it's making its way to our area. hurricane sandy right now is a very, very ragged hurricane. the latest advisories still coming out right now. still having it at 75 miles an hour. if you're looking at this, you wouldn't be able to pick out where the center of the hurricane was. it is right here. but there is no cloud cover, no thunderstorm activity on the bottom half of this storm. that is good news. that means it's most likely going to weaken. but that has no bearing on what it's going to do for us. i do not expect it to be a hurricane when it gets towards our region. what i do expect it to be, however, is a very large and a very massive storm that is going to be affecting us for days. here it is with winds of 75 miles an hour, moving to the north about 7 miles an hour. the latest track has made a little bit of a shift to the north of our region. you might think, hey, that's good news, right? it's good news for one reason, rainfall. i think less rain now, i'm no longer worried about river flooding in our area, at least major river flooding. however, in this track, the

winds would still be as trong, or even stronger. so we're going to be watching this one very, very closely. as a matter of fact, let's take a look at some of the winds. this is on sunday morning around 8:00. ten miles an hour, going up to 60 miles an hour. what about 10:15 sunday morning, 60-mile-an-hour gusts still on the shore. watch on the day on monday as they move across our region. and then on tuesday, 60-mile-an-hour gusts, including the entire mid-atlantic. and northeast. winds over 60 miles an hour expected along the entire i-95 corridor. that's why we're so worried about this storm. this will be a trees down and a power outage storm that we'll continue to watch for you right here at nbc 4. and a web chat going on 5:00 and 7:00, nbcwashington.com. >> and for the latest on this storm and what your family needs to know to prepare, download our weather app. search nbc washington weather in itunes or the android market. you can also follow us on

twitter and of course on facebook. widespread power outages are a big concern with this storm. local utilities are making sure power gets back on quickly. residents are getting ready for the storm and wondering if it will be lights out. pat? >> reporter: well, jim, i can't believe it's almost halloween and we're talking hurricanes. here at this home depot in bethesda, people stocking up on all that survival stuff, bottled water and batteries, and flashlights. but this time, just like last time, it's really all about power. with sandy on its way here, what's your biggest concern? >> hope we don't lose power. >> what do you fear most? >>. >> losing power like we always do. >> we're worried about power. >> reporter: last-minute pepco prep, linemen out working the wires. you're from where? >> alabama. >> reporter: and you're ready for staend? >> i was born ready. >> reporter: tree trimmers out doing what tree trimmers do.

it appears these days in some places the choice is trees or power. >> i choose electricity. in the day and age we live in, we need electricity. >> i wish they would put the stuff underground and we wouldn't have to make that choice. >> i love the trees. but the tree doesn't keep my tv on, or cook my dinner. >> reporter: the warning, at the pepco emergency command center, some serious words about this hurricane force storm. >> a hurricane is a major event, wherever it makes landfall, wherever the cone of the winds are, there will be significant damage. >> reporter: these are the numbers. today on the street, there are 150 pepco linemen. 440 contract linemen. and 300 tree trimmers. the storm force for this event pepco has requested an additional 2,500 linemen. as of now, 400 have committed.

they've requested 400 more tree trimmers. 350 of those have promised to be here. the alternative, generators. don't go looking for one at this tool store in gaithersburg. they're sold out. all they have left, demonstrators. at this home depot store in bethesda, generators, sold out, sold out, sold out, sold out, sold out, sold out. two shipments sold out today. they're expecting a third before 10:00 tonight. if you measure the confidence of pepco by the generators, not so good. but these words today from pepco president, tom graham. >> a lot of us live here. you know, these are our families, these are our friends, these are our neighbors. so, you know, we're trying to do work for our community. >> reporter: no ambush storm

this time. plenty of warning. plenty of time to plan. a chance for pepco this time to prove itself. live in montgomery county, pat collins, news4. >> the utility companies in our region gearing up right now. they're mobilizing thousands of their field and support staff. and they've requested thousands of additional line crews and tree removal experts from out of state to supplement their efforts as well. utilities are also reminding customers to have an emergency backup plan just in case electricity is out for a while. and be sure to report any outages or downed wires. in rehoboth beach right now things are calm and the area is packed with people. it's going to be a big festive weekend out there. erica gonzalez is live with how the officials there are planning to handle this storm. hey, erica. >> reporter: wendy, you've got 60 degrees, 65 degrees maybe. it's breezy, sunny. you've got a lot of people here

on the boardwalk. it really is the calm before the storm. and while sandy might be on some people's minds, it is not on the forefront. along the surf, you've got loads of people walking up and down the beach. the big deal on everybody's mind is a halloween festival. they've got a massive costume parade that's taking place tomorrow at 11:00. so city officials are taking their time in deciding what the next move is going to be. >> we still have some time at this point, i think, to wait and see. but by noon tomorrow, decisions have to be made. >> reporter: why does this not strike any fear in you? >> it's a big wind bag. >> reporter: now, meanwhile, city officials are also asking residents if they are -- if they've got doubts, if they've got questions, to keep the chamber of commerce handy on their phones. they can call them anytime tomorrow. they'll be making some decisions as the days progress. meanwhile, other locals are

telling us they're not taking any chances. they've gone to the store to stock up on water and candles, and many have told us that the water is already sold out in a lot of these places. we'll update you again at 6:00 and 11:00 tonight. >> and stay up to date with us on sandy all night and all weekend. you can also get updates 24/7 on nbcwashington.com and search sandy, and follow us on twitter or facebook. also sign up for breaking news alerts at nbc washington.com back slash newsletters. president obama is taking a breather today after a 48-hour campaign marathon that had him crisscrossing the country. today he's conducting radio and tv interviews, including a segment with mtv at this hour. white house officials say he is also keeping a close eye on hurricane sandy, and getting regular updates on emergency preparations. mitt romney's been concentrating heavily on the crucial swing state of ohio.

today he took a break, went to ames, iowa, for a rally. the republican candidate called for bold changes to improve the economy and made pledges to call good democrats to make it happen. there are five new polls out in ohio. and they show that president obama has a 2-point lead in that state. >> romney spent much of his time in ohio this week, his campaign is not ignoring virginia. senator john mccain spent today drumming up support for romney among veterans. julie carey caught up with senator mccain in fairfax, and woodbridge. >> reporter: four years ago it was senator john mccain who was the one challenging barack obama, trying to win the presidency. in 2012, he's assumed the role of a surrogate for the romney campaign and republican senate candidates in tight races across the country. today he met with veterans. his advice to the romney campaign? >> it's very hard for me to give

advice, since i lost. >> reporter: jokes aside, mccain said he told the romney campaign to keep the focus on defense issues in their appeal to virginia voters. and he's more guarded than some virginia republicans who predict the commonwealth is moving romney's way. >> i think it's clearly up for grabs still. it's in a margin of error. there is momentum behind mitt romney, and so we have a degree of confiden but like so many of these very close races, it's going to come down to voter turnout. and the obama campaign has a very good get-out-the-vote machine. but i am guardedly optimistic that we will do well here. >> reporter: in loudoun county, the headliners for the obama campaign were caroline kennedy and valerie jarrett, both traveling around virginia to urge supporters to go all out in the final push for votes. kennedy says some virginia polls show a shift toward romney don't have her worried. >> i take heart in president

obama's record. i think that the accomplishmes, when people sit down and look at what he's done in the last four years, i think that's going to overwhelm any kind of last-minute slight shift in polling. i think the fundamentals of his presidency are really strong. >> reporter: both presidential candidates returned to virginia, and both are coming to prince william county. mitt romney on sunday, president obama on monday. but the romney campaign was forced to cancel an appearance in virginia beach because of the threat of hurricane sandy. in loudoun county, julie carey, news4. we have breaking news. it's from nevada. senate majority leader harry reid is in a las vegas emergency room after a car accident. it was on interstate 15, four of the cars involved were in senator reid's caravan. no word on how badly the senator or anyone else in that crash was hurt. when we come back, our coverage of hurricane sandy continues. doug's tracking the system and

will give an hour-by-hour timeline of when we can expect sandy to affect us. flying, driving, taking a train over the next couple of days? that could be a real challenge. i'm adam tuss. the story coming up. and the costumes will turn heads, but they're also dangerous. liz crenshaw's consumer warnings to keep your t teacher: this is west virginia, pennsylvania, delaware. and this is maryland. every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty million gaming at casinos in these other states. question seven will build a new casino and bring table games to baltimore... generating hundreds of millions for schools. and that money has to go to education. it's the law. so vote for question seven. so we can stop spending all that money here, and keep maryland money in classrooms like mine.

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hurricane sandy creating some strong winds, even beach erosion down on some beaches near florida. >> and the weather channel's mike seidel is reporting from singer island in florida, which is reporting erosion. >> reporter: yeah, down here the sun is breaking through the overcast. that doesn't mean we may not have a few more squalls. certainly the damage has been done to the beach here. i'm down here at the low water level. next high tide coming up in about five hours. but look as i walk up this hill. we've lost about five to six feet of beach. and then you see in the foreground the wind blowing the sand. so we're getting beach erosion. we haven't had a steady rainfall, there are no flood watches in effect. the storm will come in somewhere between virginia and new york city sometime monday or tuesday.

now, inland the issues don't change a whole lot wherever the storm comes in, because it's going to be a giant wind storm and it's going to blow for a couple of days. a lot of power outages. where it comes onshore north of that center, the beaches are going to be ripped. we're talking about major beach erosion, coastal flooding and structural damage. that's potentially what we're looking at. again, a good story on the generators, and the other question is, how this will impact the markets on monday. its if not monday, tuesday. >> doug joins us now with a little bit of good news. >> about the track? >> a little bit of good news about the track. but still, this is one we'll have to watch big-time. a couple of big concerns that i no longer think we have to worry too much about. last night it was looking scary for places like rehoboth city, it may not be quite as high. still going to be high but not quite as high now. that is now looking like it could be new jersey and up towards new york city. they could be under the gun for that. but for us, still going to be a

monstrous storm, and a monstrous wind event. that's what we're going to be seeing. here's the hurricane right now just off the coast of florida. you can see one thing you notice, you see the green, the rain there, the cloud cover, but down to the south, here's the center. here's the center right down just to the north and east of miami. that center of circulation right here. one thing you notice down to the south, no clouds at all. this is taking in a lot of dry air and it's been weakening. i fully expect this to be a tropical storm by around 8:00, 11:00 advisory tonight. that's not, however, going to change our forecast. so don't be fooled. even if it's a tropical storm later on this evening, don't be fooled. it's still going to have a major impact for us. we'll show you what's happening here as the outer bands continue to make their way onshored. daytona beach, winds of 40, 50, even 60 miles per hour. as we widen out, this is what we're concerned about. yes, we have a hurricane to the south. if that was to come up the coast, it would normally move fairly quickly. but it will interact with this

frontal boundary, a cold front. temperatures behind this front have dropped over 30 degrees. and they've seen snow. so all of this is going to come together and it's going to come together right over the mid-atlantic, right over the northeast. sandy, right now winds of 75 miles an hour moving to the north about 7 miles per hour. expect it to become a tropical storm and then potentially back into a hurricane. that doesn't really matter for us. it's going to be post-tropical whatever it is, and it's going to make its way our way. anywhere from boston still down to the south. that's where the cone lies. if it moves to our north, that's a little bit better for us in regards to beach erosion and rain. if it stays to the south, that's when we really have to watch out for it. but no matter where it is, it's still going to give us a huge impact from wind. on saturday, no impact for us. we'll see cloudy skies, rather breezy. but not a bad afternoon. on sunday, as it moves up the coast, we're going to see low impact around the washington, d.c., area. i think pretty good forecast for the marine corps marathon now. maybe a couple of showers.

but that's about it. a little breezy. but down toward the shore, that's when we're going to see the beaches down there getting windy and very rainy during the day on sunday. it's going to be on monday that we start to see the high impact, even around the d.c. metro area and the entire i-95 corridor up there towards new york city. and then on tuesday, as it moves back towards the coast, that's when we're going to see the strongest winds. expect the strongest winds late monday, into the day on tuesday. i fully expect us to see 50, maybe 60-mile-an-hour winds as this storm moves in. that's why we're really worried about the potential for power outages. a lot of people out there already getting ready and making sure you have batteries, things like that, if the power does go out. watch out for the strong winds. we know we'll have coastal flooding. heavy rain will be likely, and there will be power outages monday into tuesday. as far as sunday goes, let's take you hour by hour. 6:00, cloudy, cool and humid. noon, a few showers, breezy.

at 11:00, that's when we start to see the rain pick up, the wind pick up, too. but sunday not all that bad. once again, it will be monday into tuesday now. cloudy skies, areas of fog, some dense tomorrow morning. temperatures 51 to about 58 degrees. tomorrow afternoon, temperatures 69, with mild conditions. 62 on sunday. monday, tuesday, high temperatures, 51, and then 47 on tuesday, with very heavy rain. that's the other thing with this going to the north. it will draw in even colder air. we're talking about a very frigid afternoon on tuesday. windchills in the 30s. tuesday is going to be rather brutal around here. once again, just make sure you're prepared for this storm as you come in. you've got a couple of days to get ready for it. >> this thing is massive. >> that's the thing, right now it's this big, when it gets to the northeast it's just going to expand and that's why we're really worried about this storm. >> so we shouldn't be looking at a category. >> we'll no longer be calling it a hurricane or tropical storm by the time it gets up here.

>> for the latest on sandy all weekend long, download our weather app. you can also follow us on twitter and facebook. still ahead, we'll tell you how people in prince george's county are gearing up for this storm. a rough ride to school for students involved in this crash. and we'll tell you about a coach who used to wear the same uniform as his players and is continuing a winning tradition at this montgomery county school. tonight at 6:00, a woman comes face to face with a robber in her home. details on this disturbing detai[ male announcer ]ing if barack obama is re-elected, what will the next four years be like? one: the debt will grow from $16 trillion to $20 trillion.

two: 20 million americans could lose their employer-based health care. three: taxes on the middle class will go up by $4,000. four: energy prices will continue to go up. and five: $716 billion in medicare cuts that hurt current seniors. five reasons we can't afford four more years of barack obama. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

wow, hot high school football team, undefeated, huh? >> that's right. we have a couple of them. that doesn't happen too often. the friday night lights in northern montgomery county are the main attraction tonight. people will come to see the field of dreams to see number 4

seneca valley take on number 12 damascus. both teams 8-0. zachary joins us live with more. zachary, it's a football matchup made in heaven this late in the season. >> reporter: it is. you can already field the anticipation building up here. before hot teams like damascus started popping up, there was one power in this area for years. seneca valley. they won state championships. his coach has been part of three of them. since he took over head coaching duties nine years ago, zero. he's starting to feel a little bit of the pressure. but i asked him what it would mean to get this team back to state championship form. >> chokes me up a little bit thinking about that. because i try to tell the kids, winning a state title is one of the greatest experiences you'll ever have in your life. outside the birth of my children, you know, which was

different, there's nothing like winning a state championship. because you put it all together, and you love that feeling. and that feeling is what i want so badly for the kids that i coach every day. because we work so hard for it. >> reporter: there's something about fall that can turn pasttimes like high school football games into almost religious-like experiences. seneca valley is one of those. >> it would mean everything in the world to me. outside of my parents, the coaches, they were like my second father. my fathers away from home. they kept an eye on all of us. it was another family unit. >> reporter: through the years, the screaming eagles have become a dynasty. piling up 15 regional titles, 20 county titles, and 12 maryland state championships. nobody in the state has won more. >> that was my purpose in life, you know, was to be a coach, and try to provide the kids with the experience i had.

>> reporter: terry asked kim to take the reins. >> there are very big shoes to fill. but what i learned from my playing days is, again, you know, you put your mind and effort into it you can accomplish anything. >> reporter: he's the chosen one. hand-picked to lead his alma mater. and taking one step closer to the elusive first state championship as head coach. >> i would say this would be another huge step in the right direction for us. but it doesn't get any easier. >> reporter: in the meantime he'll keep instilling the life lessons that were passed on by the greats who came before him. >> i've kind of come to grips with that, that ultimately that's what it's all about. but don't get me wrong, we want to win a state title every single year. >> reporter: fred kim, he'll have a chance to go up against one of his former mentors tonight, al thomas, returning to the sidelines.

he's a defensive coordinator for damascus. they'll be bringing their "a" game tonight. they've got a little country music playing out here. it should be a good party out here tonight. >> absolutely. zachary, thank you so much, live from damascus. we look forward to seeing you with highlights on news4 at 11:00. you don't often see a football coach get emotional like that. >> thank you, carol. >> the screaming eagles. next at 5:30, no matter where you live, there's a travel warning for drivers and people heading up into the skies this weekend. and it's happening already. customers fighting over just about everything, as they try to stock up. a huge storm toppled over the tree on the lifts, and as hurricane sandy approaches, another one is going up. anncr: seven-hundred-thousand jobs.

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would cost our economy. newspapers called it "economically destructive." like allen's votes to give tax breaks to companies... that ship jobs overseas, his economic plan would... help big corporations, devastating the middle class. allen even voted against tax breaks for small businesses. virginia can't afford to go back to george allen. the democratic senatorial campaign committee... is responsible for the content of this advertising. we were told to build a 30-foot stage. gathered the guys and we built that 30-foot stage, not knowing what it was for. just days later, all three shifts were told to assemble in the warehouse. a group of people walked out on that stage and told us that the plant is now closed and all of you are fired... i looked both ways, i looked at the crowd, and...we all just lost our jobs.

we don't have an income. mitt romney made over 100 million dollars by shutting down our plant and devastated our lives. turns out that when we built that stage, it was like building my own coffin, and it just made me sick. [ male announcer ] priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. at 5:30, let's get the latest on hurricane sandy. >> i want to show you what this storm is doing right now. once again, one thing we want to continue to mention to you, even if this becomes a tropical

storm, and i think it will later on this afternoon, it's not going to affect the storm strength once it gets here. it will no longer be tropical when it gets to our region. so you will not hear tropical storm, you'll probably not hear hurricane. we will still call it sandy for all intents and purposes, but we want to continue to watch this storm right now. it's hitting florida, in southern portions of florida with winds upwards of 50, 60 miles an hour. as we look at the track, the current winds still at 75 miles an hour. it is still technically a hurricane. expected to become a tropical storm and then move our way, as a category 1 hurricane. but then it's going to become post-tropical and become a much bigger storm. and i mean much wider. hurricanes are normally fairly tight. this will be much bigger and have a much bigger wind field. coming onshore most likely early tuesday morning. this is the potential wind from hurricane sandy coming up monday at around noon. take a look at the wind gusts,

upwards of 60 miles per hour in washington, near 70 miles an hour along chesapeake bay. once again, power outages are likely. >> thank you, doug. if you're traveling this weekend, the storm is expected to impact all aspects of travel region. >> news4's transportation reporter adam tuss is live at national. he spoke with officials about how they are preparing for the problems if the severe weather expected to be bringing in. >> reporter: wendy, well, from planes to trains to cars, the storm can mean a lot of us will be going nowhere fast. bracing for what's to come. and what is ahead could turn travel plans upside down. at the airports, already warnings that flights could be canceled all along the east coast. >> some airlines do allow liberal rebooking policies. in case there are weather impacts. >> reporter: on the roads, calls for more portable stop signs in montgomery county. it wasn't long ago that the

summer derecho knocked out power to the intersections. tom is with the department of transportation. >> we'll depend on residents themselves, motorists out there. they need to remember that when they come to a signal that's dark, basically treat it as a four-way stop and yield to the person on the right, stay alert. >> reporter: barrels, barriers, equipment at the ready. and of course, 50-pound sandbags. driving across the bay bridge on a clear day is enough to make some worried. you can imagine with having to deal with the wind pushing you around. the highway administration typically shuts down traffic on the bridge when the winds are sustained above 55 miles an hour. and keeping a close eye on trees by the side of the road that could come down in heavy wind and rain. and on the rails, both amtrak and metro could adjust service if the wind becomes too intense. anything above 60 miles an hour and most trains along amtrak's northeast corridor would have to pull into the next closest station and wait. on metro, sustained gusts above

30 or 35 miles an hour could be enough to slow above-ground service. jim and wendy, all local transportation agencies tell us they'll be constantly monitoring the situation, making at justments as needed. reporting live at reagan national airport, adam tuss, news4. and we want to report in the district, mayor gray has just declared a state of emergency there as well. so there are now states of emergency in virginia, maryland and the district of columbia. residents in maryland are stocking up on storm supplies. with memories of this summer's derecho still fresh on all our minds. prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins with more on how they're getting ready to weather this. >> reporter: wendy, they are buying up everything here in laurel. these folks got it pretty bad when the derecho hit. they want to make sure this time around, if the power goes, they have what they need. pepco crews are working around prince george's county to get last-minute line work done

before sandy hits. spl hopefully we've got enough items. >> reporter: folks in laurel are lined up at atms, getting cash and rushing to grocery stores just in case the power goes. >> something that i don't have to cook if anything happens. i try not to get a lot of stuff that i have to put in the refrigerator. >> the storm could start as early as sunday and last through tuesday into wednesday. >> reporter: mark brady with the fire and ems said all county agencies have been conferencing to make sure all of the bases are covered. >> the county's going to be prepared. we've had plenty of time to get ready for this. it's not like the storm over the summer where we had very little time to prepare. we are preparing for a long duration storm. >> reporter: apparently so are plenty of folks in laurel, where there has been a steady stream of business at harbor freight tools. >> generators, flashlights, you know, extension cords, gas cans seem like to be the number one items today.

>> reporter: the bad news is, the generators are already gone here. >> i can say that we are receiving a truck on thursday. so depending on the weather, and the emergency forecast that we have, there's a possibility we're getting generators throughout our stores. >> reporter: yeah, by thursday. a lot of folks don't want to hear that, people who don't have the generators yet. there's a reason why people who live here in laurel are talking up on all this stuff. it has a lot to do with the poles behind me. you can see they're still kind of leaning. we'll have more in my live report at 6:30. tracee wilkins, news4. stay up to date with us on sandy all night long, all weekend long. you can also get updates 24/7 on nbcwashington.com. search sandy, follow at nbc washington on twitter or facebook. sign up for breaking news alerts at nbc washington.com back slash newsletters. we're everywhere. >> yeah, we are. get ready to dig into some

traditional lebanese fare. giving a take on a d.c. restaurant. the potentially dangerous costumes you could be wearing this halloween. liz crenshaw has the consumer alert. in virginia, we know education means opportunity. that's why tim kaine expanded pre-k... championed higher ed and job training... helping make virginia "the best state to raise a child." but george allen has not made our kids a priority. as governor, he tried to cut funding for public schools. in washington, allen voted to end tax deductions for college tuition.

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down on h street you can find traditional lebanese fare with several options for vegetarians. >> tom gives us an inside look. >> reporter: possibly the most scenic wall on h street northeast shows cedars against mountains of the tiny shawafel. every time i look at it, says the owner, a native of lebanon, it reminds me of home. his eggplant over a camp fire, and bright with lemon juice and

rich with olive oil. lamb from a spit is combined with parsley and pickles and more. i'm just as happy to go meet with them for a flash fried cauliflower. he opened a year ago in august, and said while many of his american customers think a french-fried stuff pita is a substitute for a spud, but it's a fast food staple in lebanon. a dusting of dried thyme and sumac negates any thought of using ketchup. pomegranate salad dressing. a palate of soft blue and silver encourages you to eat your order in rather than out. the self-service shawafel stays

open into the wee hours of the weekend. as the owner tells me, we have the basic drink foods covered. >> late night munchies, you've got it. >> that looks good. a major event is canceled for this weekend thanks to the oncoming storm. big plans to replace a torn-down tree on the ellipse. i'm liz crenshaw. halloween costumes and fire, a dangerous combination. my story is coming up. of course, we're going to continue to watch hurricane sandy as it moves up the coast. we will be here for you throughout the entire event. and right now, we're answering questions online, go to nbcwashington.com and join our web chat.

we're following breaking news. chopper 4 is over the scene of an armored car robbery. police tell us someone robbed it in a shopping center along university boulevard near new hampshire avenue. we're told there were shots fired, but it's unclear if anyone was struck. we have a crew headed to the scene right now and we will have the latest as it comes in to

news4. four elementary school students are recovering from minor injuries after their school bus crashed in rockville this morning. the bus was on its way to school when it was struck head-on. police say the driver of that car is an 80-year-old man from potomac who is hospitalized in stable condition. he was issued two citations, including one for crossing the center line. a new national christmas tree will be planted saturday on the ellipse near the white house. this tree will replace the one taken down back in may because it had transplant shock. the tree before that stood for more than 30 years, but fell during the storm back in 2011. the new national christmas tree is a 28-foot colorado spruce. you can still apply to be part of the lottery for free tickets to see the tree lighting. that's happening on december 6th. go to nbcwashington.com, search for national christmas tree for details. let's get the latest from meteorologist doug kammerer as we look at the storm coming up out of florida. >> we're going to be showing you

pretty much hour by hour what this storm is going to be doing to us over the next couple of hours. here it is down to the south. this is just one computer model we use from time to time across our region. right now just dealing with cloud cover. notice the front back to the west. as the storm moves up the coast, here comes the frontal boundary. here we are saturday, 5:00. tomorrow, we'll be dry. not expecting much in the way of rain during the day tomorrow. could be sprinkles with an easterly flow. that's about it. but the storm down to the south getting its act together. a lot of rain and wind along the carolina coastline. as it moves up the coast, here's sunday. this is sunday morning. a lot of walks going on. they're looking fine, i think. yes, we could see some showers. yes, we'll see rather breezy conditions. but we will not see the worst of this storm on sunday. especially not sunday morning. watch what happens sunday afternoon. the storm moves to the north. we start to get the rain bands making their way in here.

it starts to interact with the frontal boundary. heavy rains around 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 on sunday. winds picking up to 20, 30 miles an hour. not too bad. but as it moves to the north and moves inland on monday, and into monday afternoon and into the day on tuesday, very heavy rain in parts of the area. a lot of wind across parts of the area. once again, i fully expect there to be 50, 60-mile-an-hour wind gusts from potentially richmond all the way up towards new york city. and something a lot of you have been talking about. what about the snow. well, here's the snow back towards west virginia and western maryland. it will not make its way into our region. but once again, western portions of west virginia will see some snow, especially the ski resorts. they could get a bunch of it. as far as the rain is concerned, how much rain will we see from sandy? through the day saturday, not much in the way of rain. here comes the rain during sunday. sunday afternoon is when we see the totals racking up here. by 12:30 on monday, notice close

to five inches of rain potentially, potentially, around the d.c. metro area, maybe upwards of seven inches along the chesapeake bay. this goes to show you we're going to see heavy rain. what about the wind? the winds are going to be what we are most concerned about here as we move on through the day. saturday, 20-mile-an-hour winds. on sunday, we get into the 30-mile-an-hour wind range. and then we see the strong winds move in from the coast, talking about monday afternoon. upwards of 50 to 60 miles an hour. same deal goes for tuesday. we'll have a good 24-hour stretch of 50 to 60-mile-an-hour wind gusts. once again, numerous power outages. be ready for your power to go out. we'll guide you through this storm over the next couple of days right here at nbc 4. >> we know you will. thank you, doug. new york has joined d.c., maryland and virginia for declaring a state of emergency. residents and utility companies are gearing up early. crews put large sand dunes along the shoreline to try to stop

water from hitting homes, and residents are bagging up and laying out sandbags to try to prevent flooding. power agencies say crews will be in the best positions to handle outages when they happen. stay up to date with us on sandy all night and all weekend, and get updates 24/7 on nbcwashington.com, search sandy, and follow @nbcwashington on twitter. and sign up for breaking news alerts on nbcwashington.com back slash newsletters. the storm is already having an impact on one event in alexandria. they've canceled the parade scheduled for this sunday. there will be events from 2:00 to 4:00, but the parade is canceled. with ghosts and goblins headed to your door soon, it's time to start thinking about how to keep the spooky holiday a safe one. liz crenshaw has her annual eye-opening demonstration. >> reporter: it's the fartherest thing from your mind or your

child's mind. the costume and jack-o'-lantern could put them in danger. but flowing costumes and sidewalks lighted with candles do create a dangerous mix. each year students and adults are burned when costumes catch fire. the u.s. consumer product safety commission has reports of an 8-year-old girl suffering first and second-degree burns when a candle came in contact with her halloween costume. and a 4-year-old boy sustained second-degree burns over 40% of his body when his costume ignited. so once again this year, we wanted to demonstrate how store-bought and homemade costumes can put you and your children at risk. whether it's a pretty pink fairy, a vampire cape, or cinderella costume, they can all be extremely flammable. many are even labeled in many languages, keep away from fire. the sufficient consumer product safety commission says halloween costumes should be flame-resistant or retardant.

that means when you put a flame to the fabric, it's supposed to go out when you take the flame away. not happening with this cinderella costume. whoa! in fact, cinderella was completely consumed in two minutes. same problem with the pink fairy. the black vampire cape's not doing much better. it's still burning. adults who dress up for halloween also have to be concerned about fire. wigs, boas, grass skirts, all extremely flammable. this wig, while it was labeled synthetic fabric nonflammable, in fact when we put a lighter to it, it burned up in one short minute. this boa, a torch in 20 seconds. we did find some good news this year with this hula skirt. the label says it's coated to keep it from burning. this grass skirt says it was treated with a flame-retardant

chemical. seems to be working. one of the most dangerous halloween costumes, a 100% cotton sheet. watch out. in ten seconds the sheet fully aflame. these fast flames should serve as a reminder to keep costumes and candles far apart. liz crenshaw, news4, washington. >> wow. coming up next, a hidden camera investigation into what people are illegally selling online. chopper 4 has just arrived on the scene of breaking news in takoma park right now. an armored car robbery. we'll have the latest on this breaking news right here on news4 at 6:00 in just a few [ earnest ] out of the blue one day, we were told to build a 30-foot stage.

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you can buy just about anything online. it is not always legal. with hidden cameras rolling, chris hansen meets someone who suggests he's a hit man. another guy suggests he's a drug dealer.

>> we've got a sneak peek of "dateline" nbc at 10:00 tonight. >> what you're looking at is someone suggesting on hidden camera he's a hit man. playing along as a potential client. >> i've got a problem with a guy. >> okay. >> i've got to take care of it. >> okay. >> reporter: it feels like a scene from a movie. what are the options? >> what do you want to happen to him? >> reporter: what can you do? >> i can do anything. >> reporter: but he's no actor, and he's telling me what he's willing to do to a potential victim. >> disappear, hurt, hospitalized. a lot of things could happen. >> reporter: but this isn't a story about a hit man. it's really a story about where we found him. of all places, in the online classifie classifieds. a place where billions of people worldwide come to sell, share and offer services on sites like craigslist and backpage.

you can find anything, apartments, cars, furniture, jobs, or even a spouse. but with just a few clicks, you can also find some very strange things. a young man offering his kidney for $50,000. >> it wouldn't matter to have two kidneys or one kidney. >> reporter: a woman selling a potent narcotic, a drug that should only be prescribed by a doctor. how do you justify this? >> you ask for them. >> reporter: this man says he's selling his marijuana delivery business. >> i can do about $800 to $1,000 a day. >> reporter: these are just a few people behind the posts. billions of listings in the digital universe. they may look like simple words on a screen, but go back to listings and there's a world of drama. >> i think it is a dire. very dire. >> reporter: anger. desperation. >> it could potentially save my life. >> reporter: and deception. >> your boss is selling

counterfeit products. >> yeah, absolutely. >> reporter: tonight our hidden cameras take you inside the fascinating world of the online classifieds, a place where everyday people live double lives. i'm chris hansen with "dateline" nbc. getting a new look at the damage as sandy moves toward our area. dozens of people have been killed in the caribbean. >> florida's feeling it right now. big choppy waves are giving fishermen a hard time in south florida. that area may have escaped the full potential of the storm. >> many people here did not waste any time preparing. it was a mad dash for flashlights, generators and groceries. tonight power companies say they're ready. this will be a massive storm that's going to impact us for days. good evening, everyone, i'm doreen gentzler. >> and i'm jim vance.