everyone else, squlould be concerned. around 1:00 on average. but have everything done before noon today. that's sort of your drop dead time. after that things go downhill quickly. the heaviest of snow likely between 10:00 tonight and 4:00 saturday afternoon. the peak of power problems will be around midnight. that will be the combination of the heaviest snow and strongest wind. have your backup power plans ready to go. it's bitter cold this morning. teens and low 20s on your way out the door. the next 24 hours, things go from not too bad to pretty bad to nearly impossible to move around. temperatures not getting above freezing until possibly sunday afternoon. blizzard warnings are already in place. it's about six hours or so away from reaching the metro area. obviously your friends and neighbors down toward culpeper and luray and rappahannock will

be soon. have everything done. snow totals could add up to 20 to 30 inches or more, especially toward the blue ridge and the panhandle of west virginia. we'll have the travel impacts coming up in a few. speaking of travel impacts, here's melissa mollet. >> chopper 4 went over the problem. they did not see anything so they're moving on for us here this morning. greenway here, a new crash and here, northbound lanes are blocked. southbound lanes are finally open. northwest tunlaw at 39 west, water main break. all lanes blocked. white's ferry still shut down because of all the ice on the potomac. we'll see you at 6:10. the federal government not closed this morning, but you can take unscheduled telework.

all offices will close at noon. as for schools, you'll see it. anna rundle, allegheny are closed today. check the nbc washington app to make sure. in just a few hours many of your counties and cities will be under snow emergency declarations. the idea here is to keep those snow routes clear for all the plows that will be out there. d.c.'s snow emergency starting at 9:30 this morning. the emergency operations center is open right now. in maryland, that mrj will go into effect across the state at noon today. several cities are closed including manassas and falls church. >> preparation is everything when it comes to dealing with this kind of weather. crews have been out pretreating roads in virginia. megan mcgrath is live where some

businesses are staying open right now. megan, what else is going on? >> yeah. we've got some businesses that are open for the moment anyway, which they plan to close later on as the snow gets heavy. we've got a lot of folks headed into work including jonathan route. you're headed in. are you going to work a full day? >> i am. i'll work a full day and wait until the wife calls. once the wife call s and says it's bad, i'll go home. i couldn't find any gas. hayed to gas up in leesburg. full tank and emergency supply in truck. >> you've got the supplies home? >> supplies warm, costco. >> thanks for joining us.

good luck getting home tonight. i was inside a dunkin' donuts. a lot of people heading out to work. some thought they might get out early, some working a full day. we expect that heavy snow. so they've got a few more hours to get work in. >> i hope everyone gets home safely. ing their you, megan. you won't get around by metro. they'll stop by 5:00 p.m. and finish their route. metro acela closes at 6:00. metro general manager paul wiedefeld said tries to keeped up grown stations open would put a strain on their resources squoo there are some changes to your commute as well. the commuter trains, vre and

m.a.r. krmt is on an "s" schedule today. both are expecting a rush in the middle of the day and they're telling passengers trains will be very crowded. now, with the snow not expected until the afternoon, the march for life is going on this morning. demonstrators will hold a pro-life rally and concert starting at less than an hour. the arch bush op of washington, cardinal donald wuerl will celebrate mass. now, you may need to catch a cab to get around this storm, but you can zpoelkt pay a lot more here in the district. the storm emergency fare goes into effect at 9:30 this morning. that means you'll have to add an extra $15. the metering charge will stay in place for 12 hours unless the snow emergency stays in place. >> i bet you can expect a surge in prices for uber.

without hitting yet, this storm is costing mill yuns. in d.c. it costs $1 million per shift for snow cleanup. the shutdown and loss of productivity costs more than $100 million. that's because 200,000 people are sitting home, not working. in the state of virginia, it can cost $200 million to $300 million to keep the roads clear. >> you can expect it. what maryland says it's doing to prepare. >> "storm team 4" meteorologist chuck bell with what you can expect where you live. he has our travel

just about 6:10. a weather alert day for you on this friday as we get you ready for a major winter storm. major doesn't begin to describe what's coming here. you're looking live from the dull let toll road camera. we've seen several plows, trucks out there, but traffic still very light. >> this is all going to change, you know that, right? >> the calm? >> the calm and quiet. it's so pretty out there. chuck bell, tell us what is going on right now. >> we're already starting to think of good storm names. how about snow nino. it will have a major impact on everything you want to do. it will also seriously affect power. last time when we had snowmaggedon. hundreds of thousands lost power.

travel will be nearly impossible all day saturday and all day sunday. so the road impacts and travel impacts. get everything done before noon time today. no problem. roads fine. head home early. by evening time, heavy snow and things will go down very, very quickly. over the course of the weekend, travel not recommended at all. leave the roads to emergency personnel and plows. power outages likely to be widespread particularly east of i-95 and into southern maryland. that's where we have the most chance for power outages and make sure everything is safe and secure out there as you make plans. we could have more than a foot of snow on the ground by this time tomorrow. we'll detail the snow totals coming up in a few more minutes. here's melissa. >> right now we have this problem at ashburn village road. not sure what the problem is there.

270 to the spur, it will take you nine minutes. again, that's rolling along just fine. 66 into town looking fine. remember to listen to our friends wtop 103.5. aaron, do i need to come in and resuscitate you? >> i'm going to need a hug, i'll be huddled in the corner. >> in the fetal position. >> if you're heading to the store, you may be out of luck. what people are buying as they're waiting for the snow. utility companies are gearing up for the snow as well. we'll show you what dominion power is doing to make sure this ♪

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. clock to keep you informed on the weather alert as we prepare for two feet of snow in parts of our area.

can you think of what that looks like? two feet of snow. we're measuring this one. get out your storm sticks. "storm team 4" meteorologist chuck bell is looking at the latest. he'll have an update for you at 6:21. a two-alarm fire. "news4's" molette green is live on what i understand was pretty dramatic rescues after what happened there. >> reporter: yeah, aaron. and we have a much closer view of the building that was the scene of all of this. there you can see up to the third floor. i just spoke with fire investigators moments ago and also some of the people who live inside this building. we now know that the fire was concentrated to just one apartment unit. but people who live in a total of 12 apartments inside this building are now out in the cold. that's down from the 15 we were initially told by the fire

chief. and there were some dramatic rescues earlier in the hour when the ladder trucks were up there and multiple people had to be rescued from the building. 20 adults, six children have to find a place to stay as we are dreading this snowstorm that's on the way. i just spoke to two people who have family inside the building. one man and his family live on the third floor, not in the unit that caught fire and tells me the smoke detectors woke him up. the fire chief said the smoke alarms made the difference. everybody is okay. nobody injured. but, of course, people have to find a place to stay. fire investigators still working on a cause. the investigators are working the scene right now. that's live at the queen chapel road. back to you. >> all right, molette, thank you. it's 6:18.

a whopper of a storm heading toward us and the highway agencies are making their final preparations now. the maryland state highway says it has always hands on deck and many of the highways have been retreated. an agency spokesperson told "news4" this morning it will keep on plowing as the snow keeps falling. >> what that is an unmanned plow that is towed behind a standard dump truck with a plow on it so it can pretty much clear two interstate lanes at the time. >> the goal is to keep at least one lane open on all the major highways. >> make sure you're ready in case the power goes out at some point this weekend. that's a possibility here. take look at these store shelves. seems like a lot of people are getting ready for it. i went to giant's. i found the same thing, emptied out. many are stocking up on supplies

and nonperishables to get you through the weekend. >> eggs, bread, milk. >> milk, bread, firewood. >> storm team meteorologist chuck bell expects 20 to 30 inches of snow. you're going to need a lot of supplies. be sure to download the nbc washington app to stay informed and safe. snow blowers, shovels, generators, not surprisingly selling fast. i think you're going have a hard time buy finding a shovel at this rate. snow blowers also sold out. they hope to get more back in stock soon. >> if you need to do last-minute preparations for the storm, we have four essentials you may not have thought about. first, batteries. it's easy to forget. also, medicine. make sure you fill your prescription so you don't run

low. third, charge everything now before the power goes out. i did that last night. a backup charger would be helpful. finally you can stay connected with a hand cranked radio to keep up with the emergency forecast and alerts. one f our facebook friends told us they got one yesterday. >> hope it doesn't get to the point i'm cranking a radio. i really hope it doesn't get to that point. >> we'll get chuck to yell through the window. we're going check in with ronald gill who's the director of emergency management for prince george's county. good morning. are you there? >> good morning. how are you? >> thank you. fine. we're busy like you getting ready for the storm. what is it you're doing to make sure residents are safe. >> we've put a couple of plans in place.

we've upstaffed them to a higher level. our departments of social services and family services have met with those in the community to provide meals in advance for those who only would get meals on the weekend. we provided those meals already in case they're not able to make those deliveries. the office of emergency management has staffed the emergency operations center so we can monitor, track the storm at the same time, know the road conditions throughout the county. >> we saw the fire this morning in hyattsville where 26 people have now been put out of their homes. are you able to -- what have you done to make sure if you do need police to get out once this has gotten really bad or you need fire crews to get out, will that be something they can do fairly easy, or what's the situation? >> as the snow accumulates, it's going to create a challenge to get these vehicles out.

ems and police, all public safety agencies will respond. it may be a delayed response, but these units will respond. we know the big message to the people who live in prince george's county is stay off the road. is there anything else very important you want to tell the people who live in prince george's? >> it was just messaged by one of your newscasters, get prepared. you have a few hours to get prepared. if you don't have such things as water, emergency kits, make sure you get out and get those prepared. someone mentioned flashlights. be prepared to not go anywhere for two or three days. if you have these essential items, that will keep you all set. >> ron gill, director of emergency management with prince george's county.

thank you. >> thank you. a live look at the capitol where you can now sled down capitol hill. >> it took an act of congress. they will not enforce the act of nonsledding. it was banned. they say don't enforce it. police will still be there this year but this time they'll be watching and make sure kids are safe. >> isn't that one of the best things in the city? sled big the capitol building? it's going to be beautiful. that's not you. >> if they have an avalanche watch on capitol hill, that will be a lot of snow. everybody get things battened down and ready to go here. have things done by noontime today. that's the time line for you. get things done between now and then. it is a very cold start.

i can still see the nearly full moon on the way in, but those clouds will be more this afternoon. it's 18 in frederick, milliliter, 13 in martinsburg. these are the areas. out to the high spots of loudoun county, northern fauquier county. that's likely to be the bull's-eye where we see the highest amounts of snow. everybody's going to be there. if you like our nbc washington facebook page, you can join in on our conversation. it's only six hours away from here. no problems before noon tooichlt things change quickly. it will be down before the sun sets. keep that in mind. by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, a solid eight to as much as 12 inches of snow in the any middle east trow. but we could have 12 to 18 inches of snow.

manassas, warrenton, culpeper. and by the time we get to sundown on saturday, it looks like a solid 18 to 28 inches of snow. even there, i think a foot of snow is likely. so friday evening, several inches on the ground. travel conditions go from bad to worse to not at all. very quickly. snow throughout the course of the day. that continues for saturday evening as well. stay at home this weekend if you can. the wind is the other side of this story that we need to be keeping a close eye on. the winds will be strongest east of i-95. that's also in southern maryland where we may mix in sleet and rain. it will be a heavenier wetter snow into southern maryland. i'll show you the computer model output. this is what the european model says. 22 in downtown and nearly 30 at dulles airport. that will be a lot of snow.

next couple of days, things start to improve. sunshine's back on sunday and dry weather formonday and a chance to melt things down as we go into next week. melissa mollet. she's a snow lover. >> i am a snow lover. i love it, i love it, i love it. i can't wait for it. i want everybody to stay off the roads and not get hurt or stuck somewhere. outer loop at georgetown pike, crash off to the right side so it's not slowing anything. 66 east, had a did abled vehicle and ox hill road at olinton. remember while's ferry is closed today. chopper 4 flew over that one a couple of days ago. we still have the northbound lanes blocked. southbound open.

metro closing tonight. as far as bus service, it closes at 5:00 tonight. saturday and sunday shun down as well. eun? >> thanks, melissa. quiet right now but it's not going last. how people are getting ready for the snow. >> it has travelers scrambling this morning. what you need to know if you're supposed to catch a flight today. blizzard warnings go up at 3:00 this afternoon. a truly historic snowstorm is coming our way in the next 36 hours or so. easily 20 to 36 inches possible. 3 to

jean joy this calm around the area. people bracing for this.

chuck bell with four things you need to know. chuck? >> waiting on a good named storm? how about 1, 2, 3 snow. tomorrow will be january 23rd. i like snow nino myself. get things done before lunchtime. it will be snowing in the dmv before the supplying goes down. saturday is shelter in place day. snow early in the day on sunday maybe before the sun comes up. sunday will be a digout day and a day best to staying at home. cold today. temperatures rising to the 30s at most. for tomorrow, blizzard-like conditions. there's the average snowfall amounts, i think, by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. about 12 to 18 inches on the ground. by 4:00, could have 178 to 30 inches of snow on the ground.

so a lot of impacts in a lot of ways, a little funny thing, one of my twitter followers is predicting a baby boom nine months from now. >> i got the e-mail about 1, 2, 3 snow. here we go. i like that idea. outer loop there at jorgeorgeto pike, looks like fire and rescue is pulling away. a little bit of a slowdown. rest of the beltway looking good. also rolling along quite nicely. a tad slow here, 95 southbound through quantico. just a little bit of volume there. remember we still have that issue as far as slowdowns and white's ferry shut down. we have too much ice on the potomac. travel time is in ten minutes >> thank you, melissa. it seems like everywhere everyone is making plans to take care of the storm and the

federal government is not closed today but if you are a federal worker you have the option of unscheduled lrm time off. as for schools, almost all of the major school districts made the call to close today. take a look. everything in red on this map closed. they're all dismissing early. we have all those closures on the bottom of your screen and make sure you check the nbc washington app to find out whether your school office is closed. we'll have that as well. crews are hard at work pretreating roads trying to get ahead of the blizzard. they don't want a repeat of the mess. a lot of folks got stuck. several businesses are staying open for a few more hours at least. megan mcgrath at highway 7 in leesburg with how folks are trying to get ready. megan. >> reporter: well, good morning. we're at a shopping center in leesburg along route 7. you can see we've got a star

buck's over there. it's doing a brisk business considering there's a blizzard heading over. there are a lot of people out and about who are going get in a half a day of work here, and lots of people hunkering down and preparing for the storm. of course, this is an area that's expected to get clobbered by this blizzard. we're talk 30 or more inches of snow in the leesburg area. we've got hours to go before it started. people are out and about. they're going to the grocery store getting last few items they neat to hunker down and wait the storm out for the duration of the weekend. i talked to a gentleman a little why while ago. he said he's ready go but he's worried about the possibility of power outages. >> that is a concern. we don't have any backup heaters or anything. i worry about that. we have extra sweatshirts, a lot of blankets. >> reporter: and i talked to a plow driver. he reminds people, get your car off the street. get it in the garage or driveway

so they can plow. back to you. >> megan, thank you. we have "news4" crews tracking the stuff on the weekend. for everything else you can check your area on the snow map. d.c. shows where it's snow and what's been plowed and salted. vdot will show the streets they plowed too. maryland lists the broken down cars and travel speeds. this is a storm we're watching up and down the east coast. other parts will be slammed. nbc's dylan dryer picks up the team coverage in roanoke. dylan, it's snowing already. >> was on a mission to find snow this morning. that takes us to southwest virginia outside roanoke in

christianburg. i woke up this morning after we set up shop. nothing on the ground and right on cue we found snow and it hasn't stopped. the leading edge is we don't have the winds. the washington, d.c., area is going to get slammed with the snow and then the wind. this is i-81 back here behind me, and it's looking like i-81 could take the brunt of this storm. this is a possible road that maybe will be closed for the storm once it starts to get going. yeah, it's headed your way, eun. >> we're getting ready for dylan dreyer. flights in particular, united airlines says no flights will be leaving the d.c. baltimore area after 4:00 this

afternoon. delta, jetblue, american, southwest also canceling flights. reagan national arjt dulles, and b.w. i marshal have canceled flight this weekend. amtrak may be your only way out this weekend. as of now, a few are scheduled to run on modified schedules with fewer trains. the auto train that runs between lorton, virginia, and stanford, florida, already canceled. metro not taking any chances. they'll be shutting down. plus, "storm team 4" hard at work to make sure you have the most up-to-date information. our meteorologist will show you when the storm will arrive and how much snow you'll get. "news4" coverage of the blizzard warning continues right after this.

a weather alert day for you on this friday as we prepare for this major winter storm. you're looking live from our national harbor camera. all quiet here. the river is -- >> a beautiful picture. >> yeah. >> of the capital wheel in our area. >> i wonder what happens when you get two feet of snow on one of those wheel cars? >> maybe you spin it to get the snow off. >> or watch it fall. i don't know. >> we're seeing the snow plows getting ready. >> chuck, we can't hear you. i saw your mouth moving but nothing was coming out. there we go. >> i'm just messing with the audio. >> don't do that. outside today, blizzard warning into effect. it is now friday. the time to get things done is here,er. already moderate snow in

roanoke. that steady snow probably only about six hours or less away depending on where you live and a big powerhouse storm. big weather day in florida. all flights in and out of reagan national airport stop at 4:00 this afternoon. road impacts will go from bad to worse during the course of the day. havering done before noontime today. snowfall amount before all is said and done, looks like about 20 to 30 inches on average across much of the area. when i see you at 6:51, i'll show you just for fun. i'll she you the individual model outfits. wait till you see some of the numbers. how about 40 plus in some spots. i'll show you that in ten minutes. you don't want to miss that. >> freak them out. freak them out. 395 southbound before the 14th street bridge. sounds like a disabled vehicle that should be off to the beltway. heading unto 270, nice light volume this morning.

maryland travel times, 270 south, you're on time. top of the beltway looking quite good. 66 inbound and 95 north, people are perhaps staying home today as they should. aaron? >> thank you. this dangerous snowstorm should be on time for everybody. this creating problems. we're live in hiyattsville with what happened. >> if you venture out, one of the many plows and salt trucks getting ready for the storm. we'll show you ♪

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if you don't have to drive, don't drive. if you don't have to leave your home, don't. >> i have no idea how to use a generator. cost is not an issue. we take this very seriously to keep our community safe. >> you have to listen to all these warnings we've been telling you about. we're running out of time now to get you ready for today's dangerous winter storm. you don't want to be out there when the snow starts falling. our team is spread out in the community to keep you safe. >> we begin with the man of the hour, "storm team 4" meteorologist chuck bell with how this storm is shaping up. chuck, what do you see? >> it looks like it will be a top five finisher as far as snowfall in the area. might be a one or two. we'll have to wait and see. the snow could pile up and fast.

could have as much as 4 to 8 inches of snow by early this evening. we could have as much as 8 to 12 inches of snow by this time tomorrow. we'll shoal you coming up. chopper 4 over the inner loop. this says it all. friday morning. plan ahead. do yourself a favor. stay off the road and be safe here. >> guys? >> thanks, melissa. families are scrambling to find somewhere to go before a massive blizzard hits the area. 20 adults and six kids are homeless after a fire in prince george's county. "news4's" molette green is there with more on what they i've doing to help them. time is running out, molette. this is a terrible situation. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. the fire started on the third floor. as you can see, there's still trucks on the scene. folks tell me those who live in the unit moved in just six

months ago. investigators looking for a cause after firefighters used ladders to rescue folks from this burning building. it with us quite a dramatic scene. people who live in a total of 12 units are now out in the korld. they're waiting cold. man is now waiting to see what help he can get for his family. >> how are you feeling? >> i'm okay. i'm just glad my family got out. it's the most important thing, you know. >> reporter: you can see the red stick owner the door there. the building is now unsafe, forcing those 20 adults, six children out. no injuries because the working smoke detectors saved lives in this case. the fire trucks are moving now out of the lot here because this scene is winding down. back to you. >> thanks, molette. 6:48. metro is shutting down services ahead of this big storm.

metro rail is closing at 11:00 tonight. metrobuses will stop service at 5:00 p.m. and then finish their last route. metro access will stop at 6:00 tonight. the entire metro system is closed saturday and sunday. metro general manager paul wiedefeld says trying to keep underground stations open would pun putt a strain on resources. cars will be up running quicker afterward. we have an update on the commuter trains. m.a.r.c. and vre are working on an "s" schedule. frederick will be running till 2:00 p.m. vre and m.a.r.c. are expecting a rush during the middle of the day and they're telling passengers the trains will be crowded. the march for life is on today despite the coming weather. you'll see protests at

noochblt #whywemarch. they'll march to the supreme court and hold more speeches there and by the time it wraps up, it could be snowing. >> are we talk power, chuck? i'm sorry. that's something chuck is warning us about. you get this much snow, this much wind, you're going to have power lines come down. >> upper-level low right. last year, snowmaggedon in 2010, we had 150,000 people without electrici electricity. this storm will rival that one in intensity. plan on losing your power. if you don't, all the better. i was outside yesterday enjoying the last of the beautiful sunshine. ice on the potomac, ice on the tidal basin, and a little flock of geese. they're out there. they should have been flying

westbound. i would have been getting the flock out of town. like that one. >> share your a great snow pictures with me and i'll share them with everybody else. it's a cold start. everything is dry. temperatures in the teens and 20s right now. blizzard warnings are up for this afternoon and through the day tomorrow. the heavier snow in roanoke should be arriving about noontime today. have everything done before noontime. here's the snow potential. here's our local computer we run in-house. snow piles up fach s up fast. by 8:00, 2 to 3 inches. by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, it looks like 12 to 18 inches on average across the area. i rarely show you computer mold

outputs because they're just computers. they don't have to live with these numbers. check out the blockbuster numbers. this is the american model. it's cranking out 40 inches of snow. >> put that away. >> here's how we see it breaking down. plan on 20 to 30 across most of the area. 30-plus. the bull's-eye where i think we might get 36 inches or so, maybe a little more than that, northern montgomery county. out toward lucketts and fauquier. those are the areas where you could potentially get 3 feet or more. in southern maryland, we could be mix eing in rain with the snow. add in the winds. 30 to 50 miles an hour.

it will be a heavier wetter snow and the wind will be higher. seven-day forecast, a quick check of it there. the one thing that's different about this blizzard compared to some of the other ones in the past, we will not be dropping to near zero behind it. no bitter cold behind it. that will allow the meltdown to take place all the faster. here's melissa mollet. she's not melting down at all. >> i'm not melting at all. over here on the beltway, blizzard warning. that says it all. friday through sunday, plan ahead. that means stay home if you can. taking a big look at things, look at this light volume. this is a great. it says with schools closed, parents get to stay home and the evening commute won't be as bad because, again, it's going to be nasty road-wise. we still have that problem.

remember white's ferry shut down. ashton village road we still have that crash. a water main break still has that inthor section shut down. aaron and eun? >> all right, melissa, thank you. you have a few hours left before the blizzard starts to hit up. crews have been out trying to get a head start. >> "news4's" megan mcgrath is live on leesburg highway. right now the stores are still open, so you have a few more hours. >> reporter: guys, can i pick a live shot location or what? we're between a starbucks and a dunkin' donuts. a few minutes ago, a lovely lady walked up to beth and me and gave us an entire bag of doughnuts and bring them back to the station. guys, we have doughnuts for you. you're going have plenty of doughnut this morning. there are plenty of people out in leesburg, plenty of people working a half day. some working a full day, but they do know the snow is coming, and everyone i talk to said they're ready. they're prepared, they've already gone to the grocery

store. they've stocked up on everything they need and they'll be hunkering down once that snow starts to come down. we've got a few hours before that happens. >> megan, we know this is not your first rodeo. she knows where to go for a live shot. thank you. bring those doughnuts back. >> we've got chuck penn with dominion power. tell us what you've done. there's going to be power outages when all is said and done. >> well, as i mentioned before, we're prepped and ready to go. you know, we've been tracking this storm for days now. like you, it's almost like, okay, let's get it on. we know it's going to be a painful experience because we're most concerned about the treacherous road conditions that our field personnel are going to be faced with. of course, the quality and the texture of the snow is going to dictate the amount of outages we get. if it is a wet heavy snow, it's

going to lay on trees and tree limbs and it's going to come in contact with our lines and we'll get outages as a result of that. we've got 4,000 personnel prepped and ready go, and we'll have hundreds of bucket trucks out and about. and we recognize that it's bitter cold. and when it's cold like this, it's as cold in your house when you don't have heat as it is outdoors, so that's going to be the impetus and the motivation that our folks will bring to the restoration effort. >> all right. chuck penn, the spokesperson for virginia dominion power. check the bottom of the screen for tall closings ahead of the big storm start saing with the federal agencies that are open but you can take unscheduled leave or telework. schools are also closing. all the districts in red are closed. the ones in yellow sending students home early.

>> all right, chuck bell. these numbers are freaking me out just a little bit. >> historic amounts of snow on the way in the next 24 to 36 hours. plan to be with someone you love at 7:00 tonight because you're probably going to be snowed in with them for the next 48 hours. hopefully you'll love them when it's all over. >> that means us. >> hey, a programming note for you. "news4" midday will be two hours today starting at 11:00 a.m. to help you stay on top of the storm. >> full coverage tomorrow morning. we will all see you then. have a great day. >> have a great friday, everybody.

good morning. making history. a snow storm of epic proportions set to bury our nation's capital in just a few hours. at least two feet expected in d.c. more in other places. 88 million americans to be impact, and our team of weather wizards is tracking it all. breing overnight, a university of virginia student arrested and detained in nk accused of committing a hostile act. what was he doing there, and what will the u.s. government do to get him out? mr. nice guy? >> we will be unified. we will be one. we will be happy again. >> donald trump tells voters he'll bring the country together, but then just hours later released this ad attacking