now at 4:00 a.m., talk about the ides of march. >> this promises to be one of our better or worse depending on how you look at it march snowstorms of all time. >> starting to see the snow become a little bit heavier now. >> but after all of the preparation, is our area ready? news4 begins now with storm team 4. >> 4:00 a.m. good morning, everybody, i'm aaron gilchrist. >> it is a storm team 4 weather alert day. >> most places you will see why

one big question this morning, is the federal government open? you're looking at a life picture of the capitol this morning. we are learning that workers are on a three-hour delay and have the option of unscheduled leave. >> and a lot of people are wondering which schools are closed and which are open. take a look at this map. everything in red on the map is not open today. yellow is where there is a two-hour delay and here are the places that have not made a decision yet. d.c. public schools, arlington, alexandria. west mooreland, fredericksburg schools in virginia. >> prince george's, charles, st. mary's and calvert county schools in maryland and mineral county schools in west virginia all have yet to make the call. if you did not hear your school district name just now, it is very likely closed today. all the closings are on the nbc washington app and at the bottom of your

we also check the forecast right now, because when i was coming in it was a little sleet, a little freezing rain. >> you can see we have our team spread out across the area this morning. melissa mollet ready to let you know what the roads are looking like. not looking forward to that, but let's start with weather. >> good morning. we are definitely seeing icy roads out there. that's going to be the biggest concern. >> absolutely right. very slick and dangerous traveling conditions across most of the immediate d.c. metro area. points north and west are even worse. dangerous roads, if you can delay any of your early morning travels, that is probably the best recommendation. later on this afternoon, changing over to mostly snow, not a lot of snow but what's coming down will be mostly snow and incredibly windy as well. here's the big view on storm team 4 radar. it's almost all rain down across far southern maryland in the lower bay, but the closer you get to the metro area, the more there's a sleet/snow, rain

but as soon as you get into fairfax and the southern half of montgomery county, a lot of sleet mixing in. this is all rain though. calvert in st. mary's county and notice that big push of moisture coming up the bay. that's got warm air associated with it so the battle between rain, sleet and snow is going to continue for the next couple of hours. not any impressive snow totals yet but it's still early on in the event. let's go over to sheena. >> good morning. temperatures are right around freezing for most of the morning or the past few hours. we've been seeing temperatures below freezing which has not been good for the roadways. now we're at 33 degrees in the district, but our temperatures may still be fluctuating a little bit. the rest of the area really looking at temperatures at or below freezing, not good for the roads. we've been seeing freezing rain falling. a lot of sleet falling now and what that does when it does fall on the roads and the cars drive over it we're looking at icy conditions continui

heavy snow will stay north and west. power outages there likely. we already had reports earlier. the power lines and the trees were already sagging. icy mix near 95. hazardous travel and we are seeing icy spots where we are seeing the rain on the radar and that's because the temperatures are at or below freezing. we'll be back with another check of the radar. let's check those roads with melissa mollet this morning. we have some icy spots and some snowy roads out there. >> we do have icy spots and snowy roads. it is nasty here. i headed in from montgomery county. it is slow. you have to go slowly. this looks like it's clear. it's not. it is snow covered here this morning. they are out, they are trying to clear things. no matter. it is quite a mess no matter where you go. college park, dump truck there, crash, blocking the right lane this morning. 95 north

the left side is blocked by a crash there. another problem on 95 and a live look at 66 straight ahead. >> all right. thank you. now we want to head northwest of the district to leesburg, virginia. >> justin finch has been there through the night. how's it looking where you are right now? >> reporter: eun, good morning. it's really coming down out here. this consistent pelting of the freezing rain that's really stacking up out here on the streets. we've got plows out here making their way down these roads and you can see, every little bit is helping. when the conditions are coming down like this. i do want to take you to some video that shows it's freezing rain just blowing in the wind. everywhere coating surfaces from sidewalks to streets to trees and bushes and of course on to cars. so far power lines are looking okay out here and plow trucks have been circling since the start of the storm doing some very good work out here on the streets. we

who came out to see the snowfall. >> it's amazing to me how cold it is right now compared to like two weeks, not even two weeks ago. a week and a half ago it was nice and you come outside in some shorts and now you need a whole winter jacket. >> reporter: and perhaps you can see the roads are looking clear as they can be in these conditions. in a matter of minutes it fills back up with all this ice. icy conditions are trickier because it requires so much constant attention. so if you do not have to be on the roads this morning, just stay off of them. i'm justin finch, news4, back in to you. >> we continue our team coverage with transportation reporter. >> he is roafing in our staem storm team 4x 4. how are the roads looking whether you are? >> it's absolutely just a sloppy mess out here. we've seen everything from rain to snow to sleet and take a look as the cameras go around o

with all different sorts of cameras. we are right in the alexandria section off the beltway and you can see the tracks in the road there. you get a good look here from our passenger side camera. that shows you the sloppy mess that's out there right now. we've been battling that rain and snow line as chuck and sheena and everybody else in storm team 4 has been telling you about. you go into these pockets where it's snowing and then it's sleeting and then it's raining and so on and so forth and we are doing that dance out here this morning but one thing for sure, it is messy, it is wet, and it is not allot of fun to be out in this right now. we've seen a lot of snowplows out trying to do their things, get the roads cleared as much as they can. but in the short disstantance w gone on the beltway, the conditions change so fast you have to be prepared for all the different driving conditions. we'll be out all day keeping track of everything. we'll report back to

>> thank you. if you do need to get around in this wintry mess you can take metro. >> metro plans to open at 5:00 with service above and below ground. trains will be running on a saturday schedule arriving every 12 minutes. safe tracking on the yellow and blue lines will continue but there will be no shuttle buses between franconia springfield and pentagon. also metro bus service will operate only on selected routes. metro access service is cancelled for the day. >> most flights up and down the east coast have been cancelled because of this storm and right now, there are hundreds of cancellations at our three area airports. we are not tracking any delays at this hour. if you have a flight today, make sure to check with the airline before you head to the airport. bwi marshall is advising travelers to arrive two hours early because of long tsa lines. back now to our team of reporters checking on neighborhoods in our area. >>

morning with a look at conditions there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, we got about an inch and a half out here of snow. but for the past hour or maybe a little more, what we've been seeing is that freezing rain that everyone's been talking about and just now the wind has started to pick up. but there's been a lot of work on the roads. plow trains have been what we've been seeing coming down germantown road here. and they've made at least a dozen passes since we've been here, and then they're followed by some salt trucks. they're putting down something, but we've talked to some folks out early like this guy who came down to do some plowing. take a listen. >> it was rough. there was a dump truck flipped over on 70 headed towards hagerstown. >> reporter: yeah, so he saw a truck overturned and that is what you're going to have to look out for. these roads have been treated. they are passable, but not at

and that's allowing those trucks to do the work that they need to do in terms of plowing and salting and sanding. we're just in the middle of this. it's going to get a little colder and probably some more of this frozen rain for quite a bit yet. so we'll keep you posted. we're live in germantown. back to you. >> all right. thank you. let's get another check on your weather and traffic. >> we want to begin with chuck and sheena. good morning. >> good morning. >> another -- what a nasty ugly start to the day this is turning into. i just wish it was all snow. >> it would be nice if it was all snow because maybe the roads wouldn't be as bad. ice makes it so bad. >> and snow is prettier, it's more fun to make snowballs out of. this ugly sleet, you'll kill somebody with one of these sleet ball if you throw it hard enough. just an icy, slippery mess out there. staying awfully slick through the afternoon hours. the winds are really going to pick up later on today, so be ready for that

west of the city and ugly sleet/snow mix here and all rain in southern maryland and with time that little rain/sleet combination sneaking up the corridor here between now and about 6:00 or 8:00 in the morning. the colder air will win and it will end up as mostly passing snow showers through most of the day. here's sheena with how much to expect. >> as we go through the day today we could see some accumulating snow north and west which could be giving us totals of over 6 inches but we'll be watching this closely. we're watching very closely that rain/snow line. so the biggest impact the wet and icy roads south and east of the district where we have temperatures around the district and around 95 and major delays or closures north and west of the district. we do have to look at the roads. let's head over to melissa mollet with a look at traffic. >> good morning. so right now a live look 66 here at 50.

road looks sort of worn. that's because it has been treated but again, we are slick out there this morning. inbound 66 at 123 have the left lane getting by. a brand new crash there. also 95 northbound before route 1. left lane gets by, a tractor trailer crash and a dump truck crash blocking the right lane. much more coming up. all right. thank you. it's 4:12 right now and we are just getting started on news4 today. >> much more on the storm bearing down on our area right now. we'll give you a live look at what it looks like for the people in loudoun county. this is one of the harder hit areas. >> we also want to look at the beltway because those of you who do have to work today are probably going to find some conditions like this on the roads where you're going. >> and remember, if you don't have the nbc washington app, today is the day to get it. just download it for free in itunes or android. you'll find up

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> 15 after the hour. as our area continues to get pounded by a mix of rain and freezing rain and sleet and snow, blizzard warnings have been issued for parts of pennsylvania, new jersey, new york, connecticut, rhode island,

a live look for you here from times square where they are expected more than a foot of snow. now, new york's mayor has already declared a state of emergency there. preparations are continued through the night for this storm there as well. >> in boston up to 15 inches of snow predicted there. a busy, busy time with the stores filled with shoppers stocking up ahead of the storm. right now massachusetts' governor is asking everyone to stay off the roads. for the latest now, let's check in with sheena parveen. >> as we toss to you i want to mention that charles county public schools just closed for the day so another one added to the list there. >> and parts of charles county we've gotten some reports of ice on the road. there temperatures are below freezing. if you look at the radar, to the north and west of the district that's snow for the most part. then we have an icy mess to the south. that is where we're seeing some rain and ice mixed in. freezing rain, sleet, a huge

coming up chuck will show you what you can expect the rest of the day today. >> thank you. and we have all eyes across the east coast this morning. >> tim osborn joining us live now with a look at things up that way. pam, it's looking pretty rough. you can see that. >> reporter: yeah, aaron, ueun, good morning to both of you. don't let the lightness of the snow fool you. it has been snowing steadily like this since we've been up this morning. we probably have about two or three inches on the ground right now. also seeing some icing as well. and take a look at some of the side streets here. now, there are no cars on the road right now. we've seen a few people try to brave it and drive to where they need to go but this is by design. they're asking everyone who does not need to be out on the roads to stay home today. school has been cancelled in this area. this particular stretch of road

since wea've been here. we're expected to get 16 or more inches here today. we're going to continue to monitor conditions and i'll see you again in the 6:00 hour. reporting live and ready, i'm pamela os bourne, back to you. >> and this storm is giving many of you a snow day today. what you may not know is that besides the science, there are some myths about just how to get more snow. one of them includes flushing a minimum of six ice cubes down the toilet. this is a picture from our very own melissa mollet. we know brandon was busy flushing ice cubes. my daughter did the same thing. >> first time for everything. >> the kids aren't the only ones that want a snow day. >> chuck went further, wearing his pajamas inside out. that's a thing as well. >> we don't have a picture of that? >> i don't think me in my pjs

going to help the morning rat g ratings at all. >> you never know. >> the huffington post says you will get a snow day, it includes putting your pj's on inside out. brushing your teeth with the opposite hand. >> i've never heard of that. >> and sleeping with a spoon under your pillow. >> really? oh, my gosh. >> of course that begs the question, what are your superstitions or your tactics? we'd like to know about them. tweet us by using the #nbc 4dc. >> we'll be on nonstop until at least noon so we have plenty of time to get them all out there. >> what? >> i didn't grow up doing any of this. this is new to me until i had kids. >> i was raised by two old fashioned new englanders who knew alaup abol about it. >> we didn't get a t

we had a lot of ice storms growing up down south. outside today, dangerous roads, delay any and all travel if you can. most of the area schools now have either closed or are on some form of delay. we'll be scrolling the information across the bottom of your screen. don't leave home until you know for sure until you know you have somewhere to go. mostly snow by later this afternoon and it's going to be really windy once the sun comes up. temperatures, we should be above freezing but just barely. temperatures only in the low to mid-30s at most, but look at those winds. turning to the northwest at 25 to 40 miles per hour. so this is really going to be a power house of a storm. we're really getting short sheeted on the snowfall amounts here in the d.c. metro, but if you're traveling to philly, new york city or boston, don't even think about it. all snow across northern maryland. haven't seen any huge snowfall amounts reported just yet. if you have any, spend them to me on twitter.

most reports between 2 and 4 inches down on the ground. windy and rain, sleet, snow combination through the day today. flurries off and on tomorrow and windy and cold tomorrow. a little bit of recovery later on this the week and saturday a little rain chance with temperatures in the 50s. >> so right now the roads not looking so hot across the area. i'm telling you, it is slick out there this morning. i came in from montgomery county here just a little while ago and 270, not so hot. you can see everything pretty covered. we just had a plow here working this ramp this morning over to sterling boulevard. still though, because it's continuing to fall it's going to take some time to get out of the way. take ago look at the bottom of the beltway you can see all of the pink. that is ice falling right now thisor

problems right now at least through prince george's county. we do have this though, inner loop at route 1 college park, that dump truck crash still blocking the right lane. >> all right. thank you. all right. let's give you another live look outside here. if you're waking up in the district this morning you can expect to see conditions like this outside your front door. this is in northwest d.c. you can see that ominous sky and the ground ain't looking much better. >> fredericksburg, virginia schools are closed. fredericksburg schools are closed. and here's another look at the roads right now. really wet and sloppy. if you do have to drive today you could see snow, slush, even ice depending on where you're driving and where you're going. here's a look at part of the beltway right now. stay with us. we'll be right back.

good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and we are just getting word that federal agencies are open with a three-hour delay for employees. >> employees do have the option for unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework today. we have a whole lot of school closings this morning. >> we're going to go through the whole list for you right now. this is alson

in maryland, montgomery, frederick, anne arundel and allegheny county schools are all closed and we just learned charles county schools are closed as well. >> in virginia now fairfax county, prince william, loudoun, stafford county schools are closed today. >> also in virginia, frederick, fauquier and shenandoah county schools. >> and schools in the cities of fredericksburg, winchester, and berkeley, jefferson, morgan and hardy counties are closed today. >> we have our teams spread out across the region for you. we want to start with chuck bell and sheena parveen. we are still getting the snow and the sleet. just a nasty wintry mix out there. >> yes, we are. >> we're basically getting everything. this storm is bringing everything you can imagine with winter weather. >> that's

it had been all snow it would have been a very pretty snowfall across the area but instead we end up with pretty snow across northern maryland out into the shenandoah valley but just a combination of rain, sleet and snow around the city right now. temperature wise we're in the 20s to around 30 degrees. winter storm warnings are up and if you're planning to be outside today, just know that it is going to be an ugly day to be outside. a wintry mix here this morning. changing over to mostly light snow by late morning to around noontime and then occasional flurries off and on through most of the afternoon. temperatures above freeze bug the winds are going to be howling today. northwest at 20 to as much as 40 miles per hour. that means snow showers and snow flurries are likely to be flying in the breeze for much of the day. let's go over to sheena. >> and the radar is showing like we mentioned really a mixed bag of everything and a lot of it is really an icy mix of snow. that's what you see mostly north and to the west ofth

around d.c. and down 95, that's where we're seeing an icy mix. so if we zoom in here on radar, that purple color, that shows you we're seeing more of the freezing rain and sleet mix with some still near bethesda as well but then you get into more of this pink shading, that's a rain/snow mix so we're seeing this intertwined here near gaithersburg across 270. laurel seeing more in the way of snow but the snow is still continuing north and west. that's where we find those higher snowfall totals as we go through the rest of the morning. south of the district, some heavy rain there, but coming up in just a bit we'll take a closer look. there you see our storm team 4 weather center and we will be tracking that as we go through the rest of the morning. let's look at the roads. how are the roads shaping up? >> a lot of issues across the area. first problem here, a brand new one, outer loop there before connecticut avenue here this morning. this is a new crash. we cannot see it on this camera. we don't have another good