yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrest. just about 4:00 a.m. we are in weather alert mode. let's get right to the forecast and the commute. melissa mollet is standing by, but we begin with storm team 4 meteorologist esuck bell. >> an active weather day coming our way. we've been tracking a chance for thunderstorms all week long i've had 100% chance of rain and storms in the forecast for a couple of days now, and it has come to pass. shower e outsidely this morning. nothing major to get your day going. there is more activell weather we to the south and west. we've is evenhu seen tnderstorms across parts -- we've even see thunderstorms across parts of the charlottesville area. we could have pre-lunchtime rumbles. as the area of low pressure gets here in the afternoon, you add daytime haating, and t will raise our chances of severe weather to the slight range which is essentially step two outf ve. marginal is one, slight, enhanced, moderate, and likely above that. so a slight risk for severe weather mainly along the i-95

herridor and eastbound to the bay and t eastern shore. have your storm team 4 and nbc shington appownloaded and ready to go. weather alerts wil come right to your phone. odmperatures in the 50s now. we'll have highs t in the 70s. right io around 72 or 3 degrees. more of the weekend impacts of the storm coming up. melissa, good morning. good morning to you. taking a look at the rds here, falmouth, southbound 95 after centerport parkway, right side is blocked. there's a vehicle fire getting by far to the left at this point this morning. southbound 295, near howard road, work zones with one right lane getting by. you can see the rain across the area. live 395 north of duke, northbound, southbound looking quite good. amman dale after little river turnpike, work zone, right lane by.in that's cleared out of the way. >>erall looking good. eun? hank you. this morning we're working to learn more about a local teen who was shot and rushed to the

hospital. >> the 17-year-old was shot just before 6:00 p.m. yesterday on bright leaf court in dale city. chopper 4 was over the scene as paramedics loaded the teen into a medevac helicopter. it appears this happened in a parking lot outside some town homes. prhece william police spent evening collecting evidence and looking for witnesses. so farno word any arrests. police arrest the man they say violently attacked a 94-year-old woman in.c. las week. 53-year-old jonathan little is accused of attacking a woman while she walked to her car. this happened around 1:00 p.m. on connecticut avenue and cleveland park. police say little snatched her purse andhe tn stabbed her. the woman sur avednd says she is grateful a suspect has been arrested. >> verr rewarding to hea that they were so successful so quickly. i'm upset at the whole thing. part of it is just a getting my identity and property back.

>> d.c. police say little robbed cko other women. they traed him down by monitoring purchase on the credit cards he allegedly stole. you'd think they'd understand there's the ability to do that now. >> to track people that>>way. olice work. >> glad they caught fhim. >> sure. the local coast guard officer accused of planning a terror attack wl be released from jail. >> federal prosecutors say lieutenantsahris h was prepared to carry out an attack and test fired illegal home made gun silencers. they accuse him of putting together a hit list of journalists, presidential candidates, and two sreme court justices. the group said hassan has not robeen charged with tersm but blll only be released with conditions acceptae to the court. the woman who admitted to being a secret agent for russiae is expecto learn how long she'll be in prison.a ma butina was a graduate and gay rights activists. prosecutors say she used her contacts with the national rifle association to gather information for moscow. butina pleaded guilty to

conspiracy. the feds want an 18-month prison sentyece. her law are asking for time served. nt preside trump and vice president mike pence will spend part of their day at the citional rifle assoion's annual meeting in indianapolis. this is video of last year's nra convention in dallas. the president is scheduled to depart joint base andrews at 11:00 this morning.ol indianapolis pice have planned for proteers and will have a visible police presence downtown. president trump approved paying a bil of million issued by north korea for the care of otto warm thbeer. is according to the "the washington times." warmbier returned to the u.s. in a coma i 2017 and passed away soon after. the "post" reports that sepyongyang refuto allow a medical evacuation until the bill waspa. warmbier was sentenced to hard labor in 2016 after he was allegedly caught remoprng a

aganda sign from a pyongyang hotel. the white house hasli decd to comment. 4:05. developing this morning, baltimore mayor katherine pugh is fayingreounting pure from her city council and governor to step down following raids by ie federal agenc at addresses associated with her. the mayor has been at the center of a scandal involving the sale of her children's books to groups that dousiness with the city of yesterday the fbi and the irs raided her homes, a former ae d aide's home and city hall. sh said she needed time to recover from a severe pneumonia. metro passengers will get relief from a repair project. the board approved a plan to allow free parking at some of its lots this summer. starting in late may, yellow and blue line stations south of reagan national airport will be closed for emergency repair work. this wl go on until september 8th. during that time, riders can park for free at the huington,

franconia-springfield, and van dorn street stations. from there commuters can take re or express shuttle buses to the pentagon metro stop. metro says riders could save more than $500 by parking for free during the closure. developing this morning near chicago, several people remain in serious condition followi a chemical spill. a tctor-trailer carrying ammonia leaked creating a fog of gas that quick edsleetsds over the area -- quickly settled over the area. first responders found pple unconscious at the scene in the streets. soon emergency crews were overcome by thefumes. three dozen people and 11 first responders were hospitalized. a shelter-in-place order was lifted late yesterday. it's now been five years since the water crisis in flint, michigan, began. this morning the city'sat w supply is still considered unsafe. in 2014 flint city began drawing water from the flint river. many people became sick from t water which was later found to contain high levels of lead.

theowater is testing clean, but officials say additional tests areor needed bef the water can be considered safe.'r if youe feeling more tense and anxioushese ys, you're not alone. a new poll shows americans are some of the most stressed people in the world. 55% of americans say they experience stress several times a day. many others reported expressing more worry and anger than at any other time in the last cade. doctors say the stress will feel -- we feel from driving in traffic or our jobs can raise our anxiety, and that can have -- that can start to have a real impact on your health. >> if your body's at a continued heightened a warns, it will take a -- awareness, it will tak a toll. your heart health, mental he th. >> the results weren't all bad for ericans. despite our stress, researchers say we generally report more positive experiences compared to the rest of the world.

if you've ever played baseball, you know the phrase "keep your eye on the ball." this weekor a fr nationals player learned that when you're on the field, you should keep an eye out for other things, too. take a look. several mascots were running the bases during a recent rockies game. that's when daniel murphy started walking out on to the ield. >> watchout! >> right into the path of a giant tooth and a toothbrush. >> what is he thinking? >> narrowly avoided being knocked over. despite being rattled, you see, murphy wasn't hurt. like w t ishere a toothbrush onhe baseball field? >> they're not small, they're three gigantic mosque on the. >> can't -- mascots. >> can't miss that. >> come on, daniel murphy. the redskins are hoping a local prospect will help turn the tide for the franchise. >> i'm afraid to get so hopeful. you're so excited but don't want toay anything- this is the same thing i said. last night the skins used their

first pick in the nfl draft to na quarterback dwayne skins. he played high school ball in potomac and then for ohio state. set big-10 records for passing and scoring last season and brings a big arm to replace alex smith. most first rounds were at the draft, but haskins posted his own party in gaithersburg. there he is. that is him getting the call. casual. now he's going to have a new home in the nfl. skins fans were pretty excited about this >>pick. dwayne haskins -- [ wild cheering ] >> haskins was expected to be among the t ten players to be drafted firstment he was 15th. lucky for us. the skins also picked up mississippi stateefensive end montez sweat and later in the hour we will hear from skins fans who were inor nashville f the big night. you said it -- all our hopes and dreams, you piled on ts one quarterback. he was very exciting in college

football. >> let's just not do that again. >> let's not ruin him. ere you go. >> good point. still ahead, one local county takes a big step forward to make the streets safer for students. >> we will preview the work that's about to be done and show you where. plus, what's the safest seat in the car in the event of an accident? thenswer may surprise you, chuck bell. we are dealing with a chance or stronger thunderstorms today. storm team 4 weather alert dayf you on your friday. have your nbc washington app downloaded and ready to go'l l send you any severe weather push alerts right to your phone. the stormiest time will be the middle of the aftereoon. mobout that and your weekend coming up. not everybody can be awinn.

their products have won over 400 awards for quality. kind of like cooper's solar system.y, but hee did great too. not aldi great, but regular great. over 400 awards for quality. aldi. shop differentli. a wild scene played out on a highway near denver. a semi-truck crashed into traffic in front of it causing a big hepileup . 12 cars and three trucks involved. debris scattered across the road. and you can see the fire thatte stard. the flames spread to the other cars, as well, and it wound up being fueled by a lot of wood -- a load of wood, i should say,

that the semi was hauling. the freeway was shut down for hours. > the insurance newt fory highwa safety is calling on automakers to make a change. >> a study found the most dangerous seat in the car dush a crash is the -- car during a crash is the back seat.re archers studied 117 recent crashes where back seat passengers were killed or seriously hurt. safety features that are often installed in the front of e ca rarely make it to the bac seats. seat belts don't always tighten upon impact, and while there may be side airbags, there's nothing stopping you from hitting the front seat. >> automakers have done an excellent job of improving safety in the front seat. the rear seat hasn't kept pace. >> the study suspends out that child car seats are se in the backseat in most scenarios. the biggest advice remains the same -- always wear your seeat

selt. montgomery county leaders approved a plan to rebuild roads and sidewalkso make it safer for pedestrians. an i-team investigation last year found severalan thousd people had been caught speeding or had crashed their cars in local school zes since 2015. that included 200-plus incidents in montgomery county. now county transportation leaders plan t upgrade crosswalks and sidewalks outside several schools next year. that includes these six elementary schools. officials tell news4 that pedestrian safety outside schools is aressing issue. >> we have to lower speed limits. we have to make streets more complete and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. and transit riders. some of these bus stops you're trying to access are hard to get to. >> the rebuilding work will be done near veers mill reed from wheaton to rockville. a local veteran was given a well-deserved homes t week mortgage free. >> news4 was there when sergeant rob jones entered his new home

fashioned just for him. [ applause ] >> welcome home. >> all >> everything from the cabinetry to the sve adjusts height. sergeant jones served in iraq andafghanistan. he stepped on a land mine andst lo both of his legs. sergeant jones isn't only a veteran. ng is an activist traveling the country, accompliseats all in the name of supporting our veterans. most recently he ran 31 marathons in 31 days. >> wow. >> the home was made possible through the steven siller tunnel to towers foundation. just incredible. what an inspiration he is. >> absolutely. two other insurance gros were honored at arlington marshal is cemetery. a -- arlington national cemetery. a wreath l wasd at the tomb of the unknown soldiers. two groups were honored with thi metorious medal at the twilight tattoo. the medal is the third highest public service honor the army can give to a civi man.

17utes after the hour righ now. >> and storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell joinsi us more on the rain. it was drizzly when i was coming in. >> a couple of swipes on the wipers this ngrning. >> notrazy yet. >> emphasis on yet. did get a little busy -- could get a little busy this afteoon, as early as lunchtime in the shenandoah valley. the main area of low pressure causing unsettled weather is moving through the great state of kentucky, the commonwealth of kentucky at this point in time. it is going to bring an increasing chance for some thunderstorms our way. a broad fetch of southwesterly winds out ahead of it, and a lot of spin inhe fare. when those things -- in the atmosphere. when those things combine, noontime to the later parts of the afternoon, there will be an opportunity for localized damaging winds. we'll be right here to keep you llsted a through the course of the afternoon. again, your nbc washington app will send you push alerts for severe weather. don't forget townload that. already hearing some rumbles of

thunder now just to the west of fredericksburg. moving -- that's moving up toward culpeper county. there could be rumbles early on. that sto n is severe at this point. nonetheless, we'll keep a close eye on it. future weather carries the opportunity for hit-and-miss thundershowers before lunchtime. i think the main threat for severe weather will start around noon as this line ofar source t to move through. between about 1:00 and 5:00, that main line of storm chances moves right on through. thereow d lingering storms around 5:00. noon to 5:00 is the most likely time for thunderstorms. tomorrow, dry weather. the wind is going to be cranked up. northwest winds near 20 to le mis per hour. blustery but plenty of sunshine. cool, though, highs tomorrow staying below 70 degrees, mostly in the 60s. speaking of temperatures now your friday morning, mostly in the upper 50s to around 60

degrees. it's a mild just start to the day. afternoon temperatures will get above 70 degrees. again, thunderstorms likely in that noon to4:00, 5:00, 6:00 time frame. you could get rained on orear a rumble before then, but that's when the severe wrisk is at the highest. you will needum the ella, rain chance, 100%. here's the five-day forecast -- breezy tomorrow but sunnier and drier. high 68 after 40s tomorrow morning. then on sunday, a lot more clouds around. only still a very tiny chance for a stray shower or two. and another shot of chilly sunshine arrives for monday. let's go overir to f 4 traffic and see how melissa's doing on a friday. >>'m doing well. it's friday. how can you be bad on a friday? falmouth, southbound 95 after centerport parkway, right side shut because of the vehicle fire. you see the tiniest delay. because it's so early it's not creating a huge impact. you can only get by in the left

side of the road. southbound 295 at howard southeast work zone with the right lane getting by. you see this rain across the area right now. here's the beltway, inner loop, outer loop, everything rolling along well. eun? >> thank you. n whe france's notre dame cathedral burned, most of us watched helplessly from thousands of miles away. >> coming up, hear from the organist who was inside when trouble started. he is here in d.c. we'll tell you why. and be sure to catch "ellen" this afternoon. the show airsere on nbc 4 at 3:00. stick arou for news4 at 4:00.nd

it is footage the world won't soon forget. the iconic notre dame cathedral engulfed in flames. no one was hurt, but there were trouble side when the started. one of those was the organist, johannes vexo. >> he was in d.c. to play a benefit concert and spoke to nbc 4.he >> reporter: t key to playing great music,s johannevexo will tell you, it's able to press forward even in the face of loss. vexo has been the organist at notre dame for 15 years now. he was playing at mass when flames broke out. >> i stayed. it was really something't i couldnannin in my life --

imagine in my life. it was terrible. >> reporter: vexo stoodfo outsi r two minutes but after that could no longer bear to watch. >> it's like a second home. i spent hours and hours, days, nights there. >> reporter: today xo's spending the day practicing. tomorrow night he'll play a benefit concert at the basilica in northeast helping raise money to rebuild his second home. >> i cannot stop playing because of the tragedy at notre dame. ioust hope be able to play there again as soon as possible. >> reporter: it will likely be yeans before notre dame c be repaired. but on a happier note -- >> thergan is undamaged. weo still have t switch it on to make sure everything is okay. but the org is still there. >> reporter: and with each note he plays, this organist determined to p oss the benefit concert is tomorrow night at 7:00. it's free of charge to everyone,

but the church is asking people make don't agencies to the notre dame if they can. at the basilica of the national shrine, amy cho, news4. >> that benefit is tonight. it amazing that tan org was saved, and he will play on if he can't make it to the con -- play on. ifou can't make it to the concert, there will be a link in the nbc washington app, search "concert." 4:25. cars hit as neighborhoods all over a local county are hit by thieves. ahead at 4:, what they were them that could give access to more of your personal items. plus, kissing bug warning. uh-huh. their name may sound sweet, but one bite from these critters can be dangerous. he weatherow as heats up and creepy crawlers move in. chuck bell? >> i'm not going to kiss it, that's for sure. >> no. school day forecast on a friday. kids put that umbrella in the backpack. a 100% chance for rain. could get rained on as early as firsthing this rning. likely to be dodging some

thunderstorms later on in the day. it is a storm tm

it is 4:29 now. we begin with a storm team 4 weather alert. severe storms o headingur way. expected to come from both the friday morning commutes -- friday day commutes. >> this is the same system that's left the destruction behind. take a look. tornadoes and flashloods are being blamed for the deaths of at least five people. , i'm od morning, everyo eun yang. >> i'm aaron gilchrest. while our local weather is not expected to be tt strong, we still have warnings we want to get this morning. meteorologist chuck bell is here with thefo recast. then melissa mollet will have a look at e roads for us. what do we need to know? >> here's what you need to be readyfor. nothing really big this morning. a rumble or two of thunder, rain around on your friday morning. i think the main threat for severe weather comes between about noon and 6:00. could linger longer than that. noon to 6:00 is probably the bull's-eye. a weather alert day. heavy rain possible.

there could be small hailstones. some of the gustier w ad could be 60 mile-per-hour gusts or more. we will be watching very, very carefully. the main threat for severe weather is east of the blue ridge. the i-95 corridor, the bay, to the eastern shore. do be weather heart for today. your nbc washington minneapolis will help keep you alert with push alerts. almbles of thunder down across parts of centr virginia this morning. these are coming up toward fauquier county, can't rule out a thunderstorm. that is not severe.bu still, this smurnd early in the day. let me put you on to the future weather and show you the cluerer of thundowers moving in and out between now and 7:00. a break in the action, mid to late morning, up to about early noontime. here's noon, but that line of storms coming through during the early and middlef the afternoon, that's the one that has the highest chance to produce severe weather. noon to about 5:00 or 6:00 even things should settle a little after about 7:00 or 8:00 ni