one hour above freezing. 156 hours at or below. 26 in d.c. 23 in rockville. we are dealing with the wind chill factor around. around the region, 20 in gaithersburg. luray is 28 degrees. cumberland is 23. feeling like the teens in many spots. 15 in hagerstown. same in leonardtown. andrews at 23. within the beltway, 16 degrees. biting cold night. no way around it. we have colder air heading this way. you look at the numbers. we keep the mid-20's. not the wind chill factor in the next couple of hours. later in the seven-day forecast we have some days that will struggle to get to 20. we are talking about the high temperature. so this relentless pattern of the really cold temperatures the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time to continue. we will talk more about that. specifics and break down the timing hour-by-hour of the snow in a few minutes. larry: the cold weather prompted two-hour delay for schools in berkeley county in virginia mo

area. we feel it here at this stage. we are stuck in a deep freeze. alison: abc7's tom roussey joins us from siller is spring where crews are work -- silver spring where the crews are working on a water main break. this is just part of the problem out there today, right? tom: it is. there are a lot of affects from the cold. the water main break is one of the worst. this is on new hampshire avenue. so as you can imagine it's wreaking havoc on traffic. i just got an update. good news. they have made progress. it won't last forever but it will last through the evening rush hour. thanks to the water main break the traffic was bad even before rush hour started. >> bad. really bad. >> how bad was the traffic you were in? >> bad. back like 20 minutes. >> that is right. 20 minutes from the beltway, which you could see less than a quarter mile away. everything had to merge to one lane. >> what i don't like about it is the left lane, they think they automatically can

get in without any courtesy. >> new hampshire avenue isn't the only major road with the water main trouble. route one in hyattsville, part of the southbound lanes were blocked thanks to a break. it created thick ice leaving a nearby auto repair shop leaving crews to put down more shop. it took me a half hour to pull in here. >> we are working 16 water breaks since friday. >> that is montgomery alone. so ones like this in downtown hyattsville not causing the traffic trouble can wait. d.c. has had a number of breaks, too. like this one near the u.s. capitol cannon office building. virginia seen its share like this one in alexandria. >> all right. schools are affected, too. fairfax county about 200 bus routes were affected because the buses wo

issue with heating in some of the schools. burglary, richard montgomery county high. and a pipe burst at white oak middle. reporting live in silver spring, i'm tom roussey, abc7 news. alison: thank you. a broken water pipe caused flooding at the kramer junior high school in southeast d.c. at this hour it's not clear if it will reopen but the rest of d.c. schools tomorrow. so be the first to know if your child's school is shut down or delayed because of the weather. sign up for the text alerts by going to wjla.com/text. larry: now to a crime alert in takoma park where police say two men tried to lure an 8-year-old girl in their vehicle with the promise of candy. this happened around 9:00 a.m. near pine and elm avenue, not far from the takoma metro station. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis now joins us. this child giving a pretty good description to police of one of the men and also what he said. kevin: yeah. her memory of this frightening

the young girl waiting in the front yard for her dad to drive her after she missed a school bus and the suspicious vehicle appeared. >> the light brown skinned male with hazel eyes. kevin: the police hold impromptu press conference after two men reportedly tried to abduct an 8-year-old girl. the young girl says silver colored s.u.v. stopped in front of her home. the male passenger opened the door and stated "come to my house. i have candy." the man wearing black clothing had a hoop nose ring, flower tattoo on his left hand and a pink pimple or growth near his left eye. >> it was very brief. >> by midday, the police went door to door and hopes surveillance camera caught the vehicle. that may have a d.c. tag

the dent on the side. >> think are browsing the data base to see if they have anyone with a flower tattoo. the driverer, the young girl could only say it was a man. live in takoma park, kevin lewis, abc7 news. larry: the prince george's county police investigating a murder inside am with's home saturday evening on pennsylvania avenue. sonya harris was found unresponse i in her bedroom and died soon after. she died

upper body. if you know anything, please call the police. there is a reward. alison: an 11-year-old girl fighting for life after being hit by a car in morning rush. q mccray is on the scene. do we know the little girl's condition? >> i just got off the phone with if police and they confirm she is in critical condition now. the 1-year-old was crossing -- 11-year-old was crossing the street when she was hit. >> i work with 9 and 10-year-olds. that is horrible. >> it happene

a.m. the police shut down the eastbound side of pennsylvania for four hours. as they worked the case. >> we know right now we have a juvenile struck. taken to a local hospital. investigation is ongoing. >> the driver stayed on scene. this isn't the first accident at the intersection. july 3 last year we told you about a man struck and killed crossing the same street. speeders are common but he feels safe crossing the street. >> i am sorry to hear about the child getting hurt. not a problem for me, though. follow the rules with the lights.

q: i did some digging and found out there were 31 accidents at this intersection last year. 13 involved serious injuries or death. in district heights i'm q mccray, abc7 news. larry: the longest serving republican senator is calling at it career. orrin hatch will not seek re-election when the seat comes up this fall after 40 years on the hill. many believes his retirement will clear the way for mitt romney to run for the seat. alison: sterling man in court days after f.b.i. officers raided his home as part of an investigation in isis related terrorism. the f.b.i. says sean duncan tried to destroy a thumb drive and microchip with evidence against him. nearly a year ago a family member told authorities he may have been radicalized. in the court documents revealed he eresearched how to build a bomb. larry: now to a developing story in iran. 21 people are dead and a hundred more could face the death penalty after being arrested in the escalating protests

larry: the plo tests began a week ago. spurred by a weak economy. in the first statement since the protests, the ayatollah blamed the unrest on "enemies of iran." at almost the same time that the statement came out, president trump threw support behind the protest calling iran a state sponsor of terror. tonight, abc7 chief political correspondent scott thuman explains the effect it could have and what is driving the wave of protests. scott: calling for the death of iran's president and its supreme court leader, protesters spread across the country created a firestorm in more than one way. iran accuses president trump of adding gasoline. >> his recent tweet supporting the demonstrators saying it's time for change and criticizing the obama administration for, "foolishly returning money to the regime" by lifting sanctions from the nuclear deal. either way, there is a shi

>> discovering that it doesn't have the automatic support of the people in the past he could count on. >> iranian expert says while the protests could dissipate, they expose a weakness. >> the government is defending itself as a great power in the region. it's just not true. >> despite the government funding religious institutions, unemployment is high. some say 25% among young people. >> clearly, there is a very, very strong frustration among population over the worsening economic situation. >> in the arab spring of 2011, similar concerns led to change in egypt. and libya. but in many ways they are still unstable. in iran, tougher leaders could take over. >> is it a be careful what you wish for scenario? >> many in the iranian political concluded that it would be a mistake to have some kin

overthrow. >> what we are seeing from the protesters, i wouldn't put up with that. >> president trump waits to see if any of the allies may join him in the effort the tweets are not sitting well with iran leader who blame the u.s. for many of the problems including that travel ban. live on capitol hill tonight, scott thuman, abc7 news. alison: thank you. coming up, seven months after this terrifying scene in times square, a new way to protect pedestrians from attack. >> anybody will tell you that is not him. >> i want a lot of answers. larry: parents demanding answers after a police officer's car hit and killed their son. they say the official story doesn't make sense. >> dramatic video. the race to save a family after their car plunges through thin ice in montgomery county. if your iphone is running slow, "7 on your side" has answers on how to

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y2offy yi0y alison: if you have an iphone listen up. there is a growing demand by the iphone users to replace the phone's battery after apple admitted to slowing down

weakens. so how do you know when it's time to replace the battery? what does they take? "7 on your side" investigator nathan baca found answers. nathan: "7 on your side" is working to find out just how difficult it can be to buy replacement battery for your iphone. but first, you can find out just how drained your battery is. simple looking at the battery percentage on the upper right of your screen does not tell you. instead you need to search for the battery checker apps in the app store to tell you what your battery life is. if measured in miliamps or mah. >> what apple has done is they have said that when your battery is no longer able to provide the power that it needs to operate the peak performance it scales that back. >> apple says they will replace all iphone 6 batteries or later for a $29 charge. no matter what the test results are. we went inside the apple store in georgetown and an employee

buy a battery replacement can be up to five days if they don't have your model inside the store. appointments are encouraged and walk-ins could take a few hours. we found at an apple store it's routed to a central office that doesn't know if the individual stores still have batteries available. if you have an iphone 5 or older that is not eligible for the battery replacement discount. it regularly costs $79. but we found a company to send you a do it yourself kit. that is on the website wjla.com. it costs $30. but if you do it wrong it could permanently damage your phone. reporting from georgetown, nathan baca, abc7 news. larry: go to the app. good information. must-see video from florida. you have to see this. the coast guard racing to rescue an 89-year-old man who crashed his car off the bridge and into the water. because the man already suffered a medical emergency he couldn't escape and that

smash out the window and drag him from the car. at last check he was hospitalized but alive. some incredible video showing the firefighters that are kees youing a family of three from the car after it crashed through the ice covered creek. if that wasn't bad enough it was only ten degrees outside with a wind chill of 0. three people inside were cold. but otherwise they were unharmed. alison: wow! so scary. larry: it is. bill: these are dangerous temperatures and a dark area as well. go there. >> so interesting. each day we track -- when i say "interesting." i want to talk about this. this is the shot of the chesapeake bay camera. look in the middle of the screen. you can see the water and it looks like it stops. that is the ice that developed. my mic is on so batteries have run out if you don't hear me. alison: like your iphone. battery is

much they die. this is the ice and it's grown over the last 24 hours. so it is getting icier and icier. 26 is the high. 13 is the low. want me to wear this microphone? all right. wear this one. 43 degrees. 29 is the temperature. the record is 71 that was set in 1876. getting close to the 5:00 hour. in terms of the temperatures. the winds are out of the west. the dew point is so dry. you may notice the knuckling cracking or the lips cracking because it is so dry and so cold.

there. we are not dealing with the snow around the region. not just in our area but region wide. the story, hands down are cold temperatures. they will extend to florida. it feels like high us in 13 in detroit. ridiculous. minus 12 in chicago. 21 around louisville. the weather system we are watching is an aggressive system that is working up. it will strengthen in the intensity. what we are watching for is where it is positioned. i think we here in the d.c. metro will be on the western edge of this. bulk of the energy should stay offshore. this is 3:00 in the morning on thursday. let me point out that we look at a myriad of the models.

this is a worst case scenario. up and down the eastern seaboard to new england, new york city, providence, hartford, boston. this is widespread to northern florida. this is a winter storm watch. watch means it's favorable. a warning means it is happening or will happen. we have only had an hour above freezing fo

hours. 4:00 in the morning last wednesday. there are colder temperatures to push records on records, friday, saturday and sunday the highs and the low. this is the 7th coldest of the day. that is going to flirt with the coldest day ever. the record is five on that day. alison: i want to hibernate. bill: exactly! >> alison: still ahead

temperatures got cold at the north american zoo that was too cold for penguins. >> there is good news in 2018 regarding crime in the capital in 2017. alison: don't forget it's comedy night in abc7 primetime -- >> but first here is what is cooking for "good morning washington" tomorrow. >> thanks, guys. form on "good morning washington" is gym intimidation holds you back don't let fear ruin your fitness goals. we show you how to overcome your hesitation to hit the gym. >> do you hear the "c" word? we look at sell brassy and millennial dating in the d.m.v. >> see you bright and early for traffic and weather every ten minutes starting at 4:25 a.m. o

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so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben. what's so good about fios anyway? uh. what's so great about a 100% fiber-optic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely? hey. did you take out the trash? haha, garbage boy! dad, i already took out ben. it's not funny. gaming is best on a 100% fiber-optic network. so get fios. now, just $79.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee with a 2-year agreement. 's larry: if opening days of 2017, muriel bowser touting statistics for 2017. alison: the big message is crime in down. in particular, violent crime. we look at what has changed. >> crime grips the capital but last year the gris loosened.

decrease in homicide and sexual assault. >> violent crime dropped 22% from the previous year. 9% dip in the property crime. 11% reduction overall. >> i'm pleased to announce that crime is decreasing here in the city. >> the reason vary. lake the installation of the cameras to aid in capturing criminal. >> our ability to capture those involved in the violent crime is something that is most instrumental in us being able to close crimes. >> there are some pockets that crime is resilient. but the chief cited another statistic that shows something on the rise in d.c. the homicide closure rate. for last year sto

>> coming up, must-see video of the race to save a sawn frozen in the pond it calls home. larry: new york has plans to prevent this from happening again. a teenager is killed after

larry: a mother is demanding answers tonight 24 hours after the crash that killed her son, 16-year-old derek staton died after the police say he stepped in the path of a metro transit police officer's car. his mother says it can't be true. she spoke to maryland bureau chief brad bell who joins us with what else she is saying. brad: so many questions tonight. this is where the teenager was killed. trying to cross the highway to get to the popular shopping

the investigation is still underway. something we know this is a dangerous place to cross the road. there is no marking in the road. there is no pedestrian crossway, there is no button on the hole to push. there is no walk or don't walk sign. 16-year-old derek staton was killed yesterday as he tried to cross crane highway on foot. the state police say they believe he was at fault walking in the path of the metro transit police truck driven by the officer gary who was off-duty and on the way to work. the mother and the stepfather says it can't be that simple. >> i don't know what to believe but i know he knows better than trying to run on the red light. i know that. >> i just want the truth. it is not going to bring our son back.

apart. >> the police want to hear from the witnesses. the metro transit administration put him on leave but offer no comment. something that seems clear to family, this is a dangerous cross. there is no crosswalk of any sort. >> i find it crazy that nobody would have anything here to safeguard the children. which is a real problem. >> we're told that engineers will look at the intersection to see if improvements can be made. >> derek didn't deserve this at all. >> nobody deserves this. nobody. >> while we were out here this afternoon we saw others crossing the street.

them. the state highway administration will come out here and the engineers will look at this to see if there is a safe and a practical way to get people from there to the shopping center. we are going to stay on the story and find out if and when the improvements are made. from brandywine, brad bell, abc7 news. alison: thank you very much. caught on video a transformer explodes in flames along the central way road in gaithersburg. i took a couple of hours but the power was restored last night. people in maryland could be paying more for the electricity. pepco is requesting permission for 4% increase that is $5 a month or more on an average bill. the rate increase is recoup the cost of the $41 million in upgrades last year. larry: there is no word what sparked this fire in the bronx.

water down the flames while others ran in the building to get others out. two others were hurt but none of the injuries are life threatening. they believe it started in a furniture store on the ground floor. that fire comes less than a week after a dozen people died in another building fire in the bronx. three victims were children. investigators say a child playing with a stove is what started the fire. alison: new york sidewalks will soon get 1,500 more barriers like the one you see them installing there to protect pedestrians against the attack. the barriers were installed after a terror attack using a car in october that left eight people dead. that followed the chaotic scene in may when a man plowed through a pack of pedestrians near times square. terrorism was ruled out in that case but the driver is charged with murder. larry: urgent search for two girls in texas and the man they believe abducted them. terry miles is also the person

his mother who was his roommate. am bert allow for the -- amber alert is out for the girls and the police were at the house last week responding to a domestic incident. >> the male was strange when i first met him. i didn't talk to him. he was jittery. larry: he may be in new mexico or colorado. they thought he was headed to louisiana where the family friends say he used to live. alison: still to come here at 5:00 -- the first responder equivalent of swan lake. the daring effort to save a majestic bird frozen in place on the pond it calls home near richmond. larry: first, a major breakthrough that could lead to flu vaccines that lasts for years. how it works using your own d.n.a. next at 5:00. h. i'm cheryl conner -- cheryl: i'm cheryl conner in montgomery county. fires that were linked to

coming up, exclusive look at a burned out home and a before we start, i just want to sayned out home and a if anyone still doesn't have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben. what's so good about fios anyway? uh. what's so great about a 100% fiber-optic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely? hey. did you take out the trash? haha, garbage boy! dad, i already took out ben. it's not funny. gaming is best on a 100% fiber-optic network. so get fios. now, just $79.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee with a 2-year agreement.

larry: "7 on your side" with health matters. new research show autism rates in the u.s. appear to be leveling off. data in the journal of american medical association shows autism rates remained relatively stable from 2014 to 2016. it found 2.4% of children in the u.s. are on the autism spectrum. that i

in the 2010 study. alison: this is an appealing thought. one trip to the doctor that could give protection from the flu for years. it would do that without a traditional needle prick. "7 on your side"'s lindsey mastis shows us how it would work. lindsey: when flu season arrives we roll up our sleeves. it happens every year. what if there was a vaccine that lasted for years? >> this is a new concept in the flu vaccines. this is the next new wave of the vaccine. >> flu researcher dep ra fuller and her -- debra fuller is developing a d.n.a. flu vaccine. it would tackle the flu mutation. right now the flu virus is constantly changing. scientists have to make guesses how to protect people each year. >> now and then they get it wrong and there is a mismatch like a little bit this year and the vaccine

effective than what it would be if it's a complete match. >> how dis it -- does it work? it's late component of the flu that don't change and uses d.n.a. vaccination to tell the body to produce antibodies to fight the infection. >> the skin cell will stimulate immune response. >> completely new and a daring take on swan lake. >> they brave the frigid temperatures to make sure

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alison: a california city could be the first in the u.s. to use drones to quickly deliver blood. blood or medical samples can be put in a box and sent off with the push of a button. the texnology is used in switz. doctors in robert palo alto sayt can

deliveries but with a drone it would take ten minutes. >> with the system you are able to save tremendous time. and reduce waste. >> this is a number of the pilot programs that are considered by the f.a.a. doctors say it would be critical in the emergencies. >> amazing. yeah. carrie underwood admits she look different next time fans see her. her face needed 50 stitches when she trip and fell. her publicist said she broke her wrist when stepped out of her house but she has stayed out of the public eye while she recovers. >> the frigid temperatures did not stop some getting outdoors and trekking through d.c. amy takes us to a food and friend volunteers who says braving the temperatures isn't that bad if it's for a good cause.

>> there are eight people waiting on food and friend delivery. delivers meal despite the freezing temperatures. >> he hit the street. no matter the temperature on the dashboard. >> people need the service. as much as we get out, it's a given. that the volunteer force comes out. >> it's no stranger to the frigid weather. >> i'm new yorker. i'm used to it. >> everything is please. >> that is the secret. >> layering up to make trek to those. >> for volunteers on site and on the street

>> i double matter if it's a bitter cold now or the extreme heat. never mind some torrential rain. there they are ringing the bell. >> bags of food with volunteer s. >> this is really worth it. >> abc7 abc7 news. larry: ice developing along the edges of the chesapeake bay the coast guard set the conditions free for the bay and the tribtories. that means that it's favorable for the formation of ice including the poe toe -- potomac river. richmond firefighters are working to save a swan on a frozen lake. crews are breaking the ic

stranded animal and guide her to shore and flap her wings. >> she is all right. >> i can't say i rescued a swan from the pond. >> new year, new experiences. the witnesses say she was stuck there for ten hours. alison: goodness. thank goodness they got her out. canada got too cold for penguins. the calgary zoo had to move king penguins inside over the last several days as the temperatures plunged 13 below zero. part is to protect a penguin chick. they seem

climate so they are not used to it. larry: warm weather penguins. >> we are learning that the florida state in tall tallahasse is closing tomorrow because of the wintery weather. in florida. larry: in panhandle of course but still! florida? >> i doesn't think it will happen often. >> it doesn't happen at all. >> not only the winter weather type. look at this. all the pink shades that are winter storm warning in effect. the wind chill advisory south of gainesville. it's very, very cold. everything is relative. they are much warmer than we are. but

there is snow over the gulf of mexico. south of louisiana. this is the overall big picture. i want to run it through. i want to show you how the system takes shape. 5:30. there is nothing major going on. in the coming days or the hours it will strengthen. 9:30 in the morning. look at the snow potential in florida. all the rain. then we get in the day tomorrow to look at the difference on the map. we are watching the western edge. this will stay most likely east of the area. you in southern maryland is where we watch for the possibility of the snow. they will get it for sure to new england. for us we watch potential for tonight and thursday morning for snow around the d.c. metro. the farther east, greater the chance

we got to 13 this morning. 13 yesterdays a well. 33. we have had 15 hours with only one -- 157 hours with only one hour above freezing. we have the highs of friday and saturday of 19. that does not account for the wind chill. larry: there you go. i have never held on to 40's the way i am now. i want you to know i'm holding on dearly. dramatic video. it shows alabama fan r.v. engulfed in the flames while in new orleans for the sugar bowl. she issued a statement. roll tide. they are facing georgia. >> that is the statement? roll tide?

>> of course not. >> what is going on? >> just another young star. if you dominate in wrestling you get the nickname king of the map. but the next guy doesn't need it. he is the king of the mat. we explain in the rising star. >> the look of a champion. he looks like mighty mouse. is that his nickname? his first name is king. he doesn't need a nickname. >> king sandoval was the king of the mat in the 120-pound weight class. >> just keep going to get better every day.

>> he has three individual state title and a second place finish. >> you have to have the mentality. it's not about quicker or more experienced or who works the hardest. who earns it. >> he dominates on the mat. a beast in the weight room maxing out at 300 pounds on the bench press. that strength and the will to win sets him apart. >> i want to be super aggressive and super powerful. >> the future terp wrestles with a chip on his shoulder. as an eighth grader he was overlooked by many private schools around the washington area because of his size. >> i had to show what i could do. >> heart over height always

i'm scott abraham with our rising star. robert: bench press 320. larry: like what you do. robert: yeah. with one hand. larry: exactly! alison: thank you. larry: 2018 promises to be a busy year on capitol hill. alison: from funding the government to the mid-term elections. what you can expect to see from your representative

alison: congress and the white house have a busy to-do list returning to work in 2018. funding the government and what to do about if daca recipients? omar jimenez has more. omar: washington is getting back to work this week and there is no easing into the new year. the immediate future, government sets around money on january 19. spending solution is going to have to come from both sides of the aisle. >> it has to be bipartisan. it takes 60 votes in the united states senate to pass a spending bill. two parties are used to working together in

appropriation process but leaders have to agree to allow them to do their job. >> it's not the only thing on the agenda. especially for republicans. they hope to pass infrastructure spending bill to maintain the g.o.p. control of the house and the senate in a contentious mid-term election year and find solution for hundreds of thousands of the undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children. democrats hope to attack daca to the january 19 spending bill. the president weighed in saying the democrats are doing nothing in daca. just interested in politics. they will go hard at the dems who are falling in love with the president and the president. we are about results.

he is expected to meet with president trump at camp david to hash out details. omar jimenez, abc7 news. jonathan: the strong stretch of cold weather taking a toll on the pipes, cars and the people. how much longer will we have to even dure arctic temperatures? michelle: that action caused the house to go up in flames. the video and the warning tonight. jonathan: the police body camera catching a cookie-stealing culprit in the act. but it wasn't going down without a fight. >> now "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. michelle: the question on all of our minds is how many more days will we have to deal with the bitter cold? jonathan: now we are talking about snow to the east. start tonight with the chief meteorologist bill kelly who is standing by in a semi-warm stormwatch7 weather center. i was over there, without the heaters over there it's chilly. bill: it is!

we have minimum of another five. the temperatures are going down. i wish i had better news to tell you. 21 in bethesda. 24 within the beltway in d.c. 17 at dulles. there is a wind out there. it knocks the numbers down. widespread to the low 20s and the teens. wind chill factors in the low teens. easily single digits tonight. the air temperature will be there. clear skies again. beautiful sunset out there. gorgeous from the inside looking out. this morning was 13. yesterday was is 3. not records but one of doldest days we have had. -- coldest days