evening. when that snow starts to fall, it's going to be melting on the roads. >> we do have those winter storm warnings in effect, areas here in the pink. that's just about every county, i-95 to the west. to the east always the delineation mark, i-95. in anne arundel county, prince george's county, stafford, spotsylvania and down to the south there are no watches or warnings at all there. this is going to be a heavy wet snow so we could see some issues with power outages. down to the south, looks like rain. richmond area is starting to see some snow. this is all coming up, two systems coming together to create a monster nor'easter. because of those road temperatures and because of the temperatures out there right now, maybe not as big of a deal in d.c. >> that strong march sun get us into the 40s this afternoon.

around the region. going to take a while for temperatures to cool down. once that snow starts, we are going to see the temperatures really begin to drop once that snow begins. look hour by hour into the evening hours. by 8:00 light snow starts to fall into the metro area. we'll be into the upper 30s by then. that's when we're going to start seeing the snow pick up in intensity, 11:00. by dawn tomorrow we'll have a mix of rain and sleet in the metro area. temperatures hovering right near the freezing mark. by 11:00 a.m. on tuesday we're going to see the snow showers just coming and going and tapering off. >> that rain/snow line so critical. i'm going to have an updated forecast for you including a new map to show you. the parking restrictions and the closures are starting to take effect now just ahead of the storm. news4 is watching those roads for you in maryland. mark segraves has been

he's live in frederick this evening to tell you how people are preparing. >> reporter: if you're with us here at 4:00, it was sunny and clear here in frederick. just within the last hour it has changed dramatically to cold and cloudy both in montgomery county and here in frederick county. officials we talked to said they're not taking any chances with winter storm stella. at this lowe's in frederick they had everything ready for spring. while inside staff hustled to restock the snow supplies as residents were getting ready for what could be the biggest storm of the winter. what happened to your shovel from last year? >> it was broken. i realized that this morning, both of them zwlnch. i'm hoping we don't get much but got to be prepared. >> reporter: at gas stations people were filling up. this woman came for more than juas

the kerosene heater. >> reporter: in montgomery county, crews that thought they had dodged a major storm were gearing up for a long couple of days. what do you do to get ready for a shift that may last 24-72 hours? >> bring a big bag of food and extra clothing. >> reporter: the montgomery county storm operations center went live at 7:00 this morning where staff will work around the clock, as well as crews on the roads, throwing everything they have at winter storm stella. >> right now we're at capacity. we're at 110,000 tons of salt. we have well enough materials to address this storm. approximately 230 contracts. we have 175 internal trucks. we're somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 pieces that will be on the road for this event. >> reporter: now, local fire officials also want to remind

use a portable heater or a generator if power goes out, follow the manufacturer's instructions and never fire up one of those generators inside, even inside a garage. those are meant to be used outside only. frederick city has declared a snow emergency that goes into effect at 9:00 tonight that restricts where you can park your cars in the city. maryland state police have declared snow emergencies in frederick, prince george's county, montgomery county and anne arundel counties. that also affects your ability to park on major state roads. coming up, we're hear more from officials. wendy and i didn't know this thing had a name. thank you for telling us about stella. a number of schools in our area have already closed for tomorrow including the university of maryland in college park, a,

towson and alexandria. they have all cancelled their evening activities. right now the trucks are loaded. the road crews are in place in virginia. we were in chantilly earlier today as the salt was being loaded. they say they will be able to adapt for whatever comes our way. coming up, news4's justin finch reports on their strategy for beating the storm. here in the district the snow preps have been underway since yesterday. the crews have been treating the streets and sidewalks downtown. city officials say they'll be ready regardless of how much or how little snowfalls on the district. our team coverage continues. tom sherwood is in southeast. >> reporter: now, i wanted to show you -- i think of myself as a fairly tall person. look at this. this equipment makes me look really small. it's a front end loader, just one of many here at this facility.

domes in the city. this is the newest one in the city. later tonight the district says it will have 200 plows out on the street stationed all around town. workers will be on 12-hour shifts. the mayor called it a full deployment regardless of what snow we actually get. >> and we don't really snow at this point how much will affect the district proper. so we are hoping for the best, but as you can see with all the people behind me are planning for whatever mother nature sends our way. >> reporter: now, the mayor came back from austin, texas, just to be sure to be here for the snow. she says the city is ready. live in southeast, tom sherwood, news4. there is a scramble tonight at our local airports as folks

before the storm hits. the airline tracking site flight aware says nationwide more than 3,000 flights have been cancelled for tomorrow. that's on top of the 1400 cancelled today. our team coverage continues with meagan fitzgerald out at reagan national. >> reporter: you could kaucall the calm before the storm. >> cost me to have to schedule for today. i was supposed to leave tomorrow. >> reporter: passengers at national are leaving down before they're stuck in what will likely be a travel nightmare. >> we decided to change and try to beat the storm, get out a little sooner than later. >> reporter: yep. trying to travel during a storm can be horrible, though airport officials are trying to get their stress relieving advice out now. >> contact your airline today with the possibility of rebooking your flight for today or a date that you know is going to be working better after the storm. >> reporter: he says by tonight hi

clear of aircraft until crews are able to safely plow the snow tomorrow morning. that means cancellations are coming. >> some airlines will have limited operations in the morning. others are going to wait until wednesday to resume flightins i the d.c. area. >> reporter: metro says rail and bus service could be impacted as well. if the aboveground rails see eight inches or more, they might have to suspend service. officials say it all depends on how much snow we get and how fast it comes. bottom line is mother nature is reminding us that despite the nice weather we once had, it's not spring just yet. >> wint ser still heer is still another week. >> reporter: check with your airlines and make accommodations before coming to the airport. travel is expected to be impacted until wednesday.

metro is telling riders to expect some changes to the bus service tomorrow because of this expected snow. some of the routes may be delayed. they might be detoured. it does depend on the conditions. in the past hour metro gm announced they are planning to open the above and below ground rail service at 5:00 in the morning. trains are going to be running tomorrow on a saturday schedule. and if you rely on metro access, service has been suspended for the rest of today and it is suspended for all of tomorrow. remember, you will have to shovel your sidewalks. if you're young and healthy, consider helping your neighbors who are senior citizens or other folks in need. the district requires sidewalks to be shovelled within 24 hours or homeowners can get hit with a $25 fine. businesses have eight hours to avoid a $150 dollar fin

live. we are following a number of other stories for you this evening. still ahead, a surprise for the family of the former fairfax city mayor after his. appearance in court in a drugs for sex case. we just got some new details in the battle over health care. we're learning more about the cost of a republican plan and how many people may lose insurance because of it. >> reporter: faced two counts of second degree assault, one count of obstructing and hindering. these are just some of the charges in a long police chase case that landed a man in jail for ten years. when you see the video, you'll understand why. we have the pictures. we hav the ec

pretty! [doorbell rings] hey. umm...sign here? sure, you got a pen? i do! thanks, sweetie. the savings in bloom event is going on now at havertys. life looks good.

doug is now back to tell you how this dynamic shifting scene is playing out at this hour. >> this is a really tough storm to forecast. but this is where we live. we live along the i-95 kcorrido. it's one of the hardest places

the ocean, the mountains back to the west. the advisories are put out the way they are, the winter storm warnings include everybody west of i-95 underneath a warning. everybody east under an advisory or nothing at all. to the north and west we are expecting an all snow event for the most part. it is snowing. just got some observations. fredericksburg, around stafford county is snowing. >> saint mary's now. >> also seeing that snow. we are seeing some snow. it will start as snow here. the heavier snow moves down. this is what we're waiting for to come into our region right on down to the south. we're waiting for this storm back to the west and right on through here. cincinnati is about to pick up the snow. that all moves our way and we start to see the snow here around 8:00. 43 degrees right now. 39 in gaithersb

fredericksbu fredericksburg. road temperatures are well above freezing. they will eventually cool. but at the onset, the snow will most likely be melting on the roads until about 10:00. then it starts to come down fast enough to over come the melting. look at this. the rain/snow line come right close to i-95. there it is. i-95 south and east it's all rain. north and west, a little bit of sleet mixing in. could have a lot of sleet. we could have a couple of hours of sleet at the airport and downtown, maybe parts of fairfax county, maybe back to the west. then the rain/snow line moves back to the east tomorrow. anything from d.c. south really takes the snowfall totals and makes them way lower. down to the south and east, mostly rain. again, tonight you may see a quick inch of snow. then when the rain comes in, it wipes it out. by tomorrow morning, mostly rain down to the south. 1-3 inches in through

prince william county, fairfax county, around the d.c. metro area. six inches right across the line over towards bethesda. mount vernon may be close to nothing. herndon could be 6-10 inches back here. just in one county alone, montgomery county one of those too. you could see three in bethesda and maybe ten or more around e damascus or clarksburg. through tomorrow afternoon we'll see snow. heaviest overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning. snow covered roads to the north and west. the rain/snow line still a very big issue. it's not set in stone just yet. could move a little farther to the west, a little bit closer to the east. that's what we'll be watching. but south and east this is just a rain event. tomorrow, 38 degrees, light snow early. tt

the rest of the day. your next ten days, the big deal here after tomorrow's snow is wednesday, a high of only 30 degrees, windchills in the teens all day, 40 miles an hour winds on wednesday. wednesday is going to be brutal. same deal on thursday. then we try to warm as we head toward the weekend. anyone who is not talking about the storm is talking about health care. it's causing a buzz from capitol hill to the white house especially with these new numbers coming out. at the white house president trump had his first confirmed meeting with his cabinet members. they are still waiting on the confirmation of four members, agriculture, labor, national intelligence and trade. with his confirmed cabinet members, the president signed some new executive action aimed at

executive branch. the president says they will be trying to identify areas that have duplication and redundancy. the congressional budget office, a nonpartisan group that provides analysis of economic and budget decisions for congress just came out with a welcome look at the gop's replacement plan. in 2018 14 million could lose coverage. by 2026, that number could jump to 24 million. the cbo is also projecting a two-year spike in premiums. but it finds when you compare this plan to the current law or obamacare, the premiums overall would be lower. those costs, however, would be

higher for older individuals. bottom line, in the ends the cbo says by 2026, the gop plan will reduce the federal deficit by 337 billion. the cbo says the largest savings would come from reductions in medicaid, which is aide to the poor. president trump has accused the obama administration of wire trapping the trump tower during the campaign. today is the deadline for the justice department and the fbi to provide evidence to congress if that evidence exists. white house spokesman sean spicer says he expects the justice department to meet that request. the president and his advisors have provided no evidence to support the claim but asked congressional committees to investigate. a maryland man sentenced for leading police on a high speed chase, he learned his fate to

case are coming to light. news4's pat collins live with more on the suspect's criminal past and the crash that sent him back to jail. >> reporter: brandon malone was convicted of burglary. he was sentenced to jail for ten years. he did three years and was released on probation. but 18 days after he was released on probation, this happened. cue the dash cam. what you're watching is a high speed chase. >> 80 in a 35. >> reporter: it started along i-270 and ended in a townhouse community. brandon malone behind the wheel. police in hot pursuit. at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour he goes down montgomery

streets where he gets to a dead end here. bo boom, over the curb, over the crash, crashing into a police car. he continues his get away on foot. cue the body camera. >> stop! >> reporter: brandon malone, who police say was high on pcp, charged with a number of assaults and a page full of traffic violations. brandon malone forfeits his freedom 18 days after he's released from jail. what's the lesson to be learned here? >> likely a good lesson to be learned here is once you've served enough time to get on probation, get yourself on the straight and thnarrow and don't lead police on a high speed chase. >> reporter: at 6:00 we have videos of malone's interrogation. it's something to see. i'll see you at 6:00.

a teacher at georgetown day school is facing sexual abuse charges tonight. what court documents reveal about his relationship with a 14-year-old girl. >> reporter: the former mayor of fairfax pleading guilty in a meth for sex case. just ahead, we're going to tell you about the surprising move made by the judge inside the courtroom and what's next for scott silverthorn. and a deadly accident. coworkers are remembering the woman who was killed

several states including maryland have joined in a complaint to push for a hearing tomorrow in washington state over president trump's travel ban. the states claim the ban targeting people from six predominantly muslim nations is unconstitutional and harms state residents, universities and businesses. the government says the allegations about the negative impacts for tourism and universities are purely speculation. this bad weather forced virginia congressman don buyer to cancel his know your rights forum tonight in alexandria. attendance registrations had put the town hall at capacity but there were plans to stream it on facebook and twitter. buyer says tonight's event will be rescheduled. another town hall is planned for next monday morn zblo

f accused of having inappropriate contact with a 14-year-old girl. she told police she had a relationship with mark alan gifford. he teaches middle school at georgetown day school. at the high school police say the girl met with him outside the school on multiple occasions. according to court documents he admitted to kissing her. a guilty plea in the murder of an alexandria resident found dead in beverly park. investigators say portillo attacked a man with a machete and a knife. both killers were members of ms-13. he will be sentenced in april. the former mayor of fairfax city goes before a judge in a

there was a twist. what happened in court that left his family in shock also, the new hope for a number of families who are facing eviction because of a faulty sewage line that's near their homes. and our continuing coverage of the storm headed our way. how crews in northern virginia are getting ready.

i'm tom kierein. we're tracking a winter storm getting closer to us now. we are getting reports of snowflakes now reaching the ground stafford and spotsylvania counties, the northern neck of virginia. saint mary's county, coming into charles county as well. this is all advancing from the south to the knonorth. the main center of circulation is way off in the central mississippi valley. it's going to track right along the east coast. as it does, it will get off new york city and really deepen rapidly. we'll take a look at the hour by hour changes on the way and new storm totals in just a few minutes. snow emergency plans are in effect for our area. justin finch has been in ch chantilly as some of the plow

drivers get ready to hit the road. >> reporter: as the clock ticks closer to snowfall, truck checks are underway at the chantilly salt yards. since the weekend, vdot crews have been working to get ahead of this storm, roading sa iload mixing and spreading salt brine on the roadways. since last month left us with those spring-like days many thought we would buy paybypass snowfall. >> all credit goes to our maintenance crews. they do the snowplowing, patch the potholes, trim the trees and do the drainage projects. >> reporter: operations are ramping up in maryland and the district as this snow is set to

if you see these salt trucks on the road, give them space. conditions could get hairy. power companies are gearing up in case of problems from the storm because the snow could be very heavy. the pepco storm center is operating with hundreds of people ready to respond to customers. virginia power and bg & e are also gearing up. power companies remind us to keep our phones charged in case of outages. all area power companies allow customers to track power outages on their website. we'll be sending out winter storm updates and any school closing alerts from our nbc washington app. download it to and make sure your turn on your alerts. today the former mayor of fairfax pleaded guilty in a meth for sex case. it cost him his job and now his freedom. the judge ordered scott silverthorn into custody to

await sentencing, a decision which left his family completely shocked. >> i think that's the part. that's why i'm so shaken up right now. i wish i was more prepared for that. >> david culver was inside the courtroom when the judge accepted that plea. >> reporter: it's become a familiar walk for scott silverthorn. the mayor going in and out of court each time surrounded by supporters. today he admitted guilty in a drugs for sex police sting. prosecutors say he used a hook upwebsite to meet men for sex in exchange for crystal meth. >> he didn't get any money from it. he didn't get any drugs from it. there was an expectation that he may be usie ining some of the d. the judge asked him, are entering this plea because you are guilty? he

he was remanded back into custody today. handcuffed inside the courtroom and taken next door to the adult detention center. it's there he'll wait until his june 9th sentencing. >> she's a good judge. certainly within her right to do so. i'll admit i'm a little surprised. >> reporter: silverthorn has been working at a hardware store in bethesda the last few months. >> he made a mistake. he's only human. he's trying to get his life back together. for something like to happen is nonsense. >> if he wasn't a public figure, this would not have happened. >> reporter: silverthorn's sister-in-law and niece both shocked. >> i was expecting to have the sentencing come may or june and get to say good-bye. >> reporter: the judge could

sentence him from five to 40 years in prison along with a half a million dollar fine. he'll spend the next three months in jail before knowing his fate. police have identified two young men as the victims of that deadly collision over the weekend in prince william county. kevin martinez was killed along the prince william county parkway. his vehicle wound up on the opposite side of the road, hitting a mitsubishi. a passenger in that car was also killed. the driver has serious injuries and is expected to rekocoverrec. investigators trying to figure out if alcohol or drugs played a role in this. overnight two vehicles collided along indianhead highway. one of the cars caught fire. we're still working t

crash. in the district, one of the city's ambulances got into an accident at 13th street and tennessee avenue near lincoln park in northeast. you could see damage to the front right side of the ambulance. no word on whether the ambulance had been transporting anybody at the time. a search for clues after someone steals nearly three dozen guns. >> reporter: a pedestrian and bicyclist collide with

tonight dozens of guns reported stolen from a chantilly gun store over the weekend. police say 35 guns are missing from the 50 west armory on metro tech drive. three suspects were captured on video surveillance. police are hoping these pictures will lead to their arrest. this theft comes days after a gun store was robbed in rockville. two suspects are responsible in that theft. tonight residents of a trailer park in manassas could hear the news they're hoping for. catholics for housing wants to buy the east end mobile harm park. the group wants to work out a deal for residents stay in their homes while crews repair the

there's a meeting on the issue tonight. we just got word off the phone with officials in manassas who tell us tonight's meeting is still on despite the bad weather. the maryland terrapins will face the 11th seed xavier must ka ti must . the women's team will find out their tournament path in just a couple of hours. our sports folks are going to be pretty busy, because on thursday the university of virginia is facing unc wilmington and virginia tech takes on wisconsin. vcu takes on saint mary's and west virginia is facing bucknell.

benefits of exercise. but did you also know it may work as well as as drugs or even surgery for people? the new concerns about security being raced about that incident. the team is fine tuning the forecast. the latest onhat we w c

you're watching news4 at

frederick. a snow emergency has been declared for many parts of maryland. that means you are restricts from parking on state roads. here in frederick city they also have a snow emergency declared. in montgomery county nearly 400 snow trucks are already on the road. >> reporter: i'm andrew shiff in brooklyn where millions who rely on mass transit are wondering whether subways will be running in the blizzard, whether buses will be able to get down secondary streets and in general how new yorkers will be able to get around. we already know that new york city schools are closed, sidelining more than 1 million kids. you can see that clouding up already now. >> that's a snow sky. >> it looks wintery. how's it looks

>> we're fine tuning it as we get closer to the event here now, just a couple of hours away from seeing the first snowflakes coming right into your neighborhood. have already seen some reaching the ground. it is a weather alert day. we will have frequent storm team 4 updates into the evening hours. there's that sort of fuzzy snowy looking sky over looking washington now. that's the live view from the storm team 4 tower camera. we're well above freezing. so anything that falls initially is going to be melting on roads. pavement temperatures this afternoon were around 60 degrees with that strong march sun. right now radar showing the leading edge of this. just a few wet snowflakes trying to reach the ground already around montgomery county and to our south, starting to show up in saint mary's county, the northern neck and richmond. this is the very leading edge of it.

getting off the coast, forming a low pressure system here around hatteras, then it's really going to be rapidly intensifying. the full force of the storm when it's just around long island and off the new england coast. we're going to be on the early formative stages of the storm, so we're in the going to take the full brunt of it but enough to have some major problems. by 10:00 tonight all this area in lavender is snow. most of it melting on warm pavement. by 1:00 a.m. we get some warm air coming in. the pink zone could be some sleet and wet snow mixing in. that may push farther to our north and west by about 4:00 in the morning. it will draw in some cold air, bring back another surge of some snow by the latter part of the morning on tuesday. then by 1:00 in the afternoon, a few scattered snow showers

snow is going to be occurring as we get into the hours after midnight and for early tomorrow morning. just a little light snow through the evening hours. may get moderate around 11:00 or midnight. by 8:00 a.m. rain mixing with the snow. still some snow showers around. just in the mid 30s by 11:00 in the morning. this is the map that is so important because we have a huge difference depending on where you live. mostly going to rain in the southern maryland. along the 95 corridor maybe an inch to three inches. that's going to be on the northern edge of it. then 3-6 inches northern prince george's county county up to anne arundel. up to six inches in mid montgomery into western fairfax. up to ten-inch amounts could be in

ridges along the blue ridge. southern maryland is going to escape the brunt of the tomorrow. north and west we're going to see the bulk of that coming on through. and higher amounts up near the near pennsylvania border. we also may get some strong gusts of wind during the evening hours tomorrow. they may cause some power outages. it's going to take a while to get over with this storm. a programming note. our team is working for you get you through it. they'll be on the air early tomorrow starting at 4:00 a.m. the man who is charged with jumping the white house fence on friday is set to be released for now. jonathan tran is the first person accused of jumping the fence since president trump took office. he appeared before a judge this afternoon. >> 26-year-old jonathan tran is

northern california until the next hearing in his case. he faces a ten-year prison sentence if convicted. but there are new questions about whether the white house is secure enough and whether the punishment for fence jumping is stiff enough. jonathan tran said little in court today but he told the judge he's unemployed and needs the government to provide him a defense lawyer. tran jumped the white house fence friday night and made his way all the way to the south portico. they say tran was carrying a backpack with two cans of mace and claiming to have an appointment with the president. tran is just the latest man arrested for scaling the white house fence despite the addictions of anti-climb features in 2015. new spikes were added to stop such incursions. the secret service and national park service are planning to raise the fence in the next year or two with a new taller base and higher beams. one former secret service officer tells news4 he's concerned these fence

people who want to make political statements. joseph caputo admitted to scaling the fence with a binder holding a rewritten u.s. constitution in 2013. he pleaded guilty but avoided prison time, probation only. he later spoke with news4 about why he did it. >> i had my own intentions. the main point was the binder. it seeks to restore the constitution to its original intention. >> former maryland based secret service officer reacted to both of these cases, saying even if the judges ordered the men held behind bars immediately, it might not make a difference. he said jail is not even a mild det dete

biggest releases since the harry potter saga, the books by form president obama and his wife michelle could be a global event. penguin random house just announced it has lined up publishers from ireland to south africa for the pair of books. it's also set to release spanish language editions. there's no title yet or release date. but some reports claim penguin ran donnedom house paid as much mm million for the two books. before you reach for a pill to help fix what ails you, it might be better to reach for your jgym bag. research shows for some conditions exercise might work as well as drugs or surgery and with fewer side effects. why don't doctors prescribe this more often? consumer reports has

>> reporter: sandra discovered she has dangerously high blood sugar levels and type ii bu diabetes. he doctor prescribed regular exercise. >> if i keep with the exercise and the diet changes i will be off medication next month. >> reporter: nearly 1 in 10 party tanicipants were able to up diabetes medicine all together. exercise has been shown to be a very effective tool against other chronic conditions. >> for chronic lower back pain, you should try exercise before you pop a pill. >> reporter: for people who suffer from arthritis, weight training can build muscle strength. >> it's important to learn how to use weights correctly from a

certified train eer or physical therapist. >> reporter: the more muscle you have, the less likely your body is to store extra glucose as fat. consumer reports says it's also important for those with diabetes to have some food before working out. a federal investigation is now starting after a tragedy in pennsylvania. what authorities are trying to learn after the death of a 3-year-old in her incident related to a hoverboard. prince william county schools closed tomorrow. we are gearing up for the biggest snow we've seen this season. but how much you'll see depends on where you are. team coverage and doug's snow xttal map ne

for the first time in the united states, a death linked to a hoverboard fire. a toddler died in pennsylvania. a hoverboard on a charger burst into flames. one girl died. two others are in critical condition. >> it's killing me insides to see my daughter swollen and covered in burns and fighting for her life in that hospital bed. >> it's not the first

has happened. there have been dozens of hoverboard fires in dozens of states. biking is a healthy option for getting around d.c. but it does come with certain dangers, not just for the riders but for pedestrians as well. derrick ward explains how one woman's death highlights the need to broaden conversations about cross walk safety. >> reporter: jane bennett clark was leaving her job last thursday evening. she hwas hit and killed by a bicyclist riding down 13th street. she'd just stepped from the curb when it happened. >> personally and professionally this is a truly devastating loss. >> reporter: her death leaves a void at kiplinger. >> she was just a beautiful word smith. she could take any subject and make it

death and the circumstances came up at a d.c. council transportation hearing today. >> that just highlights, i think, the difficulties that we have in getting everyone to adhere to whatever the rules are, but to be on the lookout for each other. >> reporter: that's the prevailing notion among both cycling and pedestrian add voe vats advocates at the hearing. dedicated bike lanes and the law says cyclists should treat stop signs -- >> pedestrians don't pay attention. they go across the street with cell phones in their hand. >> we encourage people to follow the rules and yield to pedestrians. >> reporter: thursday's accident is still under investigation. it's yet to be determined if any laws were broken. no charges have been filed, no blame has been assigned. but it serves as a tragic

reminder to be alert. >> it's like driving but you're sort of more out in the open. >> reporter: and more vulnerable should something go wrong. now at 6:00, the biggest snow of the season to hit the nation's capital now on our doorstep. >> we're bracing for the worst. >> a winter storm warning about to go into effect for much of the area as road crews gear up for a busy couple of days. >> people should be smart and be prepared. >> we are working for you. special coverage on news4 at 6:00 starts right now. in fact, we have seen hardly any snow at all this winter, but we are about to get reminded that it's not spring yet. >> we've been keeping an eye on this coming snowstorm for days now. it's almost here. road crews say they're going to be ready whenever it comes our way. the district has already decl e declared a snow emergency which means until further notice your car can be

along a designated snow emergency route. be warned. travelers are trying to find a way out of town or to find a room for the night. we just learned that prince william county schools will close tomorrow. also university of maryland, georgetown university and northern virginia community college. >> the office of personnel management says it will not make any announcement about federal employees reporting to work or staying home until early tomorrow morning. as this list grows, we will update our list in realtime on our nbc washington app. our team of reporters are fanned out across the district, maryland and virginia tonight. we're going to begin with our coverage in the storm temperature. >> doug and tom are standing by. i've been getting the impression listening to you the last couple of days this one is really difficult to nail down in terms of just how much and exactly