tonight to show you what's happening where you live. from virginia and maryland to right here in the district. >> but, first, to chief meteorologist doug camerer. because of the cold temperatures, we are seeing some problems on area roadways. you can see where the snow is right now, making its way through the entire metro area, down through southern maryland. i-80 corridor backed around winchester, this is the back edge of this and we are almost done with that snow. we mentioned the cold temperatures, look at these numbers, 22 in washington, 18 in gaithersburg, 19 in frederick and 23 in manassas, anything that falls will stick. and even 1/2 inch of snow on a very cold roadway could lead to some problems, that's why we have that winter weather advisory in effect until 9:00 tonight. i think the snow should be out of here by 7:00 or 8:00, but that winter weather advisory in effect for most of the area until 9:00. hour by hour, taking you through 6:00, 22 degrees at that time,

still snowing, snow ending around 7:00 with a temperature around 21, staying around 20, 21 degrees between 8:00 and 9:00. if you're going out tonight, know you're in for a very cold night and you're also in for rather slick conditions. whether you're driving, riding your bike or maybe just walking out to dinner. tonight will be a very slick night. we'll talk about what to expect over the weekend and then our big warm-up, i'll show you what that means too. right now, we're here on wisconsin avenue, and we are approaching upton street, and as you can see, there is a lot of traffic out here. people are taking it rather slowly because there's snow. first of all, it was snow on the roadways, but then it started melting because d.o.t. did a really good job of pre-treating the different road conditions throughout this area. now, as you go down the street, i must tell you, you need to increase the distance between yourself and the driver in front of you, do not recommend you

slow down, but also have plows assigned to every route in d.c. and residential streets are also treated at the same time. while we were going down wisconsin avenue, we came across one driver that cut through three lanes, you would have thought he was dale earnhardt jr. at nascar or something, that's what police don't want you to do. they want to make sure you slow down and be careful out on the roadways. we were driving and came across a slick spot and we're here in a chevy suburban. and we slid just a little bit, thank god for the driver who then just made sure he was okay. and he kept a safe distance of the car in front of us. that is the key. and it's also important to point out that d.o.t. says they want to slow down and be careful. to northern virginia now where snow crews are determined tonight to work through the night if necessary to keep the roads clear. vdot has 700 salt trucks and snowplows ready to roll. and folks are hitting the hardware stores too.

julie carey is live in centreville. a lot of students got to go home early today. >> reporter: well, the flakes started to fall out here around 2:00 this afternoon, and the last hour, it's been pretty steady, you see lee highway right behind me, route 28 interchange and two salt trucks went through the area. so vdot making good on their promise, trying to stay ahead of the snow as it falls. the roadway right now, though, mostly wet. i've been panning for snow here, that's my accumulated snowfall so far out in centreville. normally this time of day, the last of the school buses will be out on the road. that is not the case. the school districts playing it safe and the weekend started early for a lot of kids and their parents. >> reporter: the buses rolled in early this afternoon, fairfax county, prince william, manassas park all announced early dm dismissals after school started. >> it was inconvenient, but you know, better safe than sorry. >> reporter: and these liberty middle school teachers say they

were fine with heading home around 12:45. >> we are very excited that the weekend is starting early. but we are glad for our students. get everybody off the road where it's safe. >> reporter: this week's first snow awaited drivers headed home to subdivisions. this street the still snow covered and on others melted snow has refrozen. vdot's focus will be the interstates and primary roads. by noon, some 700 trucks were filled with sand or salt or a mixture of both. the battle plan was to pre-treat some spots and then stage the trucks out on the roads so they could roll quickly once the flakes fell. >> we probably won't be plowing, but we will be putting down treatment. so we'll be continuing to put down salt and sand, crews will be continuing to monitor all of the roads. >> reporter: so far, so good. just wet here on lee highway, but again, be careful on the subdivisio subdivisions. we'll bring you an update at 6:00. for now, i'm julie carey, news 4. >> and if your vehicle is parked outside right now, this is what

it looks like, covered in a light dusting of snow. it's pretty. aren't you glad you put your windshield wipers up like that? many folks are deciding whether to drive or take metro. in silver spring with words on the roads and the rails. adam? >> reporter: hey, wendy, yeah, the flurries still coming down here in silver spring as julie mentioned, started about 2:00 this afternoon. let me show you the road here, this is east/west highway in downtown silver spring. you can take a look at the road there, just mainly wet. all the salt that's been put down over the last couple of days and the cold weather we've been having. it's been doing its job, winning the battle against the flakes falling down on the ground. so right now traffic moving well. and if you can see up there the metro train running, metro saying it has not made any changes becae of this weather. >> reporter: as the flurries fly, the trains roll. metro riders here bundled up and happy they're not driving. >> i mean, i'd rather be on the train than driving around even when the weather's nice.

>> soft spread down on the ground and metro has put in these new tile pavers with better grip. if you ride metro, yo uh know some of the older tiles and stations can get slick when wet. if anything more substantial comes down, metro has the equipment at the ready. but for many, metro does the trick in this weather. >> holds up pretty well as far as i'm concerned. it's a lot easier than trying to deal with driving. >> reporter: now, metro has had problems with cracked rails the past few days, the cold temperatures causing some rails to contract and break. aboveground sections of track like silver spring here, obviously more exposed to the elements. >> reporter: back here now live in silver spring. again, the roads just mainly wet right now. but it is cold out here, bundle up. reporting live in silver spring, adam tuss, news 4. >> stay on top of the snowfall any time, you can visit our website, nbcwashington.com. under our weather section, you are going to find a live, interactive radar with the latest forecast.

and e-mail us your snow pictures any time, send it to weather@nbcwashington.com. breaking news right now in from southeast washington. one person is dead after a crash involving an ambulance. police tell us a car hit the ambulance, then rolled over and caught fire here. this is what it looked like just a short time ago near southern avenue and 12th street near the maryland line. we're told two paramedics from that ambulance had to go to the hospital. their injuries are not considered serious. investigators are still trying to determine what caused that crash. and we have more breaking news in a tragic case involving a teenage girl found dead in the middle of the road in northwest d.c. tonight, police tell us they're questioning someone in connection with to the death of 18-year-old lee. news 4's pat collins is live with the latest on this story. pat? >> reporter: jim, sources tell news 4, police are now questioning a 22-year-old man in

connection with the murder of 17-year-old lee. he's said to be from this neighborhood. what was the motive? how did this all come down? police are still investigating. she just graduated from montgomery blair high school. she had a job working at this starbucks coffee stand at the giant in silver spring. in the cold, dark hours of the morning, she was shot and killed at this bus stop near 5th and nicholson streets northwest. chibbon nicole lee, she was just 18 years old. her friends stunned by the violent end to this young woman's life. >> she was the type to be happy. when somebody's down, she's always trying to make somebody laugh. >> and then for her to die this way. >> yeah, it's shocking. it's shocking all of her friends that were very close to her.

and it's going to be hard for us to say our last good-byes when we see her. >> reporter: it happened around 2:00 this morning. monica heard the shots. >> and around 2:00 maybe, 2:15, i heard two gun shots, i was sure. it was not very loud. i didn't come out. i am always scared. >> i feel terrible for this young lady's family, you know. it happened in front of my house, but my god, an 18-year-old kid. >> i was scared, i didn't go back to sleep again. i was very scared. and i was worried. and then i find out this morning that it was a young kid. >> she lived in tacoma park, maryland. it's unclear as to why she was in this northwest d.c. neighborhood last night. the place where she was killed is the stop for the 62 bus. a bus that goes to tacoma park. again, sources tell news 4,

police are now questioning a 22-year-old man in connection with this murder. they say he is from this neighborhood. police picked him up earlier today. the investigation continues on. live in northwest, pat collins. news 4. at the white house today, president obama appointed long time adviser denis mcdonough to be his new chief of staff. he replaces jack lew. the white house is also expected to appeal a legal setback that occurred today, a federal appeals court. it ruled that president obama violated the constitution during a round of recess appointments last january. the court said the president did not have the power to bypass the senate and make three appointments to the national labor relations board. this ruling could also affect the recess appointment of the head of the consumer financial

bureau. protest marking the second anniversary of the egyptian uprising turned deadly today. at least five protesters were killed, 100 others injured in clashes with security. security forces in cairo. opposition protesters want egypt's new president to amend a constitution approved by an assembly dominated by islamist lawmakers. the protesters are also demanding freedom of expression and an independent judiciary. the battle over abortion rights takes center stage here in the nation's capital today. why both sides are relying on the youth to take the debate to the next level. we're talking about a new and very nasty strain of the norovirus. where it's spreading in our community. and we're looking at the snow coming downright now. a very light, very fluffy snow. if you're hoping to make snowballs or a snowman, probably not the type of snow to do it because of the cold temperatu s temperatures. this snow moving through quickly, though. i'll show you how fast it moves

out and what moves in for this weekend.

a live look now at road conditions. first up, i-95 at the icc, just a few cars out there right now. but it has stuck out there.

on to i-270 at old 100 road. that's also in montgomery county there, some cars, traffic, looks like it's moving, headlights on. people taking their time, though, as you can see. we have some breaking news. a news 4 crew now on the scene in southeast d.c. where there's a deadly accident. erika gonzalez. >> reporter: hey, wendy, let me just tell you, the medical examiner has arrived here on the scene of southern avenue and about the corner of wheeler. i want you to push in and see what's going on here. we've got a three-car accident involving an ambulance. i just got off the phone with metro police who tell me the way this went down was about 2:30 this afternoon a car ran into the ambulance and according to witness reports, the ambulance may have struck a third vehicle. far off into the distance, you can see that back car is completely on the hood. as i said before, the medical examiner just now showing up, and this portion of southern

avenue is completely blocked off right now. what we do know is that the two people were riding inside the ambulance have been taken to the hospital with only minor injuries. however, we do have to report one fatality in this three-car collision here at the corner of southern avenue and about 12th in southeast. again, the medical examiner just now showing up on the scene of this three-car collision involving a d.c. ambulance. back to you in the studio. >> all right. >> awful scene there, thank you. a severe stomach bug is sweeping the country right now. >> scientists at the cdc have announced it is a new strain of the norovirus that is leaving a lot of people very sick. doreen againgentzler is here. >> this is not good news especially considering how much of the flu virus we're dealing with right now. norovirus is the leading cause of stomach illness in this country, affecting more than 20 million americans every year, but now doctors are wondering if that number might be higher this year as this new strain could be

more contagious and more severe. centers for disease control scientists are calling this the sydney strain because it first appeared in australia last march. doctors told us this strain does appear to be more severe with patients experiencing more complications. >> the main danger of this is dehydration. and that's what people get hospitalized with is dehydration because they can't keep up with their fluids. there have been more hospitalizations and deaths with this. >> the key symptoms are familiar, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. also extremely contagious. if you've been exposed to it in any way, then you are most probably going to get it. and once you are sick, you can remain contagious for up to three days after you're already feeling better. cdc says over the last four months, 50% of all norovirus cases have been infected with the sydney strain nationwide. in virginia, they have seen six outbreaks, one of them in northern virginia.

it can be anything from a couple of cases to hundreds of them. the district hasn't seen any of this strain yet and maryland officials could not confirm any new cases of the sydney strain although maryland health officials have seen a lot of norovirus. there is no treatment for norovirus, just drink lots of fluid like water and sports drinks. and if you're really ill, you should get medical treatment. remember, even when you're feeling better, you should be contagious. be cautious about going back to work or sending kids back to school after a bout with the stomach flu. >> all right, doreen, thank you. doug's back indoors now, it's still cold out there, bitterly so. >> it is really cold. temperature right now at 21 degrees. we have been below freezing at the airport, everywhere else, for that matter, for 91 straight hours now. that's a long time, almost four days of below freezing temperatures, and that's why this is such a big problem here as far as the numbers go because of the fact it's been so cold. anything that is freezing or

falling will freeze out there on those roadways. that's why we're dealing with this problem. and take a look, this is one of those roadways out toward montgomery county. the snow coming down here has only been falling for about two hours. this on my twitter page, thank you so much for sending in that picture. but you can see, the snow quickly covering the roadways and any untreated surfaces are quickly being covered up. and we're going to continue to see that on through the rest of the evening hours. one thing you notice, the heavier snow right through the metro area and southern maryland. back to the west, not seeing a whole lot here. we are starting to see this fizzle out off to the west ending by 6:00, 7:00, as we've been mentioning for the last few days. alexandria, over toward brandywine. right over 4, over the dunkirk area, reston, oaktown seeing some of that and toward the city, around bethesda, the i-95 corridor, we'll see another burst. and look at this behind it, a

few more areas of light shower activity, light snow shower activity that will pull on through, and then we're done with this. what to expect? well, snow through about 8:00, very light and powdery snow. up to an inch possible. that's really going to be about it. but a slick friday night because once again, temperatures so cold, even an inch on the roadways is going to cause some problems. that's why we have that winter weather advisory through 9:00 tonight for anybody along the i-95 corridor, southern maryland, and back toward the west until 9:00, but it should be able to subside around that 8:00, 9:00 hour as this system moves on out. so 7:00, we have some snow, 21 degree temperatures, 21 by 10:00, very cold, some icy spots overnight around 1:00 a.m., if you're going out tonight, thinking about staying out late, remember, you're going to run into snow even at 1:00, 9:00, 7:00 in the morning, how about 19 and breezy. how about a windchill of 9 degrees tomorrow morning waking up and walking out the door. 18 in gaithersburg, 23 in manassas, 24 down to fredericksburg, and right now at the airport, temperature of 21,

but a windchill of 11. you're going to need to bundle up if you're making your way out and about. >> 33 on saturday, 35 on saturday and sunday, this is a day to watch, 59, though, on tuesday. 60 on wednesday with a good chance of rain, and then very cold thursday into friday. friday, a high of only 32. monday, notice slippery conditions there, that could be early monday morning. so starting off very cold, we could see some snow or freezing rain possible. and that could affect monday morning's commute. we've had a lot of these systems coming in right around our time of rush hour. so we want to make sure we watch out for that. we'll keep you updated all week long. 42 degrees as we said on monday, and really warming up, as i mentioned, 60 by wednesday. >> amazing. >> we'll need it. >> yeah. tonight, the gun debate is now taking center stage in a new form here in washington. artists are now responding to the newtown shootings.

how can you safely use a spa space heater? that's the question, the answer's coming up on "ask liz" at "news 4 at 5:00." the best and worst of sports is on display tonight in case you missed it.

this is a look at your roads tonight. this is the dulles toll road. not a whole lot of traffic out there. we have this light snow falling just like yesterday morning. it is very powdery and very dry. let's take a look at ashton, maryland. as you can see, the roads look still pretty clear out there, but it's deceptive. that stuff, you hit a little bit of that and it can be kind of slippery. and you can skid, so you make sure you give yourself a whole lot of distance between you and the car in front of you. >> and on the sides, you've got about a foot to play with. >> that's all you got, a little trough to go through. well, the crazy weather this week has been dominating the news. but in sports, it's been a whacky week too. >> and we love whacky week. this week's edition of the whacky in case you missed it. >> so many folks just see the headlines, but in case you were wondering what in the wide world of sports was going on on page two, we bring you "in case you missed it." this starts with a former wizard and his knock down shot.

>> in case you missed it, this is not how to win over an official. clippers and thunder, former wiza wizard coran butler smacks into richardson's head. he still makes the call. is butler in the dog house? no, richardson is a good sport, gets right back up and laughed it off. we're in finland atop the helsinki olympic tower, and we're sinking record-breaking shots. count it from 238 1/2 feet away, that's almost 80 yards. in japan, this man bringing new meaning to stumbling out of the gate. he slips off the bar and slides and slides and slides down the ramp. all the way to the bottom. ouch. this is no slacker's tournament either. comes at the ski jumping world cup. unfortunately, he was not allowed to jump again.

the good news, he did not suffer one injury. well, except for a bruised ego. and finally, from down the slopes to down under. serves gone wild. australian open quarter finalist launches her serve into the stands. fans take cover, we think this one should count as a double fault. she would regroup to win the match. as for her serving snafu. >> i want to have good communication with the fans. >> what we have here is a failure to communicate. but in case you missed it, you have now seen it all. >> yeah, she's known for her forehand being a weapon, but now -- >> yeah, that looked like a baseball. >> she's a 30-year-old from china, coincidentally, guys, she's in the finals, tonight at 3:00 a.m. against number one victor azarenka. >> you're staying up? >> you know i am.

i know you'll be there. >> stay up or "in case you missed it." >> we'll call you. more now on the storm team 4 coverage. we continue to monitor the conditions live in northwest d.c.

and take a look at the storm team 4 continuing to watch this storm making its way through the area. the snow continues out towards

the capitol. one thing you can see, though, you can see the dome of the capitol building here. that means the snow not too heavy right now. reporting areas of light to moderate snow. and that continues throughout the region. and will continue for about the next one to two hours across the region. so if you wait until about 8:00 or 9:00, you should be fine. as far as the falling snow is concerned, what we are going to see is that snow accumulated on the roadways. you see where we are right now and notice that snow still coming through the washington, d.c. metro area. but also notice back towards the west, out towards winchester. this area right in here. this is the last area to make its way through the d.c. metro area. that will most likely move in about the next hour to two hours. once again, should be out of here quickly. light to moderate snow around bethesda, washington, and all the way down i-95 to woodbridge a and. and calvert county and al.

we will keep you ahead of the storm from the storm center. i'll be back in a couple of minutes. back outside on the storm 4 deck. >>ll right, we'll look for it, doug. prince georges county tried to get a jump on the weather. their plan was in motion before the flakes started. >> the students headed home from school early. and live in landover to show us whether those preps are paying off. >> reporter: i've got to tell you, it does look like the plan to get ahead of this snow and make sure these roads are together have worked in prince georges county. if you take a look behind me at the beltway, you can see that it is really looking good out there. i can't remember the last time that i saw traffic moving this quickly at 5:30 on the beltway. now, what i'm assuming has happened here is because all of the federal workers who were able to leave early and then the kids not being on the roads either that folks were able to

get home and it really helped with the traffic out here. so that's the good news. and there should be more good news to come. we couldn't find one prince georges county student disappointed in the two-hour early dismissal, but we did find some parents wondering what was going on. >> where i'm from, we have to see the snow. but it's the safety of the kids. >> reporter: but then the snow came. and by rush hour, it was apparent that having school buses off the roads was one less thing. >> it seems their thought was to get the children off the roadways before it actually got bad, before rush hour so there would be a lesser chance of accidents. >> right now, the prince georges county department of public works has about 200 crews working to treat roadways around the county. but they're not expecting a major event. just enough to make the roads a little messy. >> prince georges county has roadway crews out now. they will be out and then we will be bringing in another shift at 8:30 p.m. tonight and

they'll work through if necessary 8:30 tomorrow morning. >> reporter: so the work continues. let me show you what it's looking like on untreated surfaces here in prince georges county. we're measuring already about an inch of snow here. but look at this, the slippery feet already happening here. well, you don't want to see them. let me tell you, it's slippery already. you have to be careful, specifically on untreated surfaces. that means that in neighborhoods and places where you're driving to really pay close attention to that. and coming up at 6:00, we're going to look forward to what you can deal with after the snow stops because of all of the iciness and all the issues that we're seeing out here. reporting live, news 4. former d.c. mayor tony williams saw his share of snowstorms when he served from 1999 until 2007 as the mayor.

on the wamu politics hour, he spoke in an interview with our tom sherwood. the mayor seemed relieved he doesn't have to stand out in the snow anymore leading the city's response team. >> aren't you glad you're not going to have to stand out in it with your boots and say, we are doing it, we are doing it. >> yeah, you would always go out in the snowstorm and be present. not much you could do by that time. people wanted you to be there. >> emotional support. >> it was emotional support and people want to see that you're there on top. but all the work has to be done ahead of time. i'm confident the city's done that. >> now -- >> mayor williams now heads the city's tax revision commission which is due to report its findings later this year the issue could be as controversial as snow removal. tom sherwood has more in the next hour. we have word tonight of layoffs at d.c.'s public university. on wednesday night, udc's board of trustees approved the elimination of 100 positions. these cuts affect faculty,

staff, and executive level employees. the school has been under pressure of late to cut its unrestricted operating budget. utc tells us this will save the school $8.5 million every year. these layoffs come a month after the board fired the president. they say this won't affect student services. out at prince georges county, branch avenue could be the next big development project there. the planning board approved a new master plan to give that stretch of the road new look. the board found that branch avenue has too much commercial zoning, not enough housing. it intends to focus on areas around the major intersections to add new multi-years projeuse. >> there's a lot of potential, but we need the foundation to help build on that. >> the proposal now goes to the county council, it is expected to approve this in march. hundreds of thousands of anti-abortion advocates gathered in d.c. today for the annual

march for life. they're calling for roe v wade to be overturned. this week marks the 40th anniversary of the u.s. supreme court decision legalizing abortion. d derrick ward spoke to some of the protesters today. >> the debate has gone on for four decades and shows no sign of quieting. and it's on today that made abortion legal. those who want to see it overturned say they see new hope for their cause among their younger supporters. >> reporter: they managed to trek up capitol hill energy and enthusiasm intact. the 40th anniversary of roe versus wade. and as a wall to bring crumbling down by anti-abortion advocates. early in the rally in front of the supreme court, only a few feet separated the two sides physically, philosophically there's a chasm between them. >> it's the difference between life and death. >> we're here to be stand up for

women. >> driven by weighty themes such as this, it's easy to understand how this issue has become one of the most polarizing of our time. >> there's no gray area to me and probably not to them either. it's black and white, it's life or death. >> it's a common and necessary aspect of reproductive health care. >> it's a 40-year debate that began before many of these marchers were born. and anti-abortion advocates therein lies the best hope for their cause. >> our generation knows too much death, too much darkness. we know what it's like to know that someone wanted us dead and that's the abortion industry. >> reporter: organizers say there was more participation from members of congress than in the past. while the city's evening rush was complicated by the road closures and traffic after the march, the nation's lawmakers and justices have a much more difficult road ahead and it will be closely watched by both sides. and we'll have more on today's rally from both sides and an interesting historical perspective coming up on "news 4 at 6:00." >> thank you. we are following breaking news now in the district just

moments ago. police say they made an arrest in the murder of that teenage girl in northwest d.c. that we told you about at the top of the hour. 21-year-old alexander buckley is now charged with felony murder in the death of 18-year-old lee. police found lee's body in the middle of the road near 5th and nicholson streets in the brightwood area. investigators do believe the suspect and the victim knew each other. we have more details when we get them. let's head outside where it is snowing. >> wow. >> we have almost a full moon. it's a magical friday night out there, but it's going to be tough getting home on those roads because it's slicker than you might think. we'll have more of our coverage coming up right after this.

right now we're here on wisconsin avenue heading south. we are approaching mccomb street. we have come across some slippery spots. make sure you slow down in your evening commute, keep distance between the car in front of you and your vehicle, as well. i'll tell you if you look outside over there, you can see the snow that has accumulated on the sidewalks and the grass, but we don't see much accumulation on the roadways, but then, again, as we've been telling you all evening long, overnight, it could be a possible re-freezing and a lot of the wet spots could turn to ice. and, of course, that is

potentially dangerous for a lot of drivers. let's go back out here on the roadway. and you can see up there, you see those cars, a lot of folks have been slowing down. and that's exactly what d.o.t. wants you to do. now d.o.t. also tells me that they have plows assigned to every route in d.c., including the residential streets. now, that's interesting we point that out because we were around some residential streets, and the snow has been accumulating, no the a lot, but, of course, you know, maybe 1/4 inch. but the point of that is that snow could freeze, especially on some slopes. if you're going on some of the side streets, particularly in the district of columbia, make sure that you're careful. live here heading south on wisconsin avenue, news 4. >> all right, he's on the move right there. >> yes, beautiful. and we have more team coverage tonight on the weather. doug's back outside. >> this is really a cool type of snow. it's a snow we don't get here too often. a very dry snow. if you're walking outside, it will shimmer. and that's something that we really do not see here too

often. a very pretty sight. snow still coming down even though the skies above me starting to clear. that means the snow is about done. i'll show you when it's finished and what you can expect this weekend coming up. i'm liz crenshaw, are you required to shovel your sidewalk after the snow falls? that's if question. the answer's coming up [ male announcer ] now at your neighborhood subway: the big hot pastrami melt. we've perfected the pastrami sandwich -- filled with juicy pastrami, pickles, yellow mustard and melted cheese. all piled-high on freshly baked bread.

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oh, the white house looking beautiful in the snow. and it's a wedding cake splendor out there. the light powdery snow falling. it makes the roads slick, but we've got to appreciate how our town looks in this winter seasonal display right now.

and enjoy it. a provocative art exhibit about gun violence is now open in a small gallery off logan circle in d.c. it's called the newtown project, a call to arms. the gallery owner knows what it's like to be shot, and this exhibit is designed to be piercing. >> children's building blocks splattered with blood. a gun pressed into someone's temple. a child's image against the u.s. constitution. his feet blown off. >> there are no pretty pictures in this exhibit. >> reporter: the owner of the charles krause reporting fine art gallery on 13th street says these images are supposed to make you react, maybe even recoil. >> it is provocative, and that's what art is meant to do. art is meant to make people think. >> reporter: a former journalist, he has felt the pain of a bullet wound. he was traveling with congressman leo ryan in jonestown in 1978, and jim jones' followers opened fire on

them on the airstrip killing the congressman. >> i've been shot with a gun similar to the kinds of guns they used in newtown. >> reporter: 35 years later, this exhibit is a direct response to the newtown, connecticut, massacre and the gun control debate that it has spawned. >> because i think our trauma is borne individually in very different ways. >> reporter: helen frederick did a work that's called simply lost. >> and there's pierce words on it that says look for the light which comes from leonard cohen's wonderful piece "anthem." and it talks about in every door there's a crack of light. from this dark loss, we can look into the light and find, you know, the future. >> reporter: and for one artist, this debate is not for our against. >> i was brought up using guns. >> reporter: brian pietro comes from a family of hunters in pennsylvania. >> i think we need to think about proper use and improper use. >> reporter: american art has been often vocal and radical.

and he says a call to arms is supposed to be openly political. to motivate public opinion, stir the debate, a constitutional conversation arguing about the second amendment. with the freedoms of the first. and no one gets muffled. >> this exhibit is free and the art is for sale, most of the proceeds will go towards groups that push for gun control. you can find the details on nbcwashington.com, search newtown project. let's head back outside. the snow is starting to accumulate. it's been falling for several hours now, and that's a lovely shot. we have a full moon and we have our storm team 4 chief meteorologist for you. >> i'll tell you what, wendy, this is beautiful snow and very light powdery snow. it does accumulate quickly. outside right now over our station in northwest d.c., about 1/2 an inch. and that's pretty much what we'll see across the region. winds out of the south at 11 miles per hour. look at this number. 9, that is the current windchill. cold air making its way in

across the region. 7 in gaithersburg, 10 towards camp springs. the snow is no longer going to be the issue as we make our way through the rest of the night tonight. it's going to be the cold temperatures and potential for freezing and ice on the roadways and some slick conditions. notice the bulk of the snow is now moving out of here. and it is out of the metro area. still some light snow developing and still some light snow coming through. notice the back edge back towards winchester, that is it. once this moves through, we are all done. we'll zoom in on the airport and show where things are around the metro. still seeing very light snow here and the accumulating snow is down to the south, in through portions of fairfax county, right on through springfield and over toward clinton. down to the south, still seeing accumulating snow in calvert county down towards st. marys county, the leonardtown area, you will see this for about the next half hour to an hour, and then you folks will be done too. so this is not going to last

long. as a matter of fact, here we are at 5:45. watch what happens at 7:00, it is gone. out of here by 7:30. couple of light showers left over and 10:00 tonight if you're heading out and about, it's going to be what has fallen on those roadways that you're going to need to worry about. no new snow after 8:00. we have that winter weather advisory in effect until 9:00. but i can almost guarantee you the national weather service will take this down around 7:00 tonight. this is normally for areas around rush hour. i guarantee you they take this down between 7:00 and 8:00 tonight. 33 degrees tomorrow, above freezing for the first time in four days at 33, 35 on sunday, and then we start a warm-up, but not before the potential for a little bit of freezing rain and snow early on monday morning could affect our monday morning commute. about a 40% chance of that happening. we'll watch out for that, talking about a warm-up, how about 59 on tuesday, 60 on wednesday with a good chance of rain, maybe some heavy rain. that front will come through and the you are thes will tumble in behind it.

temperatures back below freezing or around the freezing mark as we end the week next friday, next weekend looking very, very cold. guys? >> quite a ride, doug, thanks. new questions tonight about space heater safety after one sparked a home fire in temple hills yesterday. plus, is there a law requiring you to shovel your sidewalk after this snow? and how long is the flu contagious? liz crenshaw has the answers for us in this week's "ask liz." first up, liz, fire officials want us to warn people tonight about those space heaters in homes. is there a way to use them and use them safely? >> yeah, the problem with space heaters is they are a problem with safety. consumer products safety commission tells us that yesterday's fire on kurtis drive in temple hills is more than 1,000 fires sparked by portable electric heaters each year. that started when they left the heater unattended. remember, to turn off your space heaters when you leave the room or when you go to sleep. put your heater on a hard

surface, not on a rug or carpet. and keep it away from beds or sofas. also, never plug a heater into an extension cord and make sure you have working smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide detector in your home, as well. >> so important. next question from patrick in northwest d.c. patrick wants to know, liz, is there a law that requires homeowners to shovel their sidewalks? >> yeah, there is, actually. we return to the district government and few other jurisdictions for this answer. in d.c., public sidewalks should be clear within eight hours following the end of the snowstorm. residents have 24 hours to remove the snow from public sidewalks. while those in prince george's have 48 hours until the sidewalks must be cleared. in fairfax county, therest no law requiring homeowners to shovel sidewalks, but you're expected to do so. >> let's talk germs now. our final question comes from dennis in alexandria. he wants to know how soon will

you get sick when you're exposed to the flu virus? and how long is the flu contagious? >> we went to the centers for disease control for help to answer your question. it says people with the flu can spread it to others from up to 6 feet away. after a person is exposed to the flu virus, they normally start showing symptoms after one to four days with most people showing symptoms after two days. now the period where a sick person is contagious depends on age and how factors. however, most adults can infect others from the day before showing symptoms and up to five days after developing symptoms. and young children can be contagious for longer than a week. oh, boy, if you've got a question to consider for "ask liz," send it to askliz@nbcwashington.com. >> so just assume that everybody has the flu and we're all right. right? >> stay away. >> in our bubble. >> wash your hands. wash your hands. >> always. >> wendy, back over to you.

well, we aren't the only ones dealing with extreme weather conditions. the wild weather across our country. >> reporter: i'm adam tuss in silver spring, the flurry still flying here. we'll tell you all about i

i'm storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson where it's been one cold and somewhat active week for us. we've had three straight days

with subfreezing highs, and, of course, we've had some snow around here. you know, a lot of times it seems like it's our kids, our pets that seem to cope with that snow best. just take a look at aaron's 5-month-old lab loving the snow. and kimberly's friend, 14-year-old horse raven. she's loving life and the weather too around here. we had snow on thursday and, of course, we're getting a little more snow today. well, our cold has been right here, but nothing like the frigid temperatures up in areas of the northeast. in fact, let me take you to massachusetts where the merrimack river in lawrence completely frozen over. this is their second straight day of single digit temperatures in and around boston. and, in fact, today that weather also hitting wintery weather, spots down south, the carolinas getting a lot of freezing rain today. this is charlotte, north carolina, where one family used that cold air to make their own ski slope. that's right. they made a machine that mixes

cold air with water to make their own winter wonderland. now that's amazing. well, since i believe in pleasing everyone and giving you a little bit more warmth for anyone who doesn't like the cold, i'm going to take you way down south. this is key west, florida, and aerials of the quantum key west r r ragatta. right now at 6:00, four straight hours now, the snow is starting to move out of our region. let's get the latest. >> hey, guys, and we told you, this would be an extremely quick mover. a quick-hitter, in and out very, very quickly. out by 7:00 or 8:00, and that's exactly what we're seeing right now. and notice the radar, here we are at 6:00, and most of the snow is now out of here. if you go outside, many areas, if you're looking at almost clear skies across the region. still some