snow. >> we have team coverage starting with storm team 4 chief meteorologist doug kammerer in the storm center. what's it like now? >> it's on the cold side for sure. that's why we have a weather alert today. we've been talking about this weather alert day for the last couple days and, again, the reason is the cold. wind chills right now into the teens across the area. even the low teens. take a look at those numbers. first off the wind gusts across our regions, those wind gusts 29 in gaithersburg, 30 in leesburg, 31 in camp springs. a lot of wind continuing to go on. that creates those windchills. wind chills right now into the teens and single digits. 8 currently in gaithersburg. 15 in d.c. 17 in fredericksburg. 15 in leesburg. again, a very, very cold evening tonight. temperatures dropping into the low teens in most locations. another cold start tomorrow. and then all eyes turn to what we're going to be seeing coming up later on on friday. veroni veronica, we continue to look at this. still a lot of things to go through as we move through the next couple days. a lot of questions out there.

we're continuing to hone in on this forecast. >> reporter: indeed, the timing changing a bit when we could see the first flakes. the other thing you might say we're trying to do is put this storm system into context for you, how large of a storm is it going to be and how many days could we be dealing with it? take a look from conversational, we talked about a few snow flurries or light snow showers around the area to it being an inconvenient storm. we think it's more than that. we think it's problematic where there could be roads covered with snow, maybe for a day or so especially in neighborhoods and a handful of power outages. right now it's not looks like a paralyzing storm that will have us out for days on end. that's the context of the storm system of what we know right now. the other thing is right now friday is looking fine. at least most of friday. most of our snowfall is going to come on saturday. and that's going to be a high-impact day for us with, again, travel and some power impacts. of course, doug, you're going to be tracking the storm system where it's going to make its way

on shore and where it's tracking. >> yeah, that's exactly right. we're watching that storm system come on shore right now and has big implications to what this storm is going to do later on. coming up in a couple minutes i'm going to talk you through the storm, where it goes next and how it may affect you. see you in a few. >> thanks, doug. now to a tragic situation in prince george's county. a couple and their two young grandchildren killed in a house fire. >> we're hearing from those who knew the family. >> the fire broke out in chillum. tracee wilkins joins us live from the scene to tell us the latest. tracee? >> reporter: fire investigators just left, pat, a little while ago. they've been here all day since the early morning hours until literally about 20 minutes ago. they now have the house taped off to keep folks from going inside. it, of course, is not safe. you can see how extraordinary the damage was. we have been hearing from people all day long who had to come to the scene for themselves to see what happened to this family.

these are the 2-year-old twins anna and israel omijie captured on their mother's facebook page. they and their grandparents 59-year-old carolyn omogbe and s smpson omogbo were killed in the house fire. found inside their home in the second-floor bedrooms. the twins is one room, the grandparents in another. the mother, elizabeth omogbe, w jumped from the window and was transported to the hospital. she was able to survive her injuries. two other members escaped unharmed. there were no working smoke dekters in the home. family friends stopped by the home all day, grief and sorrow once they heard the news. >> say, remember the sister? i say, yes. she said the twins, parents, babies are gone, and i don't know what to think. >> i saw the little kids, you

know, being carried to the ambulance and, you know, i knew something bad had happened because -- >> reporter: this is an incredibly frustrating story. prince george's county firefighters went door to door just a little while ago throughout this neighborhood checking and installing smoke detecters. we'll tell you how that went coming up on news 4 at 6:00. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, we hear from people who loved this family. they talk about how they worked this community, also their faith community and the contributions they made to the people in this neighborhood. reporting live in chillum, tracee wilkins, news 4. >> tracee just described in chillum reminds a lot of us of a horrific fire in annapolis. a christmas tree caught on fire and killed six members of a family. the tree ignited a tree skirt and spread throughout the mansion. don and his wife, sandra, died with four of their grandchildren between 6 and 8 years old. an atf report found the

electrical outlet powering the tree lights overheated. in prince william county a hearing just wrapped up for two woodbridge men facing terror charges. the families were at the court house in manassas showing support today. farak is accused of trying to travel to syria to join isis. el hassan is accused of helping him. they were arrested on friday. the attorney for one suspect tells news 4 the government is setting up young muslim men. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey was at the hearing today. she joins us live in our next hour with reactions to the charges. today the supreme court said it was taking up a case that could rock the white house and millions of immigrant families. the high court will review president obama's executive actions on immigration which basically allowed more than 4 million undocumented eed immigr to legally work in the u.s. the ruling is expected in june and could strike down some lower court rulings in states that have blocked his order.

nbc's brian mooar will tell us about the impact on families and heated presidential campaign in about ten minutes. this is chris gordon. at the scene of a fatal accident that claimed the life of a woman here along route 4 in prince george's county this morning. chopper 4 flew over the scene shortly after it happened causing traffic to back up on the beltway. prince george's county police found the driver alone in the vehicle. she crashed into a heavy metal sign post for 95 and 495 north. >> once the officers arrived on scene, they found that the striking vehicle, it fled the scene. they also discovered that an adult female was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of this collision. >> reporter: police have issued a lookout for the driver of the hit-and-run vehicle. they say it was a trash truck. we'll give you a description of what police are looking for ahead on news 4 at 5:00. back to you. it's like being born again. that's how one of the american prisoners freed from iran summed

up his feelings today. former u.s. marine amir hekmati spoke to reporters for the first time since arriving in germany over the weekend following that prisoner swap. >> i feel extremely lucky, alive for the first time in a long time. and very humbled at everybody's support from the president to congress to my fellow marines and especially my family who really gone through so much throughout this time. >> hekmati has been undergoing medical and psychological evaluations in preparation for his return to the u.s. he says he's hoping to get home soon. talk about shuffle, there has been a big shakeup on local radio. >> morning show, yes, deangelo. >> the familiar voice that's now on a different spot on the dial and that's not the only change going into effect today. and storm team 4 is in weather alert mode this afternoon. we're staying right on top of some serious cold and the chance

for snow later in the week. team coverage on this weather a alert day coming up next.

just in from outside, and boy is it still coal. our windchills in the teens. our temperatures in the 20s. mid 20s right now by late in the next few hours we're going to drop to the low 20s. and our windchills late tonight, early part of the day tomorrow are going to be starting out in the single digits. but it gets better. that really is i think the next change you're going to notice with a lighter wind tomorrow. the change that you'll notice is the above 32.

we're going to be just above freezing many neighborhoods tomorrow but there is the chance also for some late-day flurries after about 4:00, 5:00, those flurries could go up until 8:00 or 9:00. for us, of course, we're still tracking the cold and snow for the end of the week, first part of the weekend. we've got a few more details coming up in just a minute. >> all right, thanks, v.j. a lot of folks in our area woke up this morning, turned on the radio and heard new voices. it's part of a big radio one shakeup that shifted morning shows in the d.c. market. this morning parr kicked off the show with the rest of the crew and told news 4 what listeners could expect. >> what we like to do is bring spontaneity like we like to bring information that's current, you know, like today we're talking about chris rock and the oscars and just dealing with those kind of issues i think sets us apart from everybody else and we have fun, too, you know? >> among other changes "the fam"

came from baltimore and took over russ parr's old slot and joyner's radio show moving to a.m. radio 1450. donald trump still coy about a key endorsement he says he's getting tonight. today he told a crowd in iowa that everyone will be, quote, very impressive by the mystery guest who will support his presidential campaign at an event tonight. there is speculation it could be former vice presidential candidate and alaska governor sarah palin. trump didn't confirm that. it will be his second endorsement of the day. the first came from the daughter of the late actor, john wayne. first at 4:00, the alleged ordeal at a local movie theater that has one community very concerned. plus, an elected official and the head of metro board, a busy train -- aboard a busy train. taking a commute this morning but not everything goes as planned. [mother] yeah but this neighborhood,i feel like

it's got a lot of what we were kinda talking about. we should definitely go see it. [agent] hi. melanie. maggie. living room. [dad]what about this? this looks good. [brendan] no. [mother] isn't it great? [agent] hey brendan,you might like this room. [announcer]redfin pays its agents based on your happiness... that's real estate, redefined.

you're watching news 4 at 4:00. >> we've got the cold now and the chance for snow later. it's a weather alert day for storm team 4. >> doug and v.j. are tracking it all. we're going to get an update in just a couple minutes. i'm darcy spencer in the brandywine section of prince george's county. a family says that a 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of this movie theater on sunday afternoon. they filed a lawsuit today. in this suit they claim that the

person who allegedly did this is a resident of a group home facility located here in prince george's county. he was brought here by that facility and they say he was not properly supervised and was able to go into the bathroom alone and allegedly commit this crime. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, you're going to hear from the aunt of that teenager about how this has affected the family and the lawyer for the family explains why he is filing this lawsuit just a couple of days after this happens. in brandywine, darcy spencer, news 4. first at 4:00, the supreme court's major announcement that it will weigh in on the president's executive order regarding millions of undocumented immigrants. >> yeah, it's one of the most divisive issues between democrats and republicans and as nbc's brian mooar reports, the actual decision is going to come down right in the middle of the campaign. >> reporter: the u.s. supreme court today agreed to referee the fight over president obama's efforts to shield more than 4 million undocumented immigrants

from deportation. the 2014 policy known as dapa allows some adults here illegally more than five years and without criminal records to stay if their children are u.s. citizens or lawful permanent residents. it also expands protections for so-called dreamers, young immigrants bought to the united states illegally as children. it all happened by executive order and without a vote in congress. >> this, you know, ultimately is a reflection of a president who's determined to do everything he possibly can do try to fix our broken immigration system. >> reporter: texas and 25 other states successfully blocked the move in the lower courts claiming they'd be forced to pay a high price for those allowed to stay. in the states win, the lower court battles could wage on long after president obama left office and if the president wins, the policy could be in place right as the race for the white house is heading to the finish line. >> no matter how this case goes, it's going to enflame the bases of both parties.

>> reporter: and the decision will sharpen the boundaries of presidential power. the court is expected to hear the case in april with a decision by late june. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. bitter, bitter, bitter cold. i mean, it's the kind you just can't shake. >> you can't put enough layers on for it. are we talking about a warmup of any kind any time soon? >> tomorrow's going to feel a little bit better. i think tomorrow we at least get close to or maybe even a little bit above the freezing mark. same deal with thursday. those are the two days that are actually kind of okay winter days. thou today, though, you're right. the high temperature today has only gotten up to 27 degrees. the wind is still a factor. winds at 16 but still gusting to 30 and because of that we have those windchills. here's the numbers first off. these are the current temperatures. 23 gaithersburg. 26 in culpeper. 25 winchester. la ray, 23. wind chills are in the teens and they're going to continue to be.

again, that's why we're in weather alert mode today. it's all because of the cold. on the radar, nothing to show. there's no rain, no snow across our region and nothing really anywhere close. we've got clear skies but just to the west, we are watching this system. it's another little clipper system coming through kansas city. not a lot of snow with this. this one is going to move through our region tomorrow night. we could see a couple of snow showers. maybe a couple of flurries. that is not the storm. the storm that we're watching is this guy right here. it's coming on shore in toward the california area. this is why i think tonight i'm going to have a much better idea on exactly what this storm is going to do because now that it's on shore, we can start to put that data into the computer models then we're going to see what it does down stream. let's take a look at it and shows you. as it comes on the coast, moves through the rockies giving them a couple inches of snow. it moves down to the south, pic picks up gulf of mexico moisture. where does it line up, further to the south off cape hatteras?

this model brings us closer to richmond. that's in the red here, even the purple with big-time snow. the red is the bull's-eye. the gfs, american model, the bull's-eye right over d.c., the storm closer to the north. that's what we're watching. still a lot of uncertainty here. big snows in the mid-atlantic. that we know for sure. this is fwougoing to be a big s. that's why i have major snow coming. there's still uncertainty in the forecast. this is is why we continue to track it, why i have not shown you snowfall total maps because they would be changing every time i showed them to you and i don't want you to be confused of what you're going to get in your area. the real issue, we don't know exactly what you're going to get in your area. right now, best bet, most locations cowell s s kould see snow, that you can rely on. 27 in martinsburg tomorrow. 34 towardfredericksburg area. cold but not quite as cold. weather alert, friday into the day on saturday. heaviest snow looks like saturday morning. again, as i just mentioned,

upwards of a foot of snow at least in many areas. guys? >> all right, doug. kids forced out of their schools on one of the coldest days of the year. first at 4:00, the security concern that rattles not one, not two, but ten schools. and the powerful voice that says change is coming to hollywood after backlash over one of the industry's biggest nights. first, you just heard doug's forecast a moment ago. we want to know, is the chance for that big snowstorm causing you to change your plans? >> that's our nbc washington flash survey this afternoon. call or text the number on your screen. or go to the nbc washington facebook and twitter pages. let us know.

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the controversy over the all-white oscar nominations isn't going away, and this afternoon the academy's president says it's time for major changes and soon. cheryl boone isaacs says more diversity, as spike lee and jada pi pinkett smith said they're going to sit out the oscars. hot 995's kane is with us. what are you hearing from your listeners? this is the second year we've seen a controversy like this.

>> when you look at the voting going on, primarily whites, primarily male. of course, after spike lee's rant on instagram, jada pinkett smith boycotting and some calling for chris rock not to host at all which he says he won't, still going to do it, they say there's going to be some sweeping changes. now, jada pinkett smith's video got 4.5 million views because of her husband not getting nominated. so this could be the beginning of a new oscar, a new academy awards. >> you know, there's a lot of faulk about a boycott last year and the viewership wases down. don't know if there was a relationship there. do take note. >> this is one of those things where if you're talking about it you may be watching it just to see what happens. we'll have to find out and see. >> your listeners, on another note, wonder why popular movies like "star wars" didn't get much attention though it generated so much attention on the box office? >> this is great. we did ask this question because one of the reasons why is it's a

brand. and you grew up with it. it's iconic. so you watch it because you want to see what happens next. it's almost like having a best friend. and that's possibly why. doesn't mean it's a bad movie. doesn't mean it's a great movie. it just means you're a fan. like a good friend. >> i guess that has to be enough. >> yeah. >> you got some cash to give away tomorrow. >> 1,000 bucks. absolutely. we got free money for you at 7:25 and 8:25 tomorrow morning on the kane show on hot 995. >> all right. thanks a lot. >> good to see you. >> good to see you, kane. >> pat, kane, thanks. it was supposed to be a sign of leadership. the head of metro and an elected official riding to work this morning. instead, they found themselves delayed facing tough crowds and even tougher questions. and we got team coverage this afternoon in storm team 4. it is a weather alert day. doug and v.y. are tracking the intense cold in the night ahead and of course the chance for snow later in the week. we've got an update on this weather alert day, next.

now at 4:30, a community shocked after a house fire claims the lives of a couple and two of their little grandchildren who were just 2 years old. it appears there were no working smoke detecters, but investigators still haven't pinned down a cause. northern virginia, a hearing just wrapped up and two men from woodbridge are facing terror charges. farak is accused of trying to travel to syria to join isis.

mahmoud el hassan is accused of helping them. ahead, why one of their lawyers think the government is setting them up. a storm team cold weather alert, dave. some of you, it feels like temperatures are in the teens. >> it's going to feel like the single digits tomorrow. of course we're waiting to hear about that chance of snow. v.j. has been looking at the models and the radar. v.j., what are you seeing? >> yeah, single digits for early tomorrow morning certainly then it's going to feel better tomorrow afternoon but late tomorrow we could see some flurries come through our area. not a big deal at all, but i like that we're finally above 32 degrees. bus stop forecast, again, it is going to be cold with those windchill temperatures between 10 and 15, the actual air temperature just a little higher. as we get into the afternoon, a few flurries come through the area. not everyone, a lot of folks will not be seeing anything at all except an overcast sky for tomorrow. in fact, take a look at the future weather. thinking the timing on those flurries coming through is between 5:00 and 9:00 p.m. the best chance south between

fredericksburg, leonardtown. temperature around lunchtime, 27 degrees. i think we stay in the 20s for a couple hours after the sun sets. again, flurries ending by then. it is going to be cloudy, and of course at the end of the week, essentialserg certainly through saturday tracking the potential for a major snowstorm with several inches of snow. still uncertainty. the guidance is changing but we got new information coming in all the time. of course, just a reminder to download our nbc washington app. all right. thanks, v.j. as we head into the -- we're waiting on fairfax county to updu update the status of came bridge road. >> a water main break interrupted this morning. at last word all lanes were re-open but the water authority had one south bound lane closed. i'm mark serksgragraves in district, people are bracing for cold weather and the possibility of snow this weekend.

rock creek is feeling the cold weather, and showing it. here along the national mall, despite warnings, people are still out exercising. but if you want to get a feel for how really cold it is when the wind blows, you need to look up. tell me what it's like up there. >> well, it's more cold than it is right here. >> reporter: and, of course, if that's not enough to make you feel cold, check out this guy. >> those runners. >> i tell you. >> they always amaze me. >> undaunted. >> the frigid weather also caused two cracked rails with metro's leader on board an orange line train. >> metro's general manager was riding the train with a prominent lawmaker as news 4's derrick ward was there. he experienced the delays for himself. >> reporter: the trip from vienna, the capital south from the orange line is ideally a 40 -minute ride. on this day it look a long

lotter. >> this is what thousands of my constituents experience every day. >> we'll be moving momentarily, thanks for your patient. >> reporter: orange line trains were among those single tracking for part of the way and this meant crowding and delays. >> what's going on today? >> what's going on? >> we'll be moving momentarily. >> we had a cracked rail. when it gets very cold, steel basically, you know, cracks. it cracked. so when it cracks, basically you have to send out emergency crew to make sure it's safe to go over. if it's not safe to go over, they repair it, temporary repair. >> reporter: it provided an opportunity for back and forth between passengers and people who think a lot about transportation but who also have the chance to wield some influence and some riders got a answer to air their concerns and grievances. >> 60% of the trains, there's no announcement at all, and when there is, the majority of the times they make the announcement

either garbled so you can't understand it, or they make it, which really annoys me, as they're closings the doors. >> reporter: the crowded train was indicative of the challenges of transportation between d.c. and its growing suburbs and as with roads, rails will have to ex-band. >> actually we're going to have to have another tunnel to really address the capacity issue. and that's going to be a huge capital investment. and we're going to need federal help. >> we have to do what we can do with what we got. >> reporter: both the congressmen and metro's gm say they were pleased with how this emergency or this situation was handled today on metro. ironically they were both headed to the hill which is where any authorization to make things better will have to come from. at the metro station, derrick ward, news 4. >> all right, thanks, derrick. very appropriate. stay ahead of the weather no matter where you are. storm team 4 is updating the forecast on our nbc washington app 24 hours a day. even set weather as your start

screen so it pops up as soon as you open the app. 11 new jersey schools received mass shooting and bomb threats this morning. all of the schools were evacuated or placed on lockdown when they got the threats. officials say in each instance someone claimed to have planted a bomb or claimed they were planning mass shootings. students were able to continue their days once officials determined those threats were part of a hoax. schools in several other states in the northeast and in iowa also reported threats today. officials say it was not immediately clear if the threats were linked. a judge in texas has postponed a hearing for the so-called affluenza teenager. there was supposed to be a hearing to determine if the teenager violated his probation on his drunk driving probation. ethan couch's attorneys said hi mother should is been notified. couch and his mother escaped to mexico last year. she's back in texas and free on bond. he's still there fighting extradition. well, like it or not the time of year is here.

the time when we've all got to deal with the irs in one form or another. so what's changed this year that could actually give you a little more time? the sunny skies do not tell the whole story. we got a brisk and frigid night ahead of us as well as tomorrow morning. so how cold will it get? doug and v.j. looking at that as well as stayi

and we're talking about this snowstorm obviously coming up. one thing i want everybody to know, this is going to be a major snowstorm depending on where you live north of south. everybody's going to get something, and again, everybody is going to get a big amount of snow. this will be the largest snowfall that we've seen so far this season. some of the models have change the, yes, but i want to let you know exactly what we know now. that is the fact we are talking about a major storm for most of the region. this is going to be the heaviest friday night into the day on saturday. and, again, i said most areas could expect at least a foot, maybe more. that's what we're really tracking here. who's going to get the most, who's going to get the least. that is going to continue to change. and that's why we want you to remember, it is going to change. we still have three days to figure this all out. we will continue to do it. you know we're going to stay on top of it for you right here from the storm center. all right. we asked you earlier if you are changing your weekend plans because of the weather and here's what a lot of you had to say. if you take a look at the survey, 36% say yes, you are changing your plans.

37% say you're waiting. and the rest of you say, no, 27%. remember, you can keep voting on the nbc washington facebook and twitter pages. love it or hate it, tax season is here. today the irs started accepting and processing 2016 income tax returns and this year procrastinators will get three extra days to file. emancipation day is being celebrated on april 15th which pushes tax day back to monday april 18th. about 80% of taxpayers plan to file their returns online. lot of you worry about your computer but are there enough safeguards in place to protect your car from hackers? shielding vehicles from cyber threats was the focus of a meeting here in the district today. security researchers said automakers should share more information with the national highway traffic safety administration with the goal of keeping hackers out of vehicle computer systems. carmakers are wary of all the regulation but both groups agree discussions like today's are a step in the right direction.

>> the challenges today are not the challenges two to five years from now, but it's something that the industry needs to take on. the industry needs to come together and address. and keep our customers safe on the road. >> there's a bill in the u.s. senate that could give the government more cyber security oversight in the auto industry if it's passed. well, doug and v.j. just told us about some nasty weather possibly later in the week. first at 4:00, how it's pushing back plans for an annual tradition that honors our nations veterans. plus remembering a music legend. as musicians look back at his legacy, sol big questions still remain about what happened to glenn frey. ♪ don't even try to understand

right now, getting to the bottom of a citywide emergency. first at 4:00, the steps being taken here in washington to make sure the water is safe to drink for 100,000 people in michigan. but first, the storm team 4 weather alert, the frigid temps and serious windchills are going to make tonight and tomorrow morning painfully cold. >> yeah, that's not all. there are also potentials for a major snowstorm. meteorologist veronica johnson is tracking the radar and the models. what are you seeing now? >> yeah, weather alert day really at the bookends of this week. again, we've been telling you one of the best ways to stay ahead of the storm and the very

latest discussions because we're always online blogging you, giving you extra information. download the nbc washington app. out there today it has been another breezy day with gusts, what you're looking at right now. current gusts across the area, 31 mile an hour gusts camp springs, green belt, joint base andrew andrews. 29 in warrenton. 22 in d.c. we have been dealing with windchills in the teens and back to the single digits earlier tomorrow morning. just as cold as it was this morning. weather tomorrow, a low to moderate impact on your day. it's going to be cold. the other thing about tomorrow, we're not going to have the sunshine helping us out. it's going to be overcast. then we've got some flurries coming through between about 5:00 and 9:00 p.m. tomorrow evening. again, you can see our temperatures they hit 20 degrees at 9:00 a.m. getting closer to freezing by 1:00, certainly 2:00 during the afternoon tomorrow. so at least during the afternoon hour, we're not going to have to contend with the wind, not going to be quite as harsh tomorrow afternoon. but again, clouds will be moving

into the area and it's during the evening where we could see a few passing flurries that will not have an impact on area roads. in fact, we have to take it one step further to help it plan out the rest of your week and even the first part of the weekend. road impacts the next three days, thursday we've got the green light. it's a chance for us to prepare. for fwrid, a chance for some snow during the evening hours. so the weather will have a moderate impact on your area. we're seeing that storm system now maybe perhaps come in a little later with big impact day being saturday and saturday being the day when we'll see significant snowfall across the area. just one reason why we've got a red light for that. indeed, with quite a few inches of snow. that means, of course, cancelations throughout the area and we'll have to even deal with that on sunday. so something to look out for as we plan the next couple of days. so this will be a problematic event for us. don't think it's going to be a paralyzing event. certainly more than an inconvenience for us. the flurries that we get tomorrow, just conversational. but, again, roads snow covered and with still some wind coming

in with the storm system on saturday, there may be a hand chl of power outages looking like we could have a bit less wind, though, than what originally was looking like on the guidance, just a day or so ago. forecast there for thursday, high temperature of 34 degrees. we're right at the critical mark for friday and saturday. just under the freezing mark. then we do a little better for the tail end of the weekend and early part of next week. we got a lot more to show you on how this storm is going to impact the end of the week, first part of the weekend and the cold coming up for tomorrow in a few minutes. >> all right, v.j., that forecast is already impacting events this weekend so if you are planning on helping remove all those christmas wreaths from arlington cemetery, you can stand down for now. organizers say they are delaying the wreaths across america cleanup until january 30th, all because of this weekend's impending snowstorm. you don't actually have to sign up to take part in that. meanwhile, check out the snowy conditions in the midwest today. this is in omaha, nebraska, where they saw 3 to 4 inches of

snow. the wind was strong enough to cause visibility problems and snow-packed roads led to dozens of crashes. school was not canceled, however, and now school buses are struggling to get kids home. the u.s. prisoners released from iran over the weekend are slowly transitioning back to their normal lives outside bars. today one of them talked publicly for the first time about being free again. >> as nbc's keir simmons reports, amir hekmati couldn't even believe it was happening until the very last minute. >> reporter: former marine and now former prisoner in iran, amir hekmati walked out of this base in germany, pleased to be free, glad to be american. >> i feel lucky, alive for the first time in a long time and humbled at everybody's support. >> reporter: he said as they were leaving iranian space -- >> champagne bottles were popped and the swiss are amazing, their

hospitality, chocolates, veal was served. >> reporter: they didn't know whether they really would be released. he was waiting for 2 1/2 days. he said he thought he would be in prison for ten years. he's been put in solitary confinement. he was subjected to sleep depravation. >> there is a lot that i have to say about the experience and what happened, and i hope to bring that to the american people and the world. >> reporter: he said when he first saw his family, they were speechless until they hugged him. of course, there were tears. when he will head home is his choice. it is up to him. at the same time, the family of bob levinson was watching his statement and for them, it was deeply emotional because bob levinson is still missing in iran. the iranians say that they don't know where he is and that they are prepared to help in the search for him. that family, though, say that bob levinson has been abandoned. back to you. >> all right. thanks, keir.

levinson work forred for the ci disappear the nine years ago. b president obama said he will continue trying to find him and bring him home. traffic on twitter is back to normal after technical problems disrupted some service overnight. customers in north america and europe were affected. the social network went down around 3:30 and was intermittent for nine hours or so. mobile apps partially functioned but there was no service, rather, at all on desktop computers. 320 million people are active twitter users. first scott, we iland, natalie cold, now it's glenf frey. the eagles founder died yesterday at the age of 67. there are questions about what led up to his death. >> quite a loss, chris. he was just 67. eagles guitarist, glenn frey. he died yesterday in new york city from complications arising

from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative and pneumonia. any one of the issues on their own would be tough but not necessarily life threatening. frey was reportedly having intestinal problems in november. the eagles postponed their tour dates and postponed an honor at the kennedy center because of his health. the group released a statement which said "frey had a recurrence of intestinal issues which will require major surgery and lengthy recovery period." longtime friend, bob, told "the detroit free press" late last night frey suffered from colitis late last night and kept the symptoms at bay due to an active workout regiment. his medical issues eventually took a toll. last fall he took a turn for the worst. according to seager he caught one type of pneumonia followed by a veirulent kind of pneumoni.

ulcerative colitis by itself is rarely fatal but if frey was also being treated for rheumatoid arthritis many of the drugs used to treat that disease suppress the body's immune system and could have left him vulnerable to other infections. glenf frey 67 years old. we're working several developing stories in the newsroom including virginia where a historic community is reinventing itself. ahead at 5:00, where a new arts district is being developed and how it ties into metro. plus it's what's everyone is talking about. the cold winter weather gripping our area. we will tell you some of the things you need to know about staying warm and staying safe in the cold. i'm adam tuss along the orange line. you know, metro certainly has its share of issues that it has to deal with, but there's

another issue that the transit system is dealing with right now that you might not have thought they would ever have to consider. hoverboards. we're talking about someone potentially getting off a train and riding a hoverboard here onto the platform, having to navigate their way around the system and also station platforms and stations themselves. now, in addition to the risk of potential injury, there's also the risk of fire with hoverboards. coming up next hour on news 4 at 5:00, we'll tell you what metro says about them and why there could soon be a flat-out ban. back to you. 100,000 people and they're all demanding answers this afternoon. the very serious step they're taking to hold several elected officials accountable for a crisis that's dragged on for months. >> you're watchi ining news 4 a 4:00.

coming up on the 5:00 hour, and we're in a weather alert for the second straight day. that bitter cold air still has a tight grip on our area and dangerous windchills make it feel so much worse. >> right now doug and veronica are fine tuning the forecast and tracking the chance for big snow later in the week. they'll update us in just a few minutes. the white house is appointing an official with the health and human services department to lead federal efforts to help the city of flint, michigan, deal with its water crisis. >> yeah, but as bottle water pours into flint, a lot of residents remain frustrated hat

nobody's addressed long-term solution. charice thompson has that part of the story. >> hopefully we'll show -- two, three hours later, he resigned. >> reporter: that's why flint resident arthur woodson is heading to lansing tuesday. his water group, water warriors united, joining protesters from across michigan demanding that governor snyder resign over flint's contaminated water. >> sign the paper then his resignati resignation. >> reporter: in 2014 governor snyder's administration change ed flint's water from the detroit river to the flint river. it was not properly treated, corroded the pipes allowing lead to seep into the drinking water con tamg nating it. >> a lot of people need to be held accountable, addressed. >> reporter: flint's water has even gained the attention of celebrities and politicians. >> hey, hey! >> people of flint have been betrayed. been betrayed. they have been given water and

told it was pure. >> right now what's happened here is a crime. i'm standing in the middle of a crime scene. >> reporter: bottled water has literally been pouring into flint from all over the country, but those who are planning to protest in lansing on tuesday say it's a great effort. but it's just not enough. woodson says the voices of flint will be heard in lansing and he won't be satisfied until snyder is gone. >> so far, there hasn't been a plan announced for a long-term fix. >> but michigan's attorney general is looking into whether any laws were broken. news 4 at 5:00 starts now with jim and wendy. now at 5:00, new information coming at the top of the hour on a snowstorm that could be a big one. plus we're learning more about the toddler twins who were killed in that house fire with their grandparents. we can all learn from this tragedy. and a virginia man accused of trying to join isis has his day in court today. why his attorney says the government is setting up young

muslim men. but we begin with our weather alert coverage. as yuan, we still know that this is going to be a big snowstorm for us. >> here we go. but there is some uncertainty about this forecast and we're watching it hour by hour. >> doug and v.j., what do we know right now on this tuesday before the storm comes? >> you mentioned tuesday. right now what we're watching -- we're in weather alert not because of the snow but because of the wind and the cold right now and then we're watching the storm. >> exactly. there's been a lot of information out there. one thing we tried to so you don't get overly anxious is to give you the information of what we really know now. we got more on that coming up throughout the hour. >> let's take a look and track the cold. it's been another cold day. winds justigusting upwards 29 t mights an hour. 18 down in the fredericksburg area. with that you got those windchills that continue to be in the single digits. 5 hagerstown.

8 gaithersburg. 14 manassas. 11 camp springs. extreme cold in place right now. the next couple of days will continue to be on the cold side and that sets the stage for the snowstorm coming up on friday with a lit bit more on that, veronica has it. >> we try to put it into context for you, of course. the models, guidance we look at has been all over the place. where there's been a lot of snow in some areas on the map. so take a look. we think we've done a pretty good job here. some of the maps you've probably seen have a paralyzing storm for some locations. okay? so the way it's looking right now with the guidance that changes, this will be more than just an inconvenient event for us. more like a problematic event where we're going to have to deal with making some changes to our schedules, probably even seeing cancelations and certainly roads covered with snow for maybe a day or two. the other thing, what to expect, it's looking like this will be not all day friday, or even midday friday,