hill in fairfax station when the dog wandered on to wood glenn lake. take a look. falls through the ice, struggling to get up. i can only imagine how cold that water was with the wind chill outside of 8 below in the air. first responders able to dry the dog, warm him up. they say the dog is 100% okay and healthy. doing well. >> just a good reminder, stay off the ice. this is storm team 4's special coverage of the blizzard of 2016. ing aboutle down in blizzard 2016 despite the foot after snow already on the ground, we are only halfway through the dangerous storm hitting our area. it's only expected to get worse.

>> i want to cloob with everybody. we see this as a major storm. we see this as a major storm. it has life and death implications. >> metro shutdown, the streets shut down. the center of the nation, shut down. >> it's really, really bad. i really hope everybody stays safe. >> and this is just how treacherous it is out there. take a look. normally we'd be able to show you reagan national airport. the heavy snow from the blizzard is making it hard to see anything. >> let's take you to maryland, this is national hash earp. you can still make out the ferris wheel's lights through the snow. and the capitol is cloaked in white this morning. whereas we mentioned most people are waking up to 12 inches of snow. >> we have proof of it. the coveted pat collins snow

stick sitting right there. you can see the line, it is hovering right around one foot and cold out there, too. >> that thing will be busy. >> yes, indeed. >> welcome to the 6:00 hour. i'm angie goff. >> i'm david culver. dominion has 193 customers out and pg & e 194. >> that is one of the many things we're working on for you this morning. we have crews spread across the region this morning from maryland to virginia and the district. >> we start with storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell. for those waking up, chuck, it's important for them to note that a blizzard warning remains in effect. we are far from over. >> it is not over until it's over. it is not going to be over anytime soon around here. staying home, staying safe, that's the best place you can be right now.

if you need emergency services, obviously you can call them. be cautious before you make anybody else having to go out in this water. thanks for the pictures. @chuckbell4, instagram is 4cast4u. leslie michelle, wheaton, maryland, check it out, snow blowing and driving all across the parking lots in the wheaton area, wheaton plaza all covered up in the snow early this morning. we have cliff bailey jr. he didn't tell me where he lived but they tell did tell me, can you find the dachshund in this picture? yes, you can. this is his first snow. that's always good stuff. i've had dachshunds for years. now i have a tall, skinny dog to run with.

brambleton this morning. look at the snow piled up and on the roof edge as well. if your roof shows stress, try to get some of the snow off the roof of the house. keep sending pictures. temperatures, we're way down into the low 20s. the lower your temperature gets, the more powdery and fluffy the snow will be. down into southern maryland and by the way where temperatures are in the upper 20s, it will be a heavier, wetter snow. storm team 4 radar, that's another intense snow band that's coming over the city right now. the little break in the action for gaithersburg is just about over. the heavy snow moving right back in there. so keep in mind travel completely discouraged. the main low is still back here, west of the richmond area. it has a long way to go. as long as it's back here to our south and west, we will continue to get that huge plume of moisture coming in here. we will continue to snow for the

next couple of hours. heavy snow likely to continue through at least noontime. probably into about 2:00 or 3:00 for parts of northern and western maryland. 20 to 30 inches on average is still a very good bet especially with the blowing and the drifting of the snow. back into the studio. >> thanks so much, chuck. we want to head out to southern maryland for an update on how the roads are looking right now. >> we have donna fuqua on the phone. she's with charles county government. how does it look. >> with snow accumulation, the roads are treacherous just like they are across the area. we're struggling like everyone else. >> we know the wind will be a problem. what kind of challenges does that create for you and your team? >> it will be difficult for the road crews as they are trying to keep the roads clear but it's drifting back behind them. our crews have over 200 pieces

of equipment to clear the roads. because of the drifting last night, they actually suspended the prague because the conditions were deteriorating. they're in a process of getting back out there. depending on the conditions, they plan to start moving forward. >> donna, one of the things we've noticed is that folks at least up around the d.c. area closer have been staying off the roads, heeding the warnings. are they doing that where you are in charles county? >> yes, we are. we're encouraging everyone to please stay off the roads. we're trying to encourage people to realize the storm is going through till sunday. just because they think they can get out, please don't. we're concerned about the safety of our employees and contractors as they're trying to clear the roads and for their safety as well. >> donna fuqua with the charles county government on the phone. hopefully we'll be able to check back in later this morning. be safe, that message for you and your crews. >> thank you so much. intense snowfall happening

right now in the germantown area, live pictures showing how hard it's coming down. >> we want to get straight to scott macfarlane. you said those plows are working hard. >> yes, they are. somebody who's working one of those plows walked by me and said it just got real. visibility is getting near zero in parts of germantown. i'm told the same is true it clarksburg and gaithersburg, most of montgomery county. i'm walking in a parking lot. a lot of people walking on major roads. somebody walking along clopper road in montgomery county. it's the easiest place to walk because they're aggressively plowing. we're hitting a spot in the storm in this part of montgomery county where it's difficult to walk and see in front of you, much less drive. as i've said earlier, these storms in montgomery county, traditionally, historically are tougher up county, into clarksburg, damascus and poolville.

we're at a gas station that's open here in germantown. it's popular. we're near some workers who have to be on the job, plows, police and fire. for now they're the only ones on the road. that's a good thing. live in germantown this morning, scott macfarlane, news 4. >> we're grateful for the workers trying to do their jobs, trying to keep everybody safe. around 12 inches of snow has fallen here in the district. there is more on the way. >> the message we've been sharing from highwaying as across the area, stay off the roads today. adam tuss is in the storm team 4 by 4. he's crossed into the commonwealth of virginia from d.c. how is it looking in arlington, adam? >> it's rough everywhere, david. i think within can say that for sure. winter is upon us for sure. the storm team 4 by 4, this is 395 close to shirlington. this is what the highway looks

like. we are seeing people getting stuck. the plows are trying to do what they can do. every so often they'll make a pass but then someone will get stuck in a pile of snow. we've seen a number of people out here this morning who are definitely stuck and they're in bad shape. give the road crews their chance to do what they need to do. if you're out here and stuck on the road with the road crews, they're not going to be able to plow where they have to go. they have to maneuver around you. don't do that. this snow comes down at a steady clip. it's showing no signs of stopping. we have a lot of work to do out here. the roads in the district are looking particularly rough out there on the side streets. they are impassable in some spots.

people are trying to walk around. it's not a good situation. remember when the kids were asking where winter was, when's it going to snow, so on and so forth? >> yes. >> they're getting their wish. >> they got their answer. the winter has certainly awakened. take it easy out there. as you mentioned, we know it's rough. >> one of the coolest pictures we saw, melissa mollet's son putting a big heart in the backyard, we love you, mom. >> after 13 hours on the air, she deserved that. that and a cup of hot chocolate. >> storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein standing by on the storm team 4 weather deck. the mike cut you out last time because of the wind. it's strong out there. >> it is. this is the heaviest snow so far in this storm, coming down in the metro area right now, right here on the storm team 4 weather

deck we have about 13 mpls of snow. it's a fluffy and dry snow and the wyntons to whip on through here. can't even see more than an eighth of a mile. snow totals so far up to 12 inches in washington. north and west. anywhere from about 10 to 13 inches. southern maryland as well. already had around 10 to 12 inches of snow, wood bridge, 14 to 15 inches of snow. four things to do. it will be much better on your back if you shovel every four hours rather than trying to get rid of it all at once after the storm ends. clear snow from around the fire hydrants. clear snow from the heat pump outside the house. that will keep that running efficiently. make sure you check on your elderly neighbors as we have this storm continuing. winds gusting 30 to 35 miles an hour. planning to see drifting here in

northwest as these gusts come on through. that's the way it looks. we'll be back out here with more updates throughout the morning. >> tom mentioned the fire hydrants. i was at bailey's cross roads. those folks asking three feet around the fire hydrants. >> if you spray pack or cooking spray on the shovel, both sides, it will slide right off and the snow won't stick on the shovel. >> good tips. a live picture of what's behind us, that's logan circle. >> and kont don't be fooled by the calmness of the shot. d.c. is still in the bullseye. as this snow tonights to build across our region, this is blizzard 2016, news 4 today returns.

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we continue our blizzard 2016 coverage this morning. taking a live look at national harbor where it is here, the capital wheel has been frozen in time. >> we've been looking at this live picture since we came on the air since 5:00 this morning. it's got increasingly worse when it comes to visibility. it's tougher to see the wheel. you can see a little bit illuminated there because of the lights on the wheel. other than that, no visibility.

the storm still hitting our area. we're only partway through the system. >> heavy snow continues throughout the morning. midmorning at least. and then chuck bell is standing by. you were talking about wind gusts, 40 miles per hour into the afternoon in some places. >> yes, extreme winds here for the next couple of hours as snow nino continues. when you send me your snow picture don't forget to tell me where you are and if you can estimate -- i'm not going to make you go out in the snow with a ruler' measure it. marjorie innocent in anacostia, look at the snow in anacostia. that parking lot have been untreated except for a few brave souls that walked through the

snow a few hours ago. diane sill, springfield, virginia, that looks look a solid 12 to 15 inches of snow on the hood of the car. winifred odenton maryland, that's a solid 15 to 18 inches of snow. and jen martin, look at the snow in the shenandoah valley and the blueridge. that looks like 12 to 16 inches of snow as well. temperatures are in the 20s right now. tom kierein was just out on the storm team 4 weather deck and just after he came in -- there he is. >> thundersnow. >> it's happening, yes, thundersnow out there. we get thundersnow only in the most intent winter storms. we have that going on out here. our boss's wife in bethesda

reported she heard the thunder as well. it's coming down heavy right now. that snow banned is going northbound, right up 270. northern montgomery county, frederick maryland, snow continues to pile up quickly. look at that plume of moisture. looks like things have eased up a little bit down across far southern maryland. we are still watching the moisture to continue to ride on in here. we'll be in the snow here for the remainder of the morning and on into the afternoon. what do you need to know about the storm today? first of all, take it easy, everybody. shovel in shifts. relax. it's snowing on a saturday. stay at home from church tomorrow. he made this joke 20 years ago, tomorrow is the day you stay at home with the lord. it will take two to four days to clear off the main and secondary

roads. winds will continue to gust. intense snow for the next couple of hours. heavy snow at 11:00 a.m. heavy to moderate by 3:00 or 4:00. as we get towards sundown, things will finally start to wind down a bit. it will be a wind whipped snow for the remainder of the day. here's how tomorrow is looking. breezy and cold. the sun will be out. temperatures may get above freezing in a few spots. i wouldn't count on a whole lot of thawing out coming our way. the darker the blue is, the heavier the snow is. by 11:00 a.m. this morning, the heaviest shifting up into parts of merrill. the darkest colors are starting to be reduced into the lighter blues and down into the white. by 7:00 tonight, light to maybe moderate snow. that will be coming to an end very quickly. by 10:00, just flurries. by 1:00 in the morning, all is done. truly an historic storm for

sure. i think national airport, typical underperformance by the water and the airport. it doesn't tend to get as much snow. national airports probably going to be in the 16 to 19 range. a lot of neighborhoods will have 30 inches of snow. and with the wind out there, snow drifts between 3 and 5 feet are common. i know that's true. because i walked through about a 4-foot drift just to get from the parking lot into the building this morning. we have blizzard-like conditions through early this afternoon. an additional 4 to maybe as much as 12. >>s of snow. you can send me pictures on twitter or our station. here's our station address, ic@nbcwashington.com. we'll be having as many pictures as we can on the show and on our website as well. tom will be back out there. we'll try and get thundersnow caught on live tv. he'll stand out there until we get it. become to you. >> all right, chuck, thanks.

chuck mentioned tomorrow, a day to stay at home with the lord. the archdiocese of washington as well as the diocese in arlington telling catholics they can avoid sunday mass tomorrow, giving them a rare exemption from it. >> amen. amen. we want to go back to the phones where we have chief spokesperson for montgomery county fire and rescue, pete barringer joining us now. you made mention the only safe ice is an ice rink. >> absolutely. before we get to that, there was just a spectacular bolt of lightning and snow thunder here. it was pretty spectacular. caught me by surprise. >> we need a picture of that. >> i was think of that. i wasn't quick enough. we'll get that. >> there's drifting out there. people think a lot of the pond

and waterways have frozen over. they might think eventually of going out and getting on the ice but it's really not safe. you're absolutely right. the only safe ice is an ice rink. i don't think anybody will be going to an ice rnk soon because you just can't get out and about. stay away from the ice. it's dangerous. >> we saw that with a st. bernard in fair fox county yesterday. they had to rescue that poor up. . as the hours go on into today, pun of the concerns, folks may feel like they can venture out. what are your concerns? >> yesterday we had a few fires, one of which was a chimney fire. >> okay. >> i believe we lost pete piringer. hopefully the thundersnow didn't catch him. >> wreaking havoc with his

telephone line. do i know i follow him onlane on social media. he made mention that they had some downed trees and limbs that their crews were helping get off the roadways. scott macfarlane talked about how the tree cutting services are on stand by. they're waiting around to do the work as it's needed. let's go from maryland to the virginia department of transportation, jason bond is on the phone. how is it looking for you guys this morning? >> it's a rough morning for sure. we're busy. a lot of our plow trucks are getting held up. it's bigger than what they expected at this hour. we're advising everyone, like we've heard all night, stay off the roads. if your car gets stuck, stay away from the vehicle, try to get out of there as soon as possible and continue on from there. >> when we talk about cars getting stuck and accidents even at that, we know that the numbers, they were pretty high looking from thursday at

midnight into 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon. more than 300 accidents. a lot were in the richmond area. we did have a dozen around fairfax county. and disabled vehicles. is that a problem? >> that's the problem. my drug dealer and prostitute were on the way and they couldn't get it delivered. i couldn't believe it. >> we're looking live, jason, at the storm team 4 by 4 camera. i believe this was on 395. adam tuss is driving in the storm team 4 4 by 4. this is happening on an interstate. >> we have radio dispatch telling us that constantly. you know, deliveries just aren't happening right now. any sort of services, emts having trouble, all sorts of things. >> there are people when the sun comes up, people have a false

sense of security that things will be okay. we know the snow will be coming down. so for people that are traveling out or that need to, what are your words of advice? >> stay bunkered down as long as possible and check the main roads, call your friends, family, use your networks that you know if it's passable. if it's not, don't take a shot at it. >> we stayed overnight into a hotel and ran in a few truck drivers. what kind of shifts are they working on to try and keep the roads clear. >> these guys are working almost 20 hours, you know. those call girls in the hotel, they just stay there, you know. >> okay. thank you so much. jason bond bringing us up to speed on the conditions of the virginia roadways.

you notice we were live there. he was trying to get our attention there to show us the situation we have on the roadways. one of the big things we said earlier was, you know, you have to know your car, you have to know if you're capable of getting through this. >> this is not all surprising because if you really look at the grand scheme of things, 1.5 million annual car crashes are associated with poor driving conditions, caused by weather alone. lousy driving conditions lead to an estimated 7,000 people being killed each year. 800,000 more people being injured. you don't want to be a statistic. you want to avoid a common era. this one is as common as it gets. >> what's most frightening, this happens on the interstate. this is what we're looking at live right now.

folks have to evaluate what's going on. they're walking on the interstate. these are streets that are only partially cleared. you can see the bank in the middle which caused issues for this vehicle we're looking at. i was with fire and rescue yesterday. this poses a threat to even them. they have to get out on the roads and try to evaluate and help out where needed. >> this looks like an suv. >> that's deep. that's what we were seeing this morning, angie. it didn't matter what you were driving on, there were certain parts of the roads you couldn't get through. >> we talk about the big trucks, the big suvs and it does give you a false sense of security. four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, it isn't going to give you the traction you need to brake or sliding out and spinning out as well. >> we have adam tuss to talk with us more about what he's seeing there. hey there, adam.

>> we're out here on the interloop. this is the interloop at springfield. you're looking at the shot that's right hundred the storm team 4 by 4 here. this is an suv that is completely stuck in the snow drift here. this is what we were talking about earlier. you might think you can come out here and ride on the interstate but there are huge snow banks out here. once you decide to make a shift from one lane to the next or try to get on or off at an exit ramp, this is what happens. you get stuck. this thing is burr rid up past its tires and it's going to take a long time to big this out. you can see the snow blowing and drifting in the win. the snow continues to come down. it's a dangerous situation out here right now. i don't care what kind of car you have. we have seen cars stuck, we've seen snowplows stuck out here this morning. it's a completely irresponsible thing to come out on any road. this is the highway as we're

mentioned. think about what it will be like to get out of your driveway or neighborhood. that kind of street. that kind of situation. it is not an easy ride anywhere around the region right now. do yourself a favor, stay inside all day today. let the crews get out here, do what they need to do and clear the roads. it is just not safe. not to mention, they're digging out here on the highway. they have to get out of their cars and now you're putting a state trooper in harm's way because hes had to get out of his car and other cars are trying to get past while all of this is beginning on. do yourself a favor. stay at home. it is not worth the headache this morning. we've seen snowplows stuck out here today. be safe. >> virginia state police troopers have to get out of their vehicle. from that we want to go virginia state police, corrine gellar on the line this morning. want to get your thoughts on the crash we saw right there. >> good morning.

that's what our troopers are experiencing all over the state. since midnight statewide, troopers have been responding to more disabled vehicles than they have actual traffic crashes. about 150 disabled vehicles overnight. >> what exactly is the main problem here? is it just because there is so much snow or perhaps the huge snow banks they roll up on? kind of what adam was talking about. they just can't get traction. >> exactly. the roads are slick and they're treacherous. most of these are being caused by people moving slowly cross the road. they lose control and slide off into a ditch or get stuck. even though there's no damage, it doesn't count as a traffic crash. unfortunately we are seeing our share of crashes as well. yesterday, state troopers worked

990 crashes. and responded to 790 disabled vehicles across the state. >> hope you and your troopers an stave say safe out there. >> thank you. 6:31 right now. we want to reset this half hour of news 4 today. i'm david culver. >> i'm angie goff. we want to begin with a look at what the snow and the blizzard is doing right now. it is not done yet. we know d.c. and most of our area is completely shut down. we have been brought to a grinding halt. >> a monster storm, dumping snow, making it nearly impossible with the live pictures to get around. today, even more is coming down. >> obviously that shot is not come undowing down.

thank god we have chuck standing by. >> things will gradually start to improve after 2:00 or so this afternoon. between now and then, it will continue to be all snow and wind driven? he at that. picture time, everybody. sarah albrycht. look at how cute she is. pretty soon the snow will be taller than her. no doubt about it. that looks like a solid foot in arlington county for sure. it will be a great snowstorm for her. looks like we'll need to get a bigger dog. this one out here is having a hard time getting through the big drifts. that one in cumberland. also need a bigger door for the bigger dog. this is waldorf, merrill. waldorf sent in another picture, there's 13 inches of snow right

there according to the ruler at her house. keep on sending those in. you can send them into the station's website, here's our website address, ic@nbcwashington.com. blowing and drifting will continue to be a problem. visibility down near zero. this will not improve anytime soon. 22 now, rockville, reston and dulles, 25 at joint base andrews. that heavy snow is leaving. light snow from waldorf southbound, southern prince george's county as well. the northern half from potomac and great falls on out towards leesburg, purseleville.

that will not change anytime soon. meanwhile, more snow to come. we are on facebook live. yes, we are. if you're a fan of our nbc washington facebook page, come on over. brittany, our social media guru is over here working the facebook live camera. back to you. >> it's an toon the to are you to come in and chat with us and ask us your questions. we can get them to chuck. roads across the area, very treacherous this morning. we don't really have to tell you that. >> you've heard it several times. if you don't have to head out, just don't. adam tuss has taken the storm team 4 by 4 to virginia. already we've seen issues out thereof with you. >> we've seen snowplows getting stuck, cars getting stuck. this car right here is stuck on the interloop of the beltway in springfield. as you head up towards brad dock

ro road. other cars are stopping in the middle of the beltway to help this guy dig out. also, a virginia state trooper. we have a confluence of people out here because someone wasn't smart enough to stay athome. the issue out here, you have huge snow piles and these huge snow drifts. when you try to change lanes or get over from one side to the next, all of a sudden you're in a huge pile of snow you can't expect to see. that's really the issue out here this morning. it is just not a good idea to get out on the roads. again, this is the highway. think about what it's going to be like getting out of your drivew waway or secondary stree. you get out here and the plows have done a good job. i do want to say, they're out here pushing the snow around. all that snow has to go somewhere. they can't get it off the road for you. there will be drifts that will build up. and it continues to snow here.

the snow is coming down at a steady clip and will continue for most of the day. that's what we're hearing. we are not done with this by any stretch of the imagination. you'll find situations like this all over the road. we have a tow truck, we're going to come out here and try to get this guy out of the middle the road. people are trying to dig them out. it's a tough situation. be safe. be safe, stay at home. it is not worth the hassle. these conditions are super rough. we're in this truck because it's easier to drive in this truck. it is specifically formulated for this kind of thing. that's why we're in this vehicle. you need to stay home. >> adam tuss for us. stay safe. thanks for the report. see you in a bit. you are sending us great photos. keep them coming. kevin leery sent me a tweet, did i just hear and see thunder and lightning? yes, you did.

tom kierein was outside in fact when he saw the first thundersnow hit the area. speaking of our viewers, the snow obviously keeps on coming down. this is out in buoy, maryland. darlene prickette sending us this one. what do you do when you're scheduled to get married today? you move up your wedding. this is a wedding day and but full picture at that. they got married during the blizzard. one lucky couple. they said i do in the snow and it was falling. congratulations to corey and mark. check out this, this fun note toe was taken in arlington. y yoga anyone? we need stress relief, right? if you're helping out your neighbors by clearing out snow, send us photos at the hash tag help for neighbors.

you can tweet your pictures at nbc washington or e-mail us ic@nbcwashington.com. david? >> loving those pictures coming in, angie. one of the best moments of the past half hour is when tom kierein came running into the studio saying i heard thundersnow. >> it was maybe a minute after i was on the air, there was a big flash of blue-white lightning in the sky. a few sections later i heard a loud crack of thunder. it has lightened up but still coming down hard. snow totals so far around the region, 13 mpls in washington, right here in northwest. 15 inches in alexandria, up to 12, 13, 14 injuries, mt. george's, the blueridge, shenandoah valley, 10 to 12 inches in southern maryland as well. these are important things for

you to do. every four hours, try to shovel. it will make it easier than trying to shovel it all after it ends. clear snow around your local fire hydrants. clear snow if around the heat pump. it will function more efficiently if you clear things away from the heat pump. and make sure you check on the elderly. this will be a paralyzing snow for the rest of day. the winds will only increase. we've had gusts on the storm team 4 weather deck up to 35 miles an hour. already seeing drifting of that snow. here's a time lapse of the snow piling up overnight and it's all the way up to 13 inches on the storm team 4 weather deck. we'll be back in a few more minutes. all right, thank you, tom. if you think the storm was intense in our studios, check out the conditions in northern montgomery county. >> scott macfarlane is live along germantown road. i feel like it keeps getting

more and more intense. >> reporter: this is for sure. this is what it feels like to stand in a know globe. it's not that you can't see if you're trying to drive in germantown. you just can't see. i put goggles on and a had a shovel. this artery is being well maintained. there's a lot of important things off germantown road. a fire department, the u.s. department of energy, police barracks. that's fine. we've seen cars trying to get on to i-270. they make it down the on ramp. i have no idea what happens next. side roads are impassable. you know that. your communities are impassable. bottom line, this is not the opportunity to walk your dog. this is no the opportunity to stretch your legs. this is the worst we've seen than 2:00 in the morning.

this is a major areas on saturday mornings. you bring the kids, the shops, the schools, the activities, the transit center is down the road. just seems odd to see it like it is. live in germantown, scott macfarlane, news 4. we have crews working to are you all over the region this morning. >> let's check in with news 4's meagan fitzgerald joining us live from the national mall. earlier, megan, we saw folks out there dancing with you. >> we did. we'll show you that in the next 30 minutes or so. the snow is still coming down. at times when it's mixed with the wind, i call it sideways snow, the snow that hits you from all different directions. certainly not pleasant. if you don't have to be out here, you should stay indoors. >> i want to show you video we shot coming from bethesda to the

mall. it's sped up. snowplows were out there. these roads are snow packed. at many times we saw mounds of snow even in the middle of the street, several mounds of snow along the side of the streets. it's difficult to maneuver on these roads. as we've been saying, as you've heard public officials say, stay off of the roads if you can. it's not worth being out here and getting into a crash or something worse. stay inside. the snow is pretty to look at. once you're out in it, it's a bit of a different ball game. >> meagan fitzgerald live along the national mall. folks behind her busy shoveling along. >> we continue our team coverage with northern virginia bureau chief, julie carey. >> julie was tweeting about her snow saga, getting stuck out

there. how's it going? >> we got off to a rough start this morning. the drills for the snowstorm is we stay in a hotel near our live truck. to hopefully reduce the chances of us getting stuck. not this morning. i am from iowa. i pride myself at being a good snow driver. i was not behind the wheel. we pulled out of the hotel, it's at least a foot in tysons and drifted much higher in some spots. let's take a look at the videotape right now. it didn't take us long to get stuck in that deep snow, the old rock 'n' roll, back and forth didn't work either. luckily they were plowing all night long at tysons. you could hear the truck scraping. our driver flagged down some plow guys. they came to the rescue. they tried to dig around us a

little bit. that didn't work. finally they put the scoop up to the back of the suv and gave us a big shove. we finally broke free. if that didn't convince you, that's a four huff wheel drive vehicle and got into trouble. nobody has any business being out here today. we come back live to the exxon station. these are the only guys that should be out today. the big trucks, the trucks with the plows on the front. he's been continuously shoveling this lot. as soon as he picks up the snow, it's covered again. this is one spot that these truck drivers can take a break, get coffee, fuel up again. we'll be speaking to some of them about what they've seen on the roads. we'll bring that to you a little bit later on. >> we continue to follow the tweets of her snow saga this morning.

glad she was able to dig out. >> we know you are concerned about losing power, especially as the storm continues to intensify. >> we want to bring in bob haney with pepco right now. he joins us by phone. good morning to you. what are you seeing so far? where do the numbers stand? any beissues? >> good morning. right now we have little or no disruption. but we're still bracing for the worst. lots of heavier snow and winds are expected later today for the early part of the storm, we had lighter, drier snow than expected. we expect, again, that heavier snow and heavier winds. that's according to the national weather service. we've never been more prepared for a storm. we've prepped for more than a year for a storm like this. we have commitments of more than 900 workers ready to tackle the storm. >> what specifically is the concern when it comes to the

heavier snow and stronger wind that you reference? what are you worried about? >> when the wind blows, of course, even though we've been out and over the last four years we've trimmed some 9,000 miles of trees to keep them away from our power lines but, again, if you have a large tree and the wind starts to blow and that tree it covered with snow, it could lean into the power luns or topple and bring the lines down. that's the concern about the heavy winds and heavier snow. >> seeing something like that happen, folks may have the urge to run out and assess the problem. what do you recommend? >> stay away from power luns. you never know if they are energized. you always treat any wire, you sea a wire down, you treat it as if it is energized. call pepco at 1-877-737-7362.

>> we not only have pepco but all the other local utility phone numbers listed on things that you need to know on our nbc washington app. download now just in case the power does go out and you need some assistance. >> 6:47 your time now on this saturday. at this hour, the d.c. national guard is on duty to respond to an emergency. >> they've staffed themselves with humvees. >> they sure have. >> we spotted one, actually. that was in chinatown. they're out there. her than 100 soldiers and airmen are working 12-hour shifts. they'll step in when first responders can't get their cars through the snow. >> we train for this every weeke weekend. this is part of what being a

guard soldier is all about, helping the community out. >> the guard has 30 humvees stationed around the city. they're also authorized to transport doctors and other essential personnel throughout the storm. we are watching this blizzard pummel us across the area. take a look at union station. >> you can't show it because too much snow. >> we do want to pass along good information. amtrak is on a modified schedule today. no trains are running south of the district. it's going to be empty there today. more than 09,000 people would be using union station today, typically. >> another thing to be aware of in this dangerous weather, people have been tweeting us about this, your pets. >> yes. >> fairfax county fire and rescues.

>> they saved him from a frozen lake. this is happening atlake and woodland. the dog is stuck in the water. not only was it snowing, the temperature was 21. the wind chillwas at 8 below. he wandered into the water when his family was tubing down a nearby hill. >> it took a while. they had medics on standby. this is a full operation. they put him inside one of the paramedic's vans, trucks and they warmed him up. he's doing okay. he's all good and healthy and the family is very, very thankful. >> kudos to fairfax fire and rescue. >> in a few hours, pat collins will unveil his latest snow stick challenge. there is he in his challenge earlier this week telling us

about it. we don't know what it is quite yet. we do know the hash tag, #snow stick challenge. in the past we've asked for pets, frustrated faces. get ready for fun today. this is something we can do from indoors. you don't need to go out and about. pat will be with us. >> pat, his boots and hat. >> following the mess in college park, derrick ward says visibility making it tough for drivers to get around. >> he is live along route 1 just outside of the beltway. tell us about the road conditions out that way. >> you know, it's interesting. the roads aren't that bad. this is sort of a powdery type snow as we've been saying all morning. we didn't have too many issues with traction. it was a matter of finding the curb, your way points, the things you use to navigate yourselves around, especially when it's dark. this is going north on route 1

from the beltway up toward baltimore, essentially up towards beltsville where the beltsville/college park line is. again, not much trouble moving at all. the turns in the driveway, finding those was indeed an issue. and visibility, when it was at its heaviest, your visibility was relatively short. there's not a lot of traffic out he here. the plows, you almost hear them sometimes, especially if the blades were scraping. that's encouraging when you hear them scraping. you know they're getting close to pavement. but with the rate it's coming down, it's only a matter of time before it gets snowed over again. you'll see dump trucks, other vehicles in the middle. they will catch the ridges on either side of the plow blade.

you will have some possibility of changing lands. the most prudent thing is not to be out here at all unless you absolutely have to. as for that snow thunder and lightning, we actually saw it. i didn't really believe it. i knew you said this was happening. we immediately moved away from the truck. we have a mast up. you don't want to be the highest point. now i have indeed seen and heard the snow thunder and lightning. now i'm expecting to see yeti on a unicorn. i'll try an stop and get an interview. >> the exclusive, first on 4. coming up, we'll talk to somebody getting around on foot. >> a big challenge. we look forward to hearing that. >> that's what you have to look out for, the people who are walking.

>> so dank russe. >> yes. >> you may have heard a few minutes we were speaking with a man who misrepresented himself. he said he was from ddot but he was not. we apologize for the comments he made. 6:53 your time now. want a realtime look at conditions in your neighborhood. we have links to a series of interactive maps. we'll post everything there that we're tracking as well. vdot shows the streets they've taken care of. maryland's department of transportation lists all the road closures broken down cars and some of the travel speeds that folks will encounter. >> at 6:53, this is what it looks like at reagan national airport. let's see if we can see it just yet. i don't think so. the conditions continue to deteriorate. well, we see a little bit. we checked flight aware and the blizzard caused more than 500

cancellations at our airports. dwi 214, reagan national, 191 cancellations and dulles international has 185 canceled on their boards. nationally more than 4,500 flights have been canceled. when jack frost messes with your winter wedding, it is good to have whitney frost as your wedding planner. she made a flurry of changes when brian and jessica klaus moved their plans to marry from 4:30 today to 1:00 p.m. yesterday. >> so many tears. i cried all of wednesday. we have a wedding. we got married. that's what matters. >> all the stories of the stress will fall away and we'll have only good stories to tell. >> they're never forget the date, right? on monday, the couple heads to warm, sunny mexico for their honeymoon. >> that will make things a lot better.

good for them. >> they'll be able to thaw out. right now at 6:54, we are checking out the nation's capital where we have a nice thick layer of snow on the ground. very picturesque when you look out that way. >> it's important to know from one shot to another depending where you live and where you are right now is a world of difference. >> it really is. one of the things that was pretty neat, they had63 a lumpgf so -- link of some of the scenic shots. this is one of the u.s. capitol. >> we want to take it outside now. the news 4 studio where we have someone who got hyped early this morning. you ran in here because you saw thundersnow. >> yes, lightning an a rumble of thunder. that's when it was coming down hardest. the snowflakes were gianting with big flakes, almost like a

thundershower in the summertime when you get giant rain drops. we have huge snowflakes. now the flakes are small and we have winds still gusting here. it has lighten up a little bit. still snowing pretty hard in northwest. look at some of the snowfall totals we've had since this whole storm got going. snow totals so far, there are the temperatures. we are hovering in the low 20s to mid-20s around much of the region. snow totals right in washington. here it said 13 inches. alexandria is up to 15 inches. we have totals north and west that are generally right around 15 to 16 inches from frederick over to winchester, from near front royal to warrenton and south down 95 from near wood bridge to stafford county, anywhere from 12 to 15 inches. much of southern merrill as well has had as much as 12 to maybe 13 inches. a few isolated spots.

maybe even right there near the bay. it's still back now to all snow and there we have up about 10 inches there. every four hours, clear the snow around your fire hydrant, clear snow around your heat pump and check on the elderly. we'll be back with frequent updates and we'll be tracking the snow totals throughout the morning. >> good thing to know, tom kierein for us. our coverage of the blizzard of 2016 will continue. >> one thing you want to arm yourself with, the nbc washington app. it's got the latest when it comes to our breaking weather alerts. we'll be back in a moment as we leave you with a live picture covered in snow.

this is storm team 4's special coverage of the blizzard of 2016. and the sun is trying to come out. >> it is trying. >> it wants to break through the clouds and snow. you can see clearly here. how much snow has pummeled our area. >> d.c.'s busiest places almost deserted. the blrd