starting february 17th. good night. bracing for the bitter cold. >> temperatures that will be out will be lower than what's in your freezer. >> local grocery stores packed with people stocking up for the week. tonight we pinpoint when windchills could reach 10, 20, even 30 below zero. and a new look at the damage after a deadly plain plane crash

in colorado. what happened minutes before impact that could give investigators some clues. >> news4 at 11:00 starts now. >> good evening, everyone. i'm erika gonzalez. tonight a huge portion of the country is bracing for a winter blast. everyone from montana to alabama and right here in d.c. could see windchill warnings in the next few days. we have team coverage of this story tonight but we start with storm team 4 meteorologist to tell us when conditions will be at their worst. >> erika, it will be the coldest in our area late tomorrow night into early tuesday morning. at this point we could see windchill values in that time period for the d.c. area as low as 15 degrees below zero. so again, the coldest time period monday night into early tuesday at that point, temperatures alone will be in the single digits but it will be windy outside. so that will drive windchill

temperatures inside of the beltway to as low as 15 degrees below zero and it could feel as cold as 30 degrees below zero for the suburbs to the north and west of washington. here's a look at what you could expect for that commute early tuesday morning as far as windchill temperatures are concerned. again, feeling about 15 below in d.c. and 30 below potentially. that would be the coldest for areas to the north and west. a windchill watch is in effect for areas to the west of washington. i'll be taking a look at that coming up in about 15 minutes. and before the cold arrives, erika, we're talking about rain and fog for that morning commute tomorrow. all the details in 15 minutes. a live look at reagan national tonight where dozens of flights in and out of d.c. were canceled today and also major backups at jfk and new york after a plane skidded off an icy runway. more than 3,000 flights war canceled nationwide today. many of them in new york,

philadelphia, and chicago. jetblue says it will waive change and cancelation fees for customers who traveled between last thursday and tomorrow. michigan is expected to see its harshest winter conditions in 20 years during this cold snap. the national weather service has issued a winter storm warning for detroit and southeast michigan through tomorrow. the freezing temperatures have led to school and business closures across the midwest. school districts from the entire state of minnesota to as far south as nashville are canceling classes tomorrow. and here in our area we've got a little longer before the dangerous cold arrives, but people are already taking notice and getting prepared. news4's darcy spencer is live in arlington with more on that. hi, darcy. >> hey, erika. we're right across the street from the emergency shelter here in arlington county. they're preparing to take on extra people during the bitter cold. now, tonight we ask people, what

are you doing to prepare for this cold weather? some say that they're stocking up. others say, what can you do? and one woman told me tonight she's just going to pray. walking on ice caked sidewalks can be tricky. parking lots are sheets of ice in some areas, too. motorists looking out for slick spots and black ice. >> just drive slow, be safe. you will be all right. >> it's going to get worse. we're about to be blasted with the coldest weather in two decades. you ready for this kind of cold? >> i'm absolutely ready. i'm going to stay home. >> that sounds like a good plan. >> yeah, exactly. that's what everybody should do. >> reporter: some are getting ready to hunker down. temperatures are expected to plummet to the single digits monday night into tuesday. >> stock up with goodies to get home and bundle up and lots of water, wine, bread, you know, just stuff that you can stay

warm and cozy. >> reporter: alan chung bikes to work from northern virginia to d.c. >> i'm going to dress a bit more warmly and make sure i've got layers on. other than that, it shouldn't be too bad. >> and there's concern for the regions' homeless population. in arlington the ace band emergency winter shelter is preparing to house extra people when the mercury dips below freezing. on monday and tuesday the shelter will be open all day to help people stay out of the dangerously cold air. >> during the day we'll serve lunch and people will have access to the shelter and won't have to go out in the cold. >> reporter: it has been a long time since people in our area experienced this kind of cold. tonight emergency officials are telling people make sure you're prepared at home and take extra precautions to make sure your pipes don't freeze over. reporting live from arlington county, darcy spencer, news4. bundled up nfl players today in green bay as the 49ers faced

off against the packers in the nfc wild card game. game time temperature at lambeau field, get this, five degrees with windchills as low as minus 10. the cold temperatures didn't stop packers fans from tailgating hours before the game. doctors urged fans to wear at least three layers and keep skin covered to protect against frostbite. it's going to be so cold in indianapolis tomorrow. the local newspaper is canceling morning delivery. and the city's mayor has made it illegal to be on the roads between now and noon tomorrow because of the snow and cold. weather channel's meteorologist mike seidel is in indianapolis now with more on the whiteout conditions. >> reporter: snow started here in indianapolis around 6:00 a.m. this morning and at times today, one, even two inches per hour. we had four hours of heavy snow and now theemperatures are falling. most of the day it was a heavy wet snow at 31 degrees.

now thermometers dropping into the 20s and teens late this evening. after midnight, below zero. that heavy wet snow knocked out power to 35 area power customers. not a good thing with the pole particular vortex coming down bringing the coldest air in 20 years or more across the midwest. today around town cars are spinning out and people are trying to get out through this heavy wet snow. record today, up around ten inches. now for the season, indianapolis have almost gotten where they should be for an entire winter, which is just a hair over 26 inches. by tomorrow morning, temperatures down to 13 below zero. windchills, which this morning were around 30, we didn't have much wind, will be about 70 degrees colder. down around 35 to 40 below zero and during the middle of the afternoon tomorrow, thermometers will be stuck in the mid teens below zero. that's the coldest they've ever seen here in indianapolis. schools are closed. state offices have thrown in the towel. everybody is just going to hunker down because with this

kind of weather you can get frostbite in under five minutes. it will warm up eventually back to the average high of 35 but that will be later in the week. guys, back to you in washington. you want to tune in to news4 today starting at 4:26 tomorrow morning for the latest weather and traffic updates. you're going to need to know for your morning commute. you can always get the latest updates on nbcwashington.com and the storm team 4 weather app. we are following developments out of aspen, colorado, right now national transportation safety board investigators are trying to figure out what caused a deadly plane crash this afternoon. witnesses say the private plane flipped and burst into flames at the aspen pit ken county airport. all three people on board were pilots from mexico. one of them died. the plane originated in taluca and stopped in tucson before trying to land in aspen. it circled thes aspen airport after a boarding at least one

landing because of strong wind. it is not clear yet if weather was a direct cause of this crash. new tonight, questions about what caused a fire at a private school in fairfax county. it broke out this afternoon in a garage at the school in mcclain. firefighters battled the smoky blaze from the outside. nobody was injured. school buildings were not affected. home oxygen tanks may have helped speed up an apartment fire in falls church. the fire broke out around 9:30 this morning at a building on south greenbrier street. some people say they heard two explosions and then the building just rapidly filled with smoke. panicked residents rushed to get out. you've got this cellphone video here. some had to be rescued by firefighters from their balconies. >> picked up my son and my whole family, get out. we all just ran out. >> black smoke, you could not see one -- no visibility. >> one person suffered serious

smoke inhalation and is in critical condition tonight. investigators trying to figure out how the fire started. we now know the name of a man killed in a crash near the kennedy center today. 25-year-old joshua beach of arlington was killed when his '99 porsche lost control on the parkway. police tell us his car hit the raised median and spun out of control near the i-66 ramp towards virginia. no other cars were involved in this crash. investigators asking for help right now to identify a robbery suspect. police are hoping someone recognizes this man that you see there in your left-hand screen. this is surveillance camera still shots. they say he robbed a liquor store last night on old silver hill road at holbrooke drive. officers say he pulled a gun and demanded cash from store employees. just before leaving he fired one shot. no one was injured. friends and family of a

missing american university grad student are asking the u.s. navy for help. 35-year-old ph.d. student adel gazalla went missing on new year's day. friends say he was diving off the coast of dubai with his wife. the coast guard of the united arab emirates has been searching for days. websites have been set up for donations to help in the search efforts. according to the "washington post" his brother who lives in d.c. has asked the state department for navy assistance. he was told the u.s. cannot help because he is not a u.s. citizen. just over a month now until the winter olympics in sochi. tonight the latest on security concerns after a string of terrorist bombings. and the incredible story of a missing new york man found in d.c. thanks to this photo in a national newspaper. coming up in just a few minutes on sports final, a cold

weekend provides some of the hottest nfl action in season. "the washington post" jason reid rips the redskins shake-up. what he wants to see when he joins our round-table. and the wizards with a chance to wake up

a his or elementary school destroyed by fire in virginia. pictures and cellphone video show the flames completely engulfing the old colonial beach elementary school this morning. the school was condemned after the 2011 earthquake and was being used for storage. students used temporary trailers on the school site. elementary school students will have the day off tomorrow while

school officials decide what to do. the cause of a massive fire at a manhattan high rise that killed a 27-year-old man is still under investigation. 200 new york city firefighters responded to the three alarm fire on the 20th floor of a midtown building this morning. one person was critically injured in this and seven residents and firefighters were treated for minor injuries. a stray flash drive led to an emergency landing today in cans sass city, missouri. an american airlines flight was diverted when someone found the drive in the plane's bathroom. p investigators did a complete search and deemed the plane safe. a kansas city airport spokesman says all potential threats are taken very seriously. the winter olympics in sochi, russia, begin in just over a month. president vladimir putin has promised to games will be the safest in olympic history.

but with two recent terror attacks just a few hundred miles away there is concern in sochi. nbc'sry charred engel reports. >> reporter: we are now in sochi with just about one month to go before this city will host the winter olympics and security concerns will vrd started to overshadow these games. there have been two recent terrorist attacks not here in sochi but a few hundred miles away. the biggest concern is that militants from the north caucuses will try and carry out attacks perhaps not right in this area because this area already is very secure and will be even more secure in the lead-up to the games officials assure us but perhaps somewhere else in this very broad country. another concern is the criticism that is taking place in russia, particularly that these games have been so expensive. already $50 billion for all of the infrastructure required for these games. the city was not considered a winter resort in the past. people came here, in fact, to

spend their summer but vladimir putin who is in that stadium, that hockey stadium just the other day, showing that this country is ready, that the games will be safe, decided he wanted to have it in sochi and that's why all of this money is being spent, all of this infrastructure being built, and putin says these games will be safe. already there have been tens of thousands of police and security personnel brought in here to sochi and throughout the surrounding area. richard engel, nbc news, sochi. a pledge tonight from secretary of state john kerry to help the iraqi government regain control of two cities that have been taken over by an al qaeda-linked group. kerry spoke today about the recent siege of ramadi. 34 people have been killed as government forces try to retake the cities. secretary kerry emphasized that there will be no u.s. troops on the ground. >> this is a fight that belongs to the iraqis.

that is exactly what the president and world decided some time ago when we left iraq. >> u.s. troops left iraq in 2011. several republican senators issued a letter yesterday blaming the obama administration for the siege. a man reported missing from his home in update new york is with his family tonight in d.c. thanks to a photo that was seen around the world. 20-year-old nicholas simmons was reported missing on new year's day in greece, new york. yesterday an associated press photographer snapped the photo of several homeless men lying on a steam grate near the capitol building. this photo. well, it ran in this morning's "usa today" and simmons' family recognized him. he was picked up this afternoon and reunite with his family. no word on how he got to d.c. if you wake up tomorrow morning and you think it's not that bad, wait for it, it's coming and it's going to be brutal. it's no laughing matter because

when we start talking frostbite, it's serious business. >> absolutely. so tomorrow morning for that commute we're going to be dealing with rain and frost. and after that getting into the evening hours tomorrow on into tuesday, tuesday night, and wednesday. we are talking about record cold. for the numbers, for the record that we will likely break during this time period you can head to my facebook and twitter pages. a windchill watch will go into effect tomorrow evening at 6:00 for the areas in blue and that's going to run through noon on tuesday. this includes areas of loudoun county, northern faulk falkier, frederick county as well. windchill temperatures potentially as low as 20 to 30 degrees below zero during this time period with a windchill temperature that cold, you don't want to be outside any longer than 30 minutes or frostbite could set in. the areas in pink further back to the west, they're already under a windchill warning. this warning begins monday evening and it actually runs through wednesday morning. all the latest watches and

warnings are at nbcwashington.com. storm team 4 radar right now, mainly dry across the area and we will remain mainly dry for the remainder of the overnight hours. this rain moves in for that morning commute. it arrives around 4:30, 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. we are soggy tomorrow morning. we are bitterly cold tomorrow night. an ice storm warning continues to remain in effect for frederick and loudoun counties for the next hour. i'm not so concerned about freezing rain in these areas right now but i am worried about the potential for icy spots, especially in the sheltered valleys in those areas. overnight tonight and early tomorrow morning. you can see frederick, ma martinsbu martinsburg, hagerstown right around that freezing mark. washington, at 40 degrees, gaithersburg at 36. temperatures are going to play a big role tomorrow morning. in addition to that, we're looking at dense fog across the area, especially in gaithersburg where visibility is down to a quarter of a mile.

because of the dense fog, a dense fog advisory is now in effect for the areas in gray. this includes the entire d.c./metro area and that's going to run until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning nap morning commute is rainy and you're dealing with reduced visibilities. here with future weather the rain arrives at 4:30. it continues until 10:00 a.m. starting around 8:00 a.m. this is when we start to see our temperatures fall. by noon we're sunny but temperatures are turning cooler throughout the day. here's how you can see temperatures falling. 38 degrees at 10:00 a.m. by 3:00 p.m., we're at 35. it is breezy. by 6:00, temperatures in the suburbs only around 20 degrees inside of the belt way a temperature of about 27. brutal windchills tomorrow night and throughout the day on tuesday. again, as low as 15 degrees below zero inside of the beltway for the suburbs to the north and west. erika, it could get as low as 30 degrees below zero as far as

that windchill is krnd. the chill begins to loosen throughout the day on wednesday. >> get ready for it, folks. coming up in sports, wild card weekend heats up in frigid green bay. plus, the

the caps are not doing good. the redskins, well, you know that story. and now the wizards, are you kidding me? >> thanks for bringing everyone down before my sports cast. >> am i right? >> you're not lying. they're not playing well right now. tonight's game featured some of the league's brightest young stars. john wall and bradley beal up against seth curry and thompson. it was a great game for the first half. the second half, not so much. the warriors handed the wiz

third straight loss at home. wizards haven't won at home since last year. drive here off the pick and pass it inside to marshon for the jam. wall had ten assists and 14 points tonight. second quarter. wiz up seven. doing work down low. he gets the basket. wizards up nine. in the third, we're tied at 58-58. andre gets it over to david lee and gets to the rack. great game for lee tonight. 29 points, 11 rebounds. warriors take the lead. seth curry with the ball, throws it off the glass to andrew bo.ogud. i don't know if that was planned but great. warriors win this game, 112-96. wizards' third straight home loss. next up for the wiz,a three-game road trip starting in charlotte against the bobcats. over in the nfl, wild card weekend lived up to the hype. four games were played.

three of those games went down to the wire. san francisco and green bay, one of the games that was back and forth. everybody's bundled up for this one. minus ten degree windchill at kickoff. skip to the fourth quarter. packers down, 13-10. ron rodgers somehow escapes this pressure and he finds randle kotb downfield. watch it again. 26-yard hook-up there. it set up a john touchdown 2:00 later. tied at 20-20. colin kaepernick doing some magic of his own. keeping the drive alive. picks up the first down. he had 98 yards rushing in the game. he helped set up this field dawson game winning field goal. it's good. green bay, they came close to blocking this kick. in the end, san francisco wins

it, 23-20. philip rivers and chargers in cincinnati taking on the bengals. second quarter, cinci is down 7-0. red zone. andy dalton pressured. gets rid it of it in time. finds germane for the score. tied at 7-7. later in the quarter, chargers trail by three. river rivers looking for his big tight end. gave san diego a 14-10 lead. later in the third, dalton trying to do a little bit too much here. bad pass rht to wright. he returns it 30 yards. four turnovers in the game for cinci. san diego, they go up to win, 27-10. we'll have more tonight on "sports final." diane joins us. full house tonight for "sports final." >> lucky man surrounded by

so while the friday jed temperatures across the country are sending people inside the annual snow and ice festival brought thousands to the town in china today. the annual festival kicked off with the ice swimming competition. hundreds took the plunge across an 80-foot pool in temperatures dipping to 16 below. [ male announcer ] now that you've got all the best gadgets,

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technology that makes your new toys more entertaining. call the verizon center that's powerful. for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v tonight on "sports final," a wild, wild card weekend. we're charge with breaking down what's next as the playoffs heat up. is this change big enough? jason reid joins the round-table to debate the redskins shake-up. plus, a walk-on warrior. how the terps smallest player is giving them their biggest spark. hold on tight, "sports final" starts next. good evening, everyone. welcome in to "sports final." >> it is the most wonderful time of the year. >> that's right. playoff football, wild card weekend did not disappoint. >> we're going to begin with milwaukee-born colin kaeic