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, but late friday

through a good part of your saturday. most of friday could be fine with that snow falling on saturday with travel and power impacts still. doug, you've got nr on the track. >> yeah, and this track, again, making its way up from the south. as it does so, as it moves into our area, is it going to be just to our south, right over us, maybe just to our north. uncertainty. that's what we're going to continue to tell you. i will have the latest on the latest data we've just seen coming up in a couple minutes. >> all right, doug, thank you. all week long, track when the storm's approaching your mayneighborhoomaybneighborhood sbrablgtive radar in our nbc washington app. now we have more on that prince george's county family. twin toddlers and their grandparents killed in a house fire overnight. the home did not have working smoke detecters. this evening we're hearing from those who knew the victims. it broke out in a home in chillum. prince george's county bureau

chief tracee wilkins is live this evening. >> reporter: we are told this is a family that wanted the absolute best from one another and this is a tragedy and as you said, an awful story. they moved here in search of a better life, and there you can see what the father did for a living, he actually took care of refurbishing older furniture, a trade he used to help take care of his family just beyond his vehicle, that's what's left of their home. all of their dreams came to an end with this tragic fire tore through their home. >> i don't know what to think of this. i can't believe this. can't believe it. >> reporter: people who knew and loved this family had to see what was left of their home for themselves. >> when i heard the news, i jumped into my car -- concerned if it was the same address that i knew. >> i had to come right down here to see what happened. >> reporter: 2-year-old twins anna and israel omijie captured

here on their mother's facebook page were killed in the fire as were their grandparents 55-year-old carolyn omogbo and 63-year-old sampson omogbo. >> the wind was blowing and the fire was out of control. >> reporter: all four of them were found inside the home in their second-floor bedrooms. the twins in one room and the grandparents in another. word quickly spread through their tight-knit nigerian community. >> i said, what's wrong? she say, remember the sister? i say, yes. she said, the parents and the twins, babies are gone. and i don't know what to think. >> reporter: the fire happened just after 2:00 this morning in the 6700 block in chillum. the twins' mother elizabeth omogbo-omijie seen in blue jumped from the second floor window and was transported to a local hospital. she's expected to survive her injuries. two other family members escaped unharmed. it appears there were no working smoke detecters inside the home. family, friends and neighbors

came by the house all day expressing disbelief and incredible sorrow. >> i saw the little kids being carried to the ambulance. you know, i knew something bad had happened because family was just -- >> i just could not believe it. i just could not believe it. i never saw this coming at all for sampson. >> reporter: as we mentioned there, there were no smoking -- no working smoke detecters inside of this home. prince george's county firefighters went door to door and quickly found out that this was not the only family living under those conditions. coming up on news 4 at 6:00, what they did about that. reporting live in chillum, tracee wilkins, wendy back to you in the studio. >> all right. thank you, tracee. this evening police are trying to figure out if speed or alcohol played a role in a crash that killed a political activist in prince george's county. that crash happened early monday morning inside the beltway. along walker mill road in capitol heights. we're told an suv crossed the center line and hit greg hall's

vehicle head on before sideswiping another car. hall died in that crash. the other two drivers are okay. hall unsuccessfully sought a seat in the maryland statehouse back in 2013. the family of a 13-year-old boy says he was sexually assaulted in the bathroom of a bran brandywine movie theater this past weekend and today they filed a lawsuit against a group home that they say was supposed to be watching the alleged attacker. news 4's darcy spencer talked to the victim's family today. >> they are -- it's like we had one job to do and that was to keep [ muted ] and we didn't. >> reporter: the aunt of a 13-year-old boy in tears as she talks about how her nephew was allegedly sexually assaulted inside the bathroom of the escape movie theatre in br brandywine sunday afternoon. >> we're really distraught. we're military family. we live on andrews air force

base. i can't understand how something like this could happen. >> reporter: the teen's mother filed a lawsuit claiming a man who groped him is a resident of compass rehabilitation group home. compass has officers in beltsville. the lawsuit says the facility had a responsibility to properly supervise him but he was allowed to use the restroom without an escort. >> what he did was improper, what he did was wrong, what he did was criminal. he took away this young boy's innocence. >> i asked him, did you touch, did you touch my nephew? and he say, yes, yes, i did. >> reporter: according to online court records, the man the boy's accusing of the crime has a prior record for assault, but was found to be incompetent. the compass website says it's a rehabilitation facility for people with intellectual disabilities. we went to the compass administrative offices but we were told no one was able to speak to news 4 about the allegation. >> i'm just afraid that this gentleman has done this to other children and they are just too

afraid to come forward. >> reporter: news 4 is not naming the man that this teenager is accusing because so far he has not been charged with a crime. coming up on news 4 at 6:00, i'll have the latest on the investigation. in brandywine, darcy spencer, news 4. right now police want to talk to more people who went to a virginia go-go concert right before a triple shooting. three men were shot after someone opened fire outside the state theater here early yesterday morning. several bullets went through a nearby office building up to 20 shots were fired. there are no suspects in custody. hundred s attended that concert. police help more people who were there could help them find out what led to the shooting and who's responsible. all three men shot are expected to survive. we're following breaking news at the live desk. nbc news just confirmed former alaska governor and vice presidential candidate sarah palin has endorsed donald trump for president. now, experts say this both helps

trump and hurts his closest rival. it could help him amongst certain female voters and the endorsement is seen as a blow to texas senator ted cruz who's also trying to appeal to voters who want an anti-establishment candidate. we'll stay on top of it and bring you the updates. i'm chris lawrence an the live desk. wendy, back to you. >> thank you, chris. his client is a victim, not a criminal. attorney for a young woodbridge man facing terror charges. that man and his friend appeared in court this afternoon to face charges that he wanted to join isis and another charge for attempting to help him. bureau chief julie carey joins us live from the federal courthouse in alexandria with more on the support for one young defendant. >> reporter: well, wendy, both of these men will be back in this courthouse within the week for their bond hearings. the case against them just the latest in northern virginia alleging that young muslim men who have long lived in this country now want to connect with isis terrorists. the siblings of mahmoud el

hassan leaving court hand in hand standing alongside the young man's lawyer to show their support. moments earlier in court, the sisters held their fingers in a heart sign and burst into tears as their brother was led back to jail. >> he is being charged with aiding and abetting the attempt to provide services to a foreign terrorist organization. my client is innocent of those charges. >> reporter: these are the court documents charging 25-year-old mahmoud el hassan with aiding and abetting with helping a friend try to join isis fighters. prosecutors say that friend 28-year-old joseph faruk was arrested last friday before he was set to board a plane to travel to syria. he's been charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists. el hassan's attorney says his client is a victim of islam-o-phobia. he says as the case unfolds he hopes to show the fbi created this case. >> the issue is the way that the government goes about these

cases. they had three en finformants i this case looking for people that they can get in trouble. they thought that they found someone and my client is only charged with aiding and abetting that someone. >> reporter: el hassan's attorney will be back in court next tuesday to ask that his client be freed on bond and allowed to rejoin his family. now, friends who came to court today to show their support say the two men charged often attended daily prayers at a mosque in dumphrey. what one friend has to say about why he's so shocked to hear about these charges against mahmoud el hassan. breaking news right now, news 4's jackie bensen got to the scene of a shooting on 14th street in columbia heights. jackie is live at the corner at meridian place northwest. jackie, what can you tell us? >> reporter: jim, i want to show you what it looks like here. take a look over there, that's

the allegro apartments. see the d.c. police officers walking in there. that is where we understand a 20-year-old young man who was shot in the neck walked in a short time ago. now, my understanding is that this was the culmination of a series of disturbing events that began at a latino grocery store not far from here. we understand that the young man was involved in some type of argument. some type of fight there. and then a short time later in this alley just off newton street northwest is when the shooting took place and as i said, police believe the 20-year-old ran out of the alley, ran up the street here and into the allegro apartments across the street. now, i can tell you that our sources tell us that police have recovered a weapon. they are not sure if it is connected with this, but we understand they have recovered a handgun a few blocks away from lee here. as you can see from this video, a very active scene at this time

as police try to figure out who's involved in this. we understand there's a lookout for two suspects. one of them was seen on a bicycle. live in northwest washington, jackie bensen, news 4. a deadly hit-and-run along a major commuter route in prince george's county. police want you to pay attention to the kind of vehicle they're looking for that may have been involved. plus rails crack during a cold metro commute. why this was bad timing for metro's new general manager. i'm adam tuss in the metro system. hoverboards on metro? are they about to be banned? tell you what the transit system is saying about th

and we are currently tracking the cold across our region tonight, then again that big storm coming up on friday. i've just seen the latest information that has come out. i've got some new details for you. i'll see you in just a minute. well, the cold is also blamed for delays on metro. rails cracked near the boston and the east falls church stations. it slowed down the commute on both the orange and the silver lines today. those cracks are now fixed, but the problems came just as metro's new general manager was riding on the line with the virginia congressman. well, they chatted with frustrated riders in these crowded cars. >> we had a cracked rail. when it gets very cold, steel

basically, you know, cracks. it cracks. so ten with cracks, they send out an emergency crew to make sure it's safe to go over. if it's not safe, they repair it. >> actually we need another tunnel to address the issue. >> both congressman mcconley and the metro gm say more funded is needed from congress to address these problems. well, add metro to the growing list of groups concerned about the safety of those hoverboards. the transit agency tells news 4 it doesn't want anyone riding the hoverboard near the system. as transportation reporter adam tuss shows us, they're not completely banned just yet. adam? >> reporter: that's right, jim. you know, sometimes it's hard enough just to catch the train in here. metro says it doesn't want to see the hoverboards zipping around in here and riders say they're on board with that idea. you've seen them and heard the warnings about them.

now hoverboards and metro are clashing because of safety concerns. >> we have seen juveniles carrying them onto the system, some cases standing on them and even that's unsafe. >> reporter: metro classifies these as a self-balancing wheeled device like a segue, and the only way you could potentially ride one of these in a metro system is if you had a medical reason to do so. even then, you'd have to prove to metro why you need it. no one has even asked metro for that privilege. so where does that leave you and your shiny new hoverboard with metro? >> for the moment, you can carry a hoverboard onto the system but cannot use it in stations, aboard trains or metro property. you have to carry it. >> reporter: all major u.s. airlines have already banned hoverboards because of the potential the lithium ion batteries inside could catch on fire. metro says it's also considering an all-out ban. as for the riders we talked to on the potential hoverboard ban -- >> i think it can be a little dangerous if you think about it. >> one of those things that are fun to use but if you don't use

them the right way they can be -- i don't want to say dangerous to other people, but even dangerous to yourself. >> reporter: remember, for now you can carry it on but you can't ride it on metro. now metro says it wants you to report any hoverboard incidents so that transit police can step in, something they never thought they'd have to deal with. back to you. president obama is getting another shot at putting his immigration plan into action. the supreme court justices agreed today to hear the president's appeal. his plan allows undocumented immigrants to stay in the u.s. if their children are permanent residents. they would be eligible for work permits, health care, and rye tir retirement benefits. this plan was stopped by a challenge from 26 states with republican governors. the appeal will be heard in apr april, if the president wince the changes could be in effect later this year. for the first time since his release we're hearing from one of the american prisoners freed

from iran. news 4's chris lawrence joins us with more on details about how these prisoners spent their time in custody. >> well, wendy, they've been through a lot including torture, so it's going to take a long time to recover if they ever fully do. three of the prisoners are being evaluated at a u.s. medical facility in germany. and amir hekmati says he feels reborn. >> i feel extremely lucky. alive for the first time in a long time. i didn't want to let my marine, fellow marines down and the reputation of the marine corps. so i tried my best to, you know, keep my head up and withstand all the pressures that were put upon me. some of which were very inhumane and unjust, and i just really feel proud to be an american. >> the others being treated are pastor saeed abedini and "washington post" reporter jason rezaian at one point spent 49 days in solitary confinement, and exercise in an 8 foot by 8

foot concrete yard. despite those conditions rezaian's brother said he hasn't lost his spirit and is even asking about his favorite basketball team. one american is still missing in iran. bob levinson worked for the fbi. iran denies any knowledge of his disappearance and even offered to help with the search. as for those three men in germany, state department officials say it will be up to them to decide when they're ready to come back to the u.s. wendy? >> all right. thank you, chris. a new step toward a major redevelopment of downtown herndon. the town council created an arts district to attract art-related businesses to the heart of downtown. these businesses would have some special signage provisions and they'd get breaks on the fees the town charges. later this year, the town expects to award a contract to develop about five acres of land in the historic district of herndon that would be mixed use including an arts center. well, it's an hour outside of both washington and baltimore, and it's apparently becoming more of a hot spot for tourism. according to a study obtained by

the "frederick news post" frederick county had more than 1.7 million visitors in 2014 and those visitors identified as people who traveled at least 50 miles for a reason other than commuting. spent on average more than $1 million a day. that brings total tourism bucks for the county to more than $380 million. it was a dramatic crash on the beltway. a driver hits an ambulance. we're going to check to see what happened to the paramedics who were on board. and now may be a good time to brush up on those snow removal rules in your neighborhood. so we did some digging to help before the storm hits. the full

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this is a storm team 4 weather alert. >> online and on our air, you have been seeing the storm team 4 predictions for a snowstorm this weekend. >> so we asked are you changing plans due to the weather that could come this weekend? we've been asking the question on our social media, you can text or call or go to our site to vote. i changed mine already. >> storm team 4 -- after work. that's a big plan. >> yeah, it is. >> doug, what do you got? >> you said call. you guys didn't give out my number again, did you? >> no, we're texting it out. >> guys, you know, the thing about this is we still have a lot of time to plan this out. this is not until friday. so if you haven't changed your plans yet, that's okay. i would really wait one more

day. i'm really waiting on this evening's model run. that's going to be the zero runs tonight especially for the european run. the trend has been farther to the south. each run over the last 12 hours or so. we're going to be looking at that. i'll talk about that in a second. first off, though, you know it's cold. that's actually why we're in weather alert mode. with the stormle coming. right now it's because of the cold. 26. temperatures feel much colder because of the wind. winds right now northwest at 16, gusts at 25 to 30. these are the actual temperatures. 21 gaithersburg. 21 in la ray. look at the windchills now. down to 9 in gaithersburg. 8 martinburg. 15 down to the south. 13 in fredericksburg. cambridge, the eastern shore, around 12 degrees. a very cold day, very cold night. it's going to start out cold tomorrow. no rain across the area, no snow. of course, everything fell today. if it was to fall, would be snow. the next storm system is actually right around the corner. it's this storm system here coming through kansas city.

not much with this. storm night we may see flurry activity, maybe a quick snow shower. can't forget that little clipper. what it does do, though, is help reinforce the cold air before this system moves in. see this system crashing in toward california. it will make its way through california in toward the rockies giving them a few inches of snow. dive down toward the south, now how far down to the south does it go? how fast does it move? that's where the uncertainty lies with this. and that's what we're going to continue to watch the next couple of days. this was actually the latest european run and you notice where the bull's-eye was. yesterday was here. today it's way down to the south. now it still puts well over a foot of snow around our region. the biggest snows are down toward richmond. that's one thing we're watching. the latest gfs model still had it around d.c. but the newest run brings that and just goes a little farther to the south by 20 or 30 miles. it has shifted south just a bit. both shifted south. is this a trend? this is why i've not shown you any accumulation just yet

because it will change. i do think tomorrow afternoon we'll have a much better idea on how much we can see. one thing we know for sure, this is going to bring big snow across our area, whether it's a foot or 18 inches, it's still going to be a lot of snow. but still uncertain as far as how much everybody is going to get. that's why we have the uncertainty and we'll continue to track it. doing it on the nbc washington app, doing it on twitter, doing it on facebook. make sure you're on all of our pages and continue to follow us. tomorrow is just cold. not a bad day. 28 gaithersburg. 31 manassas. increasing clouds. again, a chance of a flurry during the afternoon and evening. late afternoon and evening. then we get to thursday, thursday probably the best day. 34. hey, we're above freezing. then we get to that storm on friday and saturday. again, moves in on friday. really gets going saturday -- or friday night into the day on saturday. high temperatures below freezing. that means everything falls will most likely stick and that's another reason why this is going it be a big concern. we'll continue to keep you posted. veronica's got the rest of the seven-day forecast and more on this storm coming up in a bit.

>> all right, doug, thank you. now at 5:00, calls for a boycott of this year's academy awards continues to intensify tonight. now see what the academy's president has to say about its lack of diversity among the nominees. plus, some bpet owners are going to be charged because they left their dogs out in the cold. prince george's county police investigate a fatal hit-and-run. ahead, why police may not be able to charge the driver with leaving ♪

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you're watching news 4 at 5:00. >> right now, police are looking for a garbage truck driver in connection with a hit-and-run in prince george's county. >> and we just learned the name of the woman who was killed. she's from upper marlboro. she had just exited southbound from the beltway onto pennsylvania avenue when she collided with that garbage truck. chris gordon live with what we are learning. chris? >> reporter: well, good evening. investigators tonight are searching for that trash truck. believed to have been involved in this fatal hit-and-run accident. a pickup truck crashes head-on into a heavy metal sign pole. it happened this morning on pennsylvania avenue and 495 backing up traffic. the crash killed the driver. no one else was inside the vehicle with her. prince george's county police concluded that another vehicle had struck the pickup.

but that the driver left the scene. >> we are are looking for a green or blue garbage truck with red lettering. that truck should have damage to the passenger side as well. it's pretty distinct vehicle. >> reporter: it will take time for county police to reconstruct the collision, figure out how it happened and who was responsible. police tell us that they are considering whether to charge the trash truck driver with leaving the scene of the accident. but they say given the size of his vehicle, he may not have realized that he hit someone. >> if you are made aware of it later, please come forward and contact us. like i said, if there are any witnesses who saw the accident or seen the vehicle since then, noticed the damage on the passenger side, please come forward and contact us. >> reporter: ahead, new information that we obtained from police just minutes ago about their efforts today to locate that trash truck and the driver involved in today's fatal accident. that's the latest live on at

police headquarters, jim, back to you. >> chris, thank you. right now two prince george's county paramedics are still in the hospital after their ambulance crashed along the inner loop of the beltway. a car sideswiped the ambulance around 8:00 last night near st. barnabas road in oxon road. the ambulance hit a light pole. the pole fell onto a passing car and narrowly missed the driver of that car. we're told both paramedics are now in good condition. well, we don't have to tell you it's cold out there. you have been outside. it will certainly get your attention, but it is a dangerous cold. >> it really has been cold enough for we've been in weather alert mode ever since early yesterday. and while it's going to warm up a little bit, it will give folks -- i shouldn't say it's not going to be as cold, it will give folks a chance to plan for the end of the week. >> we're talking about wednesday and thursday being pretty nice days here. obviously the storm comes friday. if you want to plan, maybe get to the grocery store, sure, you may need to do that. one thing i would say, grocery

stores, please provide plenty of people to check us all out. that would be fantastic. wednesday, thursday. >> right. >> sorry. >> of course, too, if someone's got to stock up on the medicine, that may be a thing to do as well because sunday could be a high impact day as well. as far as for tomorrow, it's going to be cold. we're talking about very low temperatures. 15 degrees starting out with windchill values we'll have to contend with, 10 to 15. lower than the actual air temperature. we get a lighter wind for tomorrow afternoon. that's when we could see flurries come through the area. we'll be at freezing. that's what we might notice. the fact we're finally above freezing with the light wind. here's your future weather. stopped it at 5:00. the blue you're seeing there, fredericksburg, la ray, a chance of flurries that could come drifting through our area upç5ì% passing through enough where it's just a conversational event for us. the next change, again, you're real will i going to notice is tomorrow afternoon when we hit 32. we've got more on the potential for major snowfall coming up in just a few minutes.

>> thanks, guys. we are not just talking about the snow, of course, we're also having to deal with those bitter cold temperatures out there. >> and doreen gentzler with tips on how to stay safe in the cold weather. >> wendy, jim, you could stay inside, that's one way to stay warm. if you are going outside, remember, dress in layers. wear lightweight loose fitting clothing. mittens are warmer than gloves. don't forget the hat and scarf to keep from getting chilled. stay dry because wet clothing can take your body temperature down more quickly. also, avoid exertion and exercising outside. cold weather puts a strain on the heart. your poor body's already working hard to stay warm, to try not to overdo it. or if you do have to get outside and shovel snow, then take frequent breaks. remember, you are trying to avoid frostbite and permanent damage from this kind of cold. if you should lose feeling or if the skin loses color, it's time

to warm up right away and if that condition doesn't improve, get some medical attention right away. frostbite can happen quickly in those low temperatures and the windchill we've been having can make it worse. in some cases 30 minutes or even less is all it takes for frostbite to take hold. so be careful outside right now. jim? wendy? >> thanks, doreen. the crisis over contaminated water in michigan comes to washington. we're going to find out what can be done here in d.c. to help the thousands of children who have been exposed to dangerously high levels of lead. and even with dangerously cold temperatures out there, we're thinking ahead to warmer days. we'll share a new announcement we'll share a new announcement about the cherry blossom

♪ know you can keep your financial big picture under control. we'll share a new announcement about the cherry blossom know you can see how much you have to spend and whether you should transfer funds. know you can easily keep track of what you're putting away. and know you're budgeted for the great escape. thanks to virtual wallet by pnc. ♪

developing tonight, bottled water is literally pouring into flint, michigan, now, from all over the country. as the city deals with a major water crisis. they're here in washington today. president obama met with the city's mayor to hear firsthand about just how bad it is. here's the issue. back in 2014, michigan governor rick snyder's administration changed flint's water from the detroit river to the flint river. but because that water wasn't properly treated, it corroded the pipes allowing lead to seep into the city's drinking water contaminating it.

the crisis has caught the attention of some big names in government and even hollywood. >> people of flint have been betrayed. they have been given faucet water and told it was pure. >> right now what happened here is a crime. i'm standing in the middle of a crime scene. >> so far, there is no long-term fix. protests are planned for governor snyder's state of the state address. that's tonight. many are calling for the governor to resign. well, the academy awards are a little more than a month away and controversy over the lack of diversity among the nominees is in the spotlight right now. at least two major players in the industry say they're going to boycott the oscars. but the question is, will others join them? nbc's mark barger reports. >> reporter: when hollywood's biggest names gather to celebrate next month's academy awards, actress jada pinkett smith and director spike lee will be boycotting instead. protesting an all white field of acting nominees for the second year in a row. >> we're not asking for five slots in each position, but at

least one or two just to say, hey, listen, we know it's a tough race, we know there's only five slots but at least one did well enough to get a nomination. >> reporter: wilson morales, editor of blackfilm.com says it will take voices in addition to smith and lee to prompt change. >> maybe if you have a member of the academy who is part of those older generation peers that speaks out, it may have a bigger impact. >> reporter: actor george clooney told "variety" in an interview, "we're moving in wrong direction" in regard of acknowledging the work not only of african-americans but also hispanics in hollywood. on monday academy president cheryl boone isaacs issued a statement, more diversity quickly, amplifying remarks made last thursday. >> we just keep working and making sure that we all do the right thing because it is the right thing. >> reporter: with oscars host chris rock presiding over what he's already called the white b.e.t. awards, attention on the issue will be even more focused. >> we live in a business where

one minute you're talking about it and then two, three days later anything can happen to turn the tide. >> reporter: to make sure dreams of gold are colorblind. mark barger, nbc news. storm team 4 tracking frigid conditions on this weather alert day. and the latest with the timing and still uncertainty with our end of the week snow. i'll have more. ♪

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we have team coverage of our weather alert day. we're talking bitter cold. we're talking snow. we are not, however -- we're talking about big impact. we're not talking about how much just yet and we're getting you repaired with our storm team 4. >> this is a small window, the calm before friday, saturday's storm. >> yeah, we get a chance really to take a beat or breather over the next few days and now with some of the changing and the timing and when we could see the first snow and even the track, that's what's changed, just one reason why keep stressing that's why we didn't put out any early snowfall maps because really that bull's-eye is shifting around the area. let's start first with the cold, what's going on out there right now. of course, it's the low temperatures and the wind. you're looking at the current wind gusts throughout the area, pretty much like yesterday. blowing at around 25 to 30 miles

an hour. believe it enough, still enough wind as we head through the overnight hour, first part of the day tomorrow. so breezy, with low windchill readings to start your day tomorrow. for tomorrow, it's going to be cold and the difference this time overcast, that little system that comes through our area will bring a few evening flurries. so the weather is going to have a low to moderate impact on our area tomorrow. first thing out the door, we're in the teens. so a bundle up kind of morning for sure. we'll hit 30 degrees i think by around lunchtime tomorrow. then at least stay in the low 30s with very light winds tomorrow afternoon. your best chance of flurries down to the south. manassas,culpeper, fredericksburg, la plata, passing through again very late in the day. some folks won't even notice anything. so we get a chance to take a breather on wednesday as well as thursday. you got the green light. road conditions, time to prepare, there's your green light. for friday, chance of some evening snow. so now road conditions and schools may very well be -- the kids may be heading to school on

friday. saturday, though, major snowfall and possibility, likelihood with what we're predicting even of some cancelations. doug has more still on the uncertainty with this storm system. >> yeah, because there is a lot of that uncertainty, veronica. right now one thing we know for sure, you look at the top here, major snow is coming. everybody is going to get know. we're going to get a pretty good amount in most locations here but this is the litte elatest e model. notice where the bull's-eye is, where this red is. yesterday this was shifted right across d.c. around the european model. today it's well down to the south. that is a big shift from what we've seen and that takes us from 28 inches in d.c., down to about 18 inches in d.c. that's a big total. but 18 is still a very big number. so that's why we're still seeing major snow. the gfs model, the american model, however, takes the shift and moves it a little bit closer to d.c. that model, too, has now shifted slightly to the south. so is this a trend? and are we going to continue to see the highest snowfall totals move down toward southern virginia? if that's the case, it might not

have nearly the same impact in parts of our region, say hagerstown, around frederick, closer to the pennsylvania border. however, if it does move back up a little bit, well, those totals could come up. that's why we haven't shown snowfall amounts and will not show any until tomorrow evening. the latest, the best models come out tonight around the midnight hour. we'll have that tonight at 11:00, one before the 11:00 show. v.j.? >> we can still give some important information. between the conversational, inconvenient type of storm, problematic or paralyzing storm, we think this will be a problematic storm for us with snow-covered roads. even the possibility of some power outages. those roads in some areas especially the neighborhoods could be covered for a while with how much we're predicting, of course, cancelations again as i just said earlier likely. next couple of days, again, for tomorrow we're at 32, 34 on thursday. your high temperature. then just under the freezing mark. cold enough for snow friday and saturday. sunday we hit 35. maybe a little lower with snow on the ground.

and still a bit of wind, too, possibly to come through sunday. warming to 40 degrees by next tuesday. we got a loot mot more coming u news 4 at 6:00 at the end of the week, early weekend storm. this cold weather certainly gets your attention. team coverage continues with news 4's mark segraves braving the elementses in tinley town in northwest d.c., mark? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. as you can see, people are bundled up here just like they are throughout our region. and earlier today, it was the typical scene, the mad rush at stores like hardware stores where people were gearing up to get the essentials before a snowstorm hit. but for many people, today was just another work day. and many of us had to be outside. people were filling up their tanks in advance of the snow. which means people like joe testa here at exxon in bethesda were out in the cold working. >> it's absolutely tough especially with weather like this. >> reporter: just like gas tanks have to be filled, trees still

have to be trimmed. >> it's cold down here. tell me about what it's like up there. >> well, it's more cold than it is right here, but it's work. >> reporter: work and lots of layers of clothes is what keeps you warm. how many layers of clothes? >> a lot. a lot. but if we're working, you know, that's how we keep warm. >> reporter: just by moving around a lot? >> yeah, moving around. >> reporter: this roofer had a different take on working when it's this cold. >> heated seats and crank the heat. >> reporter: you got to get out and get on top of that roof. >> i stay in for that. i don't even get out when it's like that. >> when it snows, we go. >> reporter: while some people were bracing for the cold weather, others were embracing it. and as for those without jobs, social service providers are checking on the homeless and the elderly to be sure they're okay. and it looks like this cold weather means we're probably going to get some snow. which had lots of people at local hardware stores today. do you think it's really coming?

>> oh, yeah. it's coming hard. especially how cold it is, it's coming. >> reporter: your bones tell you that? >> oh, yeah, and my hands are telling me. >> reporter: what are you getting ready for? >> for the snow. >> reporter: you believe the weatherman? >> sometimes i do. >> reporter: well, now i always believe doug kammerer. like a lot of people told us today, it's obviously better safe than sorry. of course if you download the nbc washington app you'll be prepared for anything. coming up at 6:00, we'll take you to some of those mad rushes at the hardware stores. for all the essential supplies. jim, back to you in the toasty warm studio. >> not a day for the shorts. mark segraves, thanks so much. see you at 6:00. here in the driblgistrict t city is urging homeowners and businesses now to clear their sidewalks after any snow falls. news 4's tom sherwood reports a new law makes it easier for the city to impose fines for those who don't. >> reporter: here's another reason to shovel your city's

sidewalk. other than being a good neighbor. this is the first snowstorm season in which the city will start giving out tickets similar to parking tickets for businesses and homes that don't clear walkways. before, it was a cumbersome process. >> years past, we'd have to actually file a lien against your property to get you to clean the property. that's really not very smart. >> reporter: now homeowners will face $25 fines if they don't clear sidewalks and curb cuts within 24 hours after a snowstorm. for businesses, the fine will be $150 if a walk isn't cleared within eight daylight hours after a storm. >> this is something we do to make sure people are safe in their own community, get around their own neighborhood. >> reporter: the city will be making exceptions for those who why be elderly or infirmed and the city is giving away snow shovels for people who volunteer to sign up to help neighbors. >> you want to scoop, you want to lift so you're not necessarily putting a lot of pressure on your back. >> reporter: hunter heads the city's serve d.c. volunteer office.

he says it's distributing 2,100 snow shovels this week to help the volunteers. >> business of the city has to continue and folks need to make medical appointments, go about their day to day, this is an opportunity to connect volunteers with requesters. >> reporter: anyone interested in becoming a snow volunteer in the city and get a shovel is encouraged to call 311. the city government, itself, is being urged to clear around schools and other government properties. >> my expectation is d.c. government has to do their job. >> reporter: in the district, tom sherwood, news 4. here's a little something to help you get through the bitter cold. >> yeah. >> the cherry blossoms are just around the corner. >> work with us here. the dates for the washington's annual spring festival were just released today. only about eight weeks away now. it is scheduled to run from march 20th to april 18th. each saturday there will be big events as usual, on march 26th, there's family day. april 2nd, the kite festival. april 9th it's the southwest

waterfront fireworks fest. april 16th there's the parade and of course the japanese street fest. most events are free and open to the public. well, they were helpless and they were left out in the cold. pet owners are now going to have to face the consequences after their dogs were left outside in this bitter cold weather with almost no shelter. metro and metro riders getting ready for a potential big snowstorm. i'm adam tuss. coming up, i'll tell yo

if it is too cold outside for you tonight, please remember it is too cold outside for your pets. >> yeah, a tragic story out of new jersey tonight, as two dogs were left outside in the frigid cold temperatures to die. an important reminder for pet owners everywhere. nbc's ted greenberg has our story. >> that's very cruel. >> reporter: authorities say the igloo shaped dog houses provided barely any protection from the brutal cold for a puppy and another dog that are now both dead. >> that makes me angry and it upsets me. very, very much. >> reporter: atlanta county spca investigators say they responded monday to an anonymous call about a puppy frozen inside its doghouse off jackson road in buena vista township. when they got there, they say, they also found a cold severely

malnourished older dog, possibly the puppy's mother, barely alive. she was rushed to a veterinariy clinic and died overnight. >> i barely slept last night. i woke up this morning to news the second dog had passed away. >> definitely harsh. honestly i think whoever did it should suffer the same thing. >> reporter: authorities say the puppy appeared to be less than six months old and was also underweight. the dogs' water bowls, they say, were filled with only ice. investigators would not identify the owners or their exact address because they're still preparing animal cruelty charges. including failure to provide proper shelter, adequate food, and veterinary care. >> please bring your animals indoors. there's no excuse to have more animals dying in this extreme cold weather. >> now, investigators hope to know the exact cause of death tomorrow and expect to file charges soon thereafter. and also tonight officials in our area, montgomery, fairfax, prince george's

counties, they say you need to know it is against the laws to leave your animals outdoors in these frigid temperatures without providing them with a warm shelter. not just a shelter, it has to be warm. to report any animals that could be in danger, call one of the numbers on your screen. we will post them on nbcwashington.com. now at 6:00, prince george's county firefighters go door to door to ensure families have what one family didn't. after a fire kills four. i'm julie carey at the federal courthouse in alexand a alexandria, there was a strong show of support for a young woodbridge man accused of helping a friend try to join isis. why his friends are so shocked by these allegations. i'm adam tuss. met employee getting ready for a potential big snowstorm this weekend. we'll tell you what the transit agency has planned. what we have on us here is the coldest air of the season yet and coming ahead of a peeshl

potentially major snowstorm on friday. >> team coverage on the conditions and commute. let's begin with doug in storm center 4. hi, doug. >> his, guys. we're talking about a major storm coming up later this week and will have major impacts as far as the snow is concerned across our region. right now we're in weather alert mode because of the cold and temperatures as well as the winds. 29 degrees. you combine that with wind gusts, upwards of 20 to 25 miles per hour and you get windchills in the single digits and teens. current windchill, manassas at 9, gaithersburg 9. 11 down toward patuckset river. we have cold air in place for our next storm and that's why it's going to be all snow for just about the entire region. the exemptions may be down to our south and east. that's what we're watching. the guidance is starting to change a little bit. taking the bull's-eye from d.c. just down to the south. so the uncertainty of this system continues. we're going to talk m