i'm bruce johnson. winter making its arrival next week but freezing cold temperatures aren't waiting on the calendar. >> reporter: we need to get close to wrecking the freezing mark today. windchills never got higher than the teens. let's starts with wind gusts. good news, bad news. bad news is winds gusting to 30 miles per hour at national and 26 up in gaithersburg. 31-mile-an-hour wind gusts in haggers town. it is 24 right now downtown. 19 in gaithersburg. 21 in leesburg. actual temperatures. even 26 down 95 towards fredericksburg. feels like 10 downtown with the winds and essentially in the single digits in gaithersburg. 5 in frederick. 6 in leesburg. feels like 6 also in manassas. for tonight, no showers.

winds west-north west at 15 to 25. been out in the stiff winds and freezing temperatures and standing by at the masonic temple. >> reporter: the winds have died down here at the temple but the winds really gusted earlier today and even had this meter carried around all day to clock just how fast the wind was whipping and when we spoke to two men in particular we learned that the whipping wind may have actually cost them some money. the wind kept customers at home and toppled dozens of trees. >> it has been a problem for us because we can't set them back up. then the wind blows them back down again and every time they break. >> reporter: wind gusts were the fastest we clocked all day at a whopping 20 miles per hour.

with windchills dipping to 12 degrees. but with a portion of tree sales going to charity, these men braved the cold they say the kids. >> last year we had all the snow it has been rough out here. >> they have been located in the same spot for more than 20 years and they have go this tree toppling problem every year. folks will be able to track the progress of snowplows on their streets thanks to a new internet tool. a map includes bus stops and metro stations and there is a link to nearly 200 traffic cameras. >> if you're sitting home in a cul-de-sac and you're trying to make an ndecision of whether

you should go to the airport or to new york city you can look at the map to see the progress. >> this does not mean you will get your street plowed anytime sooner. you will find a link on wusa9.com. there were a number of school delays and cancellations this morning. you can always tune in at 4:25 a.m. for the very latest of the impact from the winter weather. another developing story from arlington and another piece of home grown terrorism. gary neurenberg has the update. >> reporter: we are on 11th street south at the home of a man known as sunny gisie and mohammed khan. one of his friends on facebook tipped him to the fbi. in a statement he put on

facebook about using pipe bombs to blowup metro specifying cars 3 and 5 where the most damage would be done and talked about setting off pipeline bombs during rush hour to do the most damage. he also allegedly talked about using pipe bombs in the sewer system at rush hour blowing them up so that commuters on their way home would be hurt. allegedly the friend tipped off his friend's activities and then is accusedded of threatening her online on facebook. "you are sticking your face in something that is not your business. i'm telling you right now you're going to reget doing what you did for your piece. i hope what i'm hearing is all

lies. those are the charges against him. he is in court against next week. bruce? >> was he acting alone or did he make contact with people outside of the country? >> in the fbi affidavit no reference to anybody else although they posed with an ak 47 in afghanistan where he was born. >> gary neurenberg, thank you for that. not a superhero but he did manage to fight off two robbers. a gas attendant is hoping his story will make the bad guys think twice before trying to commit another crime. lindsey mastis caught up with the clerk. >> reporter: he is a clerk at the shell station but 10:00 p.m. saturday night he became every robber's worst nightmare. >> i have my concealed permit for four years. >> reporter: we are not releasing his name. >> i carry a gun. >> reporter: he said he walked to his car, got in and shut the door. he says that's when he was

approached by two men. >> two guys opened my door and immediately started hitting me with a stun gun in my left arm. but just think what his wife was going through. she was on the phone with him at the time. >> i hear him say get out of here. get out of here. and then the phone cut off. >> reporter: that's when he reached for his gun. >> i took my pistol and shot two shots in self-defense. he says he may have shot one of the robbers. both ran away. >> we checked area hospitals. we have not connected anyone to this crime itself but we are still looking. >> reporter: the clerk won't face any charges. he was acting in self-defense. although he worried about retaliation the clerk says he won't let it affect his work at shell. >> my hope is there are just more armed citizens out there and something like this could be prevened in the future. >> reporter: in prince william county, i'm lindsey mastis, 9 news now. tonight police are urging

anybody with information about this crime to contact prince william police. that number is crime stoppers 1-866-411-tips. coming up tonight. a deadly tragedy. a rowhouse fire kills three generations of the same family. a daring heist at a las vegas casino. an armed gunman makes off with a million and a half dollars in chips. that's straight ahead.

compiling a list based on number of complaints received. retailers and shoppers filed more than 4000 complaints just

in the past few months. new government figures show shoppers were not afraid to open their wallets last month. the commerce department says retail sales were up 8/10ths a per cent in november. largest jump in some two years. seems like something out of a hollywood movie. perhaps "oceans 12". an armed bandit stole 1. 5 million in casino chips in las vegas. he drove a bike into the casino. he may have a hard time cashes those chips in. they are good only at the casino. police in the military are called in to help stranded motorists. we will have more coming up.

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heals and protects like lotion can't. gold bond concentrated therapy. real medicine, ultimate healing. tonight investigators are looking for the the cause of a tragic rowhouse in baltimore. killed three generations of the very same family. >> reporter: the bodies of six people, three children, three adults, were taken out of the rowhouse on homewood avenue. the fire started here before day break. fierce flames and thick smoke spread to three homes. >> i had smoke and the other two homes just had flames. >> reporter: shirley saw the flames and ran to get relatives. >> nobody in the miller house got out.

>> reporter: the wind made it unsafe for investigators to stay inside. there was an immediate evacuation of the buildings. >> reporter: a nearby fire company was not on the scene due to budget related closures noting the response was quick a 3 minutes. >> company truck 1 would have been here on the scene sooner. however, it had no impact on our firefighters being able to battle this fire. >> reporter: right now the fire department says it is unclear whether there were any working smoke detectors in the home where the millers died. it ripped through the fabric of this close-knit neighborhood. >> taking the grandkids to school today this morning. >> reporter: it is the deadliest fire in baltimore city this year. >> a total of 18 people have died in fires in baltimore this

year alone. a british judge granted bail to wikiikileaks julian assange. >> they are desperate to silence wikileaks and revelations they have made. exposing corruption and crimes. >> they believe sweden is being pressured by the u.s. they say it will make it easier for this country to take legal action against him. we are not the only ones coping with severe cold temperatures tonight. a large effort is underway to rescue hundreds of drivers now stranded by snow in their cars in canada. police are using snowmobiles and four-wheel drive vehicles near the u.s. border. the military dispatched helicopters. about a dozen people had been

rescued by midday. area farmers have also been spotted helping people and dragging their cars out of ditches. the blizzard conditions are like anything they have ever seen motorists are saying. >> 70-mile-an-hour winds and made 14-foot waves on lake myrtle beach. huge storm. >> it did bring in some cold season. 28 was the high. that's cold for january. let's talk about windchills. head outside right now. feels like 10 downtown. feels like in the single digits essentially outside the beltway really. 4 is the windchill in gaithersburg. 6 in leesburg. 7 in manassas. even way down 95 south in fredericksburg feels like it is 14. so winds are now below an advisory criteria but will still be wind through the night. outside story. we have not one but two chances for snow in the next seven

days. windchills 0 to 10. wednesday still blustery and cold but dry. thursday some light know possible and i think if it were to occur it would affect the evening rush not the morning rush. legit weekend storm is still possible. i have been pouring over a lot of the models. latest guidance we have. and it does say the storm may be further east which will have less than an impact on us. stay tuned. our futurecast, 1:45 a.m. in the morning, no problems for us. the snow continues out in the mountains. warning will eventually expire tonight west of the divide. now we get into the afternoon on wednesday. no problems. lots of sunshine. grab your sunglasses and your coat and glasses an scarf and gloves. early morning thursday, some high clouds in eastburg and some of our western storms. clouds overspreading the area but it is dry.

that's good. if the storm were to affect us it would be late in the morning for the evening commute. this one thursday is not a big storm. not a blockbuster. tomorrow night, partly cloudy. very cold. 14-22 for temps. windchills 0 to 10 above. look at the lows tonight. okay, 20s in town. but 22 downtown. but 14 in gaithersburg, 16 in college park and bowie. out to the west, 17 in fairfax. 15 in sterling. 14 in leesburg and manassas. these aren't windchills these are actual temperatures. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy. windy. very cold. windchills 0-10. and hats aren't real fashionable but i would put a hat on. teens and 20s to start. winds north west at 15 to 25 and gusty. now by afternoon. partly cloudy. breezy and cold. notice i'm saying windy, breezy. windchills in the teens all day. temperatures will struggle to get to freezing tomorrow. at least make it into the low 30s. westerly winds at 10 to 20.

and gusty. today we had wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. washington monument was closed so the wind is not nearly as big as a factor tomorrow. next three days. low 30s tomorrow. windy to breezy. little bit of light snow on thursday. again, primarily late morning and afternoon and actually a better chance south of town. fredericksburg. 34 for a high. a break on friday just chilly. partly cloudy. temperatures in the low 40s. all right, next seven days. saturday cloudy skies increasing very quickly and i think light snow is possible by evening on saturday. temperatures in the mid-30s. coastal storm is still possible saturday into sunday. if it were to hug the coast, big snow for us and temperatures only around 30 on sunday. and in the wake of the storm. doesn't matter if it hugs the coast or not it will stay cold. temperatures monday and tuesday will hold in the mid-30s and we are kind of losing sight of the fact, bruce, our average high is still 47 and we were almost 20 degrees below that today. and we are going to be nowhere near that in the next seven

days. >> it is bad out there. >> it is bad. and it is actually dangerously cold for the pets. >> all right. >> bring the pets in. >> thanks a lot. brett haber is live from the center where the lakers are intown. >> playing well? >> i don't like their chances without wall and blatche. some will argue lebron james is the best player on earth but kobe bryant has got five things that lebron james doesn't have. rings. we will get you set for tonight's showdown between the laker and wizards. plus, the ax has fallen. mike shanahan cuts the man responsible for sunday's extra point gap. details 9 sports live from the phone booth next.

>> it is time for 9 sports with brett haber. the best sports in town. >> welcome back to verizon center, everybody. the following fact will blow your mind a little bit.

kobe bryant has been in the nba for 15 seasons. 1996 was the year they plucked him straight out of high school. at least in terms of kobe's game, not a whole lot has changed since back then. now at age 32, kobe still averaging 27 a night. that is second most in the league and his list of career accomplishments is starting to get ridiculous. five nba titles, 12 all-star appearances, eight times on the all defensive first teams. olympic gold medal, one mvp and this spring a chance to repeat for the three-peat for the second time. >> they have had to deal with injury, whatever the case has been. everything has had to come together. chasing the second three-peat. you have to have good circumstances. >> the showdown everybody wanted to see tonight was kobe

against john wall. the best guard of the last decade against perhaps the best guard of the coming decade. unfortunately that's not going to happen. wall has been ruled out of tonight's game with that lingering foot injury and now a knee injury. this will be wall's eighth miss in the games this year. his lack of durability is starting to concern him. >> he missed more games than john stockton missed in 20 years. so he is frustrated. but i think some situations where you've just got to make sure we get it right. we get him healthy and right and get it where it is manageable. >> reporter: as for the lake, they got into dc a day early so they could meet with the president congratulating them at the white house and while jackson has 10 nba titles six

came with the bulls. some of the games on the menu. potomac. hosting osborne park. st. mary's visiting st. john's. broad run and brierewood. cast your vote and winning game leads our coverage on friday night. all right, college football now. two years ago james franklin was officially named the head coach in waiting at the university of maryland and apparently he has gotten sick and tired of waiting because today franklin pulled the rip cord up in college park because ralph friesen has been there he has accepted vanderbilt. he chooses to take the toughest job in the sec. redskins punter hunter smith took the blame for that botched extra point on sunday and apparently the redskins agreed with him. mike shanahan cutting the 12- year veteran today and signed someone to take his place as

punter and holder. average age of the nationals roster got older today signing 42-year-old matt stairs, veteran first baseman and outfielder major league's all- time leader with 23 pinch hit home runs. if you see alex ovechkin and sidney crosby coming on down on "the price is right." the two rivals will be on the show to promote the upcoming nhl winter classic. alex and syd will be introducing a showcase probably not in the evening gowns that the models usually wear. that is it from here. kobe and lakers in town. john wallace and chris blatche won't be here. >> enjoy the game, brett. that's all for wusa 9.

tomorrow morning we start with the morning news, weather and traffic. as always, at wusa9.com we are always on. good night. captions by: caption colorado, llc 800-775-7838 email: comments@captioncolorado.com ñúñú