it's not close to the storm. who knew cold cuts are snowstorm food? and that hot entrees are the second big seller at the food

bizarre on trenton's south side. >> we want to make sure we have the necessities anybody needs, milk, bread, anything you need, you can come here and get. >> don't want to run out of toilet paper, don't want to run out of food. >> reporter: it is the endless stream of canned goods. >> got to have the essentials. >> reporter: and stuff that won't spoil if the power goes out. >> i don't want to be worried about having to come out in the snow and coming to the store and buy something the last minute and maybe there's nothing here we can eat. >> just be prepared that you're going to be in for two, three days, and just be prepared for that. >> can't run out of anything? >> no, i can't, not with the kids. >> reporter: food bizarre says they made a point to overstock on everything, knowing that they must stay open during the storm. >> for this area, we are a big lifeline, we have an adult community, a senior community right over there, they count on us to be here.

>> reporter: many of the employees at food bizarre come from the neighborhood and they say if they can walk here during the storm, they'll be here, the store will be open. live in trenton, doug shimell, nbc 10 news. >> snow isn't the only threat from this winter storm. this view from above shows crews up and down the coastline getting the beaches ready for some serious coastal flooding. let's bring in glenn "hurricane" schwartz again. glenn, for some parts of the shore, this flooding could be the worst since hurricane sandy. >> reporter: that's right, and worst of sandy's coastal flooding happened in the new york city area. south jersey and delaware did not get the worst out of sandy. as bad as it was, could have been way worse. it's all about the wind direction and in this case the wind is blowing offshore. the faster these arrows are going, stronger the wind. so as we get into tomorrow, we're talking about a

nor'easter. wind comes from the northeast, that piles up the water. every high tide gets higher. and the stronger the wind, the wind really strengthens on saturday. 40, 50, 60 miles an hour out there. piling up the water. the other thing that makes it a problem is full moon this weekend. and we have a full moon, the tide's already high, so you add it to that. just bad timing for that. saturday morning, saturday night, high tides, causing some flooding. saturday night worse than saturday morning. now if the onshore wind continued into sunday morning, then that would be the worst. flooding, but right now the storm is tracking to the east and that would help us out a little bit on sunday morning with that third high tide. sheena will be back with more of the snow totals where you live

coming up in a few minutes. >> glenn, thank you. jersey shore bureau reporter ted greenberg is live in cape may county. the phrase used was "worse than sandy." that strikes fear in people who live there. how are they preparing for this possible flooding? >> reporter: this is literally the calm before the storm, but we found the nor'easter is already putting a dent in business for some people here at the shore. >> weather doesn't look very good. >> reporter: his livelihood takes him far from shore, but steve's fishing boats are now docked in lower township before conditions at sea become too dangerous. >> not worth it, just come in and wait for the weather to go by and fish will be there when you go back out. >> reporter: on beaches in ocean city and other jersey shore communities, sand is being moved to build makeshift dunes to help hold back the ocean once the nor'easter starts slamming the coastline. moderate to major coastal flooding, potentially the worst

since hurricane sandy, could last for three high tide cycles starting saturday morning. >> i look towaforward to seeing yes, because we all like seeing nature. >> the biggest challenge, i think, we're going to face is the back bay flooding on top of the snow. >> reporter: in seaside heights, public works crews have been preparing for the storm since the beginning of the week. >> getting our plows and stuff ready so we're ready for the snow end of it, then we work into the beach area for the dunes and re-enforce the dunes. >> reporter: and tonight officials are reminding folks to bring things inside like lawn furniture and garbage cans so they don't become airborne in high winds and they are urging people not to call 911 for updates on the weather. live in ocean city, i'm ted greenberg, nbc 10 news. delawareans are now also preparing for the storm, that means getting their snow blowers up and running. if yours doesn't start, i'll have things you can try. no promises.

that's when we come back. we're still waiting for this news conference with the city of philadelphia. they'll be giving an update on how they are preparing for the winter storm and what people need to know before the snow begins. we'll keep an eye on this and bring it to you live as soon as it gets under way. and remember, before this winter storm arrives, be sure to download the nbc 10 app. it has all sorts of features to help you prepare, including the latest forecasts, live radar and blog updates from glenn "hurricane" schwartz. also see live cameras from our nbc 10 sky cam network, sign up for weather alerts and school closings and delays. we'll be right back.

you're watching nbc 10 first alert winter weather coverage. >> philadelphia mayor jim kenney is about to give an update on the city's plan for this winter storm. let's listen in live now. >> the most thorough and accurate information to our citizens, so today we have the mayor and heads of the operating departments here to brief you. we will do our best to provide you with the most accurate information regarding our plans, which we've been working on all week with the mayor and with the leaders of the departments, and we'll likely have another press

briefing some time tomorrow. so to get us started off with our report, i'm going to call on samantha phillips, who is the director of the office of emergency management, who will talk about the status of our coordinating efforts and how we will move those efforts forward over the next couple days. sam? >> good afternoon, thank you. again, i'm sam phillips, director of emergency management for the city. just to start off with, the forecast, the national weather service has been great about sharing information with us, and that's the official forecast that we use for our decision making. we are in a blizzard watch that begins friday evening and extends through sunday morning. we're forecasted for the most probable snowfall accumulation of 12 to 18 inches. certainly, there could be some anomalies there. the upper range could be closer to 20 and then, of course, the

lower is in the single digit inches. with this storm there's going to be some high winds, so we're really focused on the potential for power outages and downed trees, so we're doing some close coordination with our utility partners and also our parks and recreation department. i just want to go through our coordination to this point. we have not made any official decisions, but we will make decisions tomorrow after we get the most current forecasts from the national weather service, but we are leaning towards a snow emergency declaration but again we want to have the best forecast to inform our decision making process and we will likely activate the city's emergency operations center tomorrow evening. that activation will begin as a partial activation with core transportation and public safety agencies and then expand to a full activation on saturday morning.

the snowfall overnight should be relatively manageable and then the height of the storm will really kick in saturday morning. before i hand it over to deputy managing director i just want to make one distinguishing note. today governor wolf declared a state of emergency for the commonwealth of pennsylvania. that is completely different from the city of philadelphia snow emergency. as a reminder, our snow emergency only pertains to parking on snow emergency routes. the governor's state of emergency is helpful because it can free up resources if we need some support from our commonwealth partners, but there's no connection to city of philadelphia operations. thanks. >> good afternoon, in collaboration with other agencies inside the city and outside the city began its snow treatment operations yesterday evening at 7:00 p.m. with a brine operation.

for the snow that is expected to begin tomorrow we'll have a full deployment of approximately 400 plows and over 600 personnel will be plowing and salting our city streets. we're asking our citizens to join in our efforts by assisting with shoveling, shoveling their sidewalks, creating a clearance of three feet on the sidewalks, including the curb cuts and certainly to discourage them from putting snow back into the streets once they have been cleared. we're working in collaboration with the parking authority and tomorrow will be announced the time of starts, but there will be $5 lot parking by the parking authority. additional we're working with septa for our refill transportation. there could be expectations of delays on buses or trains. customers should check septa.org, septa.org, to determine the status of their trains and buses and get the latest updates, but we're doing our best to maintain our route

system throughout the city to minimize any impacts. as well with our airports, check there, as well, to determine if there's any delays or cancellations for flights as a result of the snow that may be coming to us. i will now turn it over to commissioner donald carton from the streets department. >> good evening. i would like to talk to individuals who have thursday trash collection, which will be picked up friday because of the mlk holiday. we ask individuals to please leave their trash at the curb. friday's collection will still be scheduled and picked up as it is planned. for those who normally have friday collection, we will not be collecting trash on saturday. we ask individuals who normally have friday trash collection to hold it until next friday. again, if your trash collection day is normally thursday, we will be working this friday and

will be collecting thursday's trash this friday. trash and recycling. for anyone who has trash and recycling collection normally scheduled on friday, we ask residents to hold it until next friday. i will now turn this over to honorable mayor james a. kenney. >> thank you very much. i want to thank all the agencies in their hard work in preparing for this. i also want to make sure we recognize and think about our city workers who are going to be out there in the frigid cold for a long period of time doing what needs to be done to get the city back in order and keep us safe. they are out there time and time again, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that they are out there, somebody's out there driving those plows and doing the things they need to do. we want to thank them for their work during the next couple days. i want to ask philadelphians to be safe and look out for each other, try to help your

neighbors, clear the steps, check on seniors and people who are shut in. let's work together as neighbors and citizens together to make sure we're safe and get out of this as soon as possible and get back to normal as soon as possible. citizens should also contact project home, their outreach hot line is 215-232-1984 if they see a homeless person in need of assistance during a storm. the operator will ask for a description and possible location for the person and please provide as much detail as possible. obviously, you know, everyone has to take care of each other, but homeless people are particularly vulnerable in the course of these kinds of events. please keep your eyes open, keep your phones ready and make that call and get those folks off the street, because they are in severe danger if they stay out there. the city also requires, excuse me, dog owners bring their pets indoors. in the event of extreme cold, ignoring this could result in a fine up to $500 and if you see a

dog or other pet outside call acct-philly at 267-385-3800. this is a first in a number of press updates we'll be having between now and the end of the storm and during the cleanup and i want to thank everybody for their hard work. there are folks up here, i've been mayor 17 days, i think, this is my first snowstorm as mayor, i lived in the city for a long time, 57 years, i've seen a lot of snowstorms, lived through a lot of snowstorms. back in '96 was the worst i could remember as a philadelphian, but all these folks up here have extreme experience in dealing with these issues and we're going to get through this together as a city and be happy to answer any questions you have. yes? [ inaudible question ] well, you know, meteorology and predicting is science but there's also an art to it and luck to it, too. mother nature isn't exactly on

time for lots of things, winds shift, we'll see what happens. we're preparing for the worst we think is going to happen at this particular time. again, i would love for all of this to be wrong and the sun comes out on saturday and it's 65, but that's probably not going to happen, so let's prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and be prepared for whatever comes. yes? >> police department has been making an effort on social media to ask residents not to -- >> yes, from south philly, i know. >> would you like to say anything about that? >> i understand, i've dug out a number of cars in my day. it is frustrating when you clear a space and think that space is yours, it isn't. i would suggest and request people think and be rationale and realistic and be considerate of each other that the space you dug out does not belong to you.

we've had people in dangerous fights, all kinds of things. let's be thoughtful with each other and try to help each other. living in south philadelphia for a long time, shovel your neighbor's pavement, the older folks on the block's pavement, when the storm is over, get out to the supermarket and knock on the older person's door, see if they need anything from the store, be considerate, this will pass. spring is coming, we will get through this together, but just be thoughtful and i think the police are doing the right thing in telling people this is not their space and they should not try to save it. yes? [ inaudible question ] >> first of all, when it comes to the major thoroughfares and roads, they need to be done first, airport needs to be done first. we're going to get to the small

streets as we have in the past, we have smaller vehicles with smaller plows capable of doing that. again, i've lived on a small street for, god, almost 40 years, i know what it's like to live on a small street and how frustrating it can be. i will tell you life is easier if you make your three-foot path and pile your snow at the curb and don't throw it into the street. that creates more problems. we have a plan for the small streets and vehicles that are capable for the small streets and we'll get there. >> do you have any other -- any plans different than the past administration? i know they were critical how they handled snow operations. >> well, one of the things i am going to try to attack when it comes to the snow cleanup, i'm a stickler for storm drains. storm drains need to be cleared and one of the criticisms i may have had at the time is the storm drains were not taken care of and what happens is as the

melt starts, water has nowhere to go, pools, cold at night, then you have an ice rink. we're trying to avoid that. we'll deal with agencies, the water department, and try to get the storm drains cleaned because mother nature brings the snow and mother nature will help take it away with warmer weather, but it has to have some place to go. i don't think there's really any new way to fight snow. other than doing what we've been doing over the years and when we do fall short somewhere to try to correct it the next time. i think the plan we have in place now and the people behind me, our team, i'm happy with the team approach and i think we'll be successful. [ inaudible question ] we're looking at that as kind of a springtime venture. i know for example in these snow emergencies, the all hands on deck rule where every city employee is capable and available for snow, we're going to work with our streets

department and transportation folks to figure out how we have a all hands on deck pothole season where we attack as many as possible in a comprehensive way. get it done in a comprehensive way altogether, it's less likely to create a pothole down the road because it's secure and done. potholes are spring, looking forward to spring, especially today, and we'll deal with that come springtime. [ inaudible question ] i think anyone can correct me, sam? >> there's a lot of consistency around this forecast. actually, some of the most consistent forecasting we've seen. the only reason for waiting is we have a responsibility to our citizens and visitors in philly to make decisions on the best available information and we'll get our last good information tomorrow morning and we'll go with that. it's just a strategy to make

decisions with. >> it also has a lot to do with when the storm comes and when it appears. our hope is that rush hour will be over, people will be home in their house safe and secure, snow will come 8:00, 9:00 or so, whatever, that's the time we kind of make these decisions. if you do it too early, creates a lot of chaos and not necessary yet because the snow hasn't arrived. i'm confident in sam and the people behind me to make that right call. >> what plans do you have in place to make sure the personnel -- >> well, streets department is probably the most impacted by that. >> we work very closely with our essential staff to identify places where there could be challenges. we even offer car pooling where necessary to ensure those who need to be at work to provide services to our citizens are where they need to be.

[ inaudible question ] >> you have to be off the snow emergency routes and i've talked with the parking authority who is responsible for towing these cars, that if we call it too early, people have their cars towed because they don't move it, then sometimes the plows come through, people assume the plows came through, snow emergency is over, they've reparked their cars, we have to tow them again. so the later we can call it, the more effective we are in approaching the problem and dealing with those who don't abide by it. there's a ticket and tow just like a normal ticket and tow. great, thanks. >> we will get through this together, those words from philadelphia mayor jim kenney. this will be his first snowstorm as mayor, he's preparing for the worse. city officials say they are leaning towards a snow emergency declaration.

the city brining the roads last night, they'll begin salting tomorrow once the snow starts to fall. they'll be out in full force, too, they say. earlier today tom wolf declared a state of emergency. stay with nbc 10 by downloading the free nbc 10 app. we're working hard to provide up to the minute updates, radar, forecasts, and what it will look like in your neighborhood, so please stay prepared and protected, download the free nbc 10 app. let's get right over to nbc 10 first alert chief meteorologist glenn "hurricane" schwartz. glenn, what's the latest on this? >> well, the mayor is absolutely right, this is pretty much a sure bet we're going to be getting a pretty significant to major snowstorm and why we have a first alert out friday night, early sunday morning. there is a blizzard watch for philadelphia and surrounding areas. you don't see that very often, even when we get big snowstorms. many parts of the area are going to get ten inches of snow by the time it's done and major coastal flooding is possible with this.

we do have the blizzard watch that covers the philadelphia i-95 corridor from trenton, down to wilmington, covers the northern half of delaware and all of south jersey except for cape may county. winter storm watch in the northern and western suburbs that normally get hit the hardest. still going to get a winter storm and also going to get a winter storm in sussex and cape may counties, although it may change to rain. also going to get a lot of wind and coastal flooding. the storm in two pieces now, one over missouri, one down south. this area is really exploding, lots and lots of moisture, even severe weather with that. the timeline starts generally after 8:00 friday. not affecting the afternoon rush, unless you're going home from work really late. 4:00 a.m., spreading south to north. 4:00 a.m. saturday to noon, that's when the heaviest snow happens, the wind really increases, especially at the shore, and then it may mix in

some areas in the afternoon, tapers off and ends overnight on saturday. of course, more of the amounts coming up. glenn, thank you very much. let's bring in sheena parveen. hey, sheena. >> hey, yeah, we have the amounts up for you updated from earlier this morning, so those amounts are going to be going up a bit in some areas and we expect some of the heaviest snow occurring through the overnight hours, into early saturday, noon saturday. here's a look at the snow forecast, some of the highest amounts for parts of chester county, northern delaware, then we'll see somewhere from about 10 to 14 inches around the philadelphia area, so this is a lot of snow falling, it's going to create bad driving conditions, definitely don't want to be on the road through the lehigh valley, six to ten inches, lower towards the poconos. that's going to be a bit of the edge of the snow there. closer to the shore there, six to ten inches and less closer to the shore points, two to six

inches possibly, but we could see mixing there, too. there you see a closer look at some of the highest totals, northern delaware, salem county, chester county, and delaware county. we'll look at chester and delaware counties right now, so what we do expect is all snow in these areas. heaviest 3:00 a.m. to noon saturday, so a lot of this occurring overnight, continuing to accumulate early saturday and more snow as you get closer to the philadelphia area, but these are the highest amounts we expect through the area. keep in mind we could have bursts of snow, bands coming in, dropping snow at once and also windy at this time, too. a lot of snow into the weekend. coming up a closer look at counties around the area and the timing. that's straight ahead. >> sheena. before the storm you need the supplies, local stores have been flooded with customers. harry hairston has more on the rush to get ready in chester county. what's it look like there, harry?

>> reporter: that's right, i'm here in westchester. folks are just coming in, home from work, stopping here getting what they need but other people i talked to got ahead of the game today. >> i've already went grocery shopping, picking up an extra shovel as a back saver to save my back, looking for salt, but i guess they are all out. >> reporter: she says she can do without salt, but when a big storm is about to bear down on you, it's all about backing up supplies. >> i have a little bit at home, i was hoping to get extra, you know, just to be on the safe side. >> reporter: eric miller tells me last year's storm caught him off guard, but he's not going to let that happen again. what are you getting today? >> this is just a smaller generator just in case. >> reporter: just in case? >> just in case generator. >> reporter: did you have a problem last time? >> we lost it three days. >> reporter: not this time? >> not this time, we're ready.

>> reporter: and as you can see, customers here at the line, they are starting to cash out, picking up things like flashlights and shovels and whatever they need, but the most important thing is don't be caught off guard, get what you need so that you're not sitting there saying, well, you know, we're out of power and food and we're in trouble. reporting live in westchester, harry hairston, nbc 10 news. >> great advice. you're probably going to want to stay home, too, once the storm hits. if you have travel plans this weekend, you might want to change them, especially if you're planning to fly. american airlines is already announced they'll be reducing operations tomorrow night and they've cancelled all flights saturday into philadelphia. some airlines are waiving change fees so you can switch your flight for free. there are some restrictions, though, so make sure you check with your airline first. now to the rails, amtrak making changes, here's a live look right now. this is the schuylkill expressway, the lights you see heading into philadelphia. express, northeast regional and

other services have modified schedules with fewer trains. you know what, looking at that traffic, train might be a good choice. same goes for keystone service between harrisburg and new york. washington, d.c., and boston will operate as scheduled tomorrow. as for septa, they haven't announced what changes they'll make to their service this weekend. septa officials hold a news conference tomorrow morning at 9:30 to reveal plans. that information as soon as we get it. new jersey governor chris christie is known for dealing with weather emergencies, you'll remember hurricane irene in 2011, sandy in 2012. despite the snow and potential for flooding at the jersey shore, christie still on the campaign trail. right now he says he has no plans to leave new hampshire. he has events scheduled there friday and saturday. tonight another leader is apologizing for how her city handled this snowy mess. cars in washington, d.c., got

stuck on the road for hours last night, and now it could get the brunt of this winter storm. what they are doing to avoid an even bigger mess coming up on nbc 10 news at 5:00. and if you're not near the tv, you can still get updates on this winter storm by using the nbc 10 app. all of our coverage will be streaming live. you can also track the storm or find the latest snow totals for your neighborhood.

now to some stories making headlines at 5:00. there's now a $30,000 reward for help identifying a dog walker's killer. investigators say this is a sketch of the man who killed mark marshall last month. the victim was walking his two dogs in west philadelphia when the suspect approached him, got into an argument, then shot him several times. lawyers defending congressman chaka fattah have asked a judge to let them quit

the case. in court documents attorneys say fattah hasn't honored his fee agreement. the congressman addressed his concerns with his lawyers. >> we have ratzed and spent over $300,000 in legal fees, we can't keep up with the pace of the payments. i spoke with the firm and decided we are putting our effort into the primary election and the firm is not large enough to absorb and hold on to, you know, the cost in the case. >> nbc 10 caught up with the congressman about an hour ago in a campaign event where he was surrounded by other officials who support his election to congress. he tells us he's focused on his re-election campaign and will raise the money for his trial after the april primary. he wouldn't say how much he owes the attorneys. the congressman is accused of using federal grants and charitable donations to pay any illegal campaign loans.

and congressman fattah is married to nbc 10 news anchor renee chenault-fattah. renee is currently on leave from nbc 10. well, coming up we have a big winter storm heading our way. i'll show you the updated snowfall totals and the timing. what you can expect and when you can expect some of the heaviest snow. that's straight ahead.

you're watching nbc 10 first alert winter weather coverage. >> impending snowstorm will give penndot a chance to show off new tools. allowing users to track snow plows across the region online, see where the trucks have been over the previous two hours.

not all the plows have them, they should give users a sense of the progress they are making. rain, sleet, or snow, postal workers have to work in any condition, but the impending snowstorm they are asking customers to clear any snow around mailboxes and sidewalks. in past storms some carriers have been hurt because of slips and falls on icy and snow covered walkways and porches. these are some of the most important areas to clear, the curb where your mailbox is located. if you don't, carriers have to get out of the trucks and that slows things down. any walkways, sidewalks, and steps to your house. cleaning snow off overhangs is also recommended. listen to this, if the electricity goes out, good chance it night, nbc 10, telemundo 62, and comcast have you covered. power-up stations will be set up around the region. by the way, it's a free service. you can see a complete list of plug-in power-up stations on our

website. just download the nbc 10 app to find the location closest to you. all right, i want to show you this. in canada, an 80-year-old guy got a ticket for not clearing the snow off his car before he hit the road. look at this, it was tweeted out by police this picture in ontario. the man only cleared off enough snow that he can see out the front windshield. he told police he was too old and weak to clean the snow off his entire car. somebody ought to help him out. he did get a $110 ticket. sheena, not a good idea, not safe for the driver. hopefully no one tries that around here. >> no, and i kind of do feel bad for him, but never do that. that's not a good idea and you will get pulled over, very dangerous. we do expect a lot of snow friday night, into sunday early in the morning, a winter storm is heading our way and if you haven't heard yet, which i'm sure you have, we have a blizzard watch for the area. this means the potential for

whiteout conditions in some spots, very high winds gusting near about 55 miles an hour possibly and heavy snow. we could see upwards of ten inches in many areas and major coastal flooding is going to be a concern through saturday morning and saturday evening along with high tide and a full moon. now the watches and warnings in place. what you see in the orange at the bottom of your screen is a blizzard warning, blizzard conditions expected around baltimore. we are under blizzard watch, we're going to keep an eye out for these type of conditions, but likely some could occur. areas of heavy snow we expect, visibility a quarter mile or less, yes, we expect that. 55 mile an hour wind gusts and possible power outages, especially with heavy, wet snow, combining with that wind. north and west through the lehigh valley, upper bucks, montgomery county, this is a winter storm watch out, so heavy snow, low visibility, just wind gusts near 30 miles an hour in this case, but still the likelihood of power outages, cannot rule that out.

still a winter storm watch also for cape may and sussex county, so two other areas we'll be watching closely, too. big area of low pressure moving into louisiana, that's part of our winter storm, a lot of moisture moving up from the gulf of mexico with that one and it's going to be running into the cold air here. look at the timing, your morning commute tomorrow will be dry. now we're looking at a very close call on the evening commute depending what time you leave. it's going to start from the south, though. 6:00 p.m. friday, snow in delaware, moving up into south jersey, the philadelphia area by 11:00 p.m., a lot of the area should be snow covered by 11:00 p.m. the heaviest will be overnight. start to see the deeper shades of purple, i would show you heavy snow in the closer to the rain/snow line, heavy, wet snow, so the higher potential for power outages at this point could be part of south jersey and delaware. snow continuing to accumulate through 10:00 a.m. saturday, there you see it, we could have breaks through the day saturday, saturday at 5:00 p.m., snow still falling. we'll be watching that closely

and also watching the shore very closely, shore concerns, moderate to major coastal flooding, wind gusts near 60 miles an hour, more of an onshore wind saturday, along with high tide and a full moon. if you're along the shore and the beaches and are familiar with what happens at high tide in a full moon, combine that with 60 mile an hour onshore winds and we are talking about big flooding concerns at the shore, saturday morning and saturday evening when the high tides occur. snow forecasts for the rest of the area, 14 to 18 inches possibly into northern delaware, parts of chester county, 10 to 14 around the philadelphia area and interior parts of new jersey, six to ten closer to the shore, but along the immediate shore, two to six, we could see mixing there. six to ten closer to the lehigh valley, but we could see a bigger cutoff closer to the poconos with the edge of the snow being right there. here's a look at some of the bigger snow amount areas, new castle county, chester county, but now we'll look into areas of south jersey. here's counties in south jersey

we're talking about, salem, cumberland, gloucester county, camden county, and burlington county, mix that could change to a rain, closer to the shore especially, but that would be critical the snow amounts. in this case we still expect those high snow amounts, heaviest snow occurring 4:00 a.m. to noon saturday. strongest winds will be closer to the shore, but either way we expect wind gusts possibly near 55 miles an hour, along with that heavy snow, so, yes, going to be a lot of snow falling through the overnight hours and saturday. now we're looking at philadelphia, we could see some mix, especially towards the end of the system, but either way we expect snow, heavy snow 3:00 a.m. to noon saturday. blowing snow will be lowering visibility, so we'll be watching these totals, as well, right now about 10 to 14 inches in those areas. for tonight, mostly clear and cold, dry tonight. 22 for the low in philadelphia, tomorrow a dry day, we'll see the clouds increasing, then snow moving in at night. so far kind of a close call on

the evening commute, but i think most of the area will be fine, just make sure you get home by about 5:00 p.m. through most of the area because that snow is going to start to move in from the south and once it starts to move in, it will start spreading quickly towards the major interstates. that will be closer to 10:00, 11:00 p.m. friday night, then we'll see it spread through the area, snow get heavier overnight and you'll be waking up saturday morning to snow falling, accumulating, wet snow, it will be windy and gusty, areas with whiteout conditions. yes, this is going to be an event where, of course, we will be here keeping you updated, tracking the storm, but really you don't want to go on the road, especially saturday morning, that's when we expect a lot to be occurring. >> the storm is still down south. anything still out there that might change the impact of the storm? >> the track, there could be a shift in the track that would dictate the rain/snow line, the line we expect would move into parts of new jersey and delaware, but that's why the

totals, the snow totals, are critical to where the rain/snow line goes and that's critical to a small shift in the track. of course, we'll be watching this closer tomorrow, as well, and updating it, but we'll be having a live facebook posting at 7:00 tonight, so make sure you tune in there, so we'll be able to answer your questions. >> sheena, thank you. nbc 10 will be on facebook, also twitter throughout this winter storm posting new information as soon as it comes in. you can also send us your questions and comments about the storm and its impact on your neighborhood. all right, lester holt joins us now with a look what's coming up on "nbc nightly news." this snowstorm will affect millions of people, i'm sure it will be covered tonight. >> you bet. we've got our team up and down the east coast and al roker will be here tracking it with the latest. also on the campaign trail in iowa where hillary clinton sharpens her attack on bernie sanders, questioning his foreign policy experience. intriguing new chapter to a deadly spy story. did vladimir putin okay a man's

fatal poisoning by plutonium? and the folks behind the oscars rewriting the script as will smith weighs in on the diversity controversy, that's all on "nbc nightly news" coming up at 6:30. >> lester, thank you so much. see you in about 40 minutes. we'll be back here on nbc 10 for more first alert weather coverage.

you're watching nbc 10 first alert winter weather coverage. >> an apology today from washington, d.c.,'s mayor after drivers got stuck on ice covered roads during last night's commute. look at this, mayor and city leaders say the roads should have been properly cleared. now the district is preparing for up to 20 inches of snow on friday. >> we're preparing for a blizzard, you know, i've lived in d.c. most of my life and i don't know that i have lived through a forecast like this. >> the mayor says more than 100 pieces of equipment will be on area streets once tomorrow's storm hits. again, that's in washington, d.c. nbc 10 news at 6:00 is next. here are jim rosenfield and jacqueline london. >> thanks, keith. nbc 10 preparing you for the winter storm headed our way. >> crews are readying the roads tonight. parts of the area are just over 24 hours away from seeing the storm's first affects and the first alert weather team has you

covered. >> we're going to have more than 24 hours straight of snow. straight ahead i'll have updates on how much snow is going to hit your neighborhood. up to the minute details on the storm's track and how long it's going to last. plus, protecting property. we're live at the shore where they are bracing for what could be the most serious flooding since hurricane sandy.

nbc 10 news starts now.

this is nbc 10 news first alert weather. >> here it comes, a major winter storm taking aim on our area. what you see here will dump ten inches of snow or more on much of the region with some blizzard like conditions that are possible. >> and nbc 10 was in olney today as crews treated the roosevelt boulevard. a state of emergency has already been declared for pennsylvania. down the shore, coastal flooding is the concern. nbc 10 in ocean city today, heavy machinery used to move sand in hopes of protecting homes from a rush of water. good evening, everyone, i'm jim rosenfield. >> i'm jacqueline london. we are more than 24 hours away from seeing the first effects of the storm. nbc 10 is getting you prepared with live team coverage in all parts of the area. lauren mayk is in philadelphia, tim furlong in delaware, and ted greenberg is at the jersey

shore. >> but we begin with our team of first alert meteorologists. glenn "hurricane" schwartz is break down the timing, sheena has expected totals. let's start with you, glenn. >> 24 hours from now the first flakes will be flying in delaware and that will be the beginning of the storm. first alert out for friday night, into early sunday morning. and a blizzard watch is in effect for parts of the area and many parts of the area are going to get ten inches or more of snow. those things don't happen often and a chance of major coastal flooding in parts of the area. in order to get a blizzard, not only need the heavy snow, you need winds of over 35 miles an hour and low visibilities, both for at least three straight hours. so that's kind of a hard thing to get in this part of the country. the blizzard watch includes the philadelphia i-95 corridor, northern half of delaware, and all of south jersey except for cape may