excitement over the first day of classes replaced with sadness. a school district mourns a principal's sudden death. good morning. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm erika gonzalez in for eun yang. and we turn to the weather. >> tom kierein is talking about some showers. >> yeah, came through the metro area, getting some moderate rain right here in the area in orange in prince george's county. this stretches all the way from where 301 meets route 5 and all the way up to near bowie, laurel, that's tracking right into anne arundel county. also this one area of some downpours now near laytonsville and that's moving away. later today, late afternoon and this evening some heavy downpours in this area. in green. could give us some flash flooding, including the immediate metro area.

prince george's county, the district, anne arundel, parts of howard county. watch out for high water tonight. so hour by hour forecast for the next six hours will just begin to dry out a bit. the pavement still wet. some sun breaks out later this morning. low 80s by then. next weather and traffic on the 1s, a look at your bus stop forecast for this thursday. now melissa is looking at traffic problems early on this thursday morning. >> have a couple of issues, inner loop at 295, a single car crash. probably off the road work right now. 295 at malcolm x is blocked. and nutley road, it's blocked there. inner and outer loop no major problems. virginia 95 here at lorton road a little bit of wetness, and through prince george's county, so be careful as you're headed out. >> 5:02.

we are learning that two cars collided on branch avenue overnight. that crash happened near the intersection with earnshaw drive. look here, you can see at least one of the cars went off the road. three people hurt in another crash in prince george's county. that shut down suitland parkway outside d.c. however, the road is open again right now. one of the people had to be flown to the hospital with life threatening injuries and we're working to learn their condition right now. a family and two dogs are safe after a house fire in prince george's county. you see them there, doing all right. you can see the dogs there that were rescued from the home in the video here. firefighters were called to the house from lake arbor way in largo overnight. no word on what caused the fire. new this morning at the live desk, since we talked with you at the top of the show, we found out more about what happened to three firefighters killed battling a wildfire in washington state.

we found out that it was the wind. they suddenly changed direction unexpectedly and turned back on the firefighters. they got into the crash and the fire overtook their vehicle. these three firefighters were with the u.s. forestry service. back to you. right now, we need to head out and we'll break down the equipment. we are going to leave. >> just another example of how dangerous the situation is in washington state. a reporter was in the middle of the live report yesterday when he was told to leave. you can look for a live update from washington on the "today" show. 5:03 and a woman shot by a d.c. police officer after she refused to drop a knife is back in court. renita nettles started a fire two saturdays ago and she walked toward the officer holding a knife. her mother and neighbors yelled for her to drop it. >> put it down!

>> d.c. police say she had used a mixture of pcp and synthetic drugs that day. she's in court today for a mental observation hearing. a montgomery county school is in mourning. the principal died before the start of a new year. news4's zachary kiesch is at the school this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erika. this news came as a complete shock yesterday. it was at the end of last year that this school was reeling after the death of two students and it was their rock, their leader, dr. doran, who was here to speak with then and then to find out two weeks before the school year starts that it's a really unfortunate situation. police say they found dr. doran at his home in bethesda. he was 64 years old. they believe he died of natural causes. he was a fierce advocate of the

students here and he rose when things got tough in the face of tragedy. here's the spokesperson for montgomery county public schools. >> i think if you saw michael then too, you will see what kind of principal he was. he knew every kid, he would his put his arms around the kid. he'd help them grieve but he also wanted them to learn from a tragedy. >> now, counselors will be here at the school from 9:00 to 2:00 both today and tomorrow. tomorrow evening, just here at the stadium, there will be a memorial service at 6:00 p.m. zachary kiesch, back to you in the studio. >> thanks. five minutes after 5:00 now, and we're waiting to see what happens with your morning commute in loudoun county. there's a chance that the commuter bus service there in the county could be disrupted again if drivers organize another mass sickout day.

14 of 58 bus runs were cancelled. the drivers are scheduled to hold a conference call to decide whether to call out again today. we are counting down right now to the redskins next preseason game. the team takes on the detroit lions at 7:30 tonight. you can watch the game right here on nbc4. this is the 'skins first game at home since last december. tickets are available right now. again, we are airing the game right here on nbc4 and so that means if you want to watch our regular programming that will be on cozi tv tonight. and if you're watching the game, we'll have the redskins postgame report as soon as it ends. new details about the bomb plot that a -- at a shrine in bangkok. we are learning a about network of people that may be to blame. you need to swap the flip-flops for rain

new this morning in that bombing of a shrine in bangkok, we are hearing that perhaps a network of people were involved in the attack. this coming from bangkok's police chief. here's a sketch of the suspect they're looking for over there. again, they think it was a network of people, at least ten people involved. also new this morning, police believe the attack was part of an extensive plot that was planned for at least one month. this is surveillance video of the bomber they believe who was the bomber leaving a backpack behind minutes before the explosion. high ranking military official in indonesia, however, saying he does not think there was a link between that and international terrorism. more than 130 people were wounded. aaron? >> kristin, thank you. a new sinkhole has opened up in florida. this is the same location where a deadly sinkhole opened two years ago. this is about 17 feet wide and

20 feet deep. look at that. >> oh. >> officials have put a fence up around it. in 2013 there was a house that was on top of that hole. several other homes had to be torn down after the sinkhole swallowed a man who had been sleeping in his bed. >> unbelievable. incredible video. 5:11 now. we want to get to your weather and traffic on the 1s. >> tom kierein is in the storm team 4 weather center watching some rain. >> maybe some fender benders too because you have wet pavement around most of the region. we had line of showers come on through. right now on the prince george's/anne arundel line. by 7:00 p.m., cloudy, mild, in the mid 70s. very humid. temperatures near 80 degrees by mid-morning. a look at our new hour by hour storm timing for the rest of the day and that threat of flooding that's next weather and traffic

on the 1s at 5:21. melissa is looking at water main break. >> brand-new water main break, this popped up when we talked with police. this is in terming. whitewater drive at long ford way. we have that area shut down in the neighborhood. 295 northbound at malcolm x, we have the left lane blocked. because of that crash. big look at the beltway. no problems. inner and outer loop. beltway at central avenue, looking quite good this morning. then 270 northbound, southbound, no issues. remember to listen to our friends on wtop 103.5 f.m. when you hop in your car. d.c. police are struggling to get a handle on violence here in the district. what officers criticized about the city's plan because they say it prevents them from doing their job. you see this? yep. that is the door from a plane. >> what? >> we

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a developing story. three people were killed and four others hurt in a drive by shooting outside a new york boys and girls club. it happened last night in rochester. a crowd was gathering outside the club after a basketball game. so far, no arrests have been made and police have not released any details about the victims or even a possible motive. i know everybody loved my sister. for all of the same reasons. and -- >> an emotional reaction from the sister of one of d.c.'s most recent shooting victims. we have also received these photos of tanika fontanelle who died in southeast d.c. earlier in week. d.c. mayor muriel bowser says police seized nearly 950 guns so far this year including an uzi at a family's home last week. we told you city leaders say that illegal guns with major reason for a spike in homicides and other crimes this year.

the police union though believes there are other reasons too. they say they want to re-implement a plainclothes program that ended this year. they say it's keeping officers from doing their jobs. >> the type of information we get to a citizen, a citizen, they don't want to be seen by people that are knowing they're telling information to the police officer. >> the union says it also is against fixed assignments on the city blocks and police chief cathy lanier said she believes they're effective, but officers are resistant to change. and johnson jonas, he was 29 years old, we're told that a woman found his body while walking her dog near an apartment complex on stanton road southeast. police say jonas had been shot. the commissioner for the area said the recent spike in

violence has been overwhelming. baltimore has matched the number of homicides in the stir for all of last year. the 211th killing was reported yesterday morning in the same part of the they saw rioting and looting after the death of freddie gray. homicides rose dramatically after the riots. there were 42 reported in may alone. this afternoon, the man accused of murdering university of virginia student hannah graham will be in court for a pretrial hearing. jesse matthew is charged with capital murder. today, a judge will hear about a dozen motions, one calls for banning people in the courtroom from displaying any symbols supporting graham. a woman is facing charges after leaving her child strapped in a car seat alone in an apartment. neighbor reported the 18-month-old child being home alone. the child's mother, sarah qually, is charged with child

neglect. qually left the apartment at 6:00 in the morning. she was met by police when she returned around noon. she is charged with felony child neglect. that child is okay. today we expect to hear the very latest on the criminal investigation into how two inmates escaped prison in upstate new york. today clinton county prosecutor andrew reilly will brief the media. sweat and matt escaped in june after a three-week man hunt and matt was killed, sweat was captured. today we'll hear from former president jimmy carter about his cancer diagnosis. he is speaking publicly for the first time this morning. we'll stream his news conference live on the nbc washington app. he's 90 years old. president obama will be in new orleans next week. it's been nearly ten years since hurricane katrina devastated the city and ravaged the gulf coast. 2,000 people died. the president plans to meet with new orleans mayors and many of the people who live there and

we're sending news4's chris lawrence there to cover the city's recovery. and reflect on the coverage he did in new orleans ten years ago. actress shannen doherty said she's battling breast cancer that became worse pause of a lapse in insurance -- because of a lance in insurance coverage because of her former managers and accountants. she filed a lawsuit yesterday. she didn't go to the doctor's until she had insurance. and that delayed her diagnosis. an attorney for the accounting firm denied that it caused her health insurance to lapse. in "news4 your health," that could have a lot of people talking this morning. scientists say they have now figured out how a gene tied to obesity actually makes people fat. the gene is called spo. a study out of mit and harvard found that the gene causes food to be stored as fat rather than burned and that could open the door to future drugs that treat obesity in entirely new ways. the gene doesn't mean all people

who have it are overweight. people whose parents both have it weighed an average of seven pounds more. how about that? look at that. any idea what that is? >> well, i do because i already know. >> well, that glass thing in the man's hand, it's from an airplane. he said he was on a golf course and it fell out of the sky. the faa said it was on the american airlines airbus that was flying into the charlotte airport. they're investigating why it fell off. today is #school tbt. we are showing you our old back to school pictures. >> yeah. >> guess what time it is? who is that cutie patootie. get out of here. >> you know, my head has always been the same size. >> aaron -- >> i think that's coming out of pre-k. >> you are -- >> pre-k graduation. >> look at the cheeks, my

goodness. >> yes. >> you can share -- >> 1998. it was a good year. >> you have some back to school, throwback back to school pics you can share them at nbc washington twitter. >> take it down. that's enough. a live look outside this morning. this picture isn't much bert. a lot of clouds out there right now. the humidity, it feels awful outside. >> i know, let's get to storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein. >> do you still have your graduation certificate? >> i still have the gown. i can wear it. >> but you still have your degree there hanging on the wall. >> absolutely. >> starting off this morning we have some low clouds passing over the metro area. they have been producing rain. now they're pushing off to the north and east. right on the anne arundel county line with prince george's county. so from near bowie and from route 50 north all the way up into where 95 crosses into anne

arundel county, there is some rain. that's quickly moving off to the north and east. right around washington, nearby suburbs. some of the pavement is still damp. we'll have heavier downpours late this afternoon and into tonight. fairfax county, alexandria, prince george's, watch out for high water tonight. a flood watch in effect and also includes anne arundel, southern howard county, up near baltimore. here are the rainfall totals expected by the time this is done tonight. one to two inches possible across the metro area and nearby suburbs in maryland. here is the hour by hour timing. nothing much going on until 3:00 p.m. by 5:00 p.m. east of the blue ridge, but not getting into the metro area until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. see them moving into washington and then moving to the eastern suburbs so the 'skins game probably interrupted by thunderstorms tonight. then by 9:30, 10:00, headed off

to east. we might have lingering thunderstorms by as as late as 12:00. more humid sunday into the first part of next week. highs in the 80s next week. now melissa, what is happening on the roads? >> i want to you update you on the accident. still have that crash on 295 north at malcolm x avenue, it's not slowing things down, but still hanging around. hopefully it wraps up soon. 66 eastbound at nutley, we did have an earlier crash with one lane blocked. right now got off the phone with police and they say nothing is blocked but seeing some slowdowns inbound. whitewater drive at long ford way, a water main break there. 95 at powder mill road, rolling along nicely. might see some moisture on the roads this morning.

be careful there. back in ten minutes. a developing story now from the live desk. more unrest in st. louis after the police shooting of a black teenager who pointed a gun at them. at least nine people arrested overnight. you see here the chaos protesters in the streets throwing bottles and bricks at police officers. refusing to get out of the road. police used tear gas at one point to try to break the crowd apart. protesters also setting fires, look at this one. you see all the flames there. a house basically burning to the ground there in st. louis. now police say the 18-year-old they shot pointed a gun at them as he was running from a home when police were trying to serve a search warrant there. aaron? >> kristin wright, thank you. 5:25 right now. parents of one of those two teenagers missing off the coast of florida say they will never stop looking for him. during an emotional news

conference yesterday, austin stephanos' parents are now calling for emergency beacons to be required in all boats. the beacons cost a couple hundred dollars. stephanos' father says he goes to the ocean to feel closer to his son. a senator is stepping up to help replace an american flag. the flag that flies on washington boulevard was ripped down and the p.o.w. flag that flies with it was also found lie on the ground tuesday. senator tim kaine heard the story and posted this picture on facebook today. it's a flag that once flew over the u.s. capitol. he's donating it to the pope. today you can now log into d.c.'s health care website and try a new tool to help you find a doctor. d.c. health link.com will have a searchable directory of doctors. you can search by name, specialty and look up which qualified health plan they accept. the spanish language version of the tool is still in the test

phase right now. a new phone out there that says it will protect you and protect your information from the nsa. i want you to look at this. this is called the black phone 2 by silent circle. they say it includes several special features. its has a way to keep apps from compromising data and a way to check if your wi-fi is not secure. the former first lady of virginia is awaiting her appeal on corruption charges. what a judge just decided that could land maureen mcdonnell back in court. and it's the taboo talk of the office, hackers exposing cheaters on ashley madison's website and some government workers are in trouble too. look at the storm team 4 radar, a threat of severe weather. tom is talking heavy rain and flooding. he is timing that

looking at the stories making headlines right now, a montgomery county school community is in mourning today. wootton high school principal michael doran died yesterday just before the start of a new school year. police believe the 64-year-old died from natural causes. we are working to learn more about a deadly crash in clinton, maryland. prince george's county police tell us two cars collided on branch avenue overnight. two people died. and the redskins take on the

detroit lions at home tonight. it's the team's second preseason game. there's a good chance you are going to get rained on if you're headed that way. >> yep. 5:31 right now. good morning. welcome back. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> i'm erika gonzalez. we want to get straight to your weather and traffic on the 1s with tom kierein tracking all the wet weather coming our way. >> we had one line of showers come through in the last couple of hours. now it's moving off to the north and east, now in northern anne arundel, bowie up to crafton and up to columbia and howard county. elsewhere, the pavement is sort of damp in northern virginia. but it's still wet in prince george's county. it looks like this area in green under a flash flood watch could get some heavy downpours that may cause some high water and includes fairfax county, all of prince george's, anne arundel,

southern howard. watch out for high water tonight. now the main threat is that heavy rain from storms coming through. there's a moderate threat for some wind dusts that may cause some brief strong gusts and the very low chance of any tornados or hail. but praa pretty good chance of heavy downpours this evening. stay with storm team 4 as well as our nbc washington app. we'll keep you updated with frequent updates. likely an afternoon and evening weather alert day. what's going on now? >> right now, take a look at 66 and 95. 95 virginia northbound there you can see a little slow, a little yellow there in dale city as you head around the bend. 66 inbound looking quite good. 295 north at malcolm x, that left lane is blocked. that crash is there for over an hour. the beltway through st.

barnabas, wet roadways there. whitewater drive at longford way, that water main break is confined to the neighborhood so you don't have to worry about that one too much. coming up in ten minutes we'll have a look at some travel times. see you then. the killing of a young american university graduate near the shaw metro stop ig nietded -- ignited a lot of frustration. matt shlonsky was apparently caught in the cross fire of a shooting and he was not the target. tonight, you can take your questions and concerns to a public meeting about crime in the area. police do have a person of interest in the case. you can to see him in the video. tonight's meeting is at the thurgood marshall center at 7:00. and the judge will hear arguments in the maureen mcdonnell appeal. she and bob mcdonnell were convicted of corruption charges last year.

they were find guilty of doing gavers for an executive in exchange for gifts and loans. bob mcdonnell was sentenced to two years in prison. and maureen was given one year and one day. both are free on bond pending their appeals. head to head town halls last night in new hampshire. several republicans vying for the spotlight there, but donald trump stole the show. edward lawrence has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, aaron. each of the 17 republican candidates are trying to get the spotlight, trying to convince voters in new hampshire the first state with a primary election. but again, it was donald trump out front and center. he had dueling town hall meetings with jeb bush. he actually slammed jeb bush. the two candidates had events 19 miles from each other. trump said he had no problem talking about drawing thousands where as bush had 150 at his event. and trump said that bush's crowd was sleeping. bush said that trump was a democrat longer than he was a

republican. still, trump is running the debate about immigration in the campaign and he said eventually a wall between the u.s. and mexico could be named the trump wall. he also went on to say that on his first day in office he would kick out any illegal immigrant with a criminal record or one who commits a crime. now on the democratic side, hillary clinton's support is falling. she is now under 50% for support among democratic voters. bernie sanders is narrowing the gap in a lot of polls. also, hillary clinton head to head with donald trump is losing her lead with donald trump. but she still is leading. edward lawrence. now back to you. >> thank you. rick santorum in d.c. to lay out his plan to fix the immigration system. in the past, he has said that both legal and undocumented immigrants have taken jobs from americans. he is expected to take questions from the crowd today. new this morning, isis just claimed responsibility for a massive car bombing in cairo. the bomb damaged a nearby

national security building just a few hours ago. we now know at least six police officers were hurt. a statement apparently issued by isis in egypt says the bombing was to avenge the excuse of six convicted militants back in may. a woman is suing the baltimore police department, ciara brooks said she was beaten, illegally arrested and injured during a so-called rough ride in a police van. that's when officers don't buckle someone in when they drive them to the police department. if that sounds familiar that's what prosecutors say police did to freddie gray when he was critically injured earlier this year. a police officer is facing attempted murder charges. up related to freddie gray's death. baltimore's state attorney marilyn mosley said that wesley keagle shot a robbery suspect in the groin last year. he had been shot twice by other officers and he survived.

you know that hackers posted the information of millions of married people who they claim were using the cheating website, ashley madison. we're learning that d.c. has the highest percentage of members in the u.s. 15,000 of the e-mail addresses posted may belong to government workers. we have learned that 22 people with d.c. government e-mail addresses were included in the posts. another 22 people with montgomery county government e-mail addresses also involved. shocked and profoundly disappointed. that is how the family of jared fogle describes their emotions right now. fogle's family says they're glad he's pleading guilty to child porn and sex charges and he's seeking help. he has admitted to traveling to have sex with minors and having child porn on home computers. today, you can have your say on changes to the noise standards in loudoun county. the county is holding a public meeting to lay out the proposed changes and hear your thoughts.

that meeting will take place at the dulles south multipurpose center in south redding at 6:30 this morning. this is the third community meeting looking at the county's zoning ordinance amendment. 5:38 your time right now. today, prince george's county is hosting the final public hearing for a disparity study. it's to provide a fair look for all firms looking to do work here in montgomery county. there's concern over the water that the olympians will compete in the rio olympics. what the country just admitted. we'll all say it together. a new panda that mei xiang may be welcoming. we are seeing some morning sprinkles. roads will be dry by the

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well, this morning the national zoo is officially on panda watch. take a look here at mei xiang's ultrasound. veterinarians at the zoo think this is a giant panda fetus. did i say that? not a giant panda fetus, but a

giant panda fetus. >> that's correct. >> this is first time they have seen this. take a live look at the zoo's panda cam. you can see a panda sleeping in the left corner of the screen there. >> yeah. >> somebody tap on the glass. the veterinarians predict that mei xiang could give birth as early as this week. the director of the zoo says that they are cautiously optimistic. >> this is a story that keeps on giving. panda watch. i love it. >> just beyond. >> no, no. >> could be labor. >> she's waking up. let's get a check of your traffic and weather. >> panda watch, is that like an apple watch? [ laughter ] starting off this morning with some showers that have moved through the metro area, pulling off to the north and east to anne arundel and pulling away from metro area. we have a flash flood watch in effect for later tonight. watch out for some high water. should have some drying pavement for the morning commute with a little sunshine breaking out in

the 70s. hitting mid to upper 80s. late afternoon, some roads what i be wet, especially north and west. heavier downpours tonight. looking a at much nicer weekend, that's coming up a in the next weather and traffic on the 1s. what's happening on the roads? >> report of a new crash at scaggsville road. also at 295 north at malcolm x that's moved to the shoulder. as far as travel times in virginia, no problems right now. 95 north on time. remember to listen to our friends on wtop 103.5 f.m. when you hop in your car. some of you have complained about metro stations being hot. in the effort to keep you cool, it will slow down traffic. and what you're doing too muc

meteorologist tom kierein. grab an umbrella before you head

out the door. the showers are pulling away temporarily. some more coming in later today. melissa? >> crash on 95 southbound at scaggsville road. and 295 north at malcolm x, might have something there in the roadway. we are seeing a little bit of a slowdown. we are waiting to see what happens with your morning commute in loudoun county. because there's a chance that bus service could be disrupted again if drivers organize another mass sickout day. yesterday, 16 drivers called out sick in protest over union negotiations. 14 of 58 bus runs were cancelled. the drivers were scheduled to hold a conference call to decide whether to call off again today. it will be hot, steamy and uncomfortable in two metro stations for the rest of the summer. the chiller system that cools the farragut north system is filled with leaks. adam tuss found temperatures

were hovering around 90 degrees and a fix is months away and that could affect the commuters. >> connecticut avenue will have to be dug up 400 feet in each direction. we have experienced catastrophic failures to the cooling tower underneath connecticut avenue. >> metro hopes to have the chillers fixed by spring. the army is facing a wrongful death suit over claims that toxins from ft. detrick have caused cancer. for years they have faced criticism for the handling of chemical and biological agents. well, the lawsuit said groundwater contamination along with anthrax and agent orange led to neighbors getting sick. a woman who died from brain cancer her family is leading the suit. in "news4 your health" at 5:49 it seems all work and no

play may make you sick. researchers in the u.k. says working 55 or more hours may increase your chances of having a stroke or a heart attack. the research time followed more than half a million people over the nine-year period. that's a 13% chance of developing heart disease if you work long hours. montgomery county is unveiling a web page to simplify the housing assistance program. you can use that new tool later this morning after the official launch in silver spring around 11:00 a.m. it will offer a lot of features including a single consolidated waiting list that's open year round. all you have to do is create an account to reapply. it will do away with paper applications. we are down to five finalists for a brand-new memorial in d.c. now it's on to the next stage -- to build the world war i memorial. news4's meagan fitzgerald is live near the white house with what comes next.

>> reporter: yeah, the commissioner had to go through more than 350 submission, narrowing it down to just five. take a look at this park, because it will be completely transformed. but we are told you take a look here to our left, the statue of the great general pershing will still remain. commission officials say the artists are from all over the country. they were tasked with creating a lasting tribute that will transcend many generations to come. a concept that will a attract everyone to enjoy this space while remembering the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our country in world war i. you'll notice many of the designs allow for kids to play or read and tourists of course to stroll through the memorial. the project is expected to cost upwards of $20 million and we're told that money is privately funded. now, all these five designs will go on to the commission. the entire commission will be

presented next year as phase two continues. back to you. >> meagan fitzgerald live for us, thank you. hey, there are only a few days left in summer vacation for so many local kids. >> that's right. many of the teachers are already back on the job. frederick county teachers are setting up classrooms and holding meetings later today. that includes hundreds of new teachers. coming up on news4 at 11:00 a.m. our own scott macfarlane finds the school district has a pit of a program. some teachers are getting poached by neighboring districts closer to d.c. with better pay. >> when you start to lose those folks that's a lot of valuable experience walking out the door. >> tonight at 11:00, find out what the district is doing about it and what happens to the kids when so many veteran teachers bolt for new jobs. >> yeah. everybody getting into this mindset of heading back to school and we have been trying to help with that process by

showing some of our throwback thursday pictures. our back-to-back photos. how about these? >> stud muffin. guess who this is? tom kierein. you are so -- i mean you're very handsome. but look at these pictures, my goodness. >> now, the one on the left is my first grade picture, right after i stopped crying. [ laughter ] and when sister agnes angela gave me the evil eye i lost it. the middle one, seventh grade and the other one looking off to the bright future in high school. so yes, throwback thursday. we're posting these on nbc washington app. as we're getting back to school, you might need an umbrella. right now getting showers in central parts of ohio and kentucky. this is the main front arriving later on today giving us heavy downpours. near annapolis, moderate rain. it's pulling across the bay and

pulling away from the metro area. we have some damp roads and we have the threat of high water late tonight. as we get the heavy downpours all the areas in green, much of montgomery county, nearby suburbs, prince george's, southern howard under the flash flood watch. virginia around the metro area we could get an inch or more or two inches in a short amount of time. that can cause problems with high water. the main storm activity doesn't get going until 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. the timing hour by hour is around 7:00 p.m. our western northern suburbs. in washington, by 7:30, 8:00 and then pulling into the eastern suburbs by 8:30. right near fedex field, some showers and thunder and

lightning can interrupt the game. by 11:00 pulling across the bay. maybe a i thilingering downpour. great on friday, saturday and sunday. with highs in the 80s. more humid next week, but still pleasant summer weather. melissa has an update on the slowdown now. >> do have a slowdown here. we're talking about the inbound 14th street bridge here. a lot of taillights here this morning. al no actual incident -- no actual incident but looking slow on camera. 270 southbound at old hundred road, slow in hyattstown and then it opens back up. 95 south at scaggsville, we have a report of a crash there. sounds like it's off to the right side of the roadway perhaps into the woods but could be seeing some slowdowns because of the police response. 290 northbound at malcolm x that crash in the way. seeing a bit of a slow down as you head inbound on 295. 66 overall, not bad. 95 getting slow here and staying slow through dale city northbound and southbound after

dale city. overall, prince george's county is looking good. nice and green. see you at the top of the show at 6:00. officials in brazil are now acknowledging they have a sewage problem in the bay where several olympic events will be held next summer. however, they're denying the sewage is affecting the olympic test events taking place this week. the rio state sanitation authority says the water is not to blame when a south korean athlete fell ill. but four athletes have become sick after test events. well, you have to see what somebody did to their farm in frederick county, maryland. they created a corn maze to support governor larry hogan. he was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma earlier this year. this is lawyers farm. the farm's owner said they lost their father to cancer and wanted to support hogan in a special way. that will open on september 19th. the growth rate of new

businesses in the u.s. has stalled. but not for one group. cnbc's landon dowdy has more. good morning. >> hey, there, good morning to you. you said it, the growth of new businesses has stalled but new data shows the number of women owned companies is on the rise. women run firms rose 27% between 2007 and 2012. versus 2% for all companies. the number of self-employed women and those who own companies with employees have climbed to nearly 10 million. but while the growth rate of women owned businesses is nearly four times that of men, experts say women face exams giving access to capital. back over to you, erika. >> thank you, landon dowdy. i want to show you incredible video here. you can see the moment that a washington state hotel was destroyed by the gas explosion. this happened two nights ago at a motel 6 near seattle. fast actions of the manager there may have saved dozens of lives. she pulled the fire alarm after

being told that the gas line was leaking. gas workers and firefighters were blown back by the blast. nobody was seriously hurt though. bethesda's own katie ledecky will be on the "today" show. she swept four events in swimming. it is something that nobody z -- has done before. nbc4's angie goff is in new york city and she will sit down with angie at 30 rock. watch that live here at 6:45. the former student of a beloved montgomery county principal speaks out a day after his death. >> the legacy dr. doran leaves behind as well as what's being provided for students today even though school isn't in session quite yet.

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because they're heart healthy because they're good for kids. and granddads and everyone else in the family. everything we do is because of what really matters most. the goodness of oats and the people we love. "news4 today" starts now. >> i'm aaron gilchrist and now grief counselors are helping students deal with the death of their principal and this comes on the heels of another. i'm erika gonzalez. a deadly accident on a critical roadway. what we're learning about the crash and whether or not it will impact your commute. i'm tom kierein. got a new flash flood watch for much of the metro area.

a look at where the heaviest rains may fall. but first, i'm kristin wright at the live desk. right now we are working to find out everything we can about three firefighters killed battling a wildfire in washington state. now, this is what we know at this point. the winds shifted unexpectedly. the firefighters crashed in a vehicle, flames overtook that vehicle. the firefighters worked for the u.s. forest service. the fire that killed them here had only sparked a few hours before near the town of twisp. this fire one of 100 or so burning out west right now. entire towns are under evacuation. back to you. a new flood watch in effect for much of the area. >> that's right. >> let's get to your weather and traffic on the 1s.