you get a little more comfortable. >> where is it? way underneath? >> what do you mean? this is as pink as i could find. outside right now, beautiful sunshine, but it is better to look at from the inside looking out, because it is a cold start again on this january morning. plenty of ice alongside the potomac, the potomac waters, only fit for those wearing feathers today. 20 degrees downtown. 18 degrees in capital heights this morning. 22 as you get down towards waldorf. 21 in northern virginia. 19 in west chester. current windchills are in the single digits. only 7 for our windchill in the washington area. 10 for the windchill in annapolis. it's going to be a sunny, breezy, and cold day today. high temperatures will climb barely up into the low, maybe even mid-30s. the winds will easy up late this afternoon and this evening, setting the stage for our last really cold night for a while coming up tonight into tomorrow morning.

and there's a warming trend ahead, kimberly, we'll give you that in the seven-day. >> looking forward to that. thank you, chuck. >> we're following breaking news from prince george's county right now. early this morning, a freight train hit a car in beltsville, maryland. the accident happened at baltimore avenue and ritzway. that's where news 4's derrick ward is live with the latest. derrick, any injuries here? >> reporter: we understand there was one injury to the driver of the vehicle. we're looking at this csx train now. a southbound csx train on these tracks that run parallel to route 1 here in beltsville. we understand this accident happened just after 6:00 a.m. a car somehow came in contact with this train. the car has been, since, cleared from the tracks, and as we said, the driver was taken away. we don't know the extent of his or her injuries. however, there was some concern, because this freight train has a few tanker cars on it, with hazardous materials.

they have cleared that these tanker cars have not ruptured or anything, it so looks like this train is preparing to continue south on its way. we don't know the extent of the injuries to the driver. there was one person on board the ain, one operator. he was not injured. however, as we said, the driver of that car did sustain some injuries. again, we don't know the extent of those injuries. he has been hospitalized at this point. the scene has been cleared now and the worst fears were not realized, in fact, that some hazardous materials would have leaked from this train. we're live in beltsville, back to you. >> derrick, i know the information is just now coming in. do we know if any passenger trains are going to be disrupted in that area? >> reporter: we deon't know at this point. we know that csx and the marks trains share some of these tracks, but this being a weekend, i don't know that there was a lot of mark traffic.

we don't know for sure at this point, but the tracks are clear. this train is now started up, probably preparing to move, continue southbound as we speak. >> good. sounds like maybe folks want to check if they're jumping on a mark train this morning. >> reporter: indeed. >> derrick ward, thank you. we're also following a developing story out of howard county, where police say a missing 2-year-old boy has been found safe. they say kingston nolan grasser's mother, jennifer nolan, abducted the young boy from her own mother's house in columbia last night. nolan does not have custody rights for kingston. police are not saying where or how he was found, but they do say he is, indeed, safe. the search is still on in leesburg, this morning, for three middle school girls who have been missing since last wednesday. police believe they all ran away from home. 14-year-old natalie flores, 13-year-old allison, and 14-year-old jocelyn pedro romo were dropped off at smartsville middle school that morning, but

none of them actually attended school that day. anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call leesburg police immediately. police are still searching this morning for a stolen car that they say had a security guard's gun inside it. investigators say someone stole the blue 2003 jaguar at around 6:00 last evening, in the 9100 block of central avenue and capital heights. they say an off-duty d.c. courthouse can security guard was standing outside of the car when another guy jumped in and drove away. the badge and credentials were in the car. police are also looking for a black ford expedition that may be connected to the car theft case. a warning this morning for business owners in montgomery county. that man, who claims to be a fire inspector, may not be at your door for any inspection, he may be there to take your hard-earned cash. police in montgomery county are trying to nab an impersonator who cons his way into businesses and ends up robbing them and

their employees. >> reporter: he looks like a typical fire inspector, but police say he's anything but. >> he walks in, acts very confidently, he has a tool belt, he shines a flashlight around in different areas. when asked, he says he is a fire inspector or code inspector. >> reporter: he targeted a convenience store in bethesda last august. he went into a backroom and told a worker he needed a flashlight. when the worker went to get one, the thief took another employee's wallet right out of her purse. his next target, a degree clearness on rockville pike later that same. police say he stole four computers and four monitors. so what can you do to protect your business from thieves like this? >> in montgomery county, they should look for someone who is in uniform with the fire department uniform. they should also have a badge or some other form of identification. if there is any doubt, they should call the fire department or the local police. >> police believe this man might have struck elsewhere in the

region. they're investigating similar crimes in fairfax county and the district. washington's annual panda watch is on again this weekend, but this year's watch is carrying much more urgency than in the past. no pressure, pandas. but according to the "washington post," the national zoo's female panda went into heated mating w zoo's male panda. this happens every year, except this may be the last time they are in washington. they're scheduled to return to china later this year. now, this comes on top of the fact that bay day jean will also be returning to china and that could happen in the next few week. the elections board is holding a public hearing on whether citizens should vote on same-sex marriage. that is scheduled for february 16th. the d.c. council gave final approval to same-sex marriage last month. mayor adrian fenty signed the

bill into law. this is pending approval by congress. and last week, 39 republicans filed a brief that supported a public vote on that issue. this morning, howard university is remembering one of its longtime esteemed leaders. james edward cheek died yesterday after a lengthy illness. he was president of howard university from 1969 to 1989. during those two decades, he established the school of business, as well as the hospital and upped the budget from $40 million to $400 million. cheek was awarded the presidential medal of freedom. he was 77 years old. the time is now 9:07. shocking revelations on capitol hill. why senate democratic leader harry reid is now apologizing to president obama. plus, was losing weight your new year's resolution? why too much exercise could be the reason you're still holding on to those extra pounds.

and take a close look. what's so unusual about a bottle of gatorade that's appearing now on store shelves?

senate majority leader harry

reid is apologizing to president obama for a racial comment he made during the presidential campaign. in a new book out monday called "game change," reid is quoted as describing then president obama as, quote, a light-skinned african-american with no negro dialect unless he wanted to have one. reid says he regrets his poor choice of words and apologizes to all americans, especially african-americans. president obama quickly accepted the apoly and said, quoting now, the book is closed. the heads of both the republican and democratic national committees will square off this morning on "meet the press" when rnc chairman michael steele and dnc chairman tim kaine join david gregory. that's coming up this morning right here on nbc 4. if you are a calorie counter, be ware. a new study says restaurant chains and frozen food meals may have more calories than advertised. the study looked at ten chain restaurants and found the number of calories in 29 items had an average of 18% more calories

than advertised. the study also found frozen meals had 8% more calories than what was listed on the label. the researchers aren't accusing restaurant and food companies of trying to deceive customers, but they say most of the discrepancies can be explained by variations in ingredients portion sizes, and testing methods. there's no doubt about it, washington, d.c., is a town full of active people. even on the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights, you'll see dedicated washingtonians biking and jogging outside. but could all that exercise actually with preventing you from losing weight? >> reporter: 27-year-old rebecca goldring starts her day with a 30-minute walk. >> work it strong! >> reporter: then there's an exercise class during lunch and maybe even a spin class in the evening. >> when i first started, i lost

weight. and i sort of plateaued. >> reporter: so when her doctor recently told her to lose another 16 pounds, she was devastated. >> it's really, really frustrating. i mean, when she told me that, i almost started crying. if i try to lose 16 pounds, i will have no energy. and you know, because you have to eat to keep it up. >> reporter: but doctors and experts insist that exercise is one of the keys to losing weight, and with the number of gym memberships on the rise, americans should be skinnier. trouble is, some sayt's actually all that exercise that's keeping people from shedding the extra pounds. >> i've stopped counselinging my clients, my patients, the people i work with to exercise for weight loss. >> reporter: wayne miller teaches exercise science at george washington university. he says most people overestimate the number of calories they burn during a workout and then tend to overeat afterwards.

>> by restricting your diet, you can easily cut out 1,500 calories, but to get that amount of exercise in to burn that amount of calories, it takes much more. >> reporter: exercise also boosts your metabolism, so after a vigorous exercise, some might be starving and then lose track of how many calories they're putting away when they eat. >> where it really hits me in the morning is i end up ravenous. >> reporter: but others say it's merely a matter of perception. many say exercising gives them the freedom to eat when they want, so spending an hour at the gym justifies eating pizza for lunch or a greasy burger for dinner. dr. robin says she sees it all the time. >> people feel like it's a carte blanche. i exercised, therefore i can have whatever i want and i don't even have to think about the exercise. >> there are definitely times when i think, i did this, this, and this today so i can have that pizza andake and not feel bad about it. >> reporter: while exercise alone might not be the answer to

losing weight, everyone agrees there are still plenty of health benefits. goldring says she's not ready to put the barbells down anytime soon. >> keep working out. because ultimately, you're better heavy and fit than you are skinny and starving. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news 4. >> that is a philosophy to live by. and a reminder, next weekend, nbc 4 is kicking off our annual health and fitness expo. it runs on january 16th and 17th at the washington convention center. come visit for free health screenings, demonstrations, and information about how to live a healthy lifestyle. you also get to meet members of the news 4 team and chuck bell will even race you up the stairs. >> whatever it takes. >> down the hallway. >> wherever we need to go. >> and remember that weight is not only measurement, i mean, how your clothes fit too. >> i'll turn my microphone on and now you can hear the important things i have to say, which is, there is a warming trend ahead. >> very important.

>> very important on a cold morning like this one. complete check of the seven-day forecast coming up.

d.c. fire crews ventured out into the frigid potomac water. fortunately, they did not have to perform an actual rescue yesterday. this is just a drill. firefighters want to keep their skills sharp in case they need to rescue someone who falls through the ice. their message to you, stay off

the ice. >> in the past, we have had folks fall through the canal and some of the other bodies of water around town. so we want to stay ahead of the curve and stay ready and sharp on our toes. there is no such thing as safe ice. beyond your local rink, stay off the ice. >> if you see someone fall through the ice, the best thing to do is throw them a rope or stick and call 911. do not get on the ice yourself. the potomac is more danger than most local water due to its swift current. >> how do they decide which member of the team is going to be the one they put in the water and pull out? >> the rookie. >> the rookie. >> absolutely. >> whoever put the scratch on the chief's car, you're going in the drake and we'll pull you out. we promise. >> awfully cold, even for them. >> it looks awfully cold out there and it is awfully cold. that's a great reminder to tell anybody, the ice is too thin. we have so many great skating rinks around the area, those are the places you take your skates.

also a lot closer to some sort of a warm beverage as well. which is also a very good thing. warm beverages are required today. kids, eat your warm oatmeal as well before you head outside for your outdoor recess on a sunday afternoon. because it is a cold one. the camera still shaking a little bit in the breeze out there this morning. these winds will ease up, late this afternoon and this evening. but in the meantime, it's off to a cold start on your sunday morning. look at the icebergs on the potomac. i know it's not an iceberg, but nonetheless, that's what we're calling it. 22 degrees, our current temperature in washington. a north wind at 16 miles an hour has dropped our windchill to 8. so far, this is the coldest january since 1994. and i looked back to see what was the bottom of e coldest stretch. january the 19th, 1994, we had a high temperature of 8 and a low of 4 below zero. that's the last time washington dropped below zero, was that january of 1994 stretch. 21 out of the 31 days that month

were colder than average. so far, we're doing pretty well, though. if you like the cold here in washington, only one day this month so far has been warmer than average, and that was new year's day. look at how far the cold air has iven to the south. all the way to the gulf coast. 26 in new orleans, 27 in jacksonville. they had sleep at disney world in orlando yesterday. and the current temperature at miami beach, 36 degrees. frost and free warnings all the way down. this is going to be bad news for the strawberries and oranges and all the crops they grow down in the great state of florida. windchill values, this doesn't actually impact the fruit, but nonetheless, 19. the current windchill in jacksonville, and oh, your friends that took this week to go down to south beach, 27, the current windchill down there. cloudy, damp, and cold, all the way to the deep south. for us here in the mid-atlantic, bright sunshine, but it's a chilly sunshine, no doubt about that. the polar plunge, at least one more night with record-breaking

cold down intohe great state of florida. for us, won't be breaking any records, but nonetheless, it's a cold day to be on the outside today. that northwesterly wind will stay around for much of the late morning and early afternoon hours. that takes the winds away overnight tonight. we're watching a chance of a low pressure area zipping in through late monday, early tuesday. could bring some conversation snowflakes to the area. file that in your memory banks for monday night and tuesday morning. probably just flurries here in e washington area. might get some light snow in the higher spots north and west of town. the extended forecast, 34 today. 37 tomorrow, 37 once the snowflakes are gone tuesday afternoon. wednesday, mostly sunny, an above-average day coming up for wednesday, thursday, and friday. and then some colder weather and maybe a chance for some precipitation next weekend. >> this is one of the wettest winters i can remember. >> we are way ahead. technically, january's dry, but the winter is so wet. the winter is a wet one. fl anks, chuck.

take a good look at this gatorade bottle. notice anything different? someone has been putting fake labels on gatorade bottles in colorado. they show tiger woods and his wife, elin, and the word "unfaithful." the fake labels have been sp spotted at three different stores so far. no word on where they come from or how many there are out there. gatorade recently announced it is discontinuing the tiger woods drink, but said the decision had already been before his scandal broke. gatorade has not commented on the fake label matter. the capitals are on a roll and the nfl playoffs are here. hakim durmish has your sports minute. >> your sports minute begins with the red-hot capitals. six different players scored a goal. the capitals win big, 8-1. their largest margin of victory this season. the caps have also won three straight. wild card saturday here on nbc

4, eagles against the cowboys, all dallas in this one. here in the third quarter, fee election jones goes 73 yards for a touchdown. cowboys crush the eagles. their first playoff victory in 14 years. dallas will meet minnesota in the next round. new york rookie running back sean green rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown, helping the jets beat the bengals for the second time in a row, this time 24-13. georgetown hosting uconn. junior austin freeman led the comeback, scoring 28 of his career-high 33 points in the second half. georgetown rallies back to win it, 72-69. that's your sports minute. i'm thhakim, have a great day. the time is now 9:24. christmas is now over. it's time to pack up all those decorations. the tree recycling rules for your area. and a story you've got to see to believe. how a woman causes four

different car crashes in a single hour.

good morning, everyone. i'm kimberly suiters. it is sunday, january 10th, 2010. all the day's news in just a moment. but first, let's check in with meteorologist chuck bell, becausyou need to know, it's bitterly cold outside. once again, chuck. >> absolutely right, kimberly.

off to another cold start here. we have this cold morning to deal with and then tomorrow morning's going to be equally cold. then a little bit of a moderating trend begins to finally come our way. there's a live picture outside, a bright, blue sky overhead, but an awful lot of iciness along the banks of the potomac. it is 22 degrees in downtown washington right now. it's 20 degrees in gaithersburg. it's 19 degrees in poolesville and leesburg this morning. 19 degree also as you get up towards inwood, west virginia. 20 in winchester, west virginia. 9 degrees out in the shenandoah valley. the winds are still ablowing, north-northwesterly winds at 15 miles an hour have put windchills back in the single digits this morning. earmuffs and hats required. you lose most of your heat through your head, so you've got to keep it covered up. highs today even with all that sunshine barely making it up into the low 30s. sun goes down at 5:05. if you want to do something with the sunshine, kimberly, do it before then. >> good advice.

thank you, chuck. we've been talking about this freezing cold for more than a week now. strong winds and below-freezing temperatures night after night have local homeless shelters working overtime. but some other folks are voluntarily going out into the cold. our darcy spencer reports from northwest washington. >> reporter: it was a bitter cold day, but some refused to stay inside. >> and it's a beautiful day, the sun's out, and i come from michigan, so to me, this isn't really that cold. >> reporter: these flag football teams were going to play no matter what. but team members admit, they'd trade the cold and wind for sun and heat, any day. >> cold bothers me. we prefer to play in the hot weather, where you can just throw the ball all across the field. but on a day like today, you're going to have to run the ball and just tough it out. >> reporter: even tourists were stunned by the blast of frigid weather. some ventured out on segways,

the cold air in their faces as they took in the sights at the nation's capital. >> my wife made the reservations and all. we didn't realize it might be as cold as it was today, especially windy. but once we got here and got to riding them, it was a lot o fun. you get to see a lot of things here in washington quickly. >> reporter: when it gets this cold, it can be dangerous. that's why the arlington street people's assistance network or aspan is taking over 24 hours a day this weekend. >> then you can offer them additional services to help them move, hopefully, from living on the streets to housing, which is really our intel. >> reporter: the shelter is providing hot meals and a warm place to stay. and for this homeless woman named lynn, the shelter has been a lifesaver. >> and these people took me in, and you know, that means a whole lot to me. i'm not sleeping outside or anything like that. i'm just grateful for them. >> reporter: darcy spencer, news 4. >> you can hear in her voice how

grateful she is. that shelter in arlington will remain open 24 hours a day, as long as the day's high stays below 32 degrees, which it will today. new today, yemen's president is suggesting that he'd be willing to communicate with al qaeda if the group agrees to renounce violence. ali abdullah sulla says he's ready to reach an understanding with anyone who fights against terrorism, including al qaeda. he is still vowing to hunt down al qaeda fighters whorefuse to stop violence. the u.s. is pressuring yemen to crack down on al qaeda. an offshoot of the group in yemen is claiming responsibility for christmas day's failed bombing attempt of a flight bound for detroit. this morning, we're learning more details about the suicide bomber that killed seven cia workers at a base. according to the "washington post," cia director leon panetta is saying the al qaeda double agent was about to be searched when he blew himself up. the cia was working with the

bomber to get information about osama bin laden's right-hand man. this weekend, al jazeera aired video of him vowing for revenge for the killing of a taliban leader. one of the cia workers killed in that attack was laid to rest in massachusetts yesterday. harold brown jr. lived in northern virginia for the past several years. the 37-year-old leaves behind his wife and threeoung children. this new year has been a challenging one for president obama. he's prodding congressional democrats to finish up a health care bill. his first state of the union address is weeks away and he's been forced to address sho shortcomings in national security. all of this comes as his majority party fights to stay that way in this year's midterm elections. brian mooar reports from capitol hill. >> reporter: a day after getting more bad news on jobs and the economy, president obama is touting health care reform as a

way to help struggling americans. >> we're fixing our broken health insurance system that's crushing families, eating away at workers' take-home pay, and nailing small businesses with double digit premium increases. >> reporter: he's hoping to sign a bill in a few weeks before his state of the union address, but house democrats say they won't just rubber stamp the bill passed by the senate. if they demand too many changes, health care reform could be in trouble. the president is trying to ramp up the war in afghanistan, wind down the fighting in iraq, and close guantanamo bay. >> we can't gather the inteigence we need to foil future attacks if we are blindly granting terrorists the right to remain silent. >> reporter: this new year has highlighted threat of terror and vulnerabilities in airport security and intelligence. all in an election year that's looking tough for the president and his party. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. in an effort to stop a third

wave of h1n1, the president has declared this coming week national flu vaccination week. virginia governor-elect bob mcdonnell took his inauguration festivities to arlington. yesterday he enjoyed a performance of the irish seven nations at the clarendon ballroom. the northern virginia inaugural concert was the second day of more than a week of activities. on friday, mcdonnell volunteered at a food bank. he says he decided to scale back his inauguration due to the state of the economy. mcdonnell says job creation will be his number one goal once he takes office. >> that will be executive order number one, to create my ongoing task force of the top minds of virginia to focus on this issue. i've already met with leader of the general assembly in both houses. i need your help. i need more tools, i need some more money and investments. >> mcnnell will be sworn in next sunday. maryland governor martin o'malley is vowing to change state laws in response to the

murder of eastern shore girl. 11-year-old sarah foxwell was murdered on christmas day. thomas legs jr., a former boyfriend of foxwell's aunt, is charged with kidnapping, although he has yet to face murder charges. he is a convicted sex offender. according to the "washington post," governor o'malley says he'll make a legislative response to the killing of a major focus when the general assembly reconvenes on wednesday. he has not laid out specifics yet for what he has in mind. the husband of a missing utah woman is packing up his bags and moving out. friends and family members helped josh powell load items into a rental truck as he prepares to move from utah to washington state. both he and his wife, susan, have relatives who live there. susan powell disappeared last month. josh powell says he left her at home while he took their young children camping, although it was the middle of the night and there were freezing temperatures outside. police are calling josh powell a person of interest in his wife's disappearance, but he has not been named a suspect.

an oregon man faces federal charges after disrupting a hawaiian airlines flight that was headed to hawaii. joe johnson is accused of interfering with the performance and duties of a flight crew. investigators say before the maui-bound flight took off last week, johnson refused to store his carry-on bag. and later into the flight, the 56-year-old handed a comment card to a flight attendant. it read, in part, what if the plane ripped apart in midflight and we plummeted to earth? the pilot decided, for safety, to return back to portland and two s-15 fighter jets escorted that flight. >> the plane or the passengers or the crew could be in a dangerous situation with this particular passenger. so we take that very seriously, particularly at this point in time, given what happened on christmas day. >> the charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. the time is now 9:36.

an arizona woman takes dangerous driving to new levels. just wait until you see how she was speeding down the highway. and is warmer weather in the works? another check of the forecast, just ahead.

this week's wednesday's child is a teenager with a great sense of adventure. we first brought you her story a year ago, and sadly, she is still waiting for the right loving home. nbc 4's barbara harrison has the

story of sierra. >> hi, sierra. >> hi, barbara. >> how are you? >> fine. >> i'm so glad to see you. are you warm enough? >> yes. >> we met at the sculpture garden ice rink. have you ever been ice skating before? >> no. >> reporter: but sierra said she was looking forward to trying. she's a 15-year-old who says she likes trying new and different things, even on an ice-cold day. it's not so cold in the sun. sierra has been in foster care for the last couple of years. she did well this first time, lacing up her ice skates. she's learned to be pretty independent after years of neglect as a young child. >> her mom had some challenges in meeting her needs, so she entered care and has been learning in a foster care system for approximately three years at this point. >> hi, brad. >> hi, barbara. >> reporter: brad smith welcomed us to the rink and showed us out

on the ice, giving sierra a few tips. >> get that chin up. >> sierra is a wonderful kid. she is incredibly polite. one of the things that i just enjoy so much about her is the amazing smile that she has and just the way that it lights up her face. >> arms out. that's it. >> rorter: brad said sierra is a good student. she says she wants to be a teacher some day. what do you want to be when you grow up? >> a teacher. >> reporter: what do you want to teach? >> kindergarten. >> all right, sierra! yes! you're doing it! sierra, you're a natural, but better than that, you have a sense of adventure, and that's like totally cool. >> reporter: do you think of yourself as being adventurous? >> yes. >> reporter: why? >> because i like to do different things and stuff. >> we're hoping to find a family who can really commit to sierra and help her achieve her goals and dreams. >> rink guards, where is riding on the side. there you go. >> reporter: barbara harrison, news 4 for wednesday's child.

>> much better. if you have room in your home and heart for a child is waiting for a home, please call our special adoption hotline. that number is 1-882-adopt-me or log on to our home page at nbcwashington.com. your weather is coming up next.

arizona woman is being

blamed for causing four separate car crashes, all in an hour. her car was registered going 90 miles per hour along a phoenix interstate. one of the crashes caused the hood to flip up and block her windshield. she didn't let that slow her down, though. she stopped only after the fourth crash. police believe she was under the influence of prescription pain medication at the time. and aroundhere, all we have to worry about is our usual set of crazy drivers, and little bit of an old man winter bite in the air first thing this morning. >> throw a little ice on the road and that can make things complicated. >> luckily, it has been precipitation-free over that little bit of dusting on the roof on friday morning. it's been all quiet since then, all quiet today. cold, but quiet. that we can handle. outside right w, a mostly sunny and very chilly start to your sunday morning. any outdoor activities today? remember to put your hat and your mittens on, everybody, because the temperatures will be climbing, but not all that far.

22, our current temperature, with a north wind at 16 miles per hour. put the windshield back down into the single digits. again, this is our coldest january since january of 1994. january 19th, 1994, the last time we dropped below zero here in washington. dropped down to four below zero that day and had a high temperature of 8. doesn't 22 degrees seem a lot more pleasant, with that frame of reference? yes, it does. 22 here. atlanta down to 20. zero in chicago and omaha. 6 in witchta. the real problem for everybody has been down across the state of florida. the citrus crops, the strawberry crops, hard hit, it looks like, by very devastating freeze. 27 in jacksonville. all the way down to miami. 36egrees right now. windchills are down into the 20s and 30s as well. that's the current windchill in miami. 27 degrees. here in washington, our january so far is 5 degrees colder than average. in miami beach, their january

that they're having, 13 degrees, colder than average for the month of january. satellite review shows a cold rain yesterday across the state of florida, especially down into southern florida. sleet pellets were reported at walt disney world. for us, just clear skies and cold across the area. the polar plunge, all the way down to the gulf coast. some of the coldest weather they've had there in 20 years. for us, not the coldest in 20 years, but still cold by any measure of standards. breezy conditions for us outside this morning, high pressure gradually inching its way a little bit closer to us. we'll stay cold today and tonight. tomorrow, a little bit of an improvement coming our way, but there's a little clipper dropping through the great lakes. and as that swings through here, late monday night into the early morning hours of tuesday morning, we could get a little light snow west of the blue ridge and could even see some snow flurries here in the washington area. after midnight, monday night, and probably before daybreak on tuesday morning. today, mostly sunny, still quite cold.

windchills will stay in the upper teens to near 20 this afternoon, but the warming trend is beginning tomorrow afternoon. tomorrow's high, 36. tuesdas high, 37. again, with a chance of some snow flurries around, late monday night, early tuesday morning. doesn't look like it's going to be anything tangible, just the conversational snowflakes. by wednesday, thursday, and friday, temperatures actually warmer than average for the first time since january the 1st. >> and like you said, being a little beverage than average is better than being below average. >> i going being below average. it's 9:48 right now. cleaning up after the holidays -- we just did this last night -- the rules for recycling your chr

let's take a look at what will be happening in the week ahead. tomorrow, the student accused of opening fire on his math teacher at a northern virginia community college will appear in court. jason hamilton is being held without bond, charged with attempted first-degree murder. no one was hurt in the shooting, but investigators say the 20-year-old was upset about his grade. both the maryland and virginia general assemblies will begin on wednesday. virginia's 60-day legislative session will focus on slashing more than $4 billion from the state budget. maryland lawmakers face a tough road ahead as well with a $2 billion state budget gap during their 90-day session. on thursday, the bethesda man who had bomb-making materials in his room is expected to be sentenced. col

colin mckenzie gude faces up to ten years in prison. police searched his home in 2008 and found several weapons, including an ak-47, two shotguns, and two smoke grena s grenades. she was supposed to be sentenced last thursday, but the judge postponed it a week, because he ruled that a key government witness must testify as the defense wants. the chris matthews show is coming up next. let's check in with chris right now to find out what's going on on his show. chris? >> good morning, washington. coming up at 10:00 on the chris matthews show, the president says we're still very much in danger of an al qaeda attack. today we have four reporters who cover national security and we'll get the details. just how great is the threat today and what form might it take? and that attack on our cia officers in afghanistan, what does that tell us about how threatening al qaeda is over there? plus, is barack obama enough of a commander in chief and leading our military and intel services? that's all coming up here at 10:00. for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press," here's david gregory. >> thanks, chris.

good morning, kimberly. coming up, a special edition of "meet the press" from los angeles. majority leader harry reid apologizing this weekend for some just-reported controversial remarks an then-candidate obama. plus, three key democrats announced their retirements this week. what does it mean for the 2010 race? the chairman of both parties join us, democrat tim kaine and republican michael steele. and the exclusive interview with the man at the helm of the state with a $24 billion budget deficit, california's arnold schwarzenegger. he offers his prescriptions for reform in this state and this nation. it's all this morning on "meet the press." thank you, david. if you're one of those who has to take down the christmas tree, it's easier said than done, but liz crenshaw reports on how county and city services are accomplishing this tedious task. >> reporter: it was pretty, it was cute, but now that evergreen has got to go. so you've stripped it of its finery. so what's the final fate of old

tenenbaum? if you have a wooded area in your yard, the naturalists say just lay the tree on its side, it makes a perfect habitat for birds and other critters. but if you just want the tree out of your sight, just lay it on the curb where its life will not be lost in the landfill. in fact, the haulers drag and smash and crush those trees and they're chopped into this, great mulcfor your garden. so not only are we not fulling up the landfills with last year's christmas cheer, but we're churning up useful garden stuff as well. here are the rules for getting your tree into the mulcher. for all jurisdictions, the tree must be free of all decorations and it must not be in a bag of any sort. in d.c., christmas trees will be picked up for recycling for the first two weeks in january, starting january 2nd through

january 16th. put your tree on the curb by 7:00 a.m. no later than january 10th. you can bring trees to ft. totten transfer station january 2nd tough 9th from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays for free tree chipping. in fairfax county, put your tree on the curb on trash day during the first two weeks in january. if you use a private trash service, call your company for instructions. tree collection without fees is a basic service and the county code, so all haulers should comply. in arlington county, trees will be picked up in the first two weeks of january, january 4th through the 15th. just put your tree on the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your regular trash collection day. loudoun county residents can recycle trees from now until january 20th at the claude moore park in sterling. the loudoun landfill in leesburg, franklin park in per sillville, and the tennis court area behind south riding town

hall. residents with curbside recycling are asked to contact your private trash hauler for the date to put your tree out for recycling. if you live in prince william county, you can drop off your tree for recycling at the nearest landfill, recycling container, or facility. or contact your trash hauler to find out when you should put out your tree for recycling. the city of alexandria will collect christmas trees for recycling on two saturdays in january, january 9th and the 16th. pickup is curbside only and the tree must be there by 7:00 a.m. in montgomery county, put your trees on the curb on your recycling day starting december 28th through january 29th. make sure it's on the curb by 7:00 a.m. prince george's county, put your tree out on your yard waste collection day from december 26th through january 15th. the tree must be on the curb by 6:30 a.m. you can also bring your tree to the western branch composting facility or to the brown station road landfill through january 31st.

this is the video we've been waiting for all morning. it is really true that some people are just born to rock. ♪ >> this video is becoming a youtube sensation. the poor little guy is trying to take a nap, but the beat just takes over his body and he can't resist rocking out. he may not even be old enough to walk or talk, but you can tell he's going to be a rocker some day. >> that's just cute. >> let's keep watching that. let's watch the baby! that's it for "news 4 today." have a great day, everyone.