. the snow is coming down and the roads are getting worse. >> as delays and cancellations begin to mount. this is 9news now. >> and we have some coverage of tonight's winter storm. dc, maryland and virginia. >> absolutely. but let's start with chief meteorologist topper shutt. top, when does this snowfall end? >> overnight. it looks like it's going to end around 3:00 in the morning. let's start with live doppler 9000. we do see a back edge to the precipitation. so you folks out to the west are about done with the snow and it will march off to the east and clear the immediate metro area between 3:00 and 5:00. but still pretty good snow coming down across most of the metro area. let's go to the compute ewe'll talk about a -- computer, we'll talk about a couple of things. here is some of the told now.

1.5 inches here. up in smithsburg about five inches of snow. center field, virginia, about two inches. please, we start tomorrow at 4:00 a.m., so send some information to howard and devon. go to our website wusa9.com and fill out a storm report for us. we need your eyes. a 2-4-inch general snowfall across the metro area. less to the south. there will be pockets in maryland and west virginia. we will come back and talk about the road conditions and temperatures and have your wakeup weather. and coming up later on that, we'll have more on a bigger storm late in the week. anita, back to you. okay. let's take a look outside and see what is happening right now. over in virginia snow blanketing a highway. in northwest dc, a live look at constitution avenue and 20th street looking pretty good. roads pretty clear and a little snow on the sidewalks. 9news now surae chinn has been driving all over our region this evening from virginia to maryland. she continues our team coverage. surae. >> reporter: anita, we took a

50-60-mile drive today from alexandria virginia to maryland which is 15 miles outside of baltimore. the first part of the trip was okay. but then things started to deteriorate some as the snow started to fall and also the roads became snow covered. you also see the secondary roads are going to be a little bit covered as well. maybe a little worse. but this is what you'll see. a little bit of snow packed. and if you can just imagine five or six hours from now for the morning commute, it might get a lot worse. plus the snowplows hopefully will get a chance to do one pass over. joe, darcy here just got off of work. he drives a mustang that is behind us right now. joe, tell us how your trip so far is. >> well, so far it's been real slick and it's been sliding and i can't really get out of first gear. >> reporter: okay. and are you worried you have a ten-mile trip to go tonight in your mustang? are you a little worried? >> no. it will be fine. i'll make it there. it might take a little longer than usual, but i'll make it. >> reporter: do you have much experience driving in your

mustang in the snow? >> yes. i've had it about three years now. >> reporter: okay. so you're doing okay. what advice would you give? >> try to stay off the roads if you have to. you have to do what you have to do. >> reporter: and you couldn't help it because you just got off of work? >> sadly. >> reporter: thanks, joe talking about his trip home tonight. here is also something that a -- a gadget that some snow crews will use. it shows the temperature. so i'm going to take a gauge here at the road conditions. and it's come out 16 did he -- coming out 16 degrees. so pretty cold temperatures. and that gives an idea of what crews can expect on the road and where they need to retreat and plow the roads as well. so that's pretty much the latest here in virginia and maryland. i'm surae chinn, 9news now. >> all right, surae. stay safe out there. and tonight's snow as we know costing both maryland and virginia some big bucks. virginia budgeted about $80 billion for snow removal for this entire season. but after working over the weekend, that money is done. vdot crews have also put in

106 hours of overtime. it was over the snow budget by more than 10 million bucks, and that was before last weekend's storm. but the salt is not the only cost connected to this snowy weather. we know the weather is good for business for some folks, like snowplow operators or maybe anybody selling shovels. but the macroeconomic picture, not quite so rosy. brittany joins us to tell us how the snow is getting costly. >> reporter: gas prices on the new york market, for example, last week they dropped by 11%. that is when the national weather service was predicting milder temperatures. today it changed that outlook saying it's going to be cold all over the country. it had traders scrambling and today gas prices jumped by 6%. from the pump to the registers and the mall, the truth is cold weather chills the economy. here is how, first let's take the cost of energy, which means you'll pay more at the pump

because of a surging demand for heating oil. because suddenly each barrel of crude oil is being split in two shared by the heating industry and gasoline suppliers. so it hurts here and at home. >> well, yes, heating price has gone up too. obviously we've had a cold winter. >> i stayed home and i keep my thermostat turned down. >> reporter: you'll also pay more for groceries in the coming months as freezes like the one if florida hurt the crop. she noticed a huge difference in the price of fruit. >> a couple weeks ago they were about $5.98 so that was the past. >> reporter: the effect? >> i didn't buy all of the fruit that i would formally buy because it's so -- normally buy because it's so expensive. >> reporter: and the cold weather hurts retailer, as people bundle up and stay home. but that's good news for you if you want to shop because the trickle down effect is deep discounts. >> and i need a sale. >> reporter: if that is true,

this lady is optimistic based on what she is seeing inside the mall. >> it's not that crowded, no. >> reporter: an economic cycle that surely is this. >> you have to figure that everything affects everything at some level. >> reporter: okay. so you may lose money here at the gas station. you're going to lose money at the grocery store. but maybe you'll get a sale inside the mall. the bottom line is that if this unusually cold winter has the kind of impact we just outlined, then comment mists may have to -- economists may have to temper about an economic recovery. reporting live. >> thank you, brittany. we hope for an early spring. 9news now will be on bright and early at 4:00 a.m. with the latest weather and traffic conditions and the all important school closings. >> absolutely. congressman john mersa is in the intensive care tonight. he is suffering from complications after gallbladder surgery. he is serving his 19th year in

congress. he is also the first vietnam vet to serve as a congressman. new at 11:00, the fredericks county department need your help. these two men robbed a bank earlier today. they say the pair showed a weapon during the crime and then left in a tan passenger car. nobody was hurt. what started as a minor fender bender ended up with two men drunk along the road hit by a drunk driver. two men had a minor collision so they moved over and stepped on to the showeder. according to police, a person driving an suv slammed into both of them and a 30-year-old and 34-year-old were killed. >> someone got drunk and got behind a wheel of a car and took two innocent lives and took my

husband away. >> one was a jiffy lube manager. he had three children. the oldest had just had her third children. rosario was a computer tech nicks. the alleged -- technician. the alleged drunken drive's name has not been released. al qaeda is expected to attack the united states in the next three to six months. that comes in the annual assessment of the terrorist threat provided to congress today. the cia says the report does not point to any startling new trends, but it amplifies growing concerns that terrorist are becoming more difficult to detect and they're moving more quickly if their plots. the nation's top defense officials have told law make eringz it's time for the -- lawmakers it's time for the don't ask, don't tell policy. this allows them to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation a secret. the head of the joint chief of staff says it's wrong to force people to lie about who they

are. an admiral is the first sitting chair of the joint chief to propose rolling back that policy. taking a quick look now at news across the nation. prosecutors now plan to charge michael jackson's doctor with manslaughter rather than take the case to a grand jury. they'll file that criminal case in court. jackson, as you know, died last june from an overdose of anesthetic. the head of a federal safety panel says complacency and confusion ended in a plane crash last year in new york. that plane experienced and aerodynamic stall. investigators have placed most of the blame on errors by the pilots. the plane crashed into a house, killing all 49 people on board and one man in the house. the german shepherd rescued from the los angeles river is now back with its owners. the officials have to quarantine spiky after he bit one of the

rescuers. spiky escaped last month and he ended up in the river. that's what sparked the rescue. caught on tape, a teen chased with a taser. >> to do that to a kid, my kid, it hurts. >> what led to that violent high school attack right after the break. and sexting for all ages? a look at a growing trend among what you might think is a pretty unlikely group. . and i'm meteorologist topper shutt. we'll take a measurement while we're out here. about two inches of snow. this is a wet snow. it's a beautiful snow. it's sticking to all of the tree. quite picturesque. we'll take you out with the weather. here is what we're looking at. mostly cloudy. it will not be snowing in the morning by 8:00. it will be cold. 28-32. we'll talk about the morning commute and a bigger storm this weekend. stay tuned.

which is fantastic. we'll have them over for a friday night pizza. it's just our way of entertaining without going out. this is where all the magic happens. this is where i knead the dough, make the pizza. by using my card, i get the specials, the real deals, and it saves me money. the win-win is that we get to visit with our friends, the kids get to visit with their friends, and it's great food. more savings, more rewards. every time you shop. only with your giant card. we save money, and that works for me. this just into our information center. an arrest in the murders of a mother and son in dale vel virginia. they now -- daleville, virginia. investigators say a woman knew the victims. the 41-year-old and her 8-year-old son. the husband found those bodies last night when he came home from work. no word yet on a possible motive.

caught on tape in pennsylvania, a police officer chases after a teen with a taser gun. all of this happened after two teenage girls got into a fight of the victim says he was walking through the hall looking for his little sister when a teacher grabbed his arm. he was scared and started pulling away and that's when the teacher started to yell and push him. when the teen tuld around, the teacher told the police officer to get him. >> it was like a stabbing feeling. once i fell, this lady stood over me and i just hurry up and got up and tried to run. >> the school's principal has apologized for the incident. the teenager's parents are now pressing charges? in missouri, cameras were also rolling when a couple stole a donation jar. now, you can see the woman. she is cheerily eyeing the jaw as they order their food. and after getting the meal, the man pretends to be checking out

his order and that's when the woman places the jar between the bags and they make a break for it. >> how low can you go? that someone would not only not help but actually hurt the cause of trying to help these people over there is the -- the word is shocking. i don't even know what else to say. it's horrible. >> the owner says there is no doubt this couple was working together. no arrests in the case just yet. and out to oregon where a couple's honeymoon turned into a nightmare of the newlyweds pulled over and wanted to take pictures and they left the car about 15 minutes. that's when the crooks broke in, stole their bags, pass ports and credit cards. and in less than 30 minutes, the thiefs spent $18,000. surveillance cameras caught a man making purchasings. no arrest nz that case either. when you hear the word

sexting, you think of teenagers. but aarp says sexting is catching on with folks of a whole different generation. 9news now lesli foster takes a look at sexting at 60. >> reporter: when it comes to sexting, age is just a number for 52-year-old debbie nigro. >> the world is becoming ageless and there is no expiration on sexting. >> reporter: she started sexting a few years ago and says it's become a lot more popular for the older crowd since then. but she says if you plan on crossing into the digital age of flirting, it's important not to cross the line of respect. and sense wus talk is a -- sensuous talk is a lot better. >> the only thing different is you need glasses. >> reporter: the 22-year-old daughter thinks it's a great idea. >> i think that's fabulous. i think that age is just a number and i think everyone is a person, even if they're a mom. and everyone deserves to have fun. i don't want to see or hear the text, but i know she's having fun, and that's okay with me.

as long as i don't know the specifics. >> reporter: relationship counselor dr. bonnie eaker says responsible sexting can be great. >> i think it's wonderful. because with the economy the way it is now, people are so stressed out. they don't have money. the new going out is staying in. you want to build up the excitement. and this is giving them a big buzz. >> now, the doctor says, of course, keep your sexting private, especially if there are kids in the house. make sure you delete your messages, noekz. don't leave your -- folks. don't leave your phone laying around. sexting is not just for singles, it can spice up things for married couples. >> as long as they're sexting each other. you're driving along in your 13-foot high tractor-trailer and you see a small yellow sign flash by. did that say 13 feet six inches or perhaps just 12-foot six inches. for a driver in wisconsin, he got the word the hard way. his 18 wheeler got stuck on a

bridge. crews had to transfer 70,000 pounds of soda from the semi to a new truck before they could get it out of there. and this, my friends, is the annual empire state building run. runners from 17 countries racing up 86 floors from the lobby to the observation deck. just in case you're counting, that's 1500 stairs. this year's race attracted 315 participants. >> that is so not fun. >> not bad. >> not at all. now, what will be fun, letterman, you don't want to miss it tonight. here is a quick preview. >> the groundhog came out of his hole today and predicted six more weeks of oscar hype. [ laughing ] >> actor john travolta will be on. >> that's quite enough. we could do without the snow,

though. >> absolutely. get to topper. >> do you know that truck that got stuck under the bridge, do you know what they could have done? >> what. >> let the air out of the tires. >> you're smart. >> no, i'm not. clouds to start and becoming partly cloudy tomorrow. we'll salvage a pretty nice wednesday. low 40s on thursday. we catch our breath those two days and then another storm gets in here late friday afternoon or evening. temperatures in the upper 30s. it looks like snow to start. general 2-5 snowfall for tonight. there will be pockets of six inches up here in the panhandle of west virginia. less to the south because of a mix. it's an entirely different storm. you're not the bulls-eye to the south. an inch or less down towards southern maryland. look at the nine micro cast. this is midnight now and you'll watch the tail end of the snow come through her pretty quickly. there could be a couple flurries in the morning but the crews

will have a chance to get ahead of the game before the cars get back on the road. and the good news is we talked about this last night, temperatures were above freezing before it started so it didn't accumulate fast. this is not as cold. weekend is flanking me. winter storm warning continues until 7:00. snow 2-5 inches. mix south and east. we'll keep you down to an inch or two. low temperatures 26-32. so you folks in southern maryland will be right around the freezing mark. tonight's storm 2-5 inches. service temperatures will end up below 32 north and west of town. secondary roads will probably be slippery and it is going to impact the wednesday morning commute unfortunately. by morning, though, returning partly cloudy and cold. 20s and 30s. by afternoon a pretty nice day. partly cloudy. a little breezy. actually seasonable. high temperatures in the 40s and winds northwesterly at 10-15. some things you might want to bring with you or make sure you

have, sunglasses tomorrow. windshield wiper fluid. clean your headlight and taillights. they're probably covered with salt. everything is going to refreeze again tomorrow night. we're going to have some slippery condition. snow on the ground, everything will melt, refreeze again tomorrow night. next seven days, catch our breath wednesday and thursday and then potentially a big coastal storm affects us friday into saturday. snow could break out here friday afternoon and continue into saturday. highs only around 32 on saturday. it gets cold behind that storm. temperatures in the low to mid 30s for highs and then another storm could be here with highs in the low 30s. now, we've already had more snow this season than we've had the last three combined. >> there you go. >> there you go. >> let's get rid of some of this. >> snow. so what is the number 11 in the capitals have to do with each other? >> i think that is a very little riddle. it's their winning streak and this is becoming epic now. since new year's day, they have

lost twice. and the train kept rolling tonight. we'll show you how they got number 11. plus the latest installment of the good, the bad and the ugly making an 11:00 p.m. appearance. we're back after this. if toyota gets credit for being the most fuel efficient car company in america, well, then how do you explain all this? chevy malibu, cobalt, silverado, and the all-new equinox. compare them to anyone. may the best car win.

compare them to anyone. hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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it's time for 9 sports with brett haber, the best sports in town. >> so it is february and the

caps are the number one team in their conference. that's never happened before. nor has it happened that they won 11 games in a row. and you can now check that off the franchise to do list as well. caps and bruins tonight. he stood on his head again tonight. 41 saves. kept the caps in the game early. then the offense took in. 2-1 in the third. and then with boston's goalie yanked, there is alex ovechkin. and, oh, that is just khari picking. -- cherry picking. caps win 4-1. 11 straight. longest streak in nhl in eight years. down in miami today, the human car wash that is superbowl media day. 2,000 reporters forced indoors because of the rain. bet that smelled great. it was time for superbowl idol

as the players attempted beyonce's single ladies. >> up in the club, just spoke up, doing my own little thing. >> oh, oh, oh. >> you should have put a ring on it. >> all the single lady, all the single ladies. put your hands up. >> that is proof that you really can't be good at more than one thing. football, maybe other stuff not so much. >> we have to go to our weekly look at the excellent and not so excellent in the world of sports. it is the good, the bad and the ugly for february 2nd. time for the good. best basketball in stocking feet. nuggets and thunder. kevin durant loses his shoe there. he's going to try to put it back on. wait a minute, there is a turnover. so he has to abort putting his shoe back on. look at this. watch the shot with one shoe on. he's a dc native. we're resourceful. that's how we grow them here.

>> yes, man. >> best pickle. the cleveland cavaliers their guard daniel gibson gets knocked over. instead of helping him up, they tickle him. >> that is so weird. >> they went for the wet willie. here is the bad. worst obstacle for the open. going to retrieve the overhead here. watch. he has to leap frog the line person sitting in the chair. he was 5'10". that would have been a whole different encounter. the most heinous use of another man's equipment. watch him remove his helmet and then beat him over the head with it. >> that's not right. >> that's mean. >> you have to at least use your own helmet. if you take the other guy's helmet, that's an insult. let's go to the ugly. most inappropriate advertisement. it would have been tiger's first

tournament of the year. a local strip club saying we miss you, tiger. how do you think the country club guys felt. >> go away. >> i assume the country club guys have a sense of humor. i don't think tiger is laughing. >> no. >> that's his problem. >> we'll be iet back.

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and that is 9news now for tonight. letterman is up next. he has john travolta. >> tomorrow we'll have the traffic and weather. >> don't forget we're always on wusa9.com. >> if the school is open, please. >> please. dreams are amazing things. and in hard times, sometimes, a belief in a dream,

a belief in what is possible - can transform everything. at at&t, we've never forgotten that our company began in a small laboratory, with a dream and a belief, in the future. today, our wired and wireless high speed internet networks are connecting small businesses across america - in cities and small towns - to markets around the world. we know that investment in broadband high speed internet can create hundreds of thousands of new american jobs. small businesses are being formed - dreams are being launched - and real jobs are being created. at at&t, we're investing billions to upgrade and build out our wired and wireless networks. now is not the time to stall momentum or to stifle innovation or investment. dreams, and jobs, and the future are at stake. at at&t, the future, are at stake. at at&t, the future, has always been our business. at&t... your world... delivered.

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