continuing to fall and if left on untreated temperatures it will freeze. good morning. bone-chilling. a dangerous cold sweeping across the country today. temperatures in the midwest feeling like 40 below with the wind chill. 150 million people under a winter storm advisory from colorado into the northeast. snow and ice leaving drivers in distress and the worst may not even be here yet. pie in the sky. a group of british scientists send this pie loaded with meat and potatoes into space. it's all for the sake of research, but what exactly are we trying to prove? ♪ santa tell me and the new santa experience with christmas just eight days away. retailers are kicking it

get more shoppers into the stores. one way to do that? change the way that kids meet santa. how they're using new technology to do just that. today, saturday, december 17th, 2016. ♪ merry christmas ♪ happy holidays >> right where you are. >> hi, mom. >> hi, peanut. >> merry christmas. >> it's my 16th birthday. >> it's ours too. >> happy birthday. >> hello, kentucky. >> we've got "today show's" littlest fan. ♪ a good saturday morning. do not throw a snow ball at me. >> snow ball fight? >> we decided to venture out into the elements to spend some time with the crowd this

>> you guys are fantastic. >> it's packed out here this morning. >> man. those folks from miami, they've got to be hating life. we apologize, ma'am. we apologize. how are you going to throw a snow ball at a guest. >> apologies. >> do you want me to get him back? come on. i got to do it. there we go. >> of course, the weather is what people are talking about this weekend, between the freezing cold temperatures, the blanket of snow affecting tens of millions of people. let's go to nbc's morgan ratford. she's is in new york with more on this wild weather. morgan, good morning to you. >> reporter: 150 million people across the country waking up to a winter weather advisory. that's as this snow, ice, and a dangerously cold wind chill sweeps the country already causing some icy roads and dangerous pile-ups in states

seen over 500 accidents in less than 24 hours. now this wintry mix, it's slamming the northeast as we speak. up atote inches of snow. already hundreds of flights have been canceled. the reality is this arctic blast is just the beginning. we're expected to see record low temperatures in cities across the country like in pierre, south dakota. minneapolis. chicago. even in bismarck. that's why experts are telling people if they're especially heading out on the road today, they should budget extra time to get where they're going, and they should be sure to bundle up, layer up, and cover up. craig. >> morgan ratford for us this morning. morgan, thank you. dave price, how are things looking for the rest of the weekend, good sir? >> well, all across the country we have some significant weather challenges. let's go to the maps right now. >> that's

mahmoud. ve. thank you. let's go inside to sheinelle. soaking rain is a problem in southern california. this morning there are power outages, flooding, and the threat of landslides. take a look.

numerous accidents and a water rescue. firefighters collect two women from an island in the san gabe rel river. one of the women refused to go without her dog. the rescue team helped them too. president obama landed in hawaii overnight after giving what could be the final press conference of the year. the president says he told russia's vladimir putin to cut it out when he learned of russia's interference in the u.s. election. he said he held back from retaliating against russia during the campaign to avoid the appearance of taking sides, but he hinted there will be a response. >> so at a point in time where we've taken certain actions that we can divulge publicly, we will do that. there are times where the message will be directly received by the russians and not publicized. >> reporter: the senate intelligence committee has announced that it will conduct a bipartisan investigation of russia's involvement in the election.

north carolina as outgoing republican governor pat mccrory imposes limits on his democrat successor roy cooper. row testers stormed the statehouse friday complaining that gop lawmakers were making an unlawful power grab. he wants to stop cooper from -- cooper won the election by less than 1% of the vote. mccrory didn't concede until nearly a month after election day. and there is a pie in britain that could truly lay claim to being out of this world. take a look. gathered in the parking lot of a local pub in the village a couple of admitted space geeks launched a meat and potato pie 29 miles in the air until it reached the rim of outer space. then, as all things do, it came back down. the pie hurdled back to earth at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. no one has had the courage to taste it. they think a sep

out of it when the pie landed. i am not kidding. how craze dwri is thy is that? >> how crazy is that? we have a development that we want to let folks know about. >> this just in. >> this just in a few moments ago. dylan dryer apparently i've been told at the hospital. >> she's also -- i think she was en route, but now she's there. is that it? i see people going on the side. >> only dylan dryer would give birth in a snowstorm on her due date. >> i was about to say today is her actual due date so, you know, she's very accurate. >> we're efforting some video when we have that to pass along, we'll get that to you. >> good luck, dylan. >> dave price with another check of the forecast. what's the word,

good morning. we've got continuing freezing rain. it's rain that's falling and then it freezes on untreated surfaces, but it is going to taper off and end in a couple of hours, but the damage is done. we continue to see light freezing rain in this pink zone. much of maryland and panhandle of west virginia where there's a

surfaces. we've had reports of multiple accidents. t >> i think we have a snowy marriage proposal right here. holy cow. that's a great way to start a saturday. this is unbelievable. we'll send it back inside to you, guys. >> that's fun. >> hopefully she says yes. >> wow. >> hopefully. hopefully she does. we'll try to get katie too. hey, so look who is on her way to the hospital. dylan dryer apparently just hours away from giving birth. some fresh video just in. >> look at brian's smile. >> that's a happy brian. >> i love that. >> hang with us this morning. then a beautiful oceanside marriage for michael phelps and his stunning bride. the video from the couple's big day after these messages. (man) my dad and i have the same eyes. same nose. same toughness. and since he's had moderate alzheimer's disease,

the same never quit attitude. that's why i asked his doctor about once-a-day namzaric. (avo) namzaric is approved for moderate to severe alzheimer's disease in patients who are taking donepezil. it may improve cognition and overall function, and may slow the worsening of symptoms for a while. namzaric does not change the underlying disease progression. don't take if allergic to memantine, donepezil, piperidine or any of the ingredients in namzaric. tell the doctor about any conditions including heart, lung, bladder, kidney or liver problems, seizures, stomach ulcers, or procedures with anesthesia. serious side effects may occur, including muscle problems if given anesthesia; slow heartbeat, fainting, more stomach acid which may lead to ulcers and bleeding; nausea, vomiting, difficulty urinating, seizures, and worsening of lung problems. most common side effects are headache, diarrhea, dizziness loss of appetite, and bruising. (man) dad and i shared a t of moments. now we're making the most of each one. (avo) ask about namzaric today.

♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i have to go away ♪ baby it's cold outside ♪ i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside! you never know who you'll meet at barnes & noble.

a giant wooden tiger. well, the answer is that a real one would maul me. i've crafted dr. whiskers here as a visual aid to show you that should you visit the lot, carmax associates will not pounce like tigers because people don't like that. come here to buy a car. dr. whiskers won't pounce. nobody will. ♪ we are back on a soort morning with what's trending today. this first one is sure to be trending in mere minutes. it's the moment we've been waiting for. dylan is in the hospital. today is her official due date, and her husband, brian, sent us this video. take a look as they made their way to the hospital. >> oh. >> what's your

he is the man. he is getting us there. we're having a we'll check in in a little bit. >> love you. bye. >> i think she made him hang up. they're in a new york city cab. >> only in new york city are you taking a cab to deliver a baby. clearly she's in the back seat, and he is riding in the front. >> in the snow. >> that is awesome. >> we can tell thaw she's at the hospital. that much we can tell you. >> that is hilarious. >> beyond that -- >> we're sending a live unit right now. >> we've got two stations out front of the hospital. when that happens, we'll bring it to you live on the "today" show. good luck to you, dylan dreyer. good luck to you as well, brian. here's something to warm you up on a chilly morning. the next time you eat lunch, try eating some soup with it. it could help you eat less later on. there's new research out that shows that people who ate soup ate 20% fewer calories and said they felt full

texture is key. apparently thicker liquids like soup digest differently in your body, and tend to cause the stomach to expand a bit making you feel more full for a long period of time. >> what about salt? >> i would think the salt -- >> sodium. >> it warms up and you feel full. >> all soup -- >> that part, people go on the soup diet. >> 2016 has been one for the record books. especially when it comes to sports. "time" has released their best sports images of the year. here's a few have our favorites. starting with king james. recordbreaking gold medalist katie ledeckey made the cut. here's the moment when she led the pack in the women's freestyle final. this image sees the fastest man in the world usain bolt looking back at his competition. he makes it look so easy. then, of course, this one. finally bill murray made the cut with his beloved cubs won the world series. murray getting emotional on the field. it certainly says

>> a long wait indeed. >> hi, guys. >> how perfect is it that dylan is going into labor on her due date? she's the most punctual person in the world. in the snowstorm. we love you, dylan. let's get to pop stars, guys. they say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but i don't think there is one to adequately describe the look on octavia spencer's face after getting a surprise visit from the president at a special screening of the latest movie "hidden figures." look at that. the first lady hosted the screening at the white house, but everything stopped for spencer when president obama strolled in to greet the cast, and lucky for us, the oscar winner's priceless reaction, and i mean priceless, was posted to instagram for us all to see. in case you were wondering, the first lady praised the film and its stars, calling janelle mones

degeneres loves to dance. it's also no secret that people love to watch holiday movies this time of year. well, if you are anything like ellen, perhaps you were wondering what movies like elf, home alone, and other holiday classics would be like if dancing played a central role. well, wonder no more. ♪ >> oh, many i gy god. that's your proof that dancing makes everything better. >> a philosophy i stand by. i know you do too. >> absolutely. >> moving on, guys, finally, michael phelps knows a thing or two about making headlines. well, the olympian is doing it again. releasing never before seen footage and photos from his october wedding to wife nicole johnson. the 51 second video shared with brides.com starts with a shirtless phelps. his bride then looks absolutely stunning. the two go for a walk on the beach, arrive in a golf cart with some celebrating in between. in case you guys are missing

there are pictures of him on-line. >> here's the ring bearer. >> so cute. >> that's your pop start. still to come, how retailers are using santa, technology, and new adventures through the door. first, this is "today" on nbc. >> i think you should do the weather dance.

with just eight days going until christmas, retailers hoping that shoppers will head into the stores to make those last minute purchases. >> one way of getting people through the door is by upping their game. jolene kent is here with how high-tech santas are helping out the stores' bottom lines. >> you guys might remember, i know, craig, you have two little ones. getting the picture on santa's knee can be a nightmare. now there's no santa in town, and retailers across the country are hoping he will deliver

>> reporter: it's the stuff christmas memories are made of. the annual pilgrimage to the mall to get that photo of the kids with santa. but this year malls across america are rolling out a new north pole with a high-tech santa and erns. >> you have a younger generation of kids that have certainly become accustomed to technology. you mix two really great things together. santa and technology. >> reporter: at short hills mall in new jersey sanity's flight academy starts before you even arrive. kids sign up on-line for custom badges. >> code name marshmallow specialty light director. >> yeah. >> reporter: and choose what their elf will wear as he or she guides them to santa. upon arrival kids walk into a 3,000 square foot adventure. try on their new flight suit in augmented reality. decide which route santa will take on christmas eve. >> you want him to take the southern route. >> reporter: and give the old

and end with a snowy trip to the north pole. the souped up santa is part of a new trend of mall experiences. special events and services like conci concierge and vip campaign suites to attract you and your money away from computers and into stores. the stakes couldn't be higher for retailers. according to the national retail federation, about ten million more americans shopped on-line than in stores over black friday weekend. so this year malls are betting on chris cringele to make their christmas bright, and according to our exclusive interview, he is on board. >> technology has changed everything. we now have the good and nice list on electronics. >> reporter: parents are grateful for an updated experience too. >> when my older drawers were little and i would bring them, and it was just wait in line, sit on santa's lap, get the picture taken. it wasn't as fun a

this was great. >> how much fun did you have in there? >> a lot of fun. >> reporter: so if your kids love santa as much as will ferrell in the movie "elf." >> santa! oh, my god! >> reporter: braving the crowds at the mall may be worth it. but in the end even high-tech santa still loves an old-fashioned gift that money can't buy. >> i still like looking at the parents and seeing the smiles. the smiles make everybody's day. >> okay. so santa's flight academy costs about $30 in total. you can also, of course, track santa on norad. there's lots of ways. i have to say in my exclusive interview with him, he is all about tech. he loves it. he is fully embracing it. >> which list did he put you on? naughty or nice? >> i'm pretty sure i'm on the nice list, but i'm not sure about you, craig. just kidding. everyone here is on the nice list. >> we should mention you are filling in for willie tomorrow. what's coming up on

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what a messy start to it saturday morning. dozens of accidents and traffic halted along several interstates. >> no time to be on the road if you can help it and there are lots of advisories and cancellations. we'll tell you more about it coming up. >> and the freezing rain we've had over the last several hours is going to be ending in the next couple of hours, but the damage has been done. a look at our sunday in a few minutes. look at this, a major backup this morning. 25 cars piling up on the beltway. we're going to pass along what state police are just releasing about this massive crash. >> this is

as well. not much easier, we now all runways at dulles airport currently closed. cancellations and delays at the other two airports. all that and more when you join us all that and more when you join us at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods, we've always believed the holidays should be about joy. where days are filled with magic, not madness. it's why we have amazing prices on thoughtful gifts, everyday. let's bring back the holidays.

we are following breaking news this morning that might effect you if you are traveling today for the holidays. dulles international airport has shut down all the run aways and reagan national is open but flights could be delayed or cancelled. some flights could be impacted. they're saying check with your airlines for updates. >> the airlines are just part of the problem here. also looking now at the

tollway. this is a tanker that overturned. what you're about to see are going to be several emergency vehicles. we're talking dozens of fire and rescue units on scene. here is it tarts. th all of this on the toll road. all of that because of a tanker overturned. past this you'll see that tanker and hazmat crews. that tanker is leaking fuel. this is i believe is the eastbound. i have to confirm that but this is the eastbound lanes. there's that hazmat unit on scene there. a mess this morning. >> this is eastbound as you make your way towards the airport. it's the way i took into work this morning and it shows you how quickly conditions can change because it was very light this morning and then all of a sudden that thin coat of ice became instantly treacherous. there are a lot of pop

their flights cancelled or delayed. they don't want to go home because it was a mess to get there in the first place. this is a story we are covering. there are cancellations in the area that are happening. the zoo i think opening later. >> a lot of delays this morning. virginia state police telling us 41 accidents across northern virginia, one is deadly. we're going to get you caught up in a moment, but first though we do want to start with tom who has been tracking it from the weather center. good morning, tom. >> good morning. at least a silver lining, we are seeing the light freezing rain beginning to taper off and end across northern virginia. right now radar showing it's still in those pink zones freezing rain in the immediate metro area and much of maryland, but the general trend is it's tracking off to

still a few patches of rain falling and then hitting those frozen surfaces and freezing up and creating that glaze of ice that we've seen since about 4:00 this morning. it is beginning to break up off to the west and later this morning by late morning we will likely get our temperatures above freezing, but right now we are still at or below freezing. it's still in the upper 20s in the shenandoah valley, although up to 36 so we're getting mild air beginning to push in. reagan national around 30 degrees. we have advisories in effect until noon today across northern virginia, east and west virginia, maryland and the district and we'll have light rain later this morning and sunshine this afternoon. hour by hour temperatures, we'll be up by 40 near noon time. look at our rain chances for sunday and the holiday week ahead in just a

a look at the traffic map right. >> you can see the areas highlighted in red, those are the big problems we're looking at. derrick ward is live in mont gomry don't right now. >> reporter: we can look at the traffic here behind us. this is river road. there's not a lot of traffic, not normally what you would see at this time of day, this time of year. people are heeding that advice and you see down the road there's a truck putting down treatment on these roadways, but you have to make a fast maneuver or stop or cornering, you're not going to have the traction you need and it could be bad. look at the sidewalks, just walking here, there's a glaze of ice and the sidewalks and it makes it bad to get to your car. overhead we have issues too. this ice is weighting down th

issue of power lines. you can see the volume is lighter and people are taking it easy. you have to leave extra braking distance. aaa has tips they're giving folks. they say drive below the posted speed limit and do not use cruise control. you want to have immediate control of your vehicle if you have to slow down. leave extra distance. if you don't have to be out, don't be out. that is the key to things because this isn't just wet. this is ice. that's not rain. it can be deceiving. we haven't had any snow yet. this is all ice. the temperatures have yet to climb above freezing so that is all combining to make it very dangerous. if you don't have to be out, you don't want to be out. look again at some of the video we have here, even emergency vehicles as heavy as those fire trucks are they are

issues. i heard reports of fire trucks going off the road not far from here. i'm told there's an accident where a car went into a utility pole. that could mean issues for folks in the area as well. that's a possibility here. bottom line, if you don't have to be out, don't be out. it won't get better until later today. back to you. >> good advice. thank you. some local schools and colleges are delaying events today because of this winter weather. activities at montgomery in charles county schools won't start until 11:00 a.m. and in fairfax county until noon and the university of maryland is delaying all saturday exams by one hour. you can see a full list of delays in our region in our weather story that's posted in our nbc washington app. let's step outside our region and show you this winter storm warning in effect for southeast wisconsin. there it's

expected to fall tonight. the area is expecting strong winds. speaking of blowing, the windy city expected to get much colder and snowier today. a winter weather advisory in effect for the chicago area has up to ten inches of snow is expected through today. after the snow temperatures expected to dip drastically tomorrow with highs only in the single digits out there. want to get to this developing story, flames tearing through a family's home in silver springs destroying that home as you can see. all of this happening days before christmas. megan fitzgerald has details on who is accused of igniting this fire. >> reporter: this is what's left of a home on sea island court in silver springs. restoration crews worked to board up windows and clean up debris. hours earlier at around 1:00 a.m. it was firefighters who were rushing to get the blaze under control. >> w

pretty heavy fire conditions through the roof. >> reporter: pete is the montgomery county fire and rescue. investigators determined the blaze was started in an upstairs room by the 19-year-old daughter. >> i don't think there was any intent to burn down the house but materials at hand and it got away from them. >> reporter: we spoke with the homeowner who says he ran into the room and used a blanket to try to extinguish the flame but it didn't work and they ran out of the home. >> in this particular case in their attempts to smother the fire it made things worse. >> reporter: using a blanket to extinguish a fire is extremely dangerous and not advised. while getting out of the house safely is the focus, he says if there's time close the doors behind you. it can stop the spread of a fire. >> when you close the door, it stops that flow of air and in most cases it's

for you. >> reporter: it's too late for the structure a family of four called home, but fire officials say everyone managed to escape without being injured. want to show you this video just in to our newsroom. air force one touching down in honolulu, hawaii. the obamas are spending their final vacation there as first family. in addition to relaxing, president obama plans to visit pearl harbor with japan's prime minister. it's going to be the first of its kind visit for japan. president-elect donald trump is going to be in alabama today to continue his thank you tour. he was in florida with supporters yesterday. it's there he talked about foreign policy at length, but made no mention of a growing concern over russia's role in the u.s. election. for the first time during his final year-end press conference president obama said the russian president vladimir putin interfered with the

and the intelligence community to do its job without political influence. we briefed all relevant parties involved. >> during his news conference the president said he felt responsibility for the deterioration for the situation in syria. republicans have criticized obama's strategy there. yesterday president elect trump said what he would do. >> we're going to try to patch that up. we're going to try and help people. we're going to build safe zones. we're not having them come over. we're going to build safe zones in syria. >> trump saying his priority in syria will be to work with putin so as to defeat isis. in sunday's meet the press features chuck's interview with former secretary of defense robert gates and john positie d. chuck will join us in the studio in

after a major controversy over the price of epipens, there's a big change set to begin next week. >> reporter: after 14 years justice for the family of a social worker murdered here in 2002. i'll have the story. we are tracking these conditions on this storm team 4 weather alert day, an icy mess out there. we learned metro bus service is suspended system wide until 10:30 this morning. use metro rail when possible. we are back in a moment.

welcome back. another live look outside as a wintery mix moves through our area this morning creating hazardous conditions on roads across the entire ren.

the huge backups. >> this is 495 northbound. you can see the traffic that's been sitting there for a couple of hours this morning. all of this because of an early morning crash involving 25 vehicles. we know on the beltway there's another crash that is deadly. so 41 accidents in all in northern virginia. that's just coming from state police a short time ago. that number expected to go up as these conditions are seemingly continuing to stay pretty bad this morning and worsen even. >> while we're broadcasting live on the nbc washington facebook page so we have a lot of viewers chiming in and telling us about accidents they've seen as well. many of you asking about wreaths across america. we know hundreds of volunteers are involved in that. some buses have been cancelled, but they plan on going on with laying the wreaths today in area cemeteries. >> we're going to continue to update throughout the broadcast but we want to get to other headlines. a shelf's deputy who li

has been cleared of wrongdoing. . . august. this was during some sort of psychiatric episode. the deputy tried to calm martinez down but shot him when he tried to attack. a maryland man convicted of killing a social worker more than a decade after the crime. >> jackie has an update on what the family is saying 14 years later. >> reporter: bizarre statements in a police interview room in march of 2002. prosecutors say john lutz, a physician struggling with what was described as a delusional disorder confessed to murdering his mental health case manager seen on the right in this picture. nicole was stabbed multiple times and her body was discovered next

an apartment complex. her murder rocked the mental health community. case workers visited clients in pairs, a policy rescinded only recently. these are never before seen images of the knife believed to be the murder weapon, a pair of blood stained pants and an envelope noting an appointment with nicole found in lutz's apartment. >> today a jury came back with a guilty verdict of first degree murder against him. in this particular case he was found to have been restored to competency and he was able to distinguish right from wrong. >> reporter: tonight the family issued a statement that says in part it has been a long and painful road. we have waited 14 years for this trial. finally today justice was served. a sentencing hearing is scheduled for december 29th. in silver

if you still have holiday shopping to do, we are in the last weekend before christmas. we're going to break down the best time for you to head out to avoid this slick mes

at t.j.maxx, marshalls and homegoods, we've always believed the holidays should be about joy. where days are filled with magic, not madness. it's why we have amazing prices on thoughtful gifts, everyday. let's bring back the holidays. welcome back. earlier we showed you video of a big accident involving a tanker on the dulles toll

i said eastbound. they're still cleaning that wreck up, one of many across the area. >> all of this because of a thin coat of ice. this has nothing to do with snow. >> that's all it takes. we have multiple accidents in maryland and the district as well as the icing did start around 4:00 this morning. we had rain falling and hit that surface that was below freezing and created a glaze of ice and that's all it took to create havoc here in the region on this saturday morning. it is a weather alert day because of the icing, but a lot of the rain that's been falling is tapering off across northern virginia. the area in pink, that's the icing event that has occurred this morning and now it's moving off to the east. still a few patches of light freezing rain and across maryland and the immete

breaking up here to the west. still a little bit of freezing rain and icing in the shenandoah valley and western maryland, but the general trend is for it to be drying out here as we get into the rest of the morning and the afternoon hours. the area you see in green, those are some rain showers because we'll get above freezing after 11:00 this morning and then we'll start to melt by noon time and during the afternoon a little sunshine breaking out so we'll have melting under way during the afternoon and into the evening hours as temperatures climb to around 50 degrees this afternoon. quite a change from our temperatures that are subfreezing now. it's near 30 in the metro area so we're beginning to see that warming and all the advisories will continue to noon time and that will expire as the change over to rain occurs by later this morning and into the afternoon. some drying, a little sunshine breaking out,

into the evening hours and by dawn sunday 50s and rain showers move in sunday afternoon and then it end at sunset sunday. we drop back into the upper 30s sunday night and a cold start next week but remaining dry. that's the way it looks. >> that thin layer of ice that tom mentioned creating quite a mess on the roads. we can show you some of that video right here. this is the westbound lanes of the dulles toll road. you're about to see a lot of fire crews because of an overturned tanker. this tanker is leaking fuel and hazmat and first responders are on scene. more c

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so there's a small percentage of folks that actually like fruit cake but it looks like starbucks took a chance releasing this limited drink. the frap is available until tomorrow. you probably are wondering what's in it. haz haz haz hazelnut cream, sincinnamon and dried fruit. that one

saying they don't like how it looks. a lot of people saying they don't like fruit cake. >> why would you choose that. >> there's good option there. there's plenty more news for today ahead for us to serve up to including an hour by hour forecast on this weather alert day. >> we're looking at the slick conditions causing a mess on the roads. if you think you're the only one running out this afternoon on the last week before christmas, we'll break down what experts are calling super saturday. an entire community prepares to say good-bye

[000:55:42;00] as we come up on 9:00 here on this saturday, we welcome you back in. it is a busy saturday morning. >> it sure is. tom keeping extremely busy tracking this winter weather minute by minute. we have serious warnings coming in this morning. >> police and vdot up early tweeting clear messages out there. this one from fairfax county police road conditions extremely icy. they're talking about the freezing that's creating that

dangerous layer of ice. crashes reported all over the stay off the road. we know according to state police there are 41 accidents in northern virginia, one of them deadly. that's 495 near 66. on 495 northbound near gallows road exit 51 we know there are 25 cars involved in an accident there and that's causing a massive backup. we know that metro bus services has been suspended until 10:30 this morning, so another hour and a half until it resumes. >> this ice is effecting those trying to travel through the skies. dulles airport shutting down the runways because of the ice. reagan national airport are open but some flights could be delayed or cancelled. at marshal the runways being treated for ice. some flights could be impacted there as well. all of them are saying to check

with y >> that's good advice there. we do want to show you the traffic maps too. if you look at them, a lot of red and gridlock there. folks not able to get where they need to go. >> this is a pattern that started probably after 5:00 a.m. it was almost like an instant. >> when we were driving in we had no issues and then after that it seemed to hit at once. >> it can happen that fast, right? >> it did at around 4:00 this morning we started to see the rain pick up. we had a little sleet and snow before that, but it was after 4:00 a.m. that we started to see the rain falling. now that we're up to around 30 degrees but still below freezing. the damage has been done. most of the freezing rain tracking off to the north and east is breaking up a bit across northern virginia although we