more about what caused this crash. >> plus, record snow and bitter cold. storm team4 tracking some chilly temperatures moving in this way. is there a warm up in sight? plus chances for snow in your four day forecast. storm team4 amelia draper standing by in the storm center. >> amelia, how about the warm up? are we in this cold pattern for a while? >> yeah, we're going to be in this cold pattern for at least the next ten days. in fact, today likely the warm est day out of the next ten. but even so, temperatures today only warming into the 30s. we are about 10 degrees below normal. you can see folks bundled up as they walked around the national mall today. you had the hoods on, the gloves, the scarves, the hats, the whole nine yards. little baby bundled up nicely. we did have nice sunshine today, a bit of a breeze at time. folks enjoyed visiting for the holidays or going for a run. i did that today. definitely bundled up for that. right now we're7

plenty of sunshine. as the sun sets before 5:00 p.m. we cool off quickly. 30 degrees by 7:00 or 9:00, once we work our way to midnight light snow is possible. here's the thing. a very tiny disturbance in ohio, indiana and illinois that could bring us snow showers. i'll have more on the timing around 4:15. download our nbc washington app for the latest forecast we personally put into the app ourselves, pat. >> thanks, amelia. breaking right now at 4:00, a crime scene inside union station. a man is suffering from multiple stab wounds after being attacked this afternoon inside the station. it's not clear whether it happened on a train platform or near the food court. right now police say they are looking for a black man around 20-year-old wearing a white hat and blue pants. they don't have a motive yet. >> new details now about a fiery crash in charles county early this morning that left three people dead. chopper4 capturing what's

of the -- this torched car after it was towed away from the scene in la plata. this happened on rose hill road 1:00 this morning. news4's mark segraves talked with the father and the son who pulled the driver out of the car just moments after that crash. >> reporter: the flames could be seen from far away. carl benjamin and his son were driving home to richmond after christmas dinner when they saw what they thought were christmas lights. but soon realized it was a fire. >> the whole car was flaming. >> reporter: speaking by phone from richmond he says he and his father ran to the car to see if they could help. that's when they saw the driver of the car. >> we stopped and we looked and it was a guy laying on the side -- on the car like he, i guess, crawled out the car. he was just laying there. >> reporter: he said the man was crying for help. police say the driver of the mercedes that crashed was 28-year-old eric lamont moss who lived just a few hundred yards down the road from the crash

it's a two-lane roadway. it's twisty, turning, lots of curves so it is dangerous if you are speeding. but we don't know what the cause of this crash is yet. >> reporter: moss died at a local hospital. two other passengers were also killed in the crash. they have not been identified. law enforcement sorts say from the condition of the wreckage it appears speed may have been a factor. in charles county, maryland, mark segraves, news4. >> shots rang out in the middle of the night break being the silence and a window in a quiet neighborhood. one man is dead. people who live near the hyattsville home have a whole lot of questions this afternoon. news4's darcy spencer is live in the neighborhood. she has new details on the evidence detectives are reviewing. darcy? >> reporter: well, pat, this is the house behind me where this all happened very early this morning. from what we understand from police, the home orrin downer d the shot from the top

the bottom part is broken out. there is a bullet hole. there are security cameras all over the house. they are reviewing footage to see if this was caught on camera. detectives returned to the house on sligo neighborhood. nothing like this has ever happened. -- it's mostly quiet. all the neighbors know each other. that's pretty much it. >> reporter: now, police h

killed here early this morning. they are confirming that there is a possibility of a second suspect involved in this crime who was seen running from the scene. we're going to have much more coming up on news4 at 5:00. pat, back to you. >> darcy spencer. a fire caused nearly $400,000 worth of damage to a home in chevy chase. that is nothing compared to what else could have been lost. >> that's right. an 89-year-old woman was alone inside the home on cummings lane. the sunomoke detector saved her life. it got her up out of a burning bed. >> nobody thinks they're going to have a fire. that's why it's important to check your smoke alarms, have a plan, know what to do. that's what the firefighters are doing, emphasizing how important it is. >> the woman is going to be okay. investigators say they think an extension cord sparked the fire. a christmas tree actually helped fuel the flames. montgomery county firefighters went door to door in the neighborhood to check and install smoke alarms to make sure it didn't happen to anyone

>> firefighters also reminded people about a new smoke alarm law. we are working for you, passing on that information starting january 1st, maryland homes need updated smoke alarms. the rules vary based on when your home was built. a good rule of thumb, replace battery-operated smoke alarms with new alarms that have sealed long-life batteries. the new technology is more reliable, and lasts about ten years. if your smoke alarm is more than ten years old or if it doesn't work, you should replace it by the end of the year. your local firehouse should be able to answer any questions you might have. >> all right. let's talk about christmas. you had a good one, right? >> i did have a good one. >> your great aunt meant well giving you that ugly shirt for christmas. >> so now you want to return it and get something you'll actually wear. however, you feel guilty taking back a gift. don't. >> fedex estimates that 15% of gifts get returned. to

poll shows most of you will be taking one or two things back to the store. a smaller percentage, though, plan to return everything, we're hearing. cnbc's kate rogers working for you tonight, she's joining us live with advice on how to return those unwanted gifts. kate, what's the best time to take something back that we don't want? >> reporter: hey there, leon, nice to see you. today is set to be one of the busiest shopping days of the entire retail outlet season which is impressive considering christmas is over. really a good time to come in is very early in the morning . we saw this mall open 8:00 in the morning. no lines. as you can see behind us, it is increasingly crowded and gotten busier and busier throughout the day. shopper track says december 26 is scheduled to be the fourth busiest day of the entire retail season after black friday, this past saturday known as super saturday, and the saturday before that. foot traffic has been very heavy. >> so,

between gifts and gift cards? is there a difference between when you should be taking gift cards back? do they have time limits on them or what? >> reporter: well, the retailers really want to push you to use those gift cards as soon as possible because macy's, for example, can't count it on your balance sheet until you come in and spend money on items with that gift card and cash it in their stores. that is why you're seeing retailers offer deep discounts. bloomingdales had 75% off. target had 70% off thousands of items. really the rush is to get consumers in as soon as possible from the retailer side of things so they spend that cash asap. >> interesting, very interesting. how about this year versus last year? a lot of us are trying to figure out what the situation is with the economy. what is your take on how things shape up this year versus last year? >> well, we did actually get fresh data this morning from mastercard. they said overall retail sales from november 1st through christmas eve

that's the fastest pace since 2011. and e-commerce actually grew by 18% which is really, really astonishing because so many people are rushing with last-minute gifts. amazon of course is a really big part of that. anecdotally talking to shoppers today, they say they are feeling positive about the economy. many said they spent more this year than they did last year. and we heard quite a few people bring up tax reform, president trump signed into law last week and many feeling positive about that, thinking they're going to have more money in their pockets next year so they were willing to spend more this year. >> bottom line, spend it while you've got it. there you go. kate rogers. >> exactly. >> take care. merry christmas. talk to you soon. pat? >> now that your house is filled with all those new gifts, it's a great time to dee clutter and donate what you don't need. news4 stopped by the good will in arlington today to find out how your donations help the community. >> we know that the jobs that are created, that the people that we're sup

that money gets to help people with the career, help them open savings accounts, help them put presents under the tree. there is no other time to be a meaningful part of good will. >> of course there is another bonus. you can deduct your donation from your 2017 taxes. so, be sure to ask for and keep your receipts so that you can prove your donation to the irs. >> first on 4:00, police dispatch calls reveal a couple's daughter called 911 friday to report her parents were shot. >> advising her mother and father were shot. >> radio conversations between police also reveal shots were fired after officers arrived there on the scene. police found three people shot on the second floor of the home on black fir court in reston. scott fricker and his wife buckley kuhn-fricker died. the accused gunman 17-year-old. he's in the hospital now with life-threatening injuries. he's expected to be charged, but

released. one of the victim's mothers told news4 the couple recently became concerned their daughter's boyfriend was a neo-nazi. a break from tradition across the pond, how meghan markle and prince harry are changing things up again. >> the news4 consumer team is working for you. how susan hogan helped a local man get his money back from a national corporation and how you can protect yourself. >> plus we have new video of the ice and the cold up to our north. big chill heading our way. does that look awful or what? >> cold. >> goodness. amelia is back with what to expect this new year'eve. plus s ou

back now with a live look at how cold it's going to be in your part of town, take a look at this. temperatures mostly in the 30s in the region. storm team4 meteorologist amelia draper says this may be the warm est we get for the next ten days. she's back in two minutes with more on that and our chances for snow. so, don't go away. >> first at 4:00, nbc4 responds to a rental car damage dispute. a virginia man says he was wrongly accused of putting a dent in the truck that he had for two days. he says things only got worse when the company stopped communicating with him. he contacted consumer reporter susan hogan who got the results he couldn't. >> billy smith is a loyal

but he recently took it in for service and got the chance to drive something a little different. >> it was a 2017 big dodge truck, i get to drive a new truck around two days. >> his dealership provided the rental from enterprise as a courtesy. when smith returned the truck the next day -- >> the guy comes out of the place and says, you put a dent in it. i said, no i didn't. he ran over and pointed to the passenger front door. it has dirt on it. no, it has fresh paint on t. >> enterprise sent a claim for $660. these photos of the damage to smith's insurance company. >> i didn't do anything. don't pay it. i'll try and get in touch with enterprise, get the rental agreements see if you can see anything. >> smith wanted to know if the damage had been noted on previous rentals. he said neither he nor his insurance company could get the documents. about a month later smith received another bill from enterprise.

of the charges. smith continued to try to resolve it on his own. he finally reached out to nbc4 responds when it was sent to collections. >> as soon as i called you guys, three days it was over. they said we're dropping t. >> enterprise tells us they waived the charges out of good will because of the trouble he had communicating with the company. they checked the previous rental agreement ands no damage had been noted. smith said he's just glad it is all behind him now and his advice to you the next time you rent a car? >> check that thing out. get on your hands and knees, look all over it. i mean, even if it's a brand-new vehicle. >> so, smith is right. the best way to protect yourself is to walk around the entire rental car before you leave the lot. use your cell phone. take pictures. use video and make sure not only do you notice the marks or scratch, make sure that the rental company sees them as well and makes note. back to you. >> thank you, susan. >> so, it's coldre

building that. but i guess they shouldn't, huh? >> at least we don't have snow yet. >> right. >> we could see some snow and that is going to be mainly on saturday. but some of us further up north had a record breaking white christmas. take a look. this is video from erie, pennsylvania. so, in northwestern, pennsylvania, and they had 53 inches of snow fall in a two-day period. >> what? >> setting a record for the most snow fall in the state over two days. >> 53? >> 53 inches. so, you can thank the lake effect snow for all of that. i used to work in erie for two years and i do not miss driving in that. forecasting it, shoveling it one bit. my grandmother is still up in erie saying christmas was just a nightmare with all that snow. take a look. how does lake effect snow happen? how do we get so much snow in that small amount of time? it's all about the geographic location. so, you have warm water and cold land. what happens, then, is you

water. and that allows the air to rise and condense and form snow. and then you get these bands of lake effect snow that can drop 53 inches of snow in one location in a few miles away barely anything is falling. it's all about the wind direction as well. we rarely get any lake effect snow in our area because it has to travel so far. but we can get some streamers at times if the wind direction is right. we want a northwest wind to get lake effect snow in our area. speaking about our snow chances, very minor tomorrow morning. taking a look at this disturbance back here in indiana and illinois, that would slowly drop into the area and be here by about 3:00, 4:00 a.m., the air is so dry, but the timing is right where if we see any snow falling, it could lead to some slick spots out there. take a look. here's future weather. i'm starting off 2:00 a.m. notice the snow in fredericksburg. i want to you know if this moves about 60 miles to the north, it's in the d.c. metro area. keep that in mind as well. 5:00 a.m., we're tac

spots. this is only a chance. but again, the timing if you're out commuting tomorrow morning, could be dealing with some slick spots, especially on secondary less traveled roads because it is going to be so cold. we talk about how cold it is going to be tomorrow morning. this is 6:00 a.m. when you factor in the breeze, temperatures already in the teens and 20s, it's 11 in leesburg, 18 in the district and 13 in gaithersburg. bottom line tomorrow morning, it's a frigid start. you definitely want to bundle up. you could also be dealing with snow showers. check out nbc washington app or tune in tomorrow morning. and throughout the day it stays cold with a bit of a breeze at times. we'll only have wind chill temperatures in the teens and single digit wind chills for your wednesday night. 9:00 p.m. feeling about 9 degrees in washington. we do have increasing sunshine throughout the day. a high of 31 feels more like teens to 20 degrees. so, because of that the weather having a low to moderate impact on your wednesday. that morning commute a small chance for snow showers. making returns

10:00 a.m. and taking down holiday lights where you are dealing with cold air. as you take a look at your storm team4 ten-day forecast, you're dealing with cold air every day on the ten-day there. thursday a high of 28, flurries possible friday. snow showers possible saturday. new year's eve, guys, is looking cold. i'm going to have more on the weekend forecast, what you can expect coming up in a little bit. >> you lost me at 53 inches. [ laughter ] >> it's only december. >> i know, record breaking. >> all right, folks, here at news4 we're working to protect your money. >> we'll explain how you may be able to save on your taxes this year and we walk you through what you need to file and when. >> plus, a royal christmas, must-see moment between meghan markle and the queen.

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all right. put a reminder on your phone now. wednesday night a pair of prince george's county brothers trying to win $12 million. prince malcolm, a segue police officer in d.c., chris malcolm, a college professor, the pair will appear on the trivia game, show the wall. they're going to have to use their smarts and guts to win the n

find out how they do tomorrow night at 8:00 here on nbc. >> going to be watching that. >> uh-huh. >> prince harry and meghan markle bucking troroyal traditi again. >> it would be all right for your son to show up for christmas. that's not how they do things. >> nbc's kelly cobiella shows meghan markle public moment with the queen. >> reporter: it's a royal first. meghan markle spending christmas with the queen, an honor usually reserved for family and spouses, not fiances. the presents already opened, all eyes were on prince harry and his bride to be. walking to church with william and pregnant kate. prince philip leading the way. the big moment, the queen and the courtesy. megan getting guidance from harry and following kate's lead. >> first and foremost megan's advise in chief will be prince harry. just like prince william helped kate in t

she'll have the cambridge help because it is a woman who knows what it feels like to marry in from the outside. >> my family often gather round to watch television as they are at this moment. >> six decades on, the presenter has evolved somewhat. >> reporter: the queen in her traditional day speech now in its 60th year talked about family. >> as we enjoy spending time this christmas with our family, and look forward to welcoming new members into it next year. >> reporter: william and kate will welcome baby number 3 in april, and in may, wedding bells at windsor castle. it's boxing day today an extension of the christmas holiday. we understand prince harry and meghan markle will spend their boxing day with prince william, kate, and the kids. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. >> this may be in politic, but i will say it out loud anyway. both of those boys ov

they picked some incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. >> they are both wonderful couples, aren't they? and megan seems to be right at home. love the fascinator, too. she has a style that has captivated the british. >> absolutely. the wedding is going to be fun to watch. >> it is going to be an exciting year for the royals. >> i'm not even a wedding guy. >> babies, wedding. >> they got it all going on. all right. tasking a live look now over the city, you can see the sun starting to set. what you can't see, though, the very chilly ten-day forecast. we'll tell you about how cold it's going to get here and how it is going to affect your plans for new year's eve. that is coming up here first at 4:00. >> plus the emergency moves today to help you save money on your taxes. we'll explain what you may want to get done before the new year.

now at 4:30, get out the mi mittens. temperatures here about to plummet. parts of the country are dangerous cold and record breaking snow. we'll break down what you can expect in the new year. >> plus the rush to return is on. it is one of the busiest days of the year for retailers. wait till next week when you're looking to buy a new tv. but if you have a bunch of new gift cards, experts say now is the time to spend those. >> let's kickoff this half hour with a check of the forecast. >> we found people bundled u

storm team4 meteorologist amelia draper is in the storm center where it's warm. so, amelia, how long do we stay this cold? >> well, the thing is, pat, today is going to be the warm est day on your ten-day forecast from here on out temperatures will tumble. we're only around 30 degrees as we close out 2017 and start 2018. more on that coming up in a little bit. i want to talk about snow chances late tonight starting around 2:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. it doesn't look like much, but take a look here. snow in ohio, indiana and illinois will slowly make its way into our area. and it could bring us some light snow showers tomorrow morning. it's all about the timing. again, between about 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., and it's going to be so cold that any snow that falls could lead to slick travel conditions. so, a heads up there. but overall if you're traveling throughout the day tomorrow, for the most part it's just about the cold temperatures. pittsburgh 7:00 a.m. at 7 degrees. new york only at 18 as we move on into the midday hours you can see most of t

except for parts of the carolinas, chicago stays dry. up around the great lakes, ontario, lake erie still producing that lake effect snow. as we head throughout the day tomorrow, temperatures only in the 20s. pat, i'm going to have more on what that means for new year's coming up with somara in about 15 minutes. >> all right, we'll see you then, amelia. thank you. the montgomery county council delivered a holiday gift to residents today. lawmakers are allowing homeowners to prepay their 2018 property taxes to avoid a federal cap on deductions. news4's chris gordon is working for you with the details. >> reporter: the montgomery county council interrupts its holiday recess for this special session. they quickly put together a bill allowing county residents to prepay property taxes. it's designed to avoid the $10,000 federal cap on deductions for state, local, and real estate taxes that take effect january 1st. >> we must do what we can to protect our people from the negative impact of this

>> reporter: after a public hearing they vote. only councilmember craig weiss votes no. he walks out after saying low income residents can't afford to prepay their taxes. >> and the measure passes by a vote of 7-1 with one absence. >> reporter: they are retired living on a fixed income. >> it does affect in our current situation a great deal. we could save a lot of money. >> reporter: dick martin came to the montgomery county division of finance with his checkbook and last year's property tax bill. >> i'd like to prepay my taxes for next year, please. >> reporter: mr. martin is told they won't have authorization to accept money until the bill is signed into law by the county executive. >> i want to do some traveling so i want to make sure it's taken care of before i leave town so i'll be back here tomorrow. >> reporter: we're working for you with all the information on how to prepay your montgomery county property taxes by mail or here in person at the rockville office of the division of finance. you can find all the informatio

nbcwashington.com. look up property tax. reporting from rockville, chris gordon, news4. >> we are working for you with a list of other places where you can prepay your property taxes. one of those, fairfax county. neil augustine was out earlier today. he reports hundreds of people were lined up at the government center this morning to pay their 2018 tax bills. residents in d.c. and howard county can also pay in advance, but remember, your payment has to be processed by december 31st so you should pay in person or online. don't mail in your check. president trump played golf today on his working holiday inn florida, but he was still on twitter taking aim at the fbi and he had a few choice words for hillary clinton. here's nbc's jennifer johnson with the story. >> reporter: president trump today slamming the so-called dossier that he says was funded by the clinton campaign and led to the fbi's russian

meddling probe. they used the crooked hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the trump campaign. democrats say the president needs to back off. >> this attack on the fbi is really unprecedented and i think that republican leadership, if they want to demonstrate any loyalty not to the president, but to the country and to our institutions, needs to step up and say, stop it. >> reporter: but republicans are coming to his defense. >> i'm very concerned that the d.o.j. and the fbi, whether you want to call it deep state or what, are kind of off the rails. >> reporter: the president tweeted a series of blistering attacks christmas eve against fbi director andrew mccabe. mccabe's supervision of the investigation into hillary clinton's e-mail practices came under fire because the weiss virginia senate campaign received contribution from a clinton ally pack. the president shouldn't try to intimidate the fbi director.

>> he is saying things about mr. mccabe that are flat out false on twitter. it's just one more thing that he's doing to try to distract the justice from its investigation. >> reporter: mccabe plans to retire in three months, morkd by the president. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. >> this time of year you see a lot of advertisements promising the very best deals. next, the one bargain that's really worth all the hype. >> plus, remember the i-team investigation we did looking into your water bills and found that some of you were pay more than your fair share? coming up at 5:00, see the break for one local governme coming up at 5:00, see the break for one local governme before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesn't have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben.

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you see this bald eagle here? it's going to take at least two months to nurse it back to help after she was found on the side of the road with a broken wing. the charles county sheriff's department posted this on faceboo

falconer. he was trained to handle birds. he was called to rescue this eagle while out patrolling on christmas eve and he scooped her up, took her to owl moon rescue in germantown. now they are thinking of naming this eagle noel for christmas. makes sense. the budapest zoo has a bundle to celebrate. a gorilla gave birth to a healthy baby before christmas eve. this is the 5th baby born at the zoo. for now zoo keepers say they don't know the baby's gender or weight since the mother is not letting her out of his arms -- her arms i should say. six gorillas in the budapest zoo. >> sweet. just because christmas sales are overdoesant mean you missed out on the best deals. experts say the end of the year is the best time to get a steal on a new car. car makers want to clear the lots before the new models arrive for 2018.

can get 12% or more off many brands. local supply and demand could help you save even more. >> the end of the year also a popular time to donate to charities. now, you want to get the tax deductions and we want to help you do it responsibly. here now are four things you need to know. first, get the facts. websites like better business bureau, make sure a charity is trustworthy. also, you don't have to give money. organizations prefer cash, but you can also give hard goods to places like shelters and the red cross. so, stay in touch with the organizations out there. put your name on their e-mail list so you can see the work they do all year long and that way you can tell which one is actually making a difference where the rubber meets the road. >> yeah, got a lot of stuff to donate. cleaning out the garage. >> now askis a good time to do . >> first at 4:00, how to make sure you get the

top stories online a treasured local store goes up in flames. take a look at this. see this damage? firefighters say the fire spread so quickly, we' tell you why. >> be sure to stick around so i can help you plan your count down party outfit. see you soon.

coming up on 4:45 almost, 30 seconds away, a white windy christmas for parts of the midwest and northeast today. still making for some tricky travel conditions on this holiday week. >> they are working hard early. and we are tracking chilly temperatures here at home, and they're only getting colder as the sun goes down. here's a live look for you now from one of our cameras.

a few minutes from now. >> we'd rather have that than 53 inches of snow, wouldn't we? >> right. and if you weren't watching earlier, that's how much snow erie, pennsylvania got christmas eve into christmas day. >> when are we going to get that kind of snow? >> never. that's a record for the state of pennsylvania. >> thank you. >> that would be -- >> close to it. >> we're not going to have any major snowstorms in our forecast. i think the best chance for snow is going to be on your saturday when we could pickup a dusting to around 3 inches. and some other minor snow chances in the forecast. more on that in a moment. but first take a look at your weather headline. the top one there, cold the next at least ten days. temperatures for the most part around 30 degrees the next ten days or colder. so, locate the puffy coat. hopefully you got a new scarf or mittens, gloves for the holidays. you'll be putting them to good use over this next week, little over a week as well. as we start 2018. i'm watching snow chances again. i'm most impressed with saturday

actually see some snow late tonight into tomorrow morning from about 2:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m., and for new year's eve, if you're going to be outdoors, it will feel like temperatures are in the teens. our snow chances early tomorrow morning will come from this disturbance out there in indiana and illinois. again, the timing between about 2:00 and 9:00 a.m., little or no accumulation, but cold enough for whatever is going to fall would stick and lead to slick conditions on area roads. right now temperatures coming in in the 30s, 33 in gaithersburg, 37 in the district. and throughout the day tomorrow for the most part, we're going to find our temperatures in the 20s and feels like temperatures in the teens. and as we look to new year's eve, we don't see the forecast change all that much. still feeling very cold out there. tomorrow what you can expect, we'll send it into somara who is tracking the latest on our next holiday. >> yes. as we head towards new year's, we still have to get through the cold amelia was talking about. take a look at this temperature trend. wednesday, around 31 there. and then thursday, upper 20s. we'rea

friday, saturday, it's going to be so cold. 44 degrees, we're definitely falling below that. as we head into the new year we're going to stick with this cold. here's a look at your new year's planner. saturday like amelia was saying, this is our best chance for some snow fall. temperatures are going to be around 30 degrees. late saturday night into sunday morning, we'll start to see that let up. and then by sunday it's going those wind chills. it's going to feel like the teens throughout your sunday. temperatures on sunday are only going to be in the upper 20s. and for new year's day monday, very frigid, temperatures around 24 degrees. we're looking at mostly sunny conditions, though, as we travel into the new year. here's a look at the count down planner because i know a lot of us are saying what's going to happen around midnight, somara, sunday night into monday. we're going or temperatures in the low 20s. it's going to feel so much colder, though, because the wind chills are going to be feeling like the teens and then beyond that it could feel closer to the single digits at times. so, you're definitely going to want to dres

parties. as we head into the remainder of the week it is going to be even colder for that, amelia. let's take a look at the ten-day. i can't even imagine taking a look at these numbers. going to be painful for a lot of folks out there. >> absolutely. we were making the forecast today. last night when we were in, we were looking at single digits on the tern day. -- ten-day. by 9:00, 10:00 a.m., that chance is out evof here. where it falls because of the temperature of 24, it could lead to some slick spots. we have increasing sunshine throughout the day, but it's a bit breezy so again we're dealing with wind chill temperatures. clear and cold for your wednesday night, 7:00 p.m., we're right around 22 degrees. here's your four day forecast. somara just went over this. maybe a few flurries out there on friday. there is a good chance we're dealing with snow showers on saturday. and then we look beyond new year's day where we are watching a system but we're going to keep it dry in our area right now. as we look to tuesday, wednesday, thursday, guys, high temperatures starting off in the mid 20s and

around 30. remember, somara just said the high this time of year, 44 degrees. so, we're much colder than we should be. >> all right. you know what, we're going to talk about water in a second. now is a good time, folks, to set the outside faucet to drip a little bit so you don't get frozen pipes. that's what we have come thing way. speaking of water, water woes now leading to skyrocketing bills. some people getting hit with these things for no reason it seems like. >> now the news4 i-team is crunching numbers and noticed something startling. wendy rieger is here with a look at what's coming up minutes away at 5:00. >> this story never goes away, it keeps getting like rising higher and higher like the water bills. remember a few months ago when we told you some churches, some cemeteries were drowning in these water bills? and it turns out while they pay more, others have been left off that list. we'll tell you who has not had to pay tens of millions of dollars in fees. also, coming up new at

and not in a good way. people in one neighborhood say their homes are literally vibrating when the trains roll through the tunnel below. so, why is this happening now after all these years? transportation reporter adam tuss goes looking for answers so we'll see you soon with those stories. and you're looking at the entire news4 anchor team the rest of the week. >> for the week. >> for a week. you and i are at 5:00, you and i are at 6:00. it's crazy. this is it. it's christmas. >> in other words, you're looking here at vacation relief. >> yes, you are. we're working for you all week long a lot. >> all day and all night. >> how was your christmas? haven't talked to you. >> it was lovely and peaceful and quiet. i was out at the river. in annapolis, it was lovely. >> annapolis is always lovely during the holidays and the lights. thank you, wendy. see you in a few minutes. >> see you in a little bit. crossing arlington road in bethesda should get a little easier for pedestrians. now the

pedestrian county signal will be installed at the intersection of arlington road at bethesda avenue early next year. the signal stops traffic in all directions. therefore, it allows people to cross in all four crosswalks at the same time. the department is going to be testing this signal. here is a part of the pilot project. >> saving money may be one of your resolutions for 2018. it's usually up there with shedding pounds. >> that's right. going to be a lot of service members going to have an important financial to decision to make as well in the new year as the government rolls out the biggest chance for -- biggest change, rather, for military retirement plans since world war ii. cnbc's sharon epperson reports. >> reporter: 23-year-old zach beck man is a government in the private sector and reservist in the marine corps. military service runs in the family. >> i want to be a marine ever since i was a little kid. it was my first big dream. my dad was a marine, my grandfather was a marine. >> reporter: now corporal

never had. >> the old system you basically have to stay in 20 years before you could get any type of retirement plan. >> reporter: under its current retirement plan, military members receive a lifetime pension that's equal to 50% of their base pay. to earn it, they must serve at least 20 years. many aim to hit that target. but only 19% reach it. the majority leave the service with nothing. today people move from job to job. >> and they need a retirement benefit that they can take with them. >> reporter: starting january 1st, service members entering the military will be part of the new blended retirement system. it combines a pension and something like a 401 k. plan, putting more of the responsibility for long-term savings on the member's shoulders. >> it starts to cause them to learn how to contribute to their own future, their own retirement. >> reporter: there is still a pension under the new system as long as you reach 20 years. but the amount is

20%. the department of defense says members are encouraged to make up the difference using the federal government's thrift savings plan or tsp. >> it is my strong belief if they get the education and they start right away contributing, they won't miss the money. >> reporter: this marine reservist says his choice is clear. >> getting a -- my civilian job and have my marine corps experience, i know the value of a dollar and see that it's important to save up for the future. >> reporter: but for others choosing the best path for their retirement savings may not be as easy. >> an act of heroism at a time most people would panic. next at 5:00, hear from the virginia father and son who rushed to the scene of this fiery crash. >> and here a live look at the temperatures outside now. amelia and somara say this is one of the warm est days in our next ten. how cold it's going to get and

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investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a massive fire overnight in alexandria. flames ripped through a warehouse filled with antiques for more than two dozen dealers. as news4's amee cho explains, everything inside was destroyed. >> reporter: seeing what's left in the storage is truly heart breaking. so many one of a kind antiques now just piles of rubble in there. outside, all this devastation, you can still see a single christmas wreath out front, perfectly untouched. through a cold christmas night flames destroying this antique store. now covered by bows of tape. through all the damage you can see remnants of what once was. >> i'm speechless, i really am. it was a beautiful place. there was a lot of artifacts in there. >> the aftermath is a hard thing to deal with. >> reporter: all morning long, people dropping by to see the loss for themselves.

place where they once came to find treasures. >> i know the things of value in there. i'm certain a lot of the dealers lost their livelihood which is one of the worst parts. >> my love is the antiques. they had rare things nobody else had, a typewriter flat like this. >> reporter: a store that once preserved memories. is now a memory itself. >> it's a shame after christmas, you know. no one needs this. it's terrible. >> but it doesn't look like there is going to be much to be salvaged from what i see from the outside. let's hope there are some things that are still there. >> reporter: the cause of the fire is still unknown. firefighters say this is an old building with a lot of wood and that's part of why the damage spread so quickly. in alexandria, amee cho, news4. >> now at 5:00, cold now, frigid later, we are tracking some big blustery changes moving in now. and we're even tracking some snow. >> plus a christmas night, tragic dill on the side of the

road. hear from the local man who tried to save anyone he could from this raging inferno. >> reporter: don't like your holiday gifts? well, you're not alone. i'm david culver at fair oaks mall. just ahead, the big business of unwanted gifts, and what retailers want you to know as you make those returns. >> news4 at 5:00 starts now. >> first up at 5:00, start layering. a bitter blast is moving in fast. and we could have a chance for some snow as early as tonight. good afternoon, i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm pat lawson muse in for jim han lip. the big story is the dramatic top in temperatures and the cold is going to stick around. let's start with amelia draper standing by in the storm center. so, how many layers are we going to need, amelia? >> well, pat, over the next ten days you definitely want the puffy coat, the hat, gloves and scarf. coldest air so far this season will be moving in. it will greet us as we start 2018. the long-term forecast, here's

right now we're down to 36 degrees and as the sun continues to set, we're really going to cool off quickly by 9:00, we're around 30 degrees with clouds moving in. and then after midnight, some light snow is possible. and i'm tracking it right now on storm team4 radar. it doesn't look impressive and it's really not. we look back to parts of ohio and indiana to see the snow pulling out of illinois. it could bring snow showers to our area between about 2:00 and 9:00 a.m., take a look, here's tomorrow morning, 2:00 a.m. snow down around fredericksburg, but it could be around the d.c. metro area. we'll track the chance for snow around 9:00, 10:00, after that the chance drops off. what i'm concerned about, pat, is how cold it is. anything that falls, even if it's light would stick and lead to some slick spots. snow chances, pat, coming up in a little bit. >> all right, thanks, amelia. remember this is the time of year when the weather can really impact your plans. so, get the power of storm team4 any time anywhere. just open the nbc washington app.