the storm. it looks okay, but just check out the radar. a gigantic winter storm will start pounding the washington region in just a matter of hours. good morning, everyone, i'm eun yang. good morning to you, i'm joe krebs. thanks for waking up with us. we have a number of closings and early dismissals in terms of the storm. the federal government will be operating under an unscheduled leave policy today with a four hour early dismissal in effect. d.c. public schools will close at noon today. >> in virginia many schools are

closed today. they include alexandria city, arlington, fairfax, prince william and loudoun county schools. also closed today clark, culpeper, fauquier, frederick and king george county schools. manassas city, mns park, orange county, rappahannock and spotsylvania and winchester county schools are closed. >> in maryland carroll county schools will close 2 hours and 45 minutes. >> we have not heard from prince george's or anne arundel. >> by the time children are coming home from school we could have three to five inches on the brown. between now and then we'll see big changes. there's a look at the radar. good morning, i'm meteorologist tom kierein. we have some snow falling.

south is all rain, moderate to heavy rain. the local radar is showing, perhaps, just a few sprinkles, maybe a little bit of sleet in southern maryland. that pink zone, st. mary's county to near charlottesville. panhandle of west virginia getting a few flurries at this time. the temperatures are a little bit below freezing in most areas. a little above freezing in washington and near the bay. near 30 in prince william, fairfax and arlington. all those counties in pink across pennsylvania, all of maryland. most of west virginia into the ohio valley. there's a blizzard warning in effect for those counties in red. much of delaware and southern new jersey with very strong winds from this storm which could cause some considerable drifting and blowing of the snow. here's the storm timeline. by 8:00,ing light snow in the

shenandoah valley. still locally probably won't have any snow, flurry activity. by noon time light snow to moderate snow by mid-afternoon. heavy snow coming in by 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. from the south and west and we'll probably have by that time two or three inches on the ground. and then some very heavy snow coming i tonight that will be covering the entire region and we could have on the ground by this time tomorrow morning up to a foot of snow. and then that very heavy snow will begin to move off to the north and east by 8:00 on saturday morning, and then we'll still have several more inches of snow to deal with during the day on saturday. here is the total i expect from this storm. 18 to 24 inches will be common throughout most of the region. now that area of 20 to 30 inches, the 30 inch amounts may be right along the blue ridge, the eastern side of the blue ridge in madison, green, rappahannock, northern fauquier, western loudoun and western frederick county maryland.

that area may get up to 30 inches and perhaps a little higher up in the higher ridge there's. in the valleys around 20 to 25 inches there. a major, major storm hitting the area all around the region. may be somewhat lighter amounts in southern maryland, lower part of the eastern shore, the northern neck. may mix with a little rain and sleet. 12 to 18 inches nonetheless. winds gusting 30 to 40 miles per hour which will cause drifting of the snow and this will be heavy wet snow. right now we're in the 30s. fall in the upper 20s after the snow begins. then we'll be below freezing all the way into monday. what falls will stay and if you don't get it shoveled or plowed it will turn to concrete. very difficult to deal with. jerry, how is the traffic? >> it's going to be a strange traffic day i guarantee you. right now very light. conditions out there, of course, clear and dry with no early hangups. it is going to be strange in that, of course, we may have a little bit of a rush hour but

with a lot of schools off, some closing early depending on what the feds will be doing we could have a rush hour around noon, 3:00, 4:00, something you have to be aware of. you may fine traffic a little bit strange throughout the day. we'll keep you updated. let's head to maryland 270 northbound and southbound, looking pretty good so far. crews are out and doing the preparations and we'll be here all day long. joe, eun? >> good morning to you jerry. the clock is ticking. if you don't have what you need to be stuck for a few days you had better get moving. >> many stores are already sold out of the bay six. news 4 megan mcgrath joins from us a 24 giant in rockville. megan, i bet the shelves are already bare. >> reporter: it looks like the locusts have struck. then there's other areas where they got a shipment and everything is perfect. kind of depends on what you want and what you're looking for. this is a 4 hour giant.

the parking lot, very early but there are cars. there are folks inside grabbing those last minute items. you don't want to get stuck in your house for days and not have the appropriate food to keep everybody happy. lots of folks coming out at the last minute make being sure they have the milk, bread and all of that stuff. now, if you are one of those last minute people, be aware that inventory is not what it normally is and every store all across our area. people have been shopping like crazy here over the have 24 hours. you go inside any store in our area and you'll see the produce aisle has been hit hard, milk, bread all those kinds of staples. the cheese aisle, what is it about cheese? it's been stripped bear. cheddar cheese, what'shat all about? people are buying all kind of things make being sure they are ready. it's not just the snowstorm.

but we also have super bowl this weekend as well. so a lot of folks stocking up hoping they can still have those super bowl gatherings. that remains to be seen. we'll have to see how much snow we get and whether your friends can make it over to your house. peop are shopping for two events, for the snow as well as their super bowl parties on sunday. remains to be seen what will happen with those parties. the restocking, they are getting ready for the next wave. they have tons of milk. the milk case is perfect. wild to see the stores like this. >> cheese? you can make omelettes, nachos. there's a reason why cheese is gone. >> how much cheese can you eat? >> you can put cheese on the bread. >> i guess. >> i bet that milk shelf won't be full for long. >> the milk case not a bottle is missing. they just got a shipment of milk because it's perfect.

>> the word goes out every time we have one of these events you have to go on bread and milk diet. >> and toilet paper. >> that's right. that's a necessity. i'm looking for the wine aisle, that's what i need. >> all right. >> if you fine it let me know. >> vdot still trying to clean up from the last two storms. crews are getting ready for today's within weather wallop. vdot has spent all of its snow removal money. it's tapping into a reserve fund. vdot said it will still clear the roads no matter the costs. >> in the district a snow emergency will take effect at 9:30 a.m. today. all cars must be moved from any snow emergency route. once the snow starts, 270 trucks will be out salting and plowing the streets. dulles south mayor adrian fenty said the city is ready but needs residents to cooperate. >> our snow emergency is to get

assistance from people who normally park on snow emergency lanes. those are your hour routes and evacuation routes. no cars will be able to park there. we need them to plow all the way to the curb. >> once again that snow emergency takes effect at 9:30 a.m. today. if you are parked on a snow emergency route after that time your car will be ticketed and towed. the storm hasn't even hit yet but already causing massive travel problems. airlines are cancelling flights ahead of the snow and now travellers are stuck finding another way out of town. news 4 jackie bensen continues our team coverage of this winter weather. >> reporter: at ronald reagan washington national airport people angled for seats on what may be some of the last planes out. and the last planes in to the nation's capital ahead of a looming, massive snowstorm. the baggage claim area was full of people who took advantage of relaxed airline ticket change policies to avoid the strong possibility of not being able to

get back home once storm hits. >> i was supposed to be down in damp until tomorrow, attending a conference but because of the weather decided to come back early so i can hand tell snow because i know i'm going to get swamped like everybody else in d.c. >> i flu stand by and got the last seat on this plane. >> reporter: giant snowplows were lined up in rows at bwi thurgood marshall. >> we're planning for the worst but hoping for the best. at bwi we'll have snow crews on hand starting on friday morning to help battle the elements. we'll work to clear the runways and taxiways. >> reporter: officials in the district say trucks are already spreading salt and a liquid deicing solution on bridges and other potentially icy spots. mayor adrian fenty echoed the words of officials in maryland and virginia, once this storm hits please stay off the road.

>> almost without question, be one of the biggest snowstorms that washington, d.c. has ever seen. >> reporter: jackie bensen, "news4 today." hold on to your seats, we're just hours away from the start of the snow. >> a live look outside right now. pretty darn calm right now. we'll check back in with tom kierein with this special edition as it continues.

. our time right now is 4:43. 34 degrees here in the nation's capital. cloudy skies. getting ready for the big one. >> that's right. tom kierein has been tracking the storm. he'll tell us when it's coming and how much. >> good morning. as we look at the regional radar there's a copious amount of

snow. where you see the pink and white that's combination of sleet and snow. leading edge is in the shenandoah valley near roanoke. our radar showing few scattered areas in the panhandle of west virginia, sleet and rain, southern maryland and around the northern neck of virginia. temperatures right now are near or a little below freezing. 34 degrees in washington. so what's falling for the most part will stick. winter storm warnings throughout the entire region, a blizzard warning for the eastern shore in southern new jersey. the timeline for the storm would have some light snow in the shenandoah valley by 8:00 this morning nrks to the metro area by 10:00, 11:00, by noon time. heavy snow moving in by mid-afternoon, and then overnight very heavy snow moving through the region, tapering off and ending during the day on saturday. total amounts 18 to 24 inches around washington throughout most of the region. somewhat higher amounts around the blue ridge. jerry, how is the traffic? >> not a lot to report on at

this early hour. obviously the volume lighter than normal. there are a few folks out and about. 95 northbound and southbound, south of dale city between dale city and dumfries moving along nicely. no early issues. we'll see if that continues to the wilson bridge. both directions very light volume. in your travels this morning if you're going out just watch out for crews they will be out there doing preparations for the storm. right now all is well. back to you. 4:45 is your time. 34 degrees. we're just getting started with our snow coverage. you still have some time to get those last minute supplies. >> what you better have inside your home before you do get trapped by the snow. >> stay with news 4 for coning coverage. we'll be on the air with updates all day long.

our time right now is 4:47.

13 minutes until 5:00. 34 degrees here in the nation's capital. buffalo picture of the lincoln memorial. no snow -- some lingering snow on the ground but not like what we're going to see coming our way. >> a number of closings and early dismissals in anticipation of this storm. first an important change involving the federal government. the federal government will now be operating under an unscheduled leave policy today with a four hour early dismissal in effect. d.c. public schools will close at noon today. >> let's take a look at virginia. many schools are closed already. alexandria city, arlington, fairfax, prince william and loudoun county schools all closed. clark, culpeper, fauquier, frederick and king george county in virginia closed. >> manassas city, manassas park city, orange county, rappahannock, warren, is closed. >> in maryland charles county

closed. >> in west virginia, berkeley, harsh shier, hardy, jefferson and mineral county schools are closed. morgan county schools are also closed today. >> this heavy snow this weekend is expected to have a major effect on metro service. metro will open on time today at 5:00. in about ten minutes. operating on a normal schedule today. it will continue to run normally today until there are eight inches of snow on the ground. after that all above ground service will be shut down. >> given what the anticipated snow total amounts will be for the weekend, it is highly probable that we will suspend all of our above rail service for the entire weekend. also highly probable we'll suspend all of our metrobus all day saturday. that could extend into sunday as

well. >> now if above ground rail service is suspended, metro will operate on a modified underground schedule. take a minute right now to grab a pen and paper because coming up the numbers you'll need if your power goes out. plus -- >> move your car. make sure you top off the gas. get some washer fluid. get new wipers. put a shovel in the trunk. when you've done all that, maybe the best thing to do is park in your driveway. >> that's what you need in your car. our pat collins will show us what else you should have on hand next.

4:52 is the time. eight minutes until 5:00. 34 degrees. welcome back to "news4 today." we have a note about montgomery county schools.

>> montgomery county schools are closing 2 1/2 hours today. montgomery county schools closing 2 1/2 hours early. fairfax county schools are also closed. we're still waiting to hear about prince george's county hools. d.c. schools are closing at noon. >> tom kierein is here to talk about the forecast as the snow moves in. >> not snowing yet, southern maryland, northern neck, virginia getting a little bit of rain and sleet perhaps beginning there. at this hour just cloudy in washington. temperature now at 34 degrees. look at the radar. regional radar is showing a broad area of precipitation. there's the city camera showing the lincoln memorial under a cloudy sky. 34 at reagan national. radar showing some snow in roanoke, lynchburg, southern shenandoah valley, blacksburg down into western north carolina. the blues and greens that's moderate to heavy rain that is continuing to advance up out of the gulf of mexico. that is the moisture that is going to be giving us our incredible amounts of snow that we've been talking about the

last couple of days. we're still on track for that. a littlbit of sleet and rain southern maryland, northern neck that pink zone and sleet and snow out here in the panhandle of west virginia. but no precipitation here right around washington where temperatures are just a little above freezing near 30 in prince george's county, montgomery, arlington fairfax counties right around 30 degrees. in the upper 20s to near 30 around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley and southern maryland as well. what is falling down there will begin to stick. look at this large area of winter storm warning out, all these counties in pink and from the ohio valley all the way to new jersey, and from pennsylvania all the way down to the carolinas, we're right in the middle of that. blizzard warnings further to the east, strong winds from this storm. look at all the moisture further on to the south and west of us, coming in, streaming off the gulf of mexico. that is only going to be enhanced by moisture coming off the atlantic as we see two areas of low pressure. now the primary low pressure system is going to be this one here, these areas of yellow

could see some heavy rain. this is by 8:00 this evening. by this time right around washington we'll have three to five inches of snow on the ground and maybe a little bit of a mix of some rain and sleet further south and east. then as we get into saturday morning, friday night from 6:00 p.m. to saturday morning 6:00 a.m. we'll have the heaviest amounts of snow, maybe mixing with a little sleet here in southern maryland, eastern shore, southeastern virginia. this is the primary low pressure system that will provide tremendous amounts of wind here for the eastern shore and it's going to be a very tight wind as this systems pulls away winds diminishing. no strong winds in washington to points west and north. this will quickly end by saturday afternoon and evening and then clearing out for sunday. so here is how it's looking here, the timeline for this storm. we'll probably have the light snow in the shenandoah valley by 8:00 this morning, then by noon time into the washington area. heavy sno moving in by mid-afternoon and by sunset three to five inches on the

ground. overnight very heavy snow moving throughout the entire region. it could be snowing at the rate of one to two inches an hour for maybe 12 hours. so, this is really going to be a lot of snow in a short amount of time and then as we get into saturday morning some of the heavy snow moving off north and east. we'll have then total amounts of about 18 to 24 inches from washington, a paralyzing snowstorm, even higher amounts perhaps around the higher elevations near the shenandoah valley. yes, they could see up to 30 inch there's. then on sunday we get the sunshine back, but very cold and cold into monday as well. so it's going to stay. jerry, how the traffic? >> take a live look, top side of the capital beltway and we'll start with the 14th street bridge. 395 northbound very light volume of traffic. no worries all the way into town and all lanes are open. outbound side looking good. let's head over and check the top side of the beltway. both outer loop and inner loop between 95 and 395 looking good.

>> thanks very much. power companies are getting ready for a possible widespread outages in our area over the weekend. they will have service work crews working throughout the weekend but not know where to go unless you call. dominion virginia power customers should call 1-888-667-3,000. pepco should cl 1-877-737-262. bge customers should call 1-800-685 opinion 0123. >> virginia lawmakers are taking a snow day. floor sessions have been cancelled. area residents are getting ready for the possibility of being stuck at home for a day or two or perhaps even longer. >> pat collins has more about those last minute preparations. >> going to snow.

>> going to snow. >> going to snow. >> it's going to be big. >> reporter: how big? >> real big. >> reporter: how big? >> it's going to break the record. >> reporter: what do you think? >> i don't predict snow, women or elections. >> reporter: the milk is selling like hot cakes. how many days supplies? >> we got a family with two dogs i hope so. >> ground turkey, fresh turkey, turkey breasts. chicken the enders. chick breasts. slim pickings. >> this is a tough time right now. >> reporter: you got what you need >> i got my snowplower. >> reporter: top off the gas. get some washer fluid. get new wipers. put a shovel in the trunk. when you've done all that maybe the best thing to do is -- >> park in your driveway. >> reporter: the costco parking

lot in arlington, cars are lining up. backed into the street. waiting just to get in to the parking lot. cars at the ready. hoping that someone will pull out so they can get that space. cars over there. cars down there. and that's just the parking lot. imagine what it's like inside. >> chaotic. >> busy. a pain in the butt. >> terrible. the lines are outrageous. i think you hear the word snow and everybody starts panicking. they say it's going to be a big one. haven't seen one since the '70s i think. >> reporter: i'm pat collins, "news4 today." >> love pat collins. stay tune everyone news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. here it comes again. a major storm is already dumping snow to the south and it will