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we can't emphasize enough that people need to stay off the streets for their own safety. >> now at 6:00, a powerful storm, and it is not done with us yet. the message from local leaders tonight is very clear. whether you're in your car or on foot, stay off the roads, unless it's an absolute emergency. >> we can't say it enough. and maryland i-270 a mess right now. on ramps, off-ramps closed with stuck and stranded vehicles. a major backup between clarksburg and frederick. >> snowplows out around the clock. the storm ramping up, covering the roads as quickly as they can be cleared off. >> our team has been out working hard throughout this day. out in the elements to bring you the very latest information. we begin at 6:00 tonight with veronica johnson and amelia segal in our storm center. >> when will the storm end and give us a chance to really start

digging out? >> that storm will be wrapping up around midnight. but then we've got those low temperatures, and, of course, still some wind to deal with after that. but we're seeing some heavy bands of snow still continuing to come through our area for the next few hours, probably up until as late as 8:00, maybe 9:00 and a few locations north of d.c. let's show what storm team 4 is tracking now. the gusts, the winds. the winds finally settling here this hour. over the last three and four hours, gusts upwards of 40 miles per hour. for the evening, about 35 to 40 miles per hour, the gusts. your storm system right now, just off the coast of delaware. look at the bright band still rotating through, what we're tracking now through fairfax, northern prince george's county. around areas of waldorf, prince williams, snowfall rates an inch per hour crossing 29 and down 395, all rotating toward

woodbridge. you'll see higher snowfall rates. there is our future weather. 9:00, 11:00, finally it's going to be moving out here. and yes, sunshine on tap for tomorrow. it will be a better day to get out. just way too windy now. braving the elements is amelia segal on the weather deck. you've got a whole list of snowfall totals to get through. >> exactly. but before we get to that. right before you tossed to me, i was thinking it's a beautiful winter wonderland, more snow adding insult to injury. no, the wind has picked up. it really hasn't been that bad in the last hour. but dealing with the gusts there of 20 miles per hour, and still seeing snowfalls steadily out here. the snow we have seen the last few hours, a light, dry snow. so as you shovel tonight and tomorrow, it's all about how much weight is on your shovel. so the weight of of snow, what exactly doesthat mean? dry snow, which we have seen

falling for the most part, five pounds per shovel, easily removed. and i can attest to that. we were snowed in on the storm team 4 weather deck. the awesome crew out here able to shovel a path for me in under five minutes. a heavy, wet snow, though, weighs about 20 pounds per shovel, regardless. multiple shovelings have i'm sure been taking place. but in addition to that, we have gotten amazing viewer photos. i love that one of the kids building an igloo in glover park. vj, it is incredible out here. at least it will end at midnight. >> wrapping up at midnight. but tomorrow, amelia, blowing snow, but sunshine returns. we'll be under freezing so not much melting. still a bit of a bad day. the next big change for us is tuesday. during the afternoon hours. that's when we'll get above freezing. 38, melting. but then we have to deal with refreeze. and a possibility tuesday afternoon we could have rain/snow mix coming our way.

there's your wednesday, high temperature above freezing as well. a lot of melting and refreezing coming your way next week. we'll have more on the change and the early forecast to take you through your day tomorrow in a few. >> heavy or light snow when it's 2 feet deep. >> exactly. boy. >> still hard to shovel. >> it is. hey, what we were both coming in today, the first thing we noticed was the number of people out there walking, not on the side of the streets, right smack dab in the middle of what normally are busy streets. they are getting in the way all over the place. >> we both saw it. mayor bowser's message an hour ago, stop it. don't do it. news4's mark segraves is live with an update on the city's snow response. hi, mark. >> reporter: hey, doreen. we're at 14th and u street in the northwest. a snow emergency still in effect in washington, d.c. take a look here at the street light. you can see the winds we're dealing with downtown. the mayor warned the worst winds of this storm yet to come and they'll hit d.c. in the next few

hours. what the mayor is complaining about is this problem. all these pedestrians and cars sharing the road today. this is what the mayor says is an absolute tragedy waiting to happen. now district leaders today at their press conference 20 minutes ago would give no time line on when neighborhood roads might start to see plowing. they said they're still assessing the situation and still dealing with the massive snowfall on the major routes. they also gave no time line or indication on when metro or schools would reopen. they're going to assess all of that on sunday. but the mayor once again reiterated her plea for residents to stay off the roads. here's what she had to say. >> today many of us encounter people walking down the middle of streets. our plows encountered them, as well as our emergency vehicles. we can't emphasize enough that people need to stay off the streets for their own safety,

and for that of our snow crews and first responders. >> reporter: the mayor also said the city has been inundated. those were her words, inundated from senior citizens and disabled residents who need help shoveling out. there were 2,000 volunteers signed up. they're asking for more volunteers to come forward. as for the cars parked on major roads, snow roads, the district has already issued more than three quarters of $1 million in fines and towed more than 400 cars. once we do start to dig out of this, that time-honored tradition of digging your car out in front of your house and saving your spot with your lawn furniture or trash can, here is d.c. chief of police cathy lanier saying that's a no-no. >> nobody has the legal right to save their own space along public streets. keep that in mind. as attempting as it is, once you dig your car out, when you pull out, that space can be taken by

someone else. >> reporter: you can see behind me here live at 14th and u, a lot of pedestrians, a lot of cars sharing the road. of course, the mayor and her officials want everybody off the road. another thing they're asking you to do, if you do get outside with that shovel, they want you to clear out the fire hydrants in front of your homes and businesses. they say that is critical to first responders getting into your neighborhood. that's the very latest down here in northwest washington. jim and doreen? >> we hope people listen to the mayor's warnings so they can get the roads clear. >> mark segraves, thanks so much. from the district, we go to virginia to check in with david culver. >> he has been out in cla clairington today. david? >> reporter: yeah, as soon as you come to me, i pull down the mask. one thing you notice, the folks out and about walking, hands in front of their faces. gusts of wind pelting snow right into their eyes. there is a message, though, being sent from some local

businesses. really local residents and bars. they want people to know, they're open. this is some of the images we saw in clarendon here. the hard times cafe. they are serving dinner and a handful of other restaurants doing just that. so we asked them -- obviously, you've got to have employees there to help serve things. how are they getting there? how do your colleagues and staff get here? >> our owner is a generous man. besides the fact that he wants to be open, he gave us ride. some of us were put up in hotels nearby and some of us walked. and he picked some of us up. >> reporter: so anybody willing to work would be given a ride. >> yeah, and i was the closest manager so i got the opening shift. >> reporter: the customers are walking a good distance just to get something to eat, a meal outside in a restaurant. this is what we're seeing built up along a lot of the roads here in arlington.

this is clarendon boulevard. wilson opposite of me. those two relatively clear. not extremely clear. the ones that cross over are really blocked at this hour. they have the snow banks built up and they're working, trying to get these into dump trucks and offsite locations. a lot of snow. >> david, are you working any free meals out of this today? your assignment? >> reporter: do you know what? i got my meal from our web editor and her husband, actually. andrea swalic. they gave me dinner. >> home cooked. nothing better. >> any for us? >> reporter: come on over, yeah. more than welcome to come. clearing the street just for you right now. >> thank you, david. >> david showed us things are really piling up all over fairfax county. >> indeed. news4's darcy spencer live in tyson tonight tracking the

conditions again. how is it looking, darcy? >> reporter: first i want to say i got some free food myself from the station today. so thank you very much. it means a lot to have those sandwiches delivered. so -- we are back out here in tyson. and the misery factor has definitely increased. yesterday we were having more fun when we were out. and we were kind of being light-hearted and talking about things as it was beginning to pile up. i would say the danger factor has gone way up, as well. let me show you where we are. we're at this gas station here right off leesburg pike. all of the plow trucks in this area have been stopping here to refuel. they're diesel trucks. this has been a very popular spot. the trucks have been out there working around the clock. so obviously they need to keep refueling. and all of the drivers are telling us, everyone is getting stuck. let's show some video that we shot out on the dulles toll road

earlier today. and it just shows you how vehicles were getting stuck on the dulles toll road, right on the side of the road. plow trucks getting stuck. just nothing less than treacherous conditions. that's the best way to describe what we saw today. and whiteout conditions. definitely heed the warnings and be as safe as possible if you don't need to go out. if you come back to us live, one of the big things that we have been seeing today the pickup in the winds as well. you can see the snow flying around here. it's hard to see. but also it's blowing snow and creating these massive snowdrifts. so you can see here, i'm every bit of 5'1". so you can see how high these drifts are, plus the plow trucks have been pushing the snow up here. you know, they're running out of places to put it. there is so much snow falling. so that's one of the challenges too. the plow trucks are out there,

trying to clear the roads as much as possible. but it's very difficult for them to keep up with it. we have seen countless vdot trucks getting stuck as well. we know they're doing the best they can. but they're also vulnerable to these sorts of conditions. this isn't the typical snowstorm, what we're seeing out here. so that's the recommendation. don't get stuck like we have seen a lot of people do out there today. and obviously provide enough room for these guys to get done what they need to get done. and stay safe. back to you. >> dorothy, you better be careful out there. one big gust of wind, and all we'll see is the top of your hat. >> reporter: that is true. but i'm handling it like a trouper. >> you are a trouper and we appreciate all you're doing. thanks, darcy. for fairfax county to prince george's county, our crews are keeping us updated as we all weather the storm together. >> news4's shomari stone joins

us from college park once again. you were there yesterday. how bad are things now? >> reporter: that's a good question. it is much worse now than yesterday. because the wind gusts of approximately more than 30 miles per hour continue to really come up here. you can look and see that there are cars over there that are buried under snow. there's plows here in this parking lot on the other side. there is route 1. and it is pretty clear in a lot of areas. but i'll tell you, it is very cold. so even when the plows come through, the pavement is so cold that it quickly freezes up. there are not a lot of people out here. i see police officers. i see emergency crews. i see snowplows. but that's about it. you have an occasional person getting off work and heading home. let's roll video now. route 1 is essentially a ghost town. take a look as we drove around college park and prince george's county. we saw those emergency vehicles out here. police were driving around to

make sure people are okay. some folks got cabin fever and decided to come out and walk around. they got sick of being inside the house. it was difficult and uncomfortable for some. why? those wind gusts, i was telling you about, that they are occasionally picking up, and the snow is really blinding people's faces. it continues to cumulate, and the pavement, as i told you, it is cold and freezing and slippery in many spots. we actually came across a couple that came outside and they walked to the would wawa gas station. they wanted to get some groceries. why are you out here in the storm? >> didn't quite realize are we didn't have all we needed to get through. didn't realize it would be as bad as it is. >> reporter: that wind is really whipping. take a look at a live picture right now. i hate to use the cliche, but it is blowing horizontally. and that's why crews are

recommending you stay inside. i looked on i-495, and the plows are doing a relatively good job. but the snow is continuing to accumulate and 30 minutes later continuing to rise. we showed some time lapses of the snow aaccumulation. that's what's happening throughout the region and on i-495. if you planned on -- let's say you're in college park and want to drive to beth daor other areas and utilize i-95 or silver spring, stay off of it. i can see why emergency crews are recommending people stay indoo indoors. then some folks want to get out, walk around, see what's going on. you have to be careful. because keep in mind, a lot of the sidewalks have not been paved, and as a result, you have people walking in the middle of the street. that's the last thing that emergency crews want you to do. you need to stay out of their way. keep in mind, on i-495, there would also be snowplows out

there and drivers behind them slowing down to be sure they could do what they needed to do. live television at its best. you can see a plow coming right through here. he came through here moments ago, and he's continuing to just push all this white powder out of the way. this gentleman is working very hard right now. and we'll continue to bring updates. you can check out our nbc washington app, constantly updating. we have the best web team in the market and will continue to bring the latest developments as they become available. live in college park, shomari sto stone, back to the studio where it's nice and warm. >> thank you, shomari. among those enjoying the snow, this big group of sledders on capitol hill. sledding has been banned but not always in force. the 2016 spending bill makes it legal by instructing police not to interfere with sledders here. >> and of course, you don't have to be a kid to enjoy the snow.

>> most safely indoors, but we came across this group on the national mall. they had an all-out snowball fight. it appears to be a tackle version. >> whoa! >> hope they're friendly! >> yeah. snowball fights can be big events this time of year. the snowball fight association is planning a star wars fight. doreen and i are picking out our costumes. it's happening at noon tomorrow. hey, there he is. the pat collins snow stick challenge, one of the top trending stories in our washington region. but if you want to enter your best cabin fever cure picture, you better hurry. >> that's right. that challenge ends in a couple hours. pat collins joins us now from connecticut and northwest d.c. pat, i heard you promising something spectacular at 6:20. i've been waiting an hour to see this. what have you got? >> reporter: well, you know, this is the year of the summer

olympics. but as you know, we're in the middle of a blizzard. yet there is one woman who decided to it blend a little summer olympics with the blizzard. and you're going to see that in a minute. but first, i need to do a measurement, because that's what i do. here at connecticut in fessendon, over 23 inches of snow now. over 23 inches of snow. now to the snow stick challenge. how did you battle the boredom of the blizzard? what is your cure for cabin fever? that could be important, because you know, there's a stick at stake. we're looking for ways people battle cabin fever during the blizzard. the best cabin fever cure gets the official pat collins

snowstick. we had hundreds and hundreds of entries and have seen all sorts of things. i mean, all sorts of things. this woman did a back flip off a deck into the snow. now, this is something you wouldn't even think about, unless you had serious gymnastic training. and even then, i don't know. for something a little safer, but challenging, nonetheless, this couple got together to write the great american novel. i bet you it begins with "it was a snowy evening." and then there are always legos. you can do just about anything with legos, and it can take a long time to do it. now we're going to cut off the entries at 8:00 tonight, judging next week. somebody is going to get one of these, doreen and jim! >> with that, the summer olympics with the back flip off the deck then?

>> reporter: i thought that was pretty impressive. >> it was pretty impressive and you're wise to warn people not to try that. we don't want anybody taking -- >> reporter: no more back flips. >> no risky behavior to win the snowstick, even though it's worth it. >> reporter: not at all. >> patrick, thank you. our snow coverage continues tonight. this is a live look outside our studios as it just gets deeper and deeper out there. >> it does. the snow still hitting us hard in a lot of places. we'll be right back with special storm team 4 coverage, right after this.

and welcome back to our coverage of the blizzard of 2016. live picture now from our storm team 4 x 4. of the sun is set. it is dark out there. thank goodness the power is on on most streets, because that's the only thing saving you. >> we're thanking our photographer driving that truck. bj might be stuck or at a dead end to the drivable roadway. as you might expect, with the snow and wind picking up out there, conditions on the roads are really dangerous. >> yeah, and in some of the worst of it, it's been up in upper montgomery county where professional drivers are having a tough time. chris gordon has an update. >> reporter: driving conditions so treacherous, even

professional truck drivers have lost control and become disabled like this one, abandoned on the entrance to 270 in germantown. we shot to show how dangerous it can be for trucks and cars. when we got to germantown's crystal rock neighborhoods, we saw some families walking sometimes too close to cars. why did you come out walking the streets? >> bored. tired of being home. really boring inside the house. >> it's amazing. it really is. you know? >> reporter: you feel you're part of history? >> yeah. >> reporter: officials stress, you need to get off of the highways to allow the plow truck convoys to get through and clear the way. and be safe. that's the latest from germantown, maryland. chris gordon, news4. >> a bad idea to risk your own

life and others out on the ro s roads. up to new york city we go. they didn't escape the storm. they also have a blizzard warning in effect right now. governor andrew cuomo has issued a travel ban after the storm hit hard overnight. the governor shut down all tunnels and bridges into the city. travel became treacherous shortly after the snow began to fall. a cab driver stuck in the middle. crews there had to dig him out. that's a lot of snow. >> and people at the jersey shore, that area also taking a pounding. >> rather than the high snow totals we have seen, folks there dealing with major flooding and widespread power outages. here is nbc's rehema ellis. >> reporter: here along the jersey coast, point pleasant, new jersey. the problem here, more than anything is the wind. wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour, and sometimes higher than that. the governor says along the

coastline they don't expect they'll get the highest snowfalls. maybe 8 to 12 inches here along the coast. but inland, governor christie says they're expecting up to 2 feet. that's one of the reasons he's declared a state of new jersey in the state. the transit lines shut down for an opportunity to clear the realize rails and make certain people stay off the streets because it's very dangerous. in addition, the governor says that they hope that they won't have as much beach erosion as they had following sandy. but out here, i must tell you, there is a lot of sand flowing all morning, and from the looks of it, it's going to be blowing a lot more before this storm is over. but the story here is, everyone should stay inside as much as they can, and ride out the storm in the safety and hopefully the comfort of their own homes. back to you. >> howling winds there. >> rehema ellis at the jersey

shore. that looks awful. and such a terrible time with sandy. now dealing with this. well, thank you for joining us. that is all we have for now. "nbc nightly news" is coming up next. >> and we're going to see you with a special hour-long edition of news4 at 7:00. we're going to be checking in with all of our reporters spanned out across our region. we leave you now with a beautiful look at our city and this winter weather. stay safe out there, folks. and keep it indoors. we'll see you tonight once again on news4 at

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