grab the winter coat. winter is here. good morning. i'm angie goff. >> i'm adam tuss. welcome to "news 4 today" on this frigid sunday morning. let's get straight to chuck with the forecast. what's it look like, chuck? >> there's not going to be any break in the cold during the daylight hours today or overnight tonight. the cold will relax ever so slightly late tomorrow into tuesday but we'll stay below freezing and that's going to make a snow forecast look more and more likely for monday night into tuesday. still a little time to fine tweak the fine points on this, but it looks like snow is coming our way everybody. reston town center right now the ground is right -- it's white from the snow from last night. the roads treated with the anti icing chemicals. current windchills are 10 to 20 degrees below zero. winds are gusting 35 to 40 mipgs or higher. that's likely to continue through the next four or five

hours at least. could bring down more trees branches or power lines. more than 10,000 people lost power overnight. current temperatures in the single digits and low teens. hour by hour through the day today, highs only up near 20 degrees, but windchills staying below zero. when i see you next, we'll talk more about the chance for snow which arrives after the sun goes down tomorrow. be ready for the record cold tomorrow and more on the seven-day forecast coming up. power crews working to turn on thousands of lights cut out by the winter weather. throughout the morning, how the tajs have been going down. pepco fixed problems for about 5,000 customers but still has to restore power to about 7,000 more. in northern virginia dominion is working on just under 5,500 outages, down more than 4,000 from an our ago. in prince george and montgomery counties there's a snow emergency right now. watch where you park. in d.c. the department of human services activated the hypothermia hotline to make sure

no one is stranded in the cold. the strong wind may have brought down a building in northeast d.c. police say this building was under construction on 12th street northeast. nobody was hurt when part of it collapsed last night. weather was likely the reason it collapsed. >> a building also collapsed in southeast d.c. police say weather may have been the cause there. as of right now we're told good hope road southeast by martin luther king junior avenue is completely open again. the collapse happened early this morning in an abandoned building. no one was hurt there. this tree fell on this van on 16th street around rom street northeast overnight. we're told no one was hurt. it happened around 1:30 a.m. the owner did call police there. those powerful winds we 50e6 been telling you about have been milwaukeeing a mess all over the area. trees have been toppling over onto power lines. derrick ward live in northwest washington with what we're seeing out there. how are you doing, derrick? >> reporter: good morning. how are you?

we're actually on springfield drive in bethesda. tell you what we're seeing here. big problem with black ice here. as you see those cars going slowly down the hill there. that's because if you go up to the crest of that hill there's about four or five cars that were involved in accidents. now, minor crashes didn't appear anyone was hurt from what we could see. county truck has come and put the blade down and scraped some of that ice off, but as you can tell with these temperatures and this wind, it won't be long before it freezes up again. drivers have to exercise the utmost caution through here. even do the speed limit because this is a worst case scenario. think about it. a downgrade with traffic a stop light and ice. that's definitely not something you want to encounter at speed. people are going very cautiously as they go through here. a chuck came down spread something and put the blade down. something you don't see a lot of when it's not show. you had a sheet of black ice and it's potentially dangerous.

i don't know if you can see there's debris all over the place for people who haven't really adhered to those rules about being cautious and safe on the roads. take a look here. you can see this is the aftermath of not really paying attention to the conditions. don't know what kind of car that was, but definitely missing a piece of molding. live in bethesda, derrick ward, news 4. the beltway back open this morning in montgomery county after a serious crash. this happened just after midnight. several cars collided on the beltway. it was between river road and the i-270 spur in bethesda. take a look at the video we were able to get our hands on. several people had to be rescued in their cars. two ems workers were hit by a car as they were trying to rescue the people. they were taken to the hospital in serious condition. montgomery county fire says at least six others were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries but no one was killed. no word on the the snow played a role in this crash. you've got a few hours left to sign up for health insurance through the affordable care act.

today is the deadline. if you live in the district, you sign up through d.c. health link. several churches will help people sign up today. we've posted all the locations on our website. search d.c. health. if you live in maryland, you can use the state's health connection website. virginians can use healthcare.gov to sign up. you might have had some trouble signing up on healthcare.gov yesterday. that's because there's a glitch. it wouldn't allow people to verify their income electronically, and that information is really important because financial assistance is based on how much you make. the government says it has fixed this problem. the cold could chill out a lot of naked runners today in the cupid undie run. take a look at your screen. this is the course of the map. not only will the streets be closed, but if you're around there at the same time you might see hundreds of people in just their underwear standing outside. maybe offer them a ride.

in spite of the weather we're having, organizers say it takes, quote, an epic snowstorm for them to postpone the event. >> we have a news 4 i-team investigation. we go under cover on the metro with a woman who use as wheelchair to get around and we look at how she would escape during a metro energy. >> we're also going to get a preview on what's coming up on "meet the press."

if you commute to work in the d.c. area you know how hard and aggravating it can be, but for one d.c. woman her short commute has turned into a lifetime battle. news 4 i-team's tisha thompson has one woman's journey through metro. >> reporter: kelly mack uses metro every day to commute to work. she asked us to come along with her to look at this. >> no way.

>> reporter: the entrance to the safety walkway at the end of the farragut north metro station. >> there's no way my chair would fit on this. >> reporter: kelly says she realized this path isn't wide enough for her standard size chair and is cut off by stairs. she noticed it after last month's incident where one woman died and many passengers self evacuated after being trapped in smoke-filled cars. >> it's very worrisome. it doesn't sound like there's a real good plan for people in general, much less people with disabilities like myself. >> this is an emergency teleevacuation card. every metro station has one of these. >> reporter: when we asked what would happen if someone in the wheelchair needed to be evacuated, they explained rescue crews can use these etec devices to roll up to the end of the train. >> it only ways 160 pounds but can hold 1,000 pounds of capacity. >> reporter: metro says all local fire departments are

supposed to get evacuation training. news 4 was there when the fairfax county fire department learned how to use the etec last summer. d.c. fire tells the i-team all members are to be trained on the etec but couldn't provide any training records for this specific item within the past two years. instead, it gave us training photos of the motorized emergency recon vehicle which can get to trapped passengers in less than four minutes, and the rescue cart which d.c. fire says was designed with metro in mind because it can fit between rails and over electrical boxes. the i-team found all this equipment could require leaving the wheelchair behind. >> the doorways on the edge of the train aren't wide enough for a full-size wheelchair to get out. >> i'm terrified for them. >> dara baldwin with the national disability rights network says she's particularly concerned about c spine or

quadriplegic riders because they can't be easily separated from their chairs which provide life support. >> you would have to leave that person who is a quad or someone who can't move and shouldn't be moved, you would have to leave that person. >> reporter: metro says fire departments should have special stair chairs to transport quadriplegic riders. >> they could transfer them from their wheelchair to the stair chair to get them onto this cart to get them back to safety. >> reporter: d.c. fire told the i-team in most incidents the process of removing all or most of the ambulatory people from a train will be done first due to that process being quicker than the removal of non-ambulatory people. in regards to self-evacuation those who are non-ambulatory will need the assistance of the fire department because the width of the walkways within the tunnels is 22 inches and will not provide ample space for a wheelchair. >> i depend on my wheelchair. i'd have to depend on other people. >> reporter: at the farragut north metro station tisha

thompson news 4 i-team. >> this story started with a tip. if you have something the i-team should be looking into call 202-885-4444. time is 10:12. coming up we hear from the secretary of veterans affairs on changes he made since he's led the department. >> let's check in with chuck bell. good morning understand again everybody. it's dangerously cold outside now. there's a chance that our arctic blast will turn into a chance for show ooh soon

batonten down the hatches, put rocks in the pockets. >> there you go. >> woulders would be -- the winds have eased up a smidge since i said bolders. now a solid rock will do it. kids and adults alike need to brace for an awfully cold day outside. on the range of dangerously cold. temperatures running into the single digits and windchills as much as 20 below zero still. unusually cold, and you need to take extra precautions today. if you own it, put it on before you get outside today. you're going the need extra layers. extra layers of everything on outside today even pets and pipes need to be extra careful

today. if you've got an exposed pipe outside of your house, if it hasn't already frozen over make precautions there. tower cam looking down on the potomac. it looks like a fine february day but temperatures in the single digits and teens. record low at national tomorrow is 5, same for bwi marshall. marshall might be able to get that one. dulles international airport, the record is 11. that one is done. by tomorrow morning we're down close to zero in the outlying area. a very high impact on the weather for today even with the sunshine, with the dangerously cold air and the windchills out there. windchills still minus 16 in gaithersburg, 8 below in annapolis. 4 above in culpepper. right here in washington, our temperatures inched all the way to 14 degrees. but a northwest wind continues at almost 30 miles per hour sustained. windchills -- air temperatures are just now getting out of the single digits in many

neighborhoods. if you're going outside, plan on extra layers for sure. temperatures in the upper teens and low 20s. your hometown forecast, gaithersburg, maryland. today's high is 16. down to two by wake-up time tomorrow morning with chills at 15 below zero. a chance for snow after the sun goes down tomorrow. winter storm warnings in the deep south, even down to atlanta, georgia. no advisories in our area yet. i keep saying this, i fully expect either a winter weather advisory or winter storm watch to be posted for here sometime later today that will carry us through monday night. next storm, plenty of cold it will go down to our south. close enough where accumulations are looking likely. there's future weather cold and wind today, cold and breezy tomorrow morning. then the clouds come back today. future weather, 8:00 tomorrow just to our south and west. as the storm goes down to our south, look how long we stay with a chance for snow all the

way after the sun comes up on tuesday morning. snow chances will be highest farther down to the south and lowest to the north. i haven't put any amounts on here just yet because it's still too early to give you specific amounts. here is some of the range of possibilities. this is computer output, not a forecast. it can snow all day in the computer and not snow in real life. so here is some examples of what we're looking at for data. six inches or more possible on the local model. the american model has a solid three to six-inch snow chance. the european model is cranking out as much as ten inches of snow. there's a lot of possibilities in there. it looks like it will be a cancellable level event of snow. for now you need to nowak couple lated snow likely now monday night into the early hours of tuesday morning. again, likely to have cancellations on tuesday, not on

monday. then as we get towards wednesday, thursday, friday another shot of cold air arrives on wednesday. low temperatures can be back down into the single digits to near 10:00 by friday morning. another chance of wintery weather next weekend. we'll worry about that as we get later in the week. monday night into tuesday is looking more and more like a bigger and bigger problem. we'll keep you posted. >> when is it going to be spring? >> according to phil what, four more weeks? >> next calendar says march, that's when springs gets here. joining us, moderator of "meet the press," the other chuck, chuck todd. >> i have to say my daughter is demanding a snow day. better make it happen on tuesday. i don't want it but she's demanding one. >> i like her chances. >> no pressure. >> so on your show today you're

talking about u.s. department of homeland security up to the clock to keep them funded again. this is such a serious agency. it's wild it's coming down to this. >> it is. you'll hear a republican senator john mccain basically say this is not the way -- if you want to protest the president, let's find another way to protest the president on immigration. you're starting to see -- you'll hear him say americans did put republicans in charge to have fights between the senate and the house on how to do this. when you have what's going on overseas, we just had what happened in copenhagen, we'll have an updated report from richard engel on all things related to what appears to be a terror attack in denmark, do you really want to have a political fight about security on this side? i know where the leadership is in both parties. they're trying to land this plane, trying to get this done. there are a lot of true believers in the base. they want to find an avenue to do something. they believe the senate republicans are caving in.

>> on the show today, you sat down with the veterans affairs secretary and we have a clip from that interview we'd like to play. >> we're making fundamental changes in the department in terms of leadership. we've held accountable about 900 employees who are no longer with us, with us before. >> what does held accountable mean? >> 900 have been fired. >> he's obvious he's taking action at the top. any indication that that's trickling down to affect veterans, especially in this area. >> we start with the a story about homeless veterans in los angeles. it took a lawsuit being filed to get the va to do what it was supposed to do there but they're doing it. you'll also hear him say, because the va was put on a high-risk list essentially when it comes to government agencies not functioning properly. he argues he asked to be put on that list.

he is trying to -- that's his way, he believes in forcing the accountability to go downward. he gives out his personal cell phone number. he certainly has energy you can could see from the interview. he certainly seems determined. the question is could an agency as broad as the va is, can it get changed by one person sort of of tone. we'll see. he wants to test that premise. >> will need some big solutions for big problems that have accumulated over the years. >> it's only getting worse. remember the vietnam veterans are now retirees. we have a whole slew of iraq and afghanistan veterans coming home. this is -- the va is only going to have bigger challenges ahead. >> thanks, chuck. we'll see if the other chuck can get you a snow day. >> i don't want the snow day. i'm telling you my daughter does. a reminder you can see "meet the press" every sunday right here on nbc4 right after "news 4 today." and we are going to take a look at the week ahead coming up. keep it right here for

"press pass" after "meet the press." you

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saturday schedule opening at 5:00 a.m. and closing at midnight for the holiday. tomorrow is superintendent joshua starr's last day on the job, resigning as montgomery county superintendent of schools. he asked to be released from his current contract last month. the board has begun looking for his successor. he'll continue being paid through june. if you plan to park at dulles airport troerks you may see construction crews there. they're doing all kinds of work in advance of the silver line station. we're told crews will be in the hourly parking lot between 8:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon. we've got a weather alert day today for the dangerous windchills and the bitter cold. there's likely to be more weather problems in the week ahead as an increasing chance for snow shows up monday night into the day on tuesday. next chance for snow monday night to tuesday. more likely to have snow and higher amounts of snow down to the south of the metro. fredricksburg might get more than frederick, maryland this time around.

we'll keep you posted. amelia will have your first outlook coming up on news 4 tonight at 6:00 and at 11:30. >> we want to remind everyone the news 4 weather app is the best way to get this information. "meet the press" is chuck todd is coming up next. >> wake up with us tomorrow morning. we begin at 4:26. until then, have a great day and stay warm everybody. thank you, cable for taking longer to upload our family movies. for the slower internet upload speeds. for taking longer to upload my files to the cloud. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. and for never upgrading to 100% fiber optics thank you cable... thank you cable, because if we never had you... ...we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. in customer satisfaction studies, fios is rated #1 in internet speed and reliability -- 8 years running. plus, fios has the fastest wi-fi available

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this sunday, terror in denmark. two victims it dead and the alleged shooter. >> we feel certain it is a previously motivated attack and therefore it is a terrorist attack. >> one target, a swedish cartoonist on al qaeda's hit list. he survives. but a man shot debt outside a synagogue. we'll have all the latest. and fixing the va. what the agency's new leader has done. >> 900 people have been fired since i've been secretary. >> and what's still ahead, making sure veterans have the care they deserve. plus one year out, we have brand-new numbers in the race for 2016 from first three states that will start the voting. and 40 years of funny. >> 40th