comes down, i was checking temperatures in maryland and a lot of the roads in the 20s or low 30s and you will want to watch for isolated slick spots tonight and as we work our way through friday, temperatures for the most part don't work through much and the ground will remain cold. as this next system moves in friday, once that snow starts to fallt's immediately going to stick, but even if it didn't for a little bit it really doesn't matter because we'll be measuring the snow in feet, not inches and with that we'll send it over to v.j. who has the latest for a blizzard watch in the area. >> that's right. a blizzard watch for the area as well as a winter storm watch and it covers the area to watch mainly along areas of i-95, slightly to the west, as well. let's bring that on for you. as far as the next storm system that it will get, it will be a crippling one and there it is friday and the counties shaded in green and that's the blizzard

watch and we'll get high winds with what falls throughout the area and through western portions of virj sxirj and there will be heavy snowfall. before friday evening be prepared for power outages and be prepared for day. whatever essentials you need, with batteries, anything for power, gas for your generator. now is the time to do it. doug? >> that's really what we want people to remember. the snow will be done by the time you get up on sunday, but the effects of the storm will be felt way into the middle portions of next week. roads may not be plowed until early next week and schools may not be back until wednesday or thursday and that's the kind of event that we're talking about. a major event could be one of the top two or three of all time. i'll have the forecast including new information coming up in just a few minutes. >> thanks, doug. >> it's not just the snow.

wind is going to be a huge factor and the power companies are gearing up with extra crews and equipment to make sure you don't lose power and when you do you get it back quickly. news 4's meagan fitzgerald is in herndon with what that city wants you to do ahead of this storm. meagan? >> many of the people we spoke with are actually doing what power companies have been suggesting and they've been using the last couple of days to prepare. you can see folks loading up on gas and we've also seen folks going in and out of grocery stores, getting the necessities so that they are ready and we had an opportunity to speak with some power companies. they say they've called in hundreds of additional resources for that worst-case scenario. >> it's been a while since we've seen this, but in less than 48 hours, we'll likely be reminded that it really is winter. that's why power companies like dominion virginia are gearing up

now. >> are you planned for where you'll put your resources and you deploy those resources. >> chuck penn is the spokesperson for dominiak virginia power and they've been closely monitoring the forecast and they had extra line crews and personnel standing by to help restore power for if and when it happens. >> we're more focused on when we'll need resources and come out the gate running, so to speak to do the restorations. >> he said this entire area will be packed with employees monitoring the region for possible outages and quickly deploying crews into the field. >> but in the meantime, he said now is the time for customers to get ready by filling cars up with gas and making sure you have important items like food, batteries and flashlights. >> little things like water and necessary things. >> reporter: because after all, penn says, it's better to be safe than sorry. now if you see downed power

lines or if your power does go out during the storm you are asked to call it in right away and you can find a list on the power number or download the nbcwashington app. coming up at 6:00, we'll tell you the two factors power companies say could be the difference between hundreds of power outages or hundreds of thousands of outages across our area. jim? >> thank you, meagan. to the skies we go at the airport. there is a scramble to rebook flights and get out of town before this storm strikes. transportation reporter adam tuss at reagan national with that part of the story. >> the afternoon has gone on here, we've seen more and more airlines put waivers in place. you can change a reservation without a fee and now there is a rush to leave town. >> reporter: if you're headed out before the storm, consider yourself lucky. one of the first to rebook and get out.

>> even the uber driver on the way is, like, get ready man. he was ready to go. >> reporter: he's trying to make it out ahead of what's coming here. >> were you trying to get out before the snow? >> i'm flying into kentucky and my girlfriend called me and she said we already got four inches and i hope you're not delayed and if i'm stuck here, i'm stuck here. >> it's not just people, but the planes will start leaving this area and the places where the storm isn't an issue. >> for many of the recent, large storms the airlines have figured out the best way to ensure smooth operations with the storm is to move it out of harm's way. passengers will be stranded and they'll be hungry. here at ben's chili bowl. >> we look it up. and people will be able to come and get food if we need it. and we have them. >> sean, a lot has been stuck in

the airport. >> and they give you pillows and a mattress and a blanket. >> here's hoping you make it out before that's necessary. >> and back here now live as operations at the airport are fairly normal right now, but we know that's going to change. coming up next hour at 6:00, the airport has a very interesting way that it actually tests the runway when it gets too dicey out there. we'll explain how that works to you. wendy, back to you. >> all right. adam tuss. if you haven't stocked up supplies, across the area there are growing lines and thinning shec shelves for shovels and ice melt. you know we like to have fun in this town, as well because the sleds are going out of the store, as well. in the district mayor muriel bowser says her snow team is taking steps to keep you safe during the snowstorm and there is an important reminder about

those snow emergency routes. news 4's tom sherwood is live in d.c. tom? >> reporter: wend e the snowstorm is coming just this weekend and that's good news. the bad news, don't let your car be stuck on a d.c. snow emergency route no matter what day it is. >> good morning, everybody. >> reporter: facing her first big snowstorm, mayor muriel bowser minced no words about her snow worries. >> we expect that the snow could last throughout friday, friday night, saturday and possibly through sunday. the mayor has handed out 2,000 snow shovels for volunteers who will shovel sidewalks in their own neighborhoods. >> i tend to be optimistic, so maybe it will pass us, but we are preparing nonetheless. >> we've already asked for additional national guard vehicles and we would be

prepared to ask for personnel, as well. >> reporter: as with previous snowstorms, city officials are warning that snow emergency routes carry $250 fines and towing fees. if a snow emergency is declared, avoid parking on streets with these signs. >> we're not imposing that restriction lightly. it really is when we're up against a very large storm that requires us to get multiple plows out on to the street. >> reporter: but with all of the bad snow worries, there's some fun ahead. >> we will have a fun theme. >> reporter: these guys are already planning the next dupont snowball fight on saturday. and the d.c. public schools already have scheduled a half day on friday so the children will be out and going home well before the snow. coming up at 6:00, mayor bowser's biggest worry about the snowstorm. i'm tom sherwood.

jim, back to you. speaking of the threat of the storm already has your kids thinking, perhaps dreaming about a potential snow day on friday. some schools are already making plans and chris lawrence is in the newsroom to tell us about some of those plans now. chris? >> jim, we're days away from the storm getting into the area and i know moms and dads who are scrambling to make contingency plans in case the schools are closed next week. we called and found the timing of the storm works out pretty well and students are already off on friday and in prince george's county they have a teacher work day schedule and d.c. public schools are being let out early because it is the end of the term. far as montgomery county, mary county and they'll be at the very latest and probably before that. parents and students in all school districts are encouraged

to check their email, text and social media to find out about closure. as for fairfax, loudoun and prince william counties. david culver spoke to officials in those school districts personally. he'll tell us how they make their decision and what they're planning for this particular storm. that report coming up at 5:30 and we just got somic be ibreak news that the university of maryland has a head start starting friday and we'll tell you about that coming up. >> thank you, chris. the extreme cold is shutting off a popular potomac river crossing. white ferry closed because of excessive ice. chopper 4 flew over the area. here's how much ice we found on the river. no indication on when white ferry is going to be open. we're following some breaking news in northwest d.c. where police are searching for two teenagers who they say stabbed another teenager just across the street in a high school in tinnily town.

the fight was outside the sears showroom. the student stab side a student at wilson and he's expected to be okay. we'll send you any updates we get on this and we'll send them to our nbc washington app. ahead, how maryland's delay and contracting with independent snowplow operators could affect snow removal in the coming blizzard. plus an alleged theft at the white house. find out who's facing a felony for stealing taxpayer dollars. >> a critical role that something played in the deadly plane crash that killed a local

take a look at the radar tracking the snow trying to move into our area and a winter weather advisory for parts of our area. that's 395 north of duke street and as always, it's 5:15 and almost not moving in some locations and that's going to be the case and watch out tonight as we get a half inch to an inch of snow that could coat the area roadways so give yourself time. much more on the major snow coming our way in just a few minutes. doug, whenever there is a

major snowfall one of the biggest concerns is making it safer for people out on our roads, but in maryland, delays of approving contracts with independent plow operators raise concerns there wouldn't be enough equipment to clear all the streets. chris gordon is live with details. chris? >> reporter: jim, we were invited here today by the owner of these plows and front end loaders because he was concerned that a delay in getting his contract this year after he has been one of maryland's biggest snow removal contractors for 20 years would cause a problem, leaving all of this equipment and more idle in the coming snowfall. >> looking back at recent-year snowstorms is a reminder of just how important it is to all of us to get our roads and highways cleared quickly. the state of maryland doesn't own enough snowplows to do it alone, so it hires independent

operators. burkhardt excavating in maryland has contracted with the state since 1995. >> we have 14 plows and several loaders and a huge snow blower that we've run through the state through the years and this year is the first year that we haven't implemented the contract. >> he says he has his equipment ready to roll and also adds without a state contract he can't plow state roads and highways. maryland delayed giving out contracts to burkhardt and a substantial number of independent snowplow operators across the state from western maryland to the eastern shore. for drivers who work round the clock during a snowstorm, missing a big one hurts them financially. >> what do you figure it will cost you if you don't push snow this week? >> well over a grand. >> reporter: i asked joe burk hard what caused the delay from the state this year? >> they gave me one reason one time and another reason another

time and they're telling me they're trying to activate it now and whether they get it implemented in time before the storm, i do not know. >> reporter: we called the maryland highway administration. this evening we received a statement saying sha has been working for several days to clear up some confusion related to insurance requirements for our contractors. >> reporter: so what could have been a big problem clearing the snow appears to have been resolved this evening. ahead on news 4 at 6:00, we'll tell you how it will affect maryland residents facing a big snowstorm just days ahead. >> that's the latest live in frederick, news 4. >> d.c. water is asking you to make sure the fire hydrants in the area are clear of the snow. firefighters need access in case of an emergency and remember not to pile it up near the snow because it can catch in drain

basins and make them overflow. a white house supervisor is charged with a felony, accused of doctoring time sheets and pocketing taxpayer money. scott macfarlane broke this on the nbc washington app. >> good evening. her name is andrea turk, director of information services at the white house at one time overseeing 15 employees including white house switchboard operators that's until the fbi arrested and charged her for theft. she's now scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. andrea turk served four years as a staffer inside the white house. the fbi got a tip behind turk from someone inside the white house counsel. turk executed a time sheet scheme insisting one of her employees accept extra, get overtime pay and funnel the money back to turk.

sometimes in cash, sometimes by wire transfer telling one of her workers she had bills to pay and quoting the affidavit, i'm going to need help. no answer when we tried to reach andrea turk at home and by phone for comment. the white house tells news 4 turk was fired when they became aware of the details of the case. . according to court records, turk managed the time sheets and she became very aggressive in requesting personal favors and assistance from an employee from whom she was doctoring including baby-sitting duties and picking up her child at day care. a preliminary hearing in the case scheduled for tomorrow in d.c. and court records indicate that turk began work soon after inauguration in 2009 and was fired in 2013. again, the white house says she was fired after allegations in the case became known. tonight at 6:00, why this type of case is happening more often than you think in the federal government. scott macfarlane, news 4.

here at the live desk we just got word the university of maryland plans to begin shutting down friday to prepare for this massive winter storm. college park campus will be closed friday, saturday and sunday, but this was supposed to be move-in weekend for the spring semester. the university says if you still want to move in, come early friday and they'll have people on hand to let you in, but all move-ins over the weekend have been cancelled and they're asking everyone to keep off campus and the list is constantly updated on the nbc washington app. jim? >> thank you. a murder mystery in prince george's county. how you can help police catch a killer. help for our seniors. the community members who are making sure some of the elderly neighbors get help this winter. >> reporter: as we watch the weather, a reminder that all school, church and business closings will be in the washington app and download it during the break and keep it here for ♪

you like being picture perfect. you should want your banking to be too. stop into td bank and we'll help set you up with picture perfect banking. new customers, open a checking and savings account and you can get a polaroid cube+ video camera on the spot. tracking a couple of systems right now. one of which coming in tonight will be more of a nuisance-type storm and then, of course, the major storm we're watching and that's why we're in red mode today. weather alert day and it will be a weather alert all week long because of what we have. the weather alert, it's a

clipper system and another clipper. most of the area, nobody is really going to see a lot. the maximum may be an inch and that's about it. you can see what's happening. we have a lot of snow falling and east of the mountains and this is the area i'm watching and this is the actual front and it will move through and that's going to kick off some snow. you look at the radar and you think it's snowing to the south and the atmosphere is too dry right now and you may be seeing flurries around manassas and warrenton and the next flurry comes as the cold front moves on in and that's why this winter weather advisory doesn't start until 6:00 tonight and it's not even into effect tonight and half an inch to an inch and the big deal with this and the reason why we even have an advisory is the temperatures have been so cold and only in the upper 20s to 30 degrees and anything that falls tonight will stick on the roadways and it will stick fairly quickly. most of the states here, maryland, virginia, over toward washington have put out at least some chemicals on the roadway,

so hopefully that help, but watch out. for the next storm. this is the storm friday into saturday. a blizzard watch in effect for the i-95 corridor and frederick county, maryland and everybody off toward the east, a blizzard watch. a winter storm watch along i-81, hagerstown and winchester and larain. what's the difference? we'll see wind gusting over 35 miles per hour and that's the only criteria that we need. heavy snow and wind, we could see winds gusting to 50 miles per hour and back to the west with gusts to 30. it's still strong winds and blizzard conditions is 35 miles an hour or higher. >> satellite and radar, showing the clouds moving in and the storm system moving our way and now the big storm and look at this thing. it's starting to wrap up and that's our storm that will drop to the south and come acrosshe gulf and pick up that moisture and then move right into our area. on friday, friday morning, no problem. i think if you're going to work

on friday you're not going to have any issues and friday around 5:00, our computer model here does not have snow in the area as of 5:00. we do think some areas will start to see the snow around that time. so timing on this, right now is really the only question that we have. just how fast does it move in? 8:15, snowing everywhere, by 11:00 it's snowing harded and by saturday that's when we seeing heaviest snow and the heaviest wind. how much will we see? we have 18 to 24 inches of snow plus. yes, some areas could see upward of two feet or more and a little less to the south and maybe a mix you moved in and a little less to the north and west and 18 to twourp for just about everybody and that's a foot and a half to two feet. it is going to make for major complications on the roads. again, through the weekend. friday evening and snow-covered roads by 5:00. saturday, many roads impassable and on friday, snow is ovbut th

snow may last for days. here's the next couple of days and temperature temperatures around freezing friday and saturday. friday, the snow is over and temperatures around 34 and this impact will be felt into the middle of next week and we'll talk about the storm system and we'll continue to get more and more information on that time and we'll keep you posted right here, storm team 4, we have you covered. >> i'm storm team 4 meteorologist not only helping track the storm for you and they're also in track of the school systems. how those school systems are approaching the coming storm and what it will mean for your kids and having class. a critical piece of equipment was not working on the business jet that crashed into the home in gaithersburg killing six people including a mother and her two boys. a federal investigation reveals what went wrong. the new mgm grand is in completion and we'll show you what the big hotel has planned for our national harbor.

so prince william and charles county schools calling off activity ahead of tonight's weather and many more cancellations could be in store for school districts this weekend coming up on friday, too, as the storm inches closer. >> right. and northern virginia bureau reporter david culver is checking in with several school

systems in the commonwealth and he is live in bristol, virginia, where light snow is already starting to fall out there, david. >> it sure is, wendy and jim. you may see it coming down on my jacket, a very light snow. as you mentioned the real focus is on this, and that's when teachers and students are crossing their fingers hoping they might get school off and i spoke with school officials in fairfax, loudoun and right here in prince william counties and some of them telling me they're making phone calls back and forth for storm team 4 meteorologist as they're monitoring the storm and fairfax get so many questions about their snow day procedure they rolled out a video all new this year. >> many are hoping for a cancellation while parents are always split on when it's right to send their kids to school. >> reporter: assistant superintendent jeff platenberg, among those who make the snow day call. >> we're looking to give as much advanced notice for our parents and for our students and this one is looking to be a little

bit of an easier call. >> reporter: there's much to consider. the county is bigger than 400 square miles. >> more than 130,000 students ride the school busses each day, so we take all this into account, including the thousands of walkers and the students who drive themselves to school. >> as you can see, we've got a lot of students. >> reporter: in neighboring prince william county they have a list of field trips and school activities that would be affected. it's not just about canceling classes. still, they're ready to send out the alerts if it's a question of safety. >> as soon as we have a good level of confidence, we'll start notifying the community of what the plans are. >> reporter: we're in touch with officials from loudoun county public schools. they tell me the national weather service considers them to be two separate counties given how large they are and here's something they're considering ahead of this potential severe weather. for one, they're looking to move up scheduled sporting events from this weekend to take place tonight and tomorrow. they're also considering

rescheduling some standardized tests that were initially set for this saturday. >> all eyes on friday and the weekend. >> this thing's looking to start in the afternoon and build up through rush hour. that's problematic for us. >> reporter: again, students and teachers looking as a possible day off, but school officials tell me they're just as concerned as early next week. i'll tell you why ahead in the next hour. >> david, thank you. >> keeping seniors safe is a big concern for those in the district. many have no one to help them get food or shovel their sidewalk. today news 4's mark segraves went along with social workers going door to door to check in on thousands of seniors before the snow starts to fall. >> i'm just coming to check in and see how everything's going. >> reporter: olivia ikenberry is one of dozens of social workers going door to door checking on elderly residents across the district. >> what we're trying to do is make sure that everybody is

prepared for the storm, everybody is doing well, and if not, we try to connect them to services. >> reporter: for 75-year-old almeda davis wellness checks like this are a critical lifeline. >> to make sure that i had all my medication, you know, now because the weather may be so that you can't get out. >> reporter: the d.c. office on aging along with non-profits like terrific incorporated had been making wellness checks since the temperature dropped this beak aweek and it's not ju knocking on doors. >> we've started to make phone calls and people are making phone calls here at terrific and we'll also have home-delivered meals. >> reporter: in addition to phone calls and visits, they're also making sure once the snow falls that senior citizen's sidewalks get cleared. >> there are a lot of elderly people don't have anybody to help give them the support, not even a family member.

>> it sounds like you're grateful to have someone like olivia. >> yes! >> from the day one, from the first day that i met her. >> reporter: if you know the senior resident who might need help or if you want to volunteer call 311 and the d.c. office on aging will get you connected. in the district, mark segraves, news 4. so let's review, we have a blizzard watch and winter storm watch already issued. >> doug and v.j., it's the wind that we have really got to be concerned about with this one, huh? >> that is with the second storm, the big one at the end of the week. for now, this system and a few hours, the next one, 36 hours. >> tonight's, vent, very little snow, but because temperatures are so cold, take a look at the live pictures and this is what's falling out toward bristow. light snow starting to fall and could coat area roads. >> it doesn't take much. those temperatures below

freezing and we're starting to see the first flakes around bristow and prince william county around 238 to 34 and there's manassas and manassas park and hillcrest estates and we'll see this through the area and with this fast-moving event, hard to say who will get more and we're going anywhere from a light coating to as much as an inch with it wrapping up and ending by 10:20 p.m. it's well below freezing and these are the roads that could get slick. right around the beltway, down i-95 and quantico and fredericksburg and gaithersburg and howard county, 29 there and a winter weather advisory that goes up until midnight and all of the way up into areas of baltimore and the next event for us, a crippling event and we've seen it move up as a crippling event and there are highways closed and power outages throughout the area and an impact that could go to the

early part of next week, monday, tuesday and perhaps wednesday of next week. police have identified a man found shot to death outside of prince george's countiy and the investigators searched for a flyer for what killed him last night. this happened in the midtown square apartments along west village avenue in the suitland area. there are cameras in that building and you do need a code to get inside. police tell us they do not think this was a random crime. we're not the only ones dealing with winter weather. we're going to show you some areas that are already seeing snow and ice and creating some dangerous conditions on the road. that wasn't it, but who could forget the pope's fiat during the east coast visit and we'll tell you

this week's wednesday's child is a wonderful 11-year-old with a super imagination. his name is alexander and he's a great fan of superheroes. one of his dreams is to be a cartoonist and create his own superhero so we visited the superstar of superheroes. >> i heard you like comics. >> i kwo. >> who is your favorite character? >> batman. >> i like that he has all these gadgets and he was a kid once. >> and alexander feels a connection with batman who, like

him, ended up as a young child with no parents. >> alpha took care of him even when he grew up a little bit more he went to get trained and all of that. >> so intelligent and so intuitive and wise beyond his years. >> alexander got a lesson in cartoon drawing and he says he wants to be a cartoonist some day and has ideas for a new superhero. >> i would make him a kid. >> like 11? >> yeah. 11, 12, 13. >> he proved to have talent in drawing his favorite character, batman. >> i'm very impressed. >> thanks. >> you could start be a cartoonist right away. >> that would be a great dream for alexander, but an even bigger dream was about to come true when someone walked through the door. >> good to meet you. how are you doing? >> good. >> i heard you did drawings

today. what did you draw? >> batman. batman brought along gifts for alexander and he told them that they made a great team and that he knew that his new young friend would grow up to do great things some day and he took the time for one more photo with all of us, leaving alexander with dreams of growing up to be just like his hero. >> what a wonderful day for all of us to watch him so excited. if you have room in your home and heart for alexander or another child who is waiting, please call our special adoption hotline and the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me or search wednesday's child on nbcwashington.com. was that great? >> not every day when batman shows up. >> sweet little boy. >> thanks, barb. we have an exciting new development coming up in prince george's county. >> big changes at the national harbor. >> it's a 24-story, 300-room hotel near completion. i'm tracee wilkins, coming up on news 4, a major milestone in the

building of mgm casino. and friday's snowstorm will likely become one of the top five on record with 18 to 24 inches of snow for most of us. now coming up, i'll take a look back at some of the m ♪ you like being picture perfect. you should want your banking to be too. stop into td bank and we'll help set you up with picture perfect banking. new customers, open a checking and savings account and you can get a polaroid cube+ video camera on the spot. it's got a lot of what we were nekinda talking about.ke we should definitely go see it. [agent] hi. melanie. maggie. living room.

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and welcome back on this weather alert day. live pictures from wristow,

virginia. we saw it with david culver a few minutes ago and it's starting to fall more. veronica joins us and when will this stuff start moving closer into washington? >> right, it is the second system. the significant snow that we're expecting probably not until 1:00 friday and we still have quite some time to plan and get things together. of course, we're talking about a storm of historic proportions. as par as what's going on right now there's snow moving into the area and we'll see some light snow for your evening and take a look at storm team 4 radar and down to the areas where david culver was down through manassas around the area through prince william county and coming up through southern areas of maryland right now and there is the system that we've got for this evening and it will last from 10:00 to 11:00 p.m. and we being get a coating to an inch of snow and that will be enough to make roads slick and we're telling everyone to stay alert and it doesn't take much and make sure you have good distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you.

tomorrow morning, we're back to sunshine and we'll clear out and still cold and 27 degrees and the temperatures early tomorrow morning and we should make it about 35 degrees. again, cold, sunshine and then our temperatures take once again, a dip. it is friday when we could see the first flakes and here it is during the afternoon hours and we can see the storm system moving through and it's saturday late when it will still be snowing around our area and the system makes its way out of here until the early morning hours on sunday around day break and we're expecting a storm of historic proportions with several feet of snow falling and an impact for days until the early part of next week and the national weather service has issued a warning late friday for these areas in green from frederick county right down to southern maryland and much of our viewing area. the next change for us that you'll really notice again is on

friday about lunchtime when the snow starts, 31, 32, your temperature. by 3:00, this is important, we could see as much as three inches of snow already on the ground and conditions will deteriorate very quickly with power outages by saturday and impacts into early next week. let's go to doug in the weather center with more. >> yeah. wendy is here, too. you've been in all of the weather meetings that we've had just talking about how crippling this system is. you've had a lot of questions the whole time. >> i have a house on the shore. we have people with houses out at the beach. what's that going to be like? we have a nor'easter coming in. this blizzard will be a nor'easter at the shore. we're talking about flooding potential along the beaches and along the chesapeake bay on the west side as the wind picks up. 50 to 60-mile an hour wind ands beach erosion will be a huge problem out there, too and that's something we'll issue wat be watching out for. in the city, is it going to be

powdery? is it going to be hefy? because it makes a difference. it makes a big difference. as a matter of fact, i'll come behind you. we have this handy dandy storm team 4 ice scraper and you'll be able to use the ice scraper just like this at first. >> we like that. >> then you will have heavier snow and it will be wet snow and that's when you'll need to use the ice scraper and eventually it will change back over to the light fluffy snow and it will go fairly wet and that's when it's coming down the hardest early saturday morning and early saturday evening and that's when we'll see some lighter snow coming in here. we have a lot going on. >> my friends at rappahannock county thinks there will be snow in the mountains for days and days. >> for sure. in 2010 we saw areas with winchester with 33 inches, and claire areas of clark county and loudoun county that could not get out of their homes for upwards of a week and i do think in those areas that will be the case again. this is the storm that will literally keep people in their

houses for, at least three, four days, maybe more. we'll toss it back to you. >> a lot of milk, bread and toilet paper. >> and a lot of other things. >> lots. ? blowing snow for sure coming our way at the height of the storm up until 1:00 on saturday and 18 to 24 inches and a big, broad area and that is most of us throughout the area with a the high winds there, i-95 east and those winds 40, 50 miles per hour and you heard, some beach erosion. there's your four-day forecast and there's the snow through all day saturday and understand ending until the sun comes up on sunday. several inches. we're talking about two feet in many areas, but even though we've got sunshine back monday, tuesday. even on sunday we'll be feeling the impacts for days and we have more new information coming in to news 4 coming up at 6:00. we're still 48 hour away from the major weather hitting our region, but in the south they're already seeing snow.

check it out, slick roads and speeding apparently contributed to a deadly crash in tennessee and this is about half an hour outside in knoxville where a teenager has died and another young man was hurt and the weather channel's maria la rosa has a look now at conditions about 200 miles west of that in nashville, tennessee. >> reporter: jim and wendy, the weather was all over the place this morning. in nassau it started as sleek with freezing rain and then it ended with this, the snow, but look what it did to the roadways. you have a lot of slush and unfortunately, very slick for the morning drive. there are a number of spinouts and people sliding all of the road from i-40, 65, the good news heading into the evening rush as temperatures get to above freezing and you are looking at the next system and so is nashville and midday you will start to see the rain heavy at times and perhaps wrap up as

snowfall here and the chance to pick up more accumulating snow along with the higher winds. for now, this system bringing you light, wintry weather and the big storm you're keeping an eye on will be a big rainmaker here in nashville. in nashville, i'm meteorologist maria larosa, back to you. developing tonight, the ntsb is releasing new information about a plane crash that killed six people when it slammed into the home about a year ago now. investigators tell us the pilot's body was found outside the plane between two garage doors at the home near the montgomery county air park. the other passengers were still strapped inside. the ntsb also says that plane was exposed to icing conditions, but the pilot did not activate a de-icing system on the plane. it's still unclear if that led to the crash. marie gamel and her two young sons were also killed when that plane hit their house. a big milestone today at

national harbor. you may be familiar with the big wheel. now there is a building starting to take shape in that area, a big hotel, it's the mgm casino. >> tracee wilkins got a look at the construction progress and when it would all be delivered. ♪ luck be a lady tonight [ cheering ] >> reporter: it was a vegas-like celebration on the side of mgm national harbor. marked by a tree being hoisted to the top of the new hotel, a symbol that the highest point of the 24-story building is complete. >> this is another important chapter to the book we're writing. i call it promises made and promises kept. >> reporter: promises that include a grand, world-class resort, high minority business participation and local hires throughout the project and thousands of jobs. >> there are 1350 men and women behind me right now working today.

we had literally, thousands upo thousands of people waiting to be interviewed for the 3600 permanent jobs we're going to be hiring by the end of the year. >> the hotel has 300 rooms and that's tiny compared to the 4,000 at the bellagio and the 5,000 at mgm las vegas, but a third of the rooms here are spacious suites located on the corners of this hotel. >> the views all of the way to our nation's capital, across to virginia, looking in every direction will be pretty stunning. >> reporter: the pyramid-like platform that highsed the parking garage is near completion as one can begin to visualize what the project will look like. completion is by the end of the year. >> if they're amazed now, they'll be blown away when we open. >> reporter: a world-class chef and a local prince georgian will be opening a restaurant inside this hotel and we'll tell you about that and what the fine dining mgm is promising. in national harbor, i'm tracee

wilkins, news 4. while we're waiting to see if this snowstorm will be one for the history books. coming up, amelia segal takes a look back at some of the wint

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>> washington's top five snowstorms have had 17 everyones or more of snow and the most recent being snowmageddon on february 2010 and that's close to what we're tracking earlier this week. here's video from that storm that being comboed out power to hundreds of thousands and left many schools closed for days after this event. this storm dropped 20.5 inches of snow in washington. the big of the snoworm was 94 years ago when 28 inches fell in 1922. the knickerbocker blizzard when it caused the roof collapse, killing 98 and injuring 193 people. a nor'easter brought two waves of snow over three days resulting in a total just over 17 inches. now, horrible flooding occurred shortly after this event from

warm temperatures leading to a very fast snow melt. the other two top five events had 20 inches of snow and 19 inches across the area. open up our app and search biggest snowstorms. news 4 begins now with storm team 4. now at 6:00, airlines look to get their planes out of here as the storm gets closer. i'm adam tuss, the airports also keeping a close eye on the runway. >> all of the snow and local equipment could have remained idle. ahead, how the state of maryland arranged to get it rolling on the roads for the coming snow. they're gearing up for a scenario. a major snowstorm that could knock out power and tonight the two factors and could mean thousands of outages across our area. now at 6:00, this is a live look at conditions right now in bristow, virginia, light snow is

falling and there is already a winter weather advisory in effect. >> that little thing is nothing compared to what's coming later this week, folks. a major snowstorm that will be measured in feet, not in inches. team coverage begins right now with doug up in news center 4. doug? >> you mentioned that, vance. measured in feet, not inches and that's for sure. we are predicting one to two feet across most of the area as we move into the day on friday into saturday. what we have tonight, a little appetizer, really. this is another clipper system that's coming on through and as always, these clippers very seldom give us much in the way of snowfall and this one will not bring in that much and you can see it moving across and it is snowing right now inside the beltway and southern maryland toward the manassas area and warrenton, back toward win chester and we'll see snow for the next couple of hours and it's not the amount that could be half an inch to an inch and because of the temperatures it will stick quickly to the roadways and here's what we have and thent