ricketts on behalf of our first chance of snow this winter. >> we have the snow falling in the district right now. i want to get straight to the radar to show you guys. here's a look. we saw light snow earlier this morning. then it got overcast. at this point, we are seeing a steady, light snow coming down in the district. look toward woodbridge, this pocket still seeing some light rain. don't worry. it is coming your way. headed farther south, southern maryland yesterday was seeing the bulk of the snow. you can see southern st. mary's getting a break. to the north, leonard town seeing light snow. the next couple hours we're expecting more snow in southern maryland. what you need to know. the snow reported at reagan airport. the snow kicks up mid-morning. we were looking toward the earlier half of the morning. it is looking more like the mid-morning. if you haven't already, more than likely, a lot of outdoor plans will need to be rescheduled. we'll let you know how much snow we're expecting and how long it'll stick around coming up in a moment. chuck will have

for now, david, over to you. >> thanks. lauryn ricketts energy. you need two meteorologists to bring her energy. >> exactly. i love it. >> meantime, the snow is coming down in the district. >> maryland has been preparing for the snow since friday afternoon. >> schools closing, no transit, businesses closed. they're in full blown snow mode. >> derrick ward is live from st. mary's county. what is it looking like out there? >> reporter: well, you know what, it's postcard pretty out here. we're on route 5. doesn't get much more southern maryland than this. just coming out of point lookout, south of ridge, maryland. if you take a look, you can see what they've got down here. they indeed got the brunt yesterday. inch or two on the grass. the pavement is clear. they started clearing mid-day yesterday. we've seen a couple trucks out putting down chem kaicals to ke the roads passable but the ambient temperature is enough that it is not sticking to the

they are indeed getting it. no issues getting around here. i think a lot of folks are starting to get out and stir, but a lot of activities have been cancelled here today. anything municipal going on with the schools, this will be practices or games of any kind, have all been cancelled. most municipal transportation down here is also on a standby now. they don't expect to have that back up until tomorrow. but it is nice to be down here. i tell ya, it is picturesque. not all that cold either. but the snow is definitely here. we are live in southern maryland, just outside of ridge. derrick ward, news 4. back to you. >> derrick using the phrase "postcard pretty." come march, we won't be describing it that way. it is nice for this december day. >> it is pretty. we're also working for you this morning, looking for the trouble spots on the roads that may be popping up. >> let's continue our team coverage of this snowstorm with news 4's justin finch. he is live along the inner loop of the beltway this morning. good morning to you,

>> reporter: hey there, megan. good morning. finally seeing some snowfall out here on the beltway inner loop here. take a look. even the cameras not doing it full justice. we're seeing small flakes fly at the windshield. we have the gray skies going. as you can see, the good news here is that traffic is moving at speed. the brine was put down yesterday, so that is taking care of any potential road is e issues at first here. perhaps you can see coming up, the trucks on hand on the sides of the road that can do the salt spreading as the snow here begins to pick up. we at first saw earlier some fine rain come down. that eventually turned into the flakes we are now seeing. as the morning progresses, we are seeing the snow finally move into our area. here in virginia, a lot of school events have been cancelled because of this coming snow. as you can see, as we approach -- just after 8:30 here, the snow we've been waitfo

looking good. not looking bad at this time. that is the latest here. now live on the inner loop, i'm justin finch. back to you guys. >> thank you. be safe on the roadway. many across southwest louisiana are waking up to a bit of a surprise. yup, they're geing so ingetting well. louisiana, folks. louisiana state police already responded to several cars that ran off the side of the road. luckily, they were not major incidents. of course, people are throwing snowballs. it is fun. >> snowball fight there. >> this is the best part of snow, you snow? have a little bit of fun. the salvation army in lake charles has opened an emergency shelter for anybody that needs a safe and dry place to stay. make some snow angels there. good time. and some more snow for you this morning. this time in north carolina. you can look at that snow just coming down steadily there. the snow is taking over. everyone out there, stay warm. >

we've been talking about, we've decided to postpone what is a very popular event around here, the nbc 4 allstate community shred. it was at fedexfield, scheduled to be there. not happening this morning. stay home. stay warm. we'll keep you company. keep all the papers that are probably piling up in the basement or the garage. we're working to get you a new date. we'll reschedule the shred and let you know as soon as we get it on the calendar. your time now is 8:35. we are watching the snow for you all morning long with team coverage. >> we're looking live on the roads right now. it's coming down. we are tracking it all on this storm team 4 weather alert day. just getting started on this saturday. ay with us.st

this is a devastating story we're getting new details ab.

rockville lieutenant and fbi agent killed while standing on the shoulder of i-270 overnight. that's according to fire and rescue spokesperson. he said one of the victims was firefighter cohen, also a deputy chief with the fire marshall's office. maryland state police say one officer was in a crash around 10:00 last night. the other came to help. both were off duty at the time. they were both hit by oncoming traffic. devastating story there. we're going to update you as we get more details. police believe they have found the spot where a d.c. woman was buried. the thing is, they're not going to actually dig there to search for her remains. >> news 4's darcy spencer spoke to the woman's family about the disappointment after almost nine years of searching. >> reporter: cadaver dogs searched i-95 in stafford county for the body of pamela butler. it is where her boyfriend turned confessed killer said he buried her years ago. their hours of searching turned up nothing. it was a

derrick, and the rest of the family. how are you and your family deal winning th with that? >> very disappointed. i was there and know they searched. they worked at it very hard. you don't win them all. >> reporter: the federal worker went missing more than eight years ago. a break in the case finally came with a confession from her boyfriend jose rodriguez cruz. he promised to lead detectives to her body in exchange for a lighter sentence. while the search dogs alerted on at least one area, no actual remains were found. butler says to him, his sister is still missing. >> if we could get her in, give her a proper resting place, you know, then we know where she's at. but we don't know where she's at at this point. >> reporter: police told butler they're not going to continue searching. that's because the section of road where cruz allegedly buried her has been the site of road construction over the years. ten feet of dirt

ar areas, 30 feet in others. >> of course, i'd like for them to go back out there. at the same time, you have to be realistic. >> reporter: cruz is facing 12 years in prison on a second degree murder charge as part of a plea deal. while butler feels he did not get what he was hoping for with the search, he knows he has to move forward. darcy spencer, news 4. your time now is 8:40. here is another live look outside the nbc 4 studios. it's snowing. >> looks so nice. >> it is coming. i'm excited. this is beautiful. >> we can say that because we're inside, right? >> yeah. >> when you're out there -- >> true. >> still looks good. >> because of this, we've decided to postpone our nbc 4 allstate community shred at fedexfield. >> all the papers piping up in your storage unit, hold on to them for you. we'll reschedule the event. we know you're interested in it. as soon as we get a new date, we'll pass it along. you're

♪ ♪ it feels good to be back. ♪ ♪

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good morning. if you haven't already, i hope you run to the window and look out in the district. we have snow accumulating. i am seeing some snow file up on the frtree lands. here's a photo i got. i was sent it a few hours ago. hey, very fine, little snowflakes falling in

yes, the icicles are fake. maybe won't be tomorrow morning. we are expecting freezing conditions. nonetheless, we're waking up to snow. take a look at the road conditions. rain roads at this point will be fine. the road temperatures around 35/38 degrees i-95 northbound. the secondary roads will be slick if not treated. sidewalk, you'll need a shovel when it is all said and done. for amounts on how much snow we'll be receiving as well as timing, when will this wrap up, chuck will have it momentarily. for now, back to you all. >> you can see it is coming down out there. out west, they'd love this precipitati precipitation. the fire devastation? southern california has turn ed deadly. 70-year-old woman died as a result of the wildfires. she was found trapped in a car. california fire officials say the thomas fire has burned 143,000

a change in the weather has helped extra aircraft fight from above, but the fire fight is far from over. >> mother nature is writing the rule book on this right now. >> when a tornado hits, there is no stopping it. when a hurricane comes, there is no stopping it. when the sun that ananta ana wi there is no stopping it. >> strike teams expected to have to work through christmas to put all the fires out. the cdc is warning this flu season is off to a tough start. it is probably going to get even more serious. there are more than double the number of flu cases than we normally see this time of year. nbc's medical correspondent dr. john torres has the latest on how to protect your family from getting sick. >> reporter: cleaning crews shrubbi i scrubbing down to sanitize a school in st. louis shut down

this year after a quarter of the students got the flu. >> i don't want to be in the general public because there are so many kids sick. >> reporter: across the country, it'll get worse as the holidays approach. with families spending time together, widespread flu ak activity was reported in seven states. 10,000 cases already reported, twice as many as this time last year. the flu shot may only be 10% effective against this year's main strain of the flu. it doesn't mean you shouldn't bother getting the shot. >> we very well could get a lot of protection from just getting vaccinated. everybody should be getting it. it is safe in anybody over six months of age. >> reporter: those over 65 should get a special version to boost their immune system. important because they're at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke after the flu. >> as you age, your response to vaccines can wane. >> reporter: it is important to get the shot now. it takes two weeks to fully kick in, just in time for the

york. if you were watching with us earlier this morning, you may have said, why cancel the nbc 4 allstate community shred? nothing is coming down. well, there you go. >> tah-dah. >> this is why. >> it'd be disingenuous to stay, stay off the roads, stay home, but go to the community shred. >> we'll reschedule it and get you a date as soon as we have it. you have the timing right down. around the 8:00 hour. >> started two or three hours than i really thought yesterday, but by the time we were in this morning, we had a good beat on when it'd start. it may linger more in the evening. it might honestly take until 8:00 or 9:00 this evening before everything finally winds down once and for all. we'll take it, no matter how it will be. let's go to the rain roads for now, they're fine. secondary roads are not treated, they will be a little slippery. biggest time to watch out for, honestly, will be early tomorrow morning. the snow wila

temperatures will be below freezing. we could have a bit of a re-freeze issue to contend with early tomorrow morning. there's a live view from our city camera. there's the shadow of the washington monument right there. sort of obscured by the snowflakes. keeping track, could be our first inch of snow, a 90% chance it is the first inch of snow at national airport. the earliest in ten years. last winter we didn't get our first inch until january the 30th. the winter before that, the '15/'16 winter, it was january 22nd. that added up to almost 30 inches at dulles airport. that's what two feet of snow would look like if we got it. we won't get that today but it'll be a social snow, coming on a weekend. we want to be part of your social snow activity. tag us @nbc washington. check our app for the latest forecasts. there's my social media handles. send me tweets and facebook pictures of the snow coming at your ce

chance to get at least an inch at national airport. most of the d.c. metro area outside of the beltway, between one and four inches of snow. there could be more across southern maryland. southern maryland also has a little bit of a boom bust potential. there could be a rain/snow mix later in the day, cutting snow totals significantly. a cold wind shows up for tomorrow. there's the last ripple of the atmosphere that will ride up over us late afternoon to the early parts of the evening. that area of upper level energy, that's what i think may get the snow fall rate to go up high enough where we could overcome the fact we're not below freezing. light snow in southern maryland where the ground is already covered in white. future weather. periods of light to moderate snow, mid to late this morning. 3:00 in the afternoon. the steadiest of the snow expected to be in parts of southern maryland. 6:00, things winding down in the shenandoah valley. by 9:00 or

down off the i-95 corridor. this is a rain/snow mix across parts of the bay. if it gets to southern maryland, it'll cut back on the amount. everything is over by midnight tonight or shortly thereafter. then skies clear. temperatures will be below freezing early tomorrow morning. the roads are not going to be a problem at all today. there's enough road treatment chemical down. pavement temperatures are above freezing. general amounts. waldorf, leonard town, four to six inches. if it stayed all snow, somebody in st. mary's county might be able to get as much as eight inches of snow. let me know. you see eight inches of snow, send a picture to me. i'll be happy to send it out. temperatures now, we're above freezing in the washion

planning through the day, even with the snow, pabove freezing between now and 6:00 this evening. tuesday morning, could have light rain or freezing rain. we'll keep you post on that.ed

would you look at that. hundreds of santas hit the slopes earlier this month in maine for a good cause and the ski lift. t

its 18 annual santa sunday event to raise money for local communities. participants donated $15 to join in on the fun. this year, they raised $2,500. that's great. >> pretty good though. if you go down, it's not a water resistant suit. >> right. >> they're staying on their feet. >> exactly. this is an exciting night for "snl." james franco hosting. mult multi-grammy nominate d performer. >> he's funny. >> and his brother, dave. >> they're both funny. check it out here on nbc. time now is 8:54. we're watching the first snow of the season for you. here is a look at route 50 in southern maryland, where the snow coming down. looks wet. >> we're working for you this morning on what is a storm team 4 weather alert day.

including team coverage, right after this. z2i1zz z16fz y2i1zy y16fy

there was an old woman who lived in a shoe. she had so many children she had to buy lots of groceries. while she was shopping for organic fruits and veggies, burglars broke into her shoe. they stole her kids' mountain bikes and tablets along with her new juice press. luckily the geico insurance agency had helped her with homeowners insurance. she got full replacement on the stolen goods and started a mountain bike juice delivery service. call geico and see how affordable homeowners insurance can be. >> announcer: news 4 begins now with storm team 4. >> welcome back in on what is a snowy saturday morning. i'm david culver. >> good morning. i'm megan fitzgerald. if you're just waking up, take a look outside. it is a beautiful start to this saturday morning. beautiful start to this e

we've got some snow falling here in the metro area. we also have team coverage for you on this weather alert day. all bases covered. two reporters. two meteorologists. doesn't get better than that. >> given how, of course, beautiful it is, it can also be treacherous at times. that's why we're tracking it all. let's start in the weather center with chuck bell. >> nice, easy snow fall to practice on for the first snow of the season. above freezing road temperatures is making it very easy. plus it is on a weekend. easier to have snow on a saturday. no doubt. >> absolutely. and that snow has begun to fall. we were waiting on it earlier this morning but it is here. let's take a look at the radar, see who is getting in on this. actually, here's a look. 35 degrees. we are seeing the light snow falling in the district. here's a look at your radar. this is where we're getting the light snow fall. i want to go ahead and snow you -- oh, i had it earlier. let's see if i can get to it. southern maryland, where they were putting up a lot of the snowfall earlier yesterday. right now, it looks liket

little dry. we have to watch them carefully. southern maryland, you could be getting in on some of the wetter precip. rain is possible. here are a few of the snow totals. arlington, trace amounts right now. we are climbing. st. mary's county, up to 3.3 inches by 10:00 p.m. last night. we'll see if we can get to that four inch. we predicted four to eight inch sz in southern maryland. we'll talk about how much you can expect inside the beltway coming up with chuck. for now, back to you, david. >> thanks. you should have heard the excitement in the newsroom at 8:00 when megan saw snow coming down in the district. >> little excited. >> rightfully so. >> tit's pretty. right? >> i'm just saying, if you're out in it, it is not as pretty. >> true. we have a nice view. >> nice to look from in here. >> touche. folks in maryland, they've been planning for this since friday afternoon. >> they sure

they have school closings, no activities on the weekend, transit is cancelled. full snow mode. derrick ward is live in st. mary's right now. >> what is it looking like? >> reporter: it is nice to look at and not bad to get around in. we are in leonard town. take a look. this is the scene. again, you can see they have decent snow. snow on the grass. the non-paved surfaces. paved surfaces, whether treated like these roads or just the ambient temperature makes it so, you can pass, there is no snow on that. we're even seeing grassy areas that are starting to be cleared of snow. we're getting the mix of rain and sne thow folks have talked about. mary's county, they are putting a lot of things on hold. high school activities, practices, games, things like that, outings, they've been postponed, put off because of this weather. they got ahead of the storm in terms of treating the