meteorologist, doug kammerer with more on what we can expect next. >> well guys you mentioned the fact the snow is out of here and now it is a watch as far as what we're going to see over the next 12 to 24 hours as the real cold sets in. but this is the way things have looked over the last 12 hours or so. and you can see the snow making its way on in through the area starting off at 5:00 a.m. notice the snow really coming down and as we mentioned last night, coming down during rush hour. that was when we saw the biggest problems. yes, we did get more snow than expected. but it was that rush hour temperatures very cold. that's why we had so many problems on those roads. storm team 4 radar now not showing anything around our region. but we did pick up a significant amount of snow. snowfall today, ashburn, around 4.3 inches. rockville, over 4 inches. reston 3.5 inches. reagan national coming in at about 2.4 inches of snow. so yes, definitely seeing some higher totals than expected across our region. and now we're looking at the temperatures. notice as we move into the overnight hours, temperatures dip into the teens. 18 martinsburg. 19 in frederick. 26 in washington.

so everything will freeze tonight. we are talking about the problems with ice. i do think the roads will be a problem once again tonight and then again tomorrow morning. but guys these temperatures they don't even tell the whole story. the wind chill is the big deal. we'll talk about that coming up in a minute. today's winter blast created some tricky situations for school bus drivers across our region. our storm team 4 by 4:00 found buses struggling on the slick roads. in prince william county. and a frightening ride for those students. a frustrating one for hundreds of thousands of others in fairfax, arlington and other virginia school districts. the twitter hash tag, closefcps or close fairfax county public schools, is still trending in our area right now. it was actually trending worldwide this morning. we gathered some of the post on the nbc washington facebook page and they were shared hundreds of times. news4's mark segraves is live in falls church with more on the frustration and some apologies from the school officials.

>> reporter: well that's right. you know many of these school officials in the counties here in northern virginia have apologized for their decision to open today. but not loudoun county. they're not going that far. but like the other counties they are acknowledging they could have done things differently today. >> they're deeply sorry for the concerns this has caused. >> i think we do owe an apology for the decision we made. >> reporter: this morning's snowstorm made it extremely difficult for students and teachers to get to school. >> traffic is just dangerous, and it's awful in my state. >> there's a lot of snow and maybe schools should be closed today. >> i think i should be able to stay home because it's not safe for all the buses to be driving. because somebody could get hurt. >> reporter: many students took to social media to blast the schools' decisions to open today. while arlington and fairfax counties all made official apologies, loudoun county school

officials stopped short of apologizing in a letter to parents. obviously, the forecasts were off, and conditions rapidly changed. we made what we thought was the best decision possible given the factors before us. in retrospect we could have made a different decision. unfortunately, we cannot go back and redo what was done. one question on the minds of many students and parents who missed school today, will this count against their school attendance record? now, many of the school districts have decided that students will be excused from school today if they didn't show up but they haven't made a decision about faculty and staff. some of them could actually lose a day's pay. that decision has yet to be made. coming up at 6:00 we'll tell what you this all means for tomorrow morning's commute and school and remember if any schools are closed or delayed, you can get it first if you get the news4 -- the nbc washington app on your phone. reporting live in falls church mark segraves news4. >> thank you, mark.

the roads aren't far behind schools in terms of frustration. we're watching conditions closely now as the sun begins to set. we'll let you know if there are any problems if you're headed out and about tonight through our nbc 4 washington weather app. right now, news4's chris gordon is live in montgomery county where police worked 100 crashes today, and some side streets are still covered in snow chris. >> reporter: well tonight we're monitoring the evening rush hour here along river road and as you see, traffic is light. river road is clear of snow. it's still a little bit wet. what you see is cars coming from the district into montgomery county and the situation tonight is very unlike this morning's heavy snow which made driving dangerous. montgomery county police report more than 100 accidents due to the snowy weather. >> my drive here was i came from baltimore city and i probably saw about eight wrecks cars turned around. a lot of people going fast. and tons of people going slow.

>> reporter: this is what i-270 south through gaithersburg looked like. cars driving at 12 miles per hour. a lot of people chose metro rail but driving here to the grovener strap metro station was a challenge. >> pretty sloppy. a lot of the roads hadn't been plowed as well as they should have or could have been. definitely a lot of snow in kind of the right lanes where maybe it was shoved off. definitely lanes you couldn't drive in. did see someone stuck on a hill. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows bad traffic and road conditions along old georgetown road between huntington parkway and battery rain. metro buses operated on a moderate snow schedule which means they kept to main roadways causing delays. the longest delay we found was one woman traveling to work in bethesda from laurel maryland. so you your whole commute isn't even over and you've been at it for -- >> for seven hours. >> reporter: i think you get the award.

>> thank you. >> reporter: it is a good thing she has a sense of humor. she says her car broke down last week so she had to take the bus. her daily commute usually -- the commute takes a half hour. today seven hours. now, if you remember the old saying misery loves company, you will love the story that i have for you on news4 at 6:00. a woman behind the wheel of her car commuting from laurel to rockville for almost four hours. that's coming up on the 6:00 hour. that's the latest live along river road in bethesda. chris gordon news4. >> and you're rockin' that hat, chris. nice job. here's a live look outside reagan national airport, where things are running smoothly now. that wasn't the case earlier when arriving planes waited on the tarmac for more than an hour before getting to the gate. airport officials tell us tonight reagan national is running at all-time record levels. and all 44 gates are assigned to airlines. coming up on news4 at 6:00 tonight, we'll hear from one of the passengers stuck on one of those planes. also tonight, metro buses are going to operate under what

they call a moderate snow plan. that means service along most roads will be operating. but some routes may be detoured to keep the buses off the more hilly terrain and the narrower streets. metro officials say you can also expect some bus delays so they suggest riding the rails, if that's possible for you. all those commuters are now starting to head home in the district. today was the first test of the city's snow response under the new mayor. and for some it was a rough commute this morning. news4's tom sherwood live downtown at 14th and pennsylvania to show us how thibs are going now. tom? >> reporter: jim, maybe some of those folks didn't come to work or make it to work or maybe gone home early. this is 14th street usually very busy going to the 14th street bridge and virginia. but it's not busy tonight. it wasn't the storm of the century, but it was worse than officials expected. emergency crews made their way through city streets.

but all around town the morning commute was bad for those driving and for many of those waiting longer than normal for the buses. >> we would have liked a smoother commute. so we made the best decisions with the information that we had. >> reporter: bowser was overseeing her first snowstorm as mayor when surprisingly stronger and colder than expected. >> and the net effect of that is that the salt does not -- is not as effective. it takes longer for it to work. the forecast was 1 to 2 inches and it's closer to 3 to 4 inches. >> reporter: mayor bowser said schools stayed open because classes are important. she toured much of the district driving herself to normally busy barracks road. she knows other mayors are judged harshly on snow response. >> i think it's important the government gets the basics right. we pick up the snow clear the trash, that we provide public safety and safe and quality schools. so clearing the snow is a major part of what cities do. >> reporter: across the

anacostia, neighbors were helping out neighbors. but business at union town cafe wasn't so good. philadelphia native, tanya pope wondered what the fuss was about. >> it's not going well. but it's to be expected. i'm not from here so i'm not used to this grinding halt. with a couple dustings of snow. and that's what you guys got. >> reporter: but you have to remember she's from philadelphia so what does she really know here in the district of columbia? coming up at 6:00 a serious story. there are serious concerns about the homeless as the temperatures drop here in the city. live in downtown washington tom sherwood news4. the federal government stayed open and many of our local work remembers now headed home right now. it was a big day at work for republican leader john boehner. the 114th congress got under way, and he held off a tea party challenge to win re-election as speaker of the house. with this first snowfall of

2015 we are also seeing a return of a tradition here at news4, the pat collins snow stick challenge. >> and an assortment of hats too. this time around pat got his challenge started by talking to a guy with a very familiar name. >> reporter: here to make our first measurement of the 2015 weather is -- >> pat collins. >> reporter: pat collins. where are you from? >> i'm from minnesota, eh? >> reporter: compared to minnesota, what is this? >> this is a nice dusting. >> reporter: yeah this is sort of like easter sunday in minneapolis. >> early summer. >> early summer. >> he doesn't need a hat. pat is back in his favorite snow spot in northwest washington and we have to ask, was that a legit pat collins, patrick? >> reporter: there were some people including some of my very own colleagues who didn't believe that guy was pat collins. so i have his card. take a close look. what does it say? read it and weep.

patrick collins. that case is closed. now, coming up the first pat collins snow stick challenge of 2015. i'll tell you how you might be able to get one of these. coming up on news4. jim, wendy, you believe me, didn't you? >> we did. all along. >> always. >> got to go with pat. thank you. we'll see you in a bit. thousands of people in northwest d.c. have been without power all day long after a manhole caught fire in the dupont circle area. right now, pepco crews are busy trying to make repairs. news4's shomari stone joins us live from 14th street and new hampshire avenue northwest with an update. when do they think it will be fixed, snow shomari? >> reporter: a couple hours at least. it is a total mess on 18th street northwest and new hampshire avenue. take a look across the street. you can see pepco crews working, trying to get the power back on. d.c. police have blocked off the street. they have up orange cones now, and they're trying to get the

power back on. let's roll some video just to show you what caused all of this. this all started when a fire sparked out of this manhole at 18th and new hampshire this morning. three feeder failed causing other cables to fail and the lights went out for thousands of customers. pepco says 6,100 customers are without power in the dupont circle area. keep in mind one apartment or condo building could be considered one customer, and those buildings have hundreds of units. hence, why there are thousands without power. let's come back out here live. i am now joined by stacy and dooley. you live in the building. first let's show across the street there. that is the imperial house. hundreds of units in there. they don't have power. what's going through your mind right now? >> it's just going to be a cold night. >> reporter: and little dooley here. hopefully he can get some heat. he's going to stay warm. he has on a little sweater. and i want to thank you for joining us. and hopefully the lights come back on as soon as possible. live here near dupont circle

shomari stone, news4. bob mcdonnell reacts to his prison sentence while attorneys start their appeal. >> some of the judgments i have made during the course of my governorship myself my family and my beloved people of virginia for that i am deeply deeply sorry. and a teenager killed by that train during yesterday's commute. the news4 i-team is learning why he may not have seen or heard that train coming. a lot more team coverage coming your way on a very busy tuesday. big news from the redskins to the weather, and that historic prison sentence for bob mcdonnell. stay with us.

y. well the winter blast has made roads treacherous all over our region. chopper 4 shot this video of a serious crash early today on northbound i-270 in bethesda. four vehicles were involved and three lanes were temporarily shut down. with roads expected to remain slick through the night, highway officials remind you to slow down and give yourself a lot of extra time. now to the conclusion of what virginia's current governor calls one of the most difficult periods in the commonwealth's history. >> former governor bob mcdonnell was sentenced to two years in risen today for public corruption. our northern virginia bureau chief, julie carey, was there as mcdonnell spoke just after the judge's ruling, and she's learned an appeal is already in

the works. jules? >> reporter: well that's right. another dark chapter in virginia political history, written at this federal courthouse today. as bob mcdonnell becomes the first former virginia governor to be sentenced to prison time. but no sooner was that sentence handed down than mcdonnell his lawyer and supporters say their fight for vindication will go on. a stone-faced bob mcdonnell leaving court. his two-year prison sentence far lighter than family and friends had feared and well below the recommended six to eight years. the former governor and his attorneys promised an immediate appeal. >> i want to thank the court and judge spencer for the mercy he dispensed to me today. i also want to say that i disagree with the verdict that was rendered by the jury in this case. and that we intend to file our appeal. >> reporter: mcdonnell and his

wife were convicted in september of multiple public corruption charges for trading the influence of the governor's office to businessman jonnie williams in exchange for more than $170,000 in gifts and loans. mcdonnell's defense team called 11 witnesses today to testify on his behalf to ask the judge for mercy. they included former democratic governor doug wilder. judge james spencer told spectators he had read all 400-plus letters that mcdonnell's friends sent to the court. said spencer, a price must be paid a meaningful sentence must be imposed. prosecutors said the lower two-year term sends a strong message to public officials. >> that no one is above the law, not a high-public official not even the highest public official in the state. >> reporter: as the sentence was handed down there was a gasp in the courtroom. the former governor's estranged wife maureen, sobbed in the front row as she sat surrounded by the couple's children. other relatives also wiped away tears, but outside, bob mcdonnell's sisters say there is

some relief in this lower sentence. >> it certainly could have been worse. we're veryudge spencer for showing their mercy on him and taking into account all of the good that he has done. and will continue to do in the future. >> we're standing behind bob 100%. we believe in him more than ever. and we'll be successful on the appeal, we pray. >> reporter: now, the judge instructed bob mcdonnell to report to the bureau of prisons on february 9th but his attorneys are hoping to keep him free pending appeal. his wife maureen, mcdonnell is scheduled for sentencing at this same courthouse february 20th. coming up on news4 at 6:00 why some are crediting former governor doug wilder with helping to win a lighter sentence for the former republican governor. reporting live from richmond i'm julie carey, news4. >> julie, thanks. doug joins us now, and the story is not over. wind chills are coming. >> yeah that's going to be the thing now. snow came early this morning and caused people headaches this morning. when you wake up tomorrow and step out the door you'll have

headaches of a different kind. we're talking about wind chills tomorrow in the single digits at times. let's take a look first off and show how things are now. towards the airport, where we saw a few delays earlier today, not too many right now, at least in our airport. 31 degrees with wind chill also 31. what does that tell you? we're not seeing any wind. the winds are calm and those will start to kick in overnight and into the day tomorrow. current temperature, 31 in d.c. 28 in winchester. 23 in the gaithersburg area. so we are well below freezing right now. and that means we're going to see a very quick changeover to ice out there on those roads. so watch for ice early tomorrow morning. i really think we're going to have a lot of problems with the roadways especially the secondary roads. temperatures down around 22 stepping out the front door. and even tomorrow afternoon, cold and windy with a temperature of around 24 between 5:00 and 7:00. so once again tomorrow morning, give yourself a lot of extra time heading out the door. now, storm team 4 radar, clear across the area. we're not going to see anymore rain or snow. right now it's the cold air.

these are the temperatures tonight, down to 24 in d.c. but look at the teens. 17 in manassas. 16 in winchester. 19 culpeper 17 in gaithersburg and 23 towards the annapolis area. and then we start to see the winds kicking in. so cold tomorrow. 8:00 a.m. the wind chill in the 20s. that's when the winds really start to kick in. so by around noon the wind chills fall down into the teens. and by 4:00 as the temperatures normally go up they're going to be going the other way tomorrow. we'll be in the single digits and we're talking about 0 to about 5 degrees by the time we get to 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. so that impact forecast tomorrow it's going to be on the moderate side for sure if not on the high side. falling temperatures increasing winds, winds upwards of 20 to 30 miles per hour through tomorrow morning. wind chills tomorrow night could fall below zero. so your wednesday outlook travel watch for ice. that's going to be a big one. exercise yeah probably going to need to exercise indoors. and if you're thinking about going out and about, maybe a day

to stay in because of everything that you're going to be needing to wear out there. we're talking about having just about everything exposed. and remember those pets. bring those pets in. 28 degrees tomorrow. 24 on thursday. look at the overnight low thursday. down to 13. that's why we wind chills in the negative numbers early thursday morning. not much of a warmup either. 37 on friday. 29 on saturday. and then 37 on sunday. so we go back into the 20s. and then we have another storm to watch for early next week monday and tuesday. right now it looks like a little bit of a mix. could be rain and snow. could be just rain or could be all snow. that of course is something we're going to continue to watch as we move through the next couple days. >> doug you guys got the timing right but took to facebook today and it seemed like everybody kind of didn't realize the real impact that this was going to have. or had a bit of a greater impact. >> you can see my facebook page there. first thing we said we got it wrong. how did we get it wrong? we mentioned up to 2 inches in the metro d.c. area we got close to 4. we mentioned 3 to the west.

so that 2 to 4 maybe is what we should have done. but it wasn't really how much we got. it was really about the timing of this event as we talked about with rush hour. but even more so the cold temperatures. those cold temperatures a little bit of added moisture added about another inches to this storm. so 2 inches when you're talking 10 to 12 inches not as much. but when you're talking 1 to 2, 2 to 4 is a big one. check out my facebook page. >> and no one is going to remember that. our storm team 4 coverage is just getting started. >> reporter: i'm darcy spencer live in prince george's county. anyone who ventured out to work this morning had a very tough commute. i'll tell you what road conditions are like right now and what to expect tomorrow morning coming up in a live report. and we're not the only ones dealing with this winter blast. we'll show you where bands of snow cancelled flights in more than 20 states. and we're not out of the woods as we said just yet. stay with

much like everyone else in the region, folks out in prince george's county they have trouble getting around this morning. >> sure did. let's check back on the evening rush with prince george's county reporter darcy spencer. >> reporter: he digs himself out of this driveway in college park. how bad were the roads this morning? >> oh terrible. >> reporter: it will be his second attempt to get to work. he first tried at 7:30 in the morning. but the roads were too bad. so he came back home. >> a lot of accidents. it wasn't worth it.

>> reporter: these photos show what happened to some drivers who didn't turn around. they ended up in accidents along i-95 in the beltway in prince george's county. for those who were able to wait it was aier commute. >> i'm trying to get to work now. i had to brush off my car. we'll see if i can get out. >> reporter: he is a college student who didn't even think about going to school today. he walked to the store for supplies. >> i mean it's pretty bad. like walking up the hills. nobody shoveled or anything. >> reporter: melinda moore is shoveling her sidewalks in university park as her little dog mozart plays in the snow. she is off today. >> it's nice to have my little friend with me. he's having a good time. so it's good relaxing and nice to be out in nature. and no pressures of having to struggle with the traffic. >> reporter: tony greer is feeling the pressure though. he is trying again to get to his federal government job in d.c. earlier, he and his neighbors were stuck on the big icy hill on metsle rock road. >> i helped some other people

get out. even when we got off this street here we were still -- you still couldn't get out -- you couldn't go that way, that way. there was no way to really get past the neighborhood. >> reporter: i just checked in with prince george's county department of public works. they say all of the major roads like here on east-west highway have been treated. the major concern now, these, the side roads and residential streets. they hope to have all of them cleared by midnight tonight. and, of course they are concerned about all of this refreezing. so they'll have the sand and salt trucks back out this evening. coming up on news4 at 6:00 i'll tell you why a lot of prince george's county parents are more happier than parents in northern virginia today. reporting live from university park darcy spencer, news4. a big mess right now at 5:00, returning to the roads in virginia. >> and this mess this morning could turn into a hazardous night for anyone who is venturing out. we're going to have a live report coming up next. and pat's big challenge. the winter hat battle coming your way next.

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someone did a half-fast job posting our vacation pics. stop living with half-fast internet. only verizon fios comes with speedmatch - uploads as fast as downloads. get a fios triple play for just $79.99 a month online for two years and get a $400 bonus with a two year agreement! hurry! it's your last chance. this offer ends january 17th. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v right now at 5:30 the winter blast, and the worst day on our roads for the first winter storm of the new year. and now we have a bitter cold blast that could impact us straight through the weekend. hello, everybody, i'm meteorologist doug kammerer alongside veronica johnson. and this is a storm system we have seen for more than a week really made its presence felt today. >> right. snow yes, but now the next step and that's going to be the temperatures that come with it. and the wind. >> exactly right. first off, let's take a look at

the snow coming down this morning, between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. this was a time period that we mentioned we would be seeing the snow. one thing we were not sure about was right here. see this banding right here those bands created 1 inch per hour snowfall rates. that's what helped places like inches of snow a little earlier today. that snow is now gone. but the cold temperatures are now here. 23 in gaithersburg. 28 in reston. 26 in camp springs. so anything that fell today and melted is just going to freeze right over one more time. and that's why early tomorrow morning and really overnight tonight, we're going to be experiencing problems. so everything freezing roads will be quite slick overnight and into early tomorrow. walking will still be tough, as well if you're walking through the city. this is just one factor. the next factor is going to be the wind. and veronica the winds have all right started picking up. >> just north of our area across northern maryland they have and along with the cold air, it will be a big deal. the two factored together ugly situation for us not going to feel good. 20 to 25-mile-an-hour winds

already to the north. there we are at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. the winds pick up close to 30 by lunch time tomorrow. gaithersburg areas like leesburg feeling that wind. falling temperatures tomorrow increasing wind and we're talking about wind chills by afternoon, 10 to 15 degrees. and we've got two days of this senator now to deal with. record-low temperatures in some areas early thursday morning. >> the biggest chill since last year will be back. the timing of all of this in a couple minutes. >> all right. it is not hard to have fun out there. a lot of you enjoying in our snow day. >> and pat collins is live with the snow stick challenge tonight. first, team coverage picks up with news4 transportation reporter adam tuss live in vienna virginia with preparations for tonight's refreeze on all our roads. adam? >> reporter: that's right, jim. everything is focused on the refreeze tonight, and battling it. this is glendon street in vienna. take a look at the slush on the ground and all of this is most

likely going to freeze. and hey, we have turned into somewhat of rock stars on glendon street. the cheering section. guess what the kids want tomorrow a snow day, right? >> yeah! >> reporter: we'll see if that happens. but the ice is a concern tonight, guys. dealing with the slush and mess on the roads, that is sure to turn to ice overnight. >> common sense says if you don't need to be on the road please stay off of it. >> reporter: that is the best advice from v-dot steve shannon as crews line up load up and try to prevent a refreeze. extra crews have been called in trucks trying to clean up in northern virginia. the side roads will get a lot of attention. >> in subdivisions, we'll be putting down primarily sand but may do a hot mix, which is a sand/salt mixture. but we'll be working through the night to get these roads in good condition. >> reporter: shoveling the sidewalks, the chore here in downtown leesburg today. walking with care a must. the locals here like amy and

joe sanchez, didn't even hit the road until noon. sounds like you guys waited until it was done before you went out. is that by design? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: yeah. >> we both work from home so -- it's -- it kind of helps. >> reporter: this picture shows the aftermath of an icy hill on 16th street in south arlington. bumper cars a good way to describe it. v-dot does say it had to raise its number of crews as it became clear today, the impact was worse than expected. and back here now live we're going to be monitoring conditions all night long. and i want to remind to you download our nbc washington app. we're going to download stuff on here about live road conditions around the area as you head out tonight. reporting live in vienna adam tuss news4. >> thanks adam. pat collins was out playing today, and he issued a challenge, show us your best snow hat. >> and we have seen a pretty wide range from people with animal hats to animals with people hats. but some of the best have come from our tiniest viewers.

>> pat joins us live in northwest d.c. pat in the hat, as we expect you to be. >> reporter: wendy and jim, this is the first snow stick challenge of 2015 and we're out looking for the best snow hat in washington. it's come to my attention that people just don't put anything on their heads. there's usually a story behind the hat. >> well i'm a beginning knitter. and i'm very proud of this hat. i knitted it myself. it's a little -- it's a little big. but you think it looks okay? >> reporter: i think it looks marvelous. >> oh great. >> reporter: the first snow stick challenge of 2015. the search for the very best snow hat in washington. best hat gets an official pat collins snow stick. we have received all sorts of entries. i mean all sorts of entries. now the children's category. how can you resist these little

kids in big snow hats? wait until ma sees this. and take a look at this little fellow, it's got to be his first snowstorm. his first snow hat. facebook was made for these kinds of pictures. send all. we found a lot of people have emotional attachments to their snow hats. >> this is a christmas present from my husband. >> it was a gift from my kids for christmas last year. >> my mom bought it for me for a handca gift. >> keeping me warm. >> it fits my head and keeps my ears warm. >> it covers my ears which is good because not a lot of hats do that. and i like the color. >> reporter: now coming up at 6:00 more entries. animal entries, out of the box entries. somebody is going to go home with one of these. i'll see you at 6:00 live in northwest. pat collins news4. all right. thank you, patrick. now at 5:00 tonight, the news4 i-team exposed the danger of nighttime mail deliveries.

we're getting new reaction now. what the outgoing postmaster says needs to be changed. and it's the hash tag that's been trending all day in our area. closefcps, poking fun at fairfax schools for staying open. some of your more creative posts

a big day, a big hire for

the redskins today. dianna russini at the live desk with details for us. hi di. >> yeah jim. it's what the fans have wanted for a long time and they are on the brink of having it. a true general manager. and his name is scott mccloughan mccloughan. it's a move being met with tons of praise around the nfl. the 43-year-old was recently a senior personnel executive with the seahawks helping put together their super bowl champion team. but it was also a general manager of the 49ers, helping assemble a team that went to three nfc championship games. he left both positions due to personal matters, including a battle with alcohol abuse. but coming up at 6:00 why mccloughan chose the redskins over two other teams in the nfl. we're going to have more details coming up guys. >> thanks dianna. we are following a developing story. police are on edge once again in new york city after two officers are shot. but this case is very different from last month's ambush tragedy. >> reporter: and we are talking

about de-icing dangers. too much of it too little and what about kitty litter? does that stuff really work? we're going to talk about all of that and more when i see

that teenager hit and killed by a marc train yesterday was walking in a prohibited area according to police reports. officers identified the man as 18-year-old mario hernandez much his listed address is about two miles from the scene of that accident. at the old town station in gaithersburg. a city official tells scott macfarlane from our i-team that the teenager had his hood up and was wearing ear buds at the time of the accident. police say the marc train conductor sounded his horn and tried to apply the brakes before

had he hit hernandez. we are cold covered with snow and lots of company around the country. wind chills in a lot of places are way below zero. 30 or 40 degrees below zero. and a lot of cities snow and accidents reduced rush hour to a crawl. hundreds of flights grounded by these conditions. passengers on one flight say they waited two hours before they were told to get off the plane. by thursday there could be record low temperatures from chicago to pensacola, florida. among those who did have school today, one group spoke pretty loudly on social media. the hash tag close fcps for fairfax county schools has been trending in our area all day. earlier, it was also trending nationwide and at one point, even worldwide. attracting the attention of people thousands of miles away. this one, i live in tunisia and i think they should close. others created some pretty interesting and entertaining

memes. this one for any redskins fan, a guy calling it sarcastically another great call with the refs saying there will be no delays for northern virginia and d.c. schools. first down cowboys. and then another, photo shopping a school board member on to "frozen's" elsa tweeting let us go. that member later tweeted an apology today, calling the decision to not close, quote, terrible. now, you can read more of these other posts on our home page nbcwashington.com. they're pretty fun reads. >> yes, they are. but our forecast isn't going to be too fun in the coming days doug. >> no, not at all. actually i think it gets worse. the snow we dealt with for a couple hours this morning. but now we'll deal with the temperatures and the wind. and we're going to be dealing with that for quite some time. let's first off show what we're dealing with outside right now as we look out towards the airport today. the airport officially received 2.4 inches of snow and now as we look from the airport towards the east you can notice we're

looking at clearing skies. and that has temperatures dropping 31 degrees. 29 by 7:00. windy and plane cold plain cold. 27 in reston. 29 in ft. belvoir. everything now is freezing across the area. anything that melts, any snow that came down is now freezing on the roads. so tomorrow morning, watch for ice. temperatures of 22. give yourself some extra time early tomorrow morning, you don't want to get stuck tomorrow like you did today. cold and windy, 5:00 to 7:00 tomorrow afternoon. 24 degrees. but the wind chill will be a lot colder. any time you have a weather system moving towards us you can always download our storm team 4 weather app. go to search nbc washington weather and google play or our itunes store. for this instance it's the cold moving our way. no snow left over. tomorrow windy and cold. temperatures will fall. so 24 to 29. that's around noon 1:00. and then watch what happens here. look at the wind chill. tonight, 21 around 11:00.

18 in martinsburg. tomorrow morkning down to 9 in martinsburg, 16 in manassas. but we go down from there during the day. look at the wind chill at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. 10 in d.c. 2 in winchester. 6 in gaithersburg. tomorrow evening, we'll be extremely cold and we're talking dangerous cold and lasts through the day thursday. wind chills early thursday morning could be below zero. 37 degrees on friday. another cold day on saturday with a high of around 29. and then watching another potential storm next monday and tuesday. you know we'll stay on top of it for you right here from the weather center. >> thank you, doug. now the snow has stopped and it's time to start worrying about the ice. below-freezing temperatures keep the sidewalks andays dangerously slick. >> dicey and tricky out there tonight and tomorrow. our team coverage continues now with consumer reporter erika gonzales out in it. she joins us with the best ways to melt and gain traction on the ice. erika? >> reporter: that's right. because ice is a whole other beast than snow. and there's really just three types of de-icing salt you

should be using. from the maryland cooperative extension says you can try your hand at magnesium chloride or potassium chloride. think about this though. these chemicals damage concrete the mortar between the bricks and also can damage your plants. so the extension service recommends only using a thin coat of this stuff. if it's thick ice, you want to add a small amount of water to the salt to help that spread. now, if you want to try your hand at this without causing damage to the plants the extension service says you can use sand. you can use fireplace ashes if you've got some from the holidays. or yes, you can use kitty litter. and they won't melt the ice, but they also will not cause any damage. now, to some of the chemicals we have been talking about, these can be very hazardous to your pets. please please be cautious. we want to be thinking about our four-legged friends. so we called the friendship animal hospital northwest d.c. for a few days to help keep our pets safe the next couple days. first and foremost keep your

pets away from antifreeze. some people pour antifreeze on sidewalks as deicer. it's really bad idea folks. it's got a really sweet taste to dogs and cats and so they're attracted to that. but vets say if your pets swallow even the tiniest amount it can cause irreversible damage that could lead to death. vets say avoid any toxicity by cleaning your pets' paws rub down their bellies really well before they come inside the house to get the chemicals off of them. and if your dog will tolerate it if they'll do this you've got 1078 disposable bootees you can find for them they're waterproof for your dogs might be a good option. and when it comes to friendship animal hospital says keep them inside. cats left outside often seek warmth by crawling up on to the engine block of a car. it's not the place for your kitty when you go to start the car. just in case in the mornings you want to double-check to make sure there's not any animals around there, honk your horn a few times. that should scare cats or

kittens that may be around the area. we've posted all of these great tips on our website. you can find them at nbcwashington.com, and, of course our nbc washington app. back to you. >> all right. well the nbc 4 health and fitness expo we're counting down is just days away now. >> doreen gentzler is here with details on some of the newest additions to this expo. >> hi you guys. we're learning more and more about brain health specifically how to prevent cognitive decline as we age. it's something we can all learn a lot more about at the expo this weekend and tonight, we take a look at four things you can do to slow your brain's aging. pamela casey just turned 50 a few weeks ago. but she says she's already noticing changes in her memory. >> i can't find my keys. it's more of an effort. like i'll have to make a list. >> reporter: the experts say that's not unusual. research shows by the time we hit age 50, it's not just our body aging, but our brains too. >> what happens is that the

brain naturally peaks in our 20s, unfortunately, and then starts a very slow process of cognitive decline. and that's completely natural. and that can show up in various ways. your memory can feel a little bit slower your processing skills aren't quite as sharp as they used to be. >> reporter: but new studies are showing you can slow down your aging brain. lynn meanto is senior vice president of membership for aarp. which just introduced the staying sharp program for its members. it includes four key areas to protect brain health. number one is exercise. >> so the one area that's most closely corroborated with brain health is better physical health. so even 20 minutes a day of exercise is shown to improve your processing speed and your memory. >> reporter: she says exercising helps the brain in two ways. it gets more oxygen flowing, and it also induces hormones that help keep the brain healthy. next experts say people should work out their brains.

that means practicing mental exercises. it can be an easy one to do at home. >> once a week for an hour if you're right-handed try writing with your left hand for an hour. and it pushes your brain out of its comfort zone and that's a good thing. >> reporter: number three, stress less and socialize more. that means taking a few minutes every day to try to reduce your stress level. it might mean practicing meditation or yoga. at the same time mento says people need to interact with others. >> there are pieces of our brain that are designed to improve mental interactions. >> reporter: number four eat brain healthy foods, including blueberries, salmon avocados nuts and seeds. that's something pamela casey has started doing since she turned 50. she says she's also practicing yoga and meditation and she's taking more time to travel. >> i figured i could go one way or another when i turned 50. and i decided i'm just going to

take charge of this and try to be healthier. >> a lot of things you can do. and we have a lot more information about brain health on our website. and, of course this weekend at the nbc 4 health and fitness expo the doors open at 9:00 saturday morning at the washington convention center. admission is free. wendy, jim, i know you guys will be there. >> right, we will. >> we'll see you there. nighttime mail deliveries. the news4 i-team is getting new answers to the question about the danger. what the outgoing postmaster is saying has to be changed.

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the u.s. had some parting words today in response to our recent news4 i-team investigation. >> postmaster general patrick dan ahoe is retiring and held one last briefing today to talk about changes that still need to be addressed inside the postal service. in november tisha thompson and the news4 i-team showed just how violent crimes against postal employees are on the rise. we found robberies are up more than 300%. a lot of the employees are worried about their safety following the unsolved murder of letter carrier tyson burnett in cheverly. >> some neighborhoods in the evening, especially delivering our letter carriers are more exposed to somebody with bad intenses. so as we consolidate, the other thing that happens is the mail is available much earlier for the letter carriers in the morning so we should be able to start them rather than 8:00

8:30 in the morning, 6:30 7:00 in the morning, you get them off the street before dark. >> reporter: dan ahoe industriesed he has confidence in the internal police force when it comes to solving crimes. he is set to retire the end of this month. we have new details this evening about a shootout that left two police officers wounded in new york city. >> tonight, police have two people in custody who they call career criminals who have posted anti police rhetoric online. mark sanitia has the latest. >> reporter: it all started here at this bronx bodega. robbers hopped over the counter and forced him to his knees at knife point. >> the guy who has the knife told me if i don't show him the rest of the money he's going to stab me with a knife. >> reporter: the call went out for help, and the squad jumped into action. ten minutes after the robbery, officers spotted two potential suspects. they approached and this guy ducked into a chinese restaurant pretending to order

food. then opened fire hitting officers alira, pal ranno and dossey. both were hit twice. >> they were going off duty and heard the call and went out and did find themselves very quickly in a gun fight. >> reporter: police say the robbers then carjacked a couple driving a rental car from virginia. they crashed a few blocks away and escaped on foot. one suspect was hit by gunfire. officers tracked him down to colombian presbyterian hospital. >> we quickly identified the person who took him to the hospital. and then after some questioning he fell apart as well and gave up the entire story. >> reporter: a second man believed to be the shooter is in custody at bronx homicide. the marshals task force arrested him in wes chester square on fremont avenue a few hours ago. they watched as dozens of law enforcement made the arrest. >> 10 to 15 cars were there. >> reporter: how many officers? >> officers?

20 30? >> reporter: in lower manhattan, mark sanitia, news4. news4 begins now with storm team 4. tonight, some really troubling and dangerous weather out there. snow created major problems during the morning rush. and now more trouble for the evening commute with black ice and bone-chilling temperatures. we've got a team of reporters gathering elements of this story across maryland virginia and d.c. from the spin-outs to the controversy over school closings. and, of course the road conditions. this is a live look from our drive cam in vienna. the snow is gone but the threat certainly isn't over yet. let's go first to doug. he's tracking the conditions from storm center 4. doug? >> yeah i'm the only one indoors now. good thing, because it is darn cold out there. and it will continue to get even colder as we move through the night tonight. take a