good morning to you. you are watching special coverage of this blizzard of 2016. we are with you through the storm, watching throughout the region as the snow continues to pile up. we're seeing nearly two feet in some places. >> it's a blizzard. i'm still processing that part of all this. >> blizzard with a capital "b." >> this isn't buffalo. we're not like in minnesota -- >> rochester. right. >> it's a blizzard in d.c. live picture for you here along the interstate. some of the work trucks parked on the side here. probably getting themselves organized and hitting that strategy soon here to start clearing more of the interstates and primary roads to start. a live picture here for you from near logan circle. >> that's right. northwest washington there. our beautiful city. we're going to find out how much more snow we're expecting and where the storm is moving.

our chief meteorologist is here, tom kierein, as well, to tell us what is happening in our forecast. >> doug, i know we talked about overnight you guys told us a lot about the wind that was going to be coming through. we saw the snow blowing around. is the wind still a significant part of what's happening now? >> it is significant, but we're not seeing 35, 40, 45 mile-per-hour gusts around most of the area. we saw 46 at dulles one hour. we're not seeing them consistently. that's good news. that means we're not going to see as many power outages as we've seen in past storms. i'll tell you, that's a great thing. the storm itself, it's still intensifying. we could still see those very strong winds. the storm is going to continue to intensify. you can see what's happened the last few hours. down to the south, not much snow in virginia. watch it all fill right back in. we're still going to see this. this is the upper area of low pressure that's going to move off the coast. as it does, then we're really going to see the snow develop once again. very heavy snow mostly up toward

frederick, leesburg, marinersburg with 22 -- martinsburg with 22 inches. d.c., close to a foot and a half in locations. you see where the heaviest snow is. this is reflectivity mode. you see the yellow around frederick toward the mountains there. that is some extremely heavy snow. winchester, up i-81, extremely heavy snow. leesburg, right through d.c., starting to get banding here, too. once the banding moves back in, we'll see snowfall rates one to two inches per hour. how much more could we see? this is additional accumulation. by 1:00, another six, seven inches in d.c. by 5:00 tonight, still going. by 9:00, how much more? between now and 9:00, the next 12 hours, we could see another ten inches in d.c., another 20 at winchester. this might be pushing it just a little bit. that would definitely get us into the 20 to 30-inch range.

30 in camp springs. ocean city, maryland, 48 mile-per-hour winds. we've seen wind gusts in rohoboth beach of 75 miles per hour. that's hurricane-force winds. right now on the phone, we've got the mayor of rohoboth beach, mayor samuel cooper. i know you guys are going through a hard time down there. explain what's happening with the wind and the water. >> yes. we have a very strong wind out of the northeast, of course. and the high tide was earlier this morning. so the tides are abating at this point, but we did have a dune breach, the north end of the boardwalk where it washed across, over top the dunes. other than that, we're in pretty good shape. >> you guys have done a lot of beach replenishment the last few years. i'm sure that's helping. you're obviously going to, after a storm like this, have to do something like that again. this is something that continues

to recur around rohoboth beach. >> absolutely. we're scheduled for replenishment of the beach probably this spring or summer. we're fortunate for the projects, and i guess this -- cross our fingers, this is early in the season for northeast storms. there could be more. >> could definitely be more. and areas like dewey beach and the jersey shore, tidal levels currently above shuck. have you heard from -- above superstorm sandy. have you heard from dewey beach? they had problems during superstorm sandy. >> yeah. the -- route 1 from dewey beach to almost bethany beach is closed for water on the road. it's early. the back bays typically flood later on. the water has to come through the indian river inlet. i'm sure it's continuing to rise

as we speak because of the strong northeast winds. but like i said, we often don't get it until later in the storm because it takes a while for the bay to fill up. i'm sure it's going to be an issue. >> another high tide coming up tonight. thank you very much. we appreciate you being here and doing all you can for the city of rohoboth beach. see you in six months. by then, everything will be great. tom kierein now, the snow has picked up in parts of the d.c. metro area. what are you seeing in northwest? >> reporter: i don't think it's ever abated. since i've been here at predawn, 5:00 a.m., it's been snowing at the same rate. what's changed is the wind. the wind is beginning to whip here. in fact, the flag is snapping and flapping in a very stiff wind here. the circle in front of the nbc 4 entrance. the wind is blowing strong enough that we are getting gusts of wind that are causing

drifting. snowplow drivers are clearing the parking lot constantly because of the wind, keeps drifting over repeatedly. look at the snowfall totals. as much as 20 to 22 inches. panhandle to near harper's ferry, around frederick and montgomery county and to loudoun county, 18, 19-inch reports coming in as well as fairfax county. frederick and points south as you showed on the radar where they've only had -- i say only, eight, nine, ten inch, they'll add on to that maybe as that fills in now with more snow coming down. southern maryland, as well. more snow on the way there. they've had 10 to 12 inches. the highest amounts have been harper's ferry, martinsburg, charles county. st. mary's, anne arundel, calvert have had over a foot of snow there. every four hou or so, do the shoveling so you don't have to do it all at once. one shovelful of the fluffy snow

weighs five pounds. when it gets wet and heavy like it might later, it can weigh up to 20 pounds. clear snow around fire hydrants and the heat pump. check on the elderly. let's check on the road conditions in the beast. the storm team four by four, adam tuss is cruising. where are you now? >> reporter: we're on the dulles toll road, tom. it is the beast because we're having a pretty easy time getting around. let me show what's going on the roads. not only are vehicles getting stuck, but huge snowplows are getting stuck. that's a snoup that is spinning its tires. they've been trying to dig it out for a while. the car in front is completely stuck. in their car might be stuck for maybe a day. i'm not sure they'll be able to get him out. even if they do get him out of that spot, he's got a lot of snow staring him in the face once he gets roll. that's the stuff we're seeing on the road. this is why we are telling you over and over and over again

it's just not worth to come out here. if these heavy-duty vehicles which are made to be in this weather are having this much trouble out here, what do you think is going to happen to your car? we saw one snowplow having to actually chain up to another one and reverse and pull it out. all the roads that we're seeing are snow covered. we're talking about highways, side streets, all that. a bad situation now. don't come out thinking that you're going to zip around. the other thing we've noticed, the winds have started picking up. is that what you're seeing, doug? >> yeah. that's exactly what we'll see. as the low continues -- careful out there in the storm team four by four. love that thing. so glad we've got that on our team. blizzard and winter storm warning in effect. blizzard warning in the red. i just looked at the west. the latest snowfall totals, congratulations to everybody in montgomery village in montgomery county, montgomery village coming in 20.5 inches.

the first ones i've seen so far. that's not true. martinsburg at 22. congratulations to both of you i guess. >> all right. we'll check back in with you in a bit. you know, a lot of d.c.'s most popular tourist sites are shut down. a live look at the national mall now, i wish i could tell you what part of the mall it is. i can't tell. it might be the jefferson -- off in the distance -- i don't know. >> i don't see the jefferson. yourrise better than mine. >> everything's closed. through the weekend, that includes the washington monument, the lincoln memorial, the vietnam memorial, all the other memorial service, too. the smithsonian is closed until monday. that includes the museums here in the district and the national zoo. >> i was going to see it never closes. this is a big deal. >> they told us they have people to take care of the animals. none of us are going to be able to get in for a while. if you want to see the panda

cub, you have to settle for the panda cam. go to the nbc washington app for more on closures, cancelations. >> i think christmas day might be the only day of the year that -- >> that they close? >> yeah. everyone knows how much i love the pandas. >> 19 inches of snow in fairfax county now. >> that is where our northern virginia bureau chief julie carey is this morning. i think you saw 19 inches at last check? what's going on? >> reporter: 19 inches and counting. i think there's another inch blowing into my face now. we've found the only traffic jam in northern virginia right now. it is in the parking lot of the schmidt's exxon station. everybody trying to pull in here to gas up. in fact, the traffic is backed up on route 7 right now. this is one of the most popular places in the dmv. we had shown a car stuck at

route 7 and spring hill road. and another guy had come by and helped them get out. we'll look at the videotape and what happened after that. we were talking yesterday about how fairfax county fire crews were going to be at the ready and be out and about. in fact, some of the vehicles have been retrofitteded with plows on the front. in crew came along in one of the regular trucks. they shovels ready to jump in and help the couple out. fortunately somebody else had already guided them on to a path. and they were able to break away. but again, we've seen a number of fairfax county fire trucks up and down route 7. they are out there. we just hope, hope they don't have to be deployed too many times today and that the pictures you've been seeing convince you that it's best to stay home. interestingly, too, in the last hour even though conditions are still bad, i'm starting to see a little bit of pedestrian

traffic. a few people have come out of apartments and come into the convenience store to grab a few things. still, pretty darn quiet otherwise. >> i think people get cabin fever and want to see for themselves what the blizzard looks like, to step in it and feel the snow. other people -- to feel it and be a part of what's going on. >> julie, thank you. we'll check back later. >> reporter: sorry, guys. >> we know that blizzard 2006 has been paralyzing travel, not only on the roadways, in parking lots, also in the air. new numbers just in from our area airports regarding cancelations and delays. bwi, 215 canceled flights. 88% of all flight. we checked with reagan national. looks like their board is showing 194, almost 200 flights canceled. dwlus international, 189. a comparable number there was flights canceled. most of these flights are

canceled at jfk. that's 396. if we look at the total number, more than 4,700 nationwide are canceled. and more than 2,800 flights delayed. definitely changing a lot of people's plans this weekend. over to you. >> thank you. we are at 14 inches and counting in downtown washington. >> nbc's miguel almaguer is along the national mall. thanks for joining us. welcome back to washington! it's good to be back. we're certainly in the middle of all the snow that you guys have been reporting on all day long. the conditions here are certainly brutal. the snow has been coming sideways, it's been slopping at times. if there's good news, we haven't seen the 40, 50 mile-per-hour winds people were concerned about. the snow has been falling steady all night long. it's difficult to even go a block or two in this area. we have seen some people on

foot. it's folks curious about what's going on. road crews have been here. we haven't seen them often. i know juke was talking about snowplows stuck in the area -- julie carey was talking about snowplows stuck in the area. two ambulances were responding to a call,inat treated a victimd getting out was difficult. they were spinning their wheels for several minutes. the local police helped them get out of the area. they were on their way to another call. that's the kind of situation we're dealing with. if there's good news in terms of emergency response it's that the calm volume is relatively low. it was twice as much as it had been the day before. still, they haven't got any serious kaultcalls. most have been minor. the concern is roof collapses, power lines that come down. so far, they haven't seen any widespread issues with that. of course, the snowstorm is still -- in the middle of the bell's eye. snow coming down all day. it will happen that way all the

way through tomorrow, then as you have also been reporting, the mayor says sunday, the big dig-out day may pose more problems as the snow accumulates. the streets are a mess. >> tell us about your travel so far as you've been following this blizzard. have you run into any problems? >> reporter: not any significant problems. when we came out before the snow started to fall, there was turbulence from los angeles, where i live now, into -- into dulles. it was a bumpy flight. once we got here, we arrived on that wednesday when you got the dusting of snow. we arrived at 1:00 in the morning. it took an hour and a half to get to the hotel in downtown d.c. so that was back -- there was backup then. today when we were getting to the live shot, we were going drive out here. we're seven, eight blocks away. we couldn't do that. we statewided to walk. it was -- we decided to walk. it was 10, 13 inches on the

ground. it was tough to get a few blocks. certainly a tough day for anyone going outside to use their vehicles, guys. >> i'm curious, you cover natural disasters and major events of that sort all over the country in lots of ways. when you look at the preparation and people getting ready for this compared to other events that you've covered, where does this stack up in your analysis? >> reporter: it's a significant storm. we were in boston last year around this time when they had the ice and snowstorm. they got storm after storm after storm. of course, in that area, they're more used to the steady snow. what i can say is the region has been crippled. when we cover wildfires, snow disasters, you can typically see an area where folks are able to maneuver. what makes this storm different at least from my perspective is how crippled the area is in terms of travel. the ambulances couldn't get down the street. we talked about the slow response the police were having. the difficult maneuvering they're seeing.

that makes this storm different from my perspective from travels around the country. when you talk about gridlock and a city being shut down, this is something significant here. i know d.c., when lived here, we ambassador see storms from time to time and know that the city shuts down. this is significant because it's happening across a wide swath. we're talking about historic snowfalls. man, when you talk about the streets, they are a mess and certainly are dangerous. >> miguel almaguer live in downtown washington for us, thank you very much. safe travels to you. >> reporter: sure thing, guys. thank you. one thing we've talked about is the fact that the storm was something that was going to stretch 36 hours for a lot of folks dealing with it in our area. this is a marathon snowstorm. so that means rokerthon in some ways is back. >> for sure. the "today" show's al roker has been tracking the blizzard nonstop for us. al, let's check in now. ashlgs good morning to you.

>> how are you doing? we're watching the system. of course, you guys are getting pounded. you watch that rain/snow line just to the south of you, boy, it's -- it is something. this may be one for the record books. we'll see near blizzard condition around noon, 5:00, the snow and wind dies down. by 11:00 tonight, you'll be dealing with the effects probably into monday and tuesday. you see new england, all the way to atlanta dealing with snow. snowfall amounts again nothing that you probably have not heard, we're talking upwards of 24 inches or more which is not really out of the question. very realistic. gusts of 50 miles per hour. your top-three snowstorms, january 27, 29, 1922, 28 inches, 20 inches back in 1989. 1996, you had 17.3. you're probably going to beat that. and you may end up at number one. it remains to be seen whether that happens.

in new york city, we upped the amounts. that storm is moving further north. 18 to 24 inches. wind gusts, 55. 26.9 back in 2006 in february, our all-time greatest. we may come close. certainly may get into the top three. windchills adds to the blizzard-like conditions. new york city, 26, feels like 12. same in washington, d.c. boston, 19, guys, we've got a lot. of course, coastal flooding in delaware, extending up into new jersey. we're going to feel the effects really into next week. >> wow. we were supposed to come visit with you this week. maybe that won't happen. we'll have to see if we can dig out. >> thank you very much. >> we'll see. >> thank you, al. hope to check in with you soon. it's funny that al mentioned that. we had the mayor of ocean city on air talking about road closures as a result of flooding just as al mentioned. >> back after this. ♪

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welcome back at 9:52. we're continuing our coverage of blizzard 2016. a live look at storm team radar, you see plenty of snow still to come. working its way through our area this morning. the live picture you see here

from college park, i believe. you know that ikea if you've been up that way. >> i do, up route 1. >> those flags flapping hard. >> we're with you keeping you covered on all angles throughout the region. we have teams spread out. of course, we have to have pat collins because we have sledding and snowmen and the snowstick challenge. >> three thing everybody looks forward during to during a big snowstorm. >> he's live at connecticut avenue northwest to measure the snow for us. and he has a big announcement about this year's snowstick challenge. >> you ready? >> reporter: we are going to announce in just a couple of minutes the 2006 blizzard snow stick challenge. first i want you to meet emily. emily's walking with these funny snowshoes. look at the cause -- on the bottom of these things. you just had these in your closet? >> yeah. i ice climb. this is how you get through ice. >> reporter: is this fun? >> a blast. >> reporter: do you have to walk a special way?

>> like a cowboy. >> reporter: how does a cowboy walk? show me. >> you have to walk with your feet apart so that you don't trip our yourself. >> reporter: get along little doggy. you heard about the snow stick challenge? >> yes. >> reporter: here's a chance to win one of your own. the snow stick challenge. because it's nasty outside, because we want you to stay inside, the challenge this time is your best cabin fever cure. we want to see the most creative cabin fever cure. the one thing you're doing to keep from going bonkers during the blizzard. what we want you to do is take a picture of that, and then tweet that to #snowstickchallenge. we'll pick the best one, the best one, the most creative one gets the snow stick. emily, can you do a measurement for us? >> sure. >> reporter: okay, we're going to snowshoe our way over this plow part here to untouched snow. go ahead, walk like a cowboy.

walking like a cowboy. giddy up. get along little doggy. i'll follow in your footsteps. we're going to go to some untouched snow here, emily. over here. >> this looks good. yeah. >> reporter: here it is. i'll hold those. give me a good measurement. whoa. it's a little over 16 inches. a little over 16 inches. get working on your cabin fever cure. enter our challenge. i'll be back soon. >> all right. the challenge has been issued. >> that's right. >> we're going to see what people come up with. >> show us your best cabin fever cure. keep it family friendly. we're thinking the same thing. okay. #snowstickchallenge. please tweet us, share pictures with us on facebook. everyone always gets creative. it's fun to see and judge. >> our consumer reporter, susan hogan, here with us now.

people have been thinking about digging out. they have to get out with the shovels and whatever else. there's safe ways to do that. >> there's safe ways and also rules because so many people don't realize. we hear from so many people. they've been tweeting saying, what are the rules, when should i dig out? the district, homeowners are required to clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of the snowstorm. maryland, montgomery county, residents and businesses must clear sidewalks around the property within 24 hours after a snowstorm ends. prince george's county, residents must have their sidewalks cleared by 48 hours after snowfall. frederick county, the city requires you to shovel your sidewalks about 12 hours after the end of snow. virginia residents living in alexandria, you have up to 72 hours to shovel depending on the storm spans level which, of course, can check on our website, nbcwashington.com. arlington county residents need

to clear sidewalks within 36 hours of the snow when it gets above six inches. fairfax county and residents, you're not legally obligated to shovel your sidewalks, but of course it is encouraged. and the same goes for prince william county. and if you live in loudoun county, you have six hours or until noon the day after a major snowfall to clear your sidewalks. >> there are the rules. >> good to know. thank you, susan. >> sure. >> don't go away. >> yeah, we're going to take a quick break. our storm coverage continues in the blizzard of 2006. >> stay with us.

this is torm team 4's special coverage of the blizzard of 2016. >> good morning to you. it is 10:00 a.m. thanks for sticking with us as we keep you covered through the blizzard of 2016. this is a live look at storm team 4 radar. the snow continues to fall. the totals, the numbers weep going up. continue to share your photos, your stories, about what you're experiencing where you live. >> some not so great experiences happening out there right now. live picture from sterling, virginia. that's a plow stuck in the snow. it's sort of leaning on its side here at this point. >> this is route 7 and route 28