answered? that remains to be seen. even. i'm kelly swoop. let's start with our meteorologist on the hot seat with the first forecast. no pressure. >> it stayed hot all winter. what a february. another storm coming in. this is is a wind concern. we'll get snow from baltimore north and east on the eastern shore a lot of snow expected, too. winter weather warnings. we have a blue shaded county winter weather advisory for central pennsylvania. all the baltimore area. all the d.c. area and a winter storm watch. where you see the pink shading a winter weather advisory going into effect overnight lasting through friday morning. it is going to be a long-lived storm. we are seeing precipitation on maryland's radar well to the south and east where they are getting good rains across southern maryland and the eastern shore. it hasn't changed over yet. this storm really hasn't began

to get its act together. two big areas moving in our direction to form a powerful storm off the coast. 31 tonight. winter mix developing. one to three inch accumulations. this is coming in late after midnight. this will be a beginning of it. through the day tomorrow we'll have winter weather snow showers, very high winds, gusty powerful winds tomorrow afternoon and another round of snow friday morning. we'll have all the details coming up. no matter which way you look at it emergency managers say they know they could take a hard hit from this storm. jeff has the latest on the preparations there. >> reporter: it is like day jew have you all over again. this snow plow operator seen his share of winter storm over the last few decades but never seen so many in a single

season. >> here we go again. some of the places will be closed up. >> i think the hurricane winds will be the biggest complication with power outages. when you talk about sustained win at 50 miles per hour that's piqued my interest. we are a 24-7 operation. we are here continue usely. i'll come in when the storm begins and begin to wrap up with the partners. >> reporter: road crews are replenishing their supply of salt in advance of the storm. concern is winter weary residents may become come play sent. for their part emergency managers are not letting their

guard down. >> that's our primary responsibility. that's why i said we had practice in december and earlier this month. we'll approach this storm as we approached a previous storms and everyone will be prepared and eoc will be staffed. emergency planningers are renewing appeal for motorist to stay off the roads if possible so the plows can do their job and so that police and paramedics can be freed up to handle emergency situations. baltimore city officials say they learned from the previous snow storm hopefully making the new snow removal operations efficient. city leaders say they need help from city residents. >> one thing we had a problem with was the parking of cars on the city streets. we asked the residents if you can pull your car off the street and put it in a driveway please do that. try to park as close to the curb as you can so that our

trucks can get through those smaller streets. >> city transportation officials ask residents to be patient during the snow removal process. state highway administration gearing up for the storm. they have plenty of salt. trucks have been repaired. they are ready to roll and the crews have rested. >> we are playing it by ear and getting ready as best we can. we ask that folks at home get up early for thursday and allow extra time or consider changing their plans little. >> the state highway administration plowed through $110 million. they have until june to balance the books. as we get ready for snow officials in harford county say hundreds of sidewalks in front of homes and businesses still aren't shoveled from the last storm. that's a safety concern. with more snow headed our way what does that mean for the school year?

that remains to be seen. the state of maryland shortened the school year by five days. that won't be enough to cover the time missed so far. the superintendant requested a plan from all the districts but it is a work in progress. most districts are taking a wait-and-see approach. >> i'm hoping people with plans can do them. >> while most districts are considering shaving part of spring break or extending into the summer, baltimore city and howard county are planning to ask for another waiver. remember you can always track the storm right down your own neighborhood. all you have do is head to abc2news.com. click on the weather tab. make sure you wake up with good morning maryland tomorrow at 5:00 a.m. for the lates on any school closings or delays tap latest on road conditions and up-to- the-minute forecast. a frederick man in baltimore celebrating a friend's birthday was found dead this morning. police aren't sure of the

circumstances. it happened around 3:15 this morning in an ally of the 300 block of grove street downtown. authorities say trash collectors found the victim and two friends who were intoxicated trying to give him first aid. track collectors called police. a developing story. head of toyota is trying to steer the automaker back on track. he is on capitol hill answering questions from u.s. lawmakers about the problems that lead to the recall of eight and a half million cars. toyota's u.s. chief has acknowledged the company has not fully resolved acceleration problems blamed for 34 deaths. >> it seems as if there is no end to this series of promises and then promises that seem to come short of reaching the goal of safety. >> now toyota's chief executive says he's sorry for any

accident toyota's drivers experienced. he says toyota managers will drive cars under investigation to experience the problems first-hand. we have another recall tonight. there one involves 47,000 hyundai sedans. officials say there is a problem with the latch on the front door and it may not close properly. most recalled cars are in south korea. 1300 cars are here in the u.s. metro leaders say the transit system will get new trains but are better able to with stand crashes. metro officials continue their testimony today at a national transportation safety board hearing in response to the june crash that killed nine people when a train slammed into another that stopped on the tracks. some of the cars involved in the crash dated back to the 1970's. mothers against drunk drivers and state lawmakers introduced the eliminate drunk driving act today in annapolis.

if passed it will expand maryland's program to convicted drunk drivers. supporter hope it will lead to a drop in drunk driving crashes and fataliti . >> this is real life and people are being killed in our state's. it is a very tiny percentage of people engaged in the criminal behavior. we know who they are. we can stop this problem by putting devices in their cars. >> you don't have to be the mother and someone who has been killed to understand what m.a.d.d. stands for. >> m.a.d.d. says interlocks are used in new mexico for alcohol-related injuries decreased by 39% and fatalities have gone down 35%. maryland's attorney general says he believes that the state's highiest court will likely rule that gay marriage legal in another state will be valid here. maryland law ethe fines marriage between a man and

woman. but the state generally acknowledges couples married elsewhere. he is opinion is not legally binding. tonight equity maryland will host a rally highlighting his opinion. it starts at 6:30 on west hamilton street. we'll have coverage at 11:00. we told you about gold's gym closure on monday. now we have learn had the the owners of that parkville gym left members of other clubs in the your. , too. it closed two weeks ago letting members know with a note on the door. people tell us they are having a tough time tracking the owners down to get a refund. they are not alone. two other gold gym's owned by the same family closed abruptly last fall surprising members who go there. >> you'll be wary of giving out your credit card information. try to pay in cash if you can. the rug can be pulled out at

any moment. >> attorney general office is asking anyone who thinks they are entitled to a refund to file a complaint. there is legal action over a petition drive to end plans for a slot casino at ann arundel mall. they are suing the ann arundel county board of elections claiming they are overlooking fraud. a lawyer says there is no merit to the claim noting the board has thrown out half of the signatures supporting the proposal. as of tuesday they verified 13,000 signatures with more than 18,000 needed to put the zoning measure on the ballot november. the deadline is march 8th. rain and this win's record snowfalls are putting the intercounty connector months behind schedule. state officials say they plan to open the first 7.2-mile segment of the toll highway this fall. director says contractors working on the first segment in silver spring could add crews and lengthen work days to make

up for lost time. the segment extending east to i-95 is scheduled to open by early 2012. ladies, one more reason to stay away from the cookies and pastries. this one goes far beyond your figure. obesity posts some obvious dangers. new research reveals another risk. right now looking at towsend sitting at 42 degrees. that's going to be changing.

many tonight's health alert you heard the saying a moment phone lips a lifetime on the

hips. that may not be the worse of it. a new study finds eating fat especially the kind in the good tasting cookies can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over the age of 50. we all know that obesity can cause heart disease and diabetes. now researchers discovered the extra pounds may trigger inflammation throughout the body. we'll show you how the findings could lead to new ways to combat the problem. >> reporter: some inflammation in the body is a goatling to fight off infections. but people who are obese the inflammation can become chronic. how does damage occur? science conduct a unique experiment to prove fatty acids in the blood stream contribute to sights disease. they injected a fat mixture

into adults until the fatsias said levels were typical to patients are obesity and diabetes. results? healthy volunteers temporarily developed signs of diabetes. the real danger comes from excess of fatty acids. the fat in the blood stream directly activates cells. the good news is it is possible to reduce the fat in your system with lifestyle changes. eating a diet low in saturated fat and getting regular exercise. they are effective ways to trim down and reduce inflamed tissues in your body. i'm dr. timothy johnson. give me that look. >> no. not again. i'm over it. i'm over it. >> i tell you. they keep coming. this one looking like more of a

wind concern but still some snow coming in here tonight. snow showers tomorrow. more snow probably tomorrow night into early friday. just a long lived and very windy, gusty storm. >> can't wait. >> that's it back to you to you. >> we have more for you. let's take a look. things not bad out there at the moment. we have rain across the eastern shore through the delmarva area. little bit more rain in southern maryland. that headed our way later this evening. we'll probably be changing over to a wintry mix into overnight hours past sunsets. today a good looking day. topping out 45 degrees. 47 is average. a decent day. one of the better days. 44 was the two-degree forecast. six days in a row now we hit the two-degree guarantee. 42 at bwi marshall.

i want to show you this. low 40s about everywhere. even as we get rain and eventually a win mix overnight the road surfaces will take a while to cool off enough for anything to stick out there. because it has been a relatively mild afternoon around here. the winds still very quiet and calm. this storm getting its act together as it pushes into the mid atlantic. right now almost no wind. you may want to head outside and latch down anything that can get brown around. this evening calm, quiet and dry will give you chance to do that. winter storm watch and winter weather advisory for all of central maryland until frederick and washington counties. d.c. winter weather advisory. winter storm warnings up for delaware and new jersey. this is a coastal storm. it will impact our eastern counties the hardest with super high winter and wintery precipitation. we'll get in on the action here

across the baltimore area. again, just rain moving up out of the southwest. the opening round, i guess you could say, not that this is going to be anything significant for if next few hours, but overnight things change. all this low pressure will be converging offshore and generating tremendous wind. forecast models have the center of the storm reaching very low pressure. meaning very high wind force. in fact, the low pressure area offshore may get into almost like a weak hurricane strength in terms of the wind it will generate. snow coming in overnight toward 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.blast of snow could be one to three inches. more north toward pennsylvania

and philly area. a lot of moisture churning offshore. this whole system continues to build and get intense. over the thursday afternoon time period just snow showers. then snow we think we get another round overnight thursday into friday as this thing retro grades north and back south before it kicks out to sea friday. looks like two rounds. tonight and tomorrow night. one to three inches possible by morning. snow showers tomorrow. the snow will let up during the day a bit in baltimore. 36. the winds will be howling up to near 50 miles per hour. tomorrow night the snow increases again. could get a couple more inches out of this thing by day break on friday. friday afternoon just another windy day where we could get blowing snow. the accumulation grand totals here may be up to six inches. s not so much the accumulations that come over but as the wind which could be damaging

tomorrow afternoon. again, get out tonight and tie down anything that might blow away. kelly? >> thank you. now something more cheerful. another full workout today at orioles spring training. next week they play their first game taking on tampa bay. does he have a preference in the batting spot this year? >> not really. as long as roberts is on base. he's on base 40% of the time. >> he says he back 100% after twisting an ankle last season. he has been running with no limitations. therapy during the offseason was painful but well worth it. right now looking at our exclusive weather net from arnold sitting at 43 degrees at the middle school. we will be right back after a short break.

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to news, traffic and weather without changing the channel. i will be ready for whatever the day throws at me. uh, looks like torrential rain, bumper to bumper traffic and some kind of weird smell downtown. i will be working from home today. my sister's coming. i can make it. i'm sure she's lovely.

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something to clap about after a big drop yesterday stock make a rebound. dow jones climbing 91. nasdaq gaining two. we are working to help you out in these tough economic

times. a dozen i-phone apps to save you money and time. plus , the formula to financial freedom. how one couple pulled themselves out of debt. a money expert uncovers five ways to help you cut cost. log on to abc2news.com and look under our financial survival guide. coming up new at 11:00 tonight, some area circuit city stores sitting empty could soon be filled. tonight at 11:00 national electronics retailer making plans to move in and where they are heading. plus, bge is paying extra attention to this storm since it is packing winds. those stories and more after cougar town. busy night in the storm center. let's take a look at maryland's radar. wet weather toward ocean city. snow back across west virginia. it is all just beginning to spin up and get its act together so the winter weather

advisory and storm watch up all night into the day friday. that's it for abc 2 at 6:00. thank you for joining us. we'll see you back here tonight at 11:00. c8