we will be getting into the 20s here by 9:00. 30s by noon. with more clouds and maybe a stray flurry or two, temperatures won't get much more than about 35 with the 5:00 p.m. temperature around 33 degrees. those flurries i think will be few and far between. unlike yesterday where even at 6:00 yesterday afternoon, we still had some snow showers that were going on. everything moved off to the southeast leaving with us generally clear skies overnight. maybe one of the lucky ones who were able to see the meteor showers last night. 17 in washington. 15 in la plata with 11 in frederick. wind chills feels like zero in frederick. monika samtani, happy wednesday. >> happy wednesday. 6:00. that means the rush hour is now begun in earnest. things are looking a little bit heavier around town. we'll first take a look at 66. if you're planning to head inbound, we'll go to a live shot from sky 9 and take a look

at nutley street as you can see, a bit of volume heading for the beltway. headlights are on the inbound side of 66 leaving nutley street headed for 495. you will be ok whether you're heading northbound or southbound. let's go back over to the maps. if you're heading north toward the american legion bridge, traffic is moving well into bethesda. no problems to report on the toll road. route 7 and 123 look great through tysons. another live look this time at the american legion bridge from 270 into tysons corner looking fine as well. in my next report, we'll go into virginia as well at 6:12. back to you guys. >> at the top of the hour, let's get a check on some of the stories happening today. two disaster aid centers are opening to help people recovering from last summer's earthquake in virginia. one is in spotsylvania county. the other is in louisa county. both will be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. >> students move back into three renovated schools in montgomery county. canon road elementary, garrett

park elementary and seven locks elementary. first bell rings at 9:00. a decision could be made today on whether to demolish the president's residence at the university of maryland. it doesn't meet current safety codes and the school calls it outdated. a foundation wants to build an event center on the site. >> it finished late today. we'll also see the fallout from the iowa caucuses. mitt romney a winner by a raiser-thin margin. >> the former massachusetts governor won by eight votes in a very close second place former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. >> let's check out the numbers. both romney and santorum got 25% of the vote. romney again by eight votes he won. texas congressman ron paul came in third at 21%. speaking to supporters this morning, both romney and rick santorum focused on the economy and on president obama. >> he was critical of president bush for not balancing the budget, for having such large deficits. his deficits have been three times larger or more.

he's on track by the end of the first term, his only term, by the way -- [ cheering ] >> what wins in america are bold ideas, sharp contrasts and a plan that includes everyone. and a plan that includes people from all across the economic spectrum. a plan that says we will work together to get america to work. >> several candidates didn't do as well as they had hoped in iowa. minnesota congressman michele bachmann finished in sixth earning 5% of the vote. she says she's staying in. >> rick perry is back in austin. he says he will be using prayer and reflection to reassess his future of the g.o.p. race. perry got 10% of the caucus vote which is a fifth place finish. now the campaign moves to new hampshire. the granite state will hold its primary next tuesday and mitt romney is expected to win big there. the latest poll of likely

voters gives him a 27--point advantage. ron paul is in second in that poll followed by former utah governor jon huntsman. huntsman chose to skip the iowa caucuses. president obama is back from his christmas vacation. he, too, is hitting the campaign trail. he heads to cleveland, ohio, today. ohio, a swing state in november. since the president is running unopposed, there was no democratic caucus to speak of yesterday in iowa but the president did thank supporters in a teleconference call. coming up at 6:30, we'll be joined in stud joy by bob ehrlich, chairman offer the campaign. ing d.c. councilman harry thomas jr. will resign as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. >> delia gonsalvess is live outside the wilson building with the latest on the investigation and this announcement. >> good morning. a very big shocker, mike, andrea.

harry thomas jr. has been coming here to the wilson building as a council member for ward five in northeast for the past five years since 2006. his father held a post before him for three terms. now, harry thomas jr. leaves the position in disgrace. accused of taking $300,000 in city money. he's expected to plead guilty to one felony count that could land him behind bars for up to three years. that will force him to resign the council likely in the coming days. the fbi and i.r.s. raided his northeast home last month and according to one source that we spoke to, harry thomas jr. told his advisors "i just couldn't beat the tax charges." in an ironic twist, here at the council, they're debating an ethics bill and later today, when they appear to work here at the wilson building, council members are expected to vote on

that ethics bill. it is unclear if harry thomas will be here. we'll let you know. back to you. >> thank you, delia. delia gonsalves live outside the wilson building. >> montgomery county police are on the lookout for this guy. the so-called bandage bandit walked into a cvs and gaithersburg wrapped in bandages. you can see his arm was in a sling. he threatened to shoot pharmacists if they didn't hand over oxycontin, a powerful painkiller. employees gave him some of the drugs, he took off. no one was hurt. police are now hoping the surveillance video could help them with some leads. >> jessica doyle is here with a special "your money" report. >> she's going to help us get our finances in order. >> that's right. this is the new year's resolution we can all beat. we're going to get the credit card debts under control. it may feel impossible after the holidays but three really simple steps can help you pay down those bills. did the holidays leave your wallet thin and your credit

card bills fat? the average american cardholder will carry about $5400 in outstanding credit card debt in 2012 according to the u.s. census bureau. some experts recommend paying twice the minimum monthly payment but if you don't have that much cash, just a few extra bucks can help. >> if you only have enough money to pay even just $20 or $30 extra a month, that can make a huge dent over time. >> as with all new year's resolutions, too many drastic changes in your habits may get you frustrated. beverly herzog recommends three simple steps. first, keep tabs on your credit report. second, track all of your spending to see how it fits into your debt payment plan. and third, look for balance transfer offers if a card's interest rate is too high. >> you can transfer your large credit card debt that you have on a high interest card, you can transfer that to a new card that's offering a 0% apr for a certain amount of time.

>> that will keep your payments at a minimum while you pay down your balance. >> "consumer reports" says the average shopper spent $811 over the holidays in 2009. if you put that on credit and you're just paying the minimum by the time you're done with it, that $811 would actually cost you over $1800 we work so hard to find the bargains but then if we put it on credit and we're not paying it off, it is not a bargain at all. >> on some of your statements, it will tell you if you pay the minimum, how much it is going to cost or if you pay a little extra. >> exactly. >> so, it helps. >> it really does. >> thanks, jess. >> people spend more to buy a hybrid in the hopes it saves them in the long run on gas. a california woman said her hybrid doesn't live up to its hype. heather peters is suing honda saying her 2006 civic hybrid does not get the gas mileage the company advertised it would. peters says she was promised 49 miles to the gallon in the city but the car barely got 40.

so, she's suing for $10,000. honda says the sticker on the new car window says the mileage is an average and your results may vary. >> coming up in five minutes, why a woman started getting mail addressed to her dog. and why she actually doesn't want it to stop. >> up next, howard has our bone chilling wednesday forecast. your weather first is straight ahead. right here on 9news now. thanks, mom. who are you calling "mom"? dunkin' sausage pancake bites, delicious like mom's, only easier to carry -- get three for $1.59.

it is 17 degrees in washington. wind chills in the single digits. 30 by noon with mostly cloudy skies. chance for a few flurries late this afternoon and this evening. otherwise, mainly dry day with a lot less wind and highs near 35. i'll have the 7-day forecast with warmer temps in the next five. right now, monika is in with timesaver traffic. >> if you're planning to head over to the bw parkway, you want to watch out on the southbound side. just near route 410 heading for riverdale, an accident in the left lane. a car into the wall. u.s. park police are on the scene. i'll have more on that and other area roadways at 6:18. back to you guys. >> thank you, monika. today, mitt romney will pick up the endorsement of 2008 presidential nominee john mccain. iowa is over and the countdown to new hampshire is now on. >> the presidential campaign is what's making news at 6:12 this morning. romney won last night's g.o.p. caucus in iowa by just eight votes! rick santorum came in second surging in the last two days. ron paul finished third.

the primary in new hampshire is next tuesday. that is followed by a primary in south carolina. prince george's county police need your help finding a 76-year-old john hawkins last seen leaving his home in temple hills yesterday. police say hawkins suffers from diabetes and dementia and needs his medication. crews began tearing down the old lewinsville road bridge over the beltway last night. the replacement opened in august to accommodate the hot lanes. the old bridge should take three to four weeks to remove. for 30 years, a massachusetts woman has been getting mail at her home. it is addressed to a dead family member. >> each letter brings a smile to the woman's face though. diana press explains the story and why it has an unusual twist. >> reporter: ruth lives alone but her mailman has been dropping off letters for two for decades. >> oh, yes. >> back in the '80s, ruth asked the phone number if she could change the name on her bill. >> as long as he's a member of the family and as long as he lives there. >> she did not ask if he was human so i had my phone listed

under my dog's name. >> since then, hundreds of companies have been hounding jasper. >> he was the cutest little mutt. >> a $2500 check to hyundai. >> a downpayment for a car. >> college applications. he was a smart pooch. >> this one is curry college. >> a free flight on united airlines. >> to any major international airport. >> in case he needs extra bank. >> all of the banks, credit cards, they all want him to sign up. >> he can never have enough treats. hundreds of offers have piled in and they keep on coming. but even if ruth or jasper wanted to claim the prizes, they can't. he's been dead for 20 years. why after years of getting what's mostly been junk mail to a dog that doesn't exist, wouldn't ruth call the companies and tell them there's no one here by that name. she says she has a very good reason. >> we're in danger of losing our postal centers so i figure these people want to spend the money, let the post office gain

from this. >> plus she gets a chuckle whenever jasper gets a check or grand prize. >> he should only know wherever he is resting in peace what is happening, his life is still going on. >> i don'tiana perez reporting there. it will for a long time the way junk mail moves. >> letter carriers appreciate that. >> next in sports, virginia tech and michigan go to overtime in the sugar bowl. but first, we're going to have weather, weather, weather. here's howard. >> getting ahead of ourselves. >> a little graphic. >> weather first. >> it is all right. >> you would get even more. >> if jasper responds. >> we have a cold morning out there. bus stop forecast, bundle up. gloves, hats, scarves, sweaters, whatever you can with temperatures down in the teens and low 20s. thankfully, the winds are nearly as bad. sunrise, 7:27. while we do have a threat for a

few flurries, i'm not expecting anything like the intense snow showers like we had yesterday. some areas got a little. up toward cross junction, here are reports along 522 up in frederick county, virginia. we had upwards of two inches yesterday. it extended down toward areas with the snow squalls. traffic accidents. that's one of the reasons the schools in winchester city are closed today. 33 at about 4:00. there could be a couple of flurries late this afternoon and this evening. again, this shouldn't amount to nearly anything like we had yesterday. and even at 8:30, 33 degrees with a high of 35. weather headlines, another cold day. not as windy. those late flurries will be possible and again this evening but that is about it. seasonable tomorrow. high temperatures in the middle 40s. then as we head toward friday, we'll be in the 50s. i think 50s will linger into saturday as well. this morning though, not even close to that with 19 in pax river and salisbury, easton at

16. to our west, that's the cold stuff. winchester, coldest on the board at 7. hagerstown, 13. when you fact o in the winds, even though they're not a lot. wind chills down into the single digits. mid teens in culpepper at 16. very cold morning out there. right now, reagan national, officially 17 under clear skies. dew points up to zero. relative humidity outside 45%. inside about 10%. hope you got a humidifier going. cold air in the northeast into eastern canada, milder temperatures out in the central south part of the country. in the pacific northwest, that will sort of push some of that more mild air to the east. we're going to see it returning tomorrow. other than the threat for flurries this afternoon, this evening, that's about it. so, looking at the forecast, today, 35. late flurry possible. tonight, 25 to 30. not nearly as cold. we'll be in the mid-40s on thursday.

mid to upper 50s on friday. saturday we're still holding on to low 50s. sunday morning might be cold enough for a little snow. we'll watch that system and then monday and tuesday, low 40s should do it. let's go to monika here with timesaver traffic. >> i don't mind waking up sunday morning to snow. that might be pretty. thank you, howard. but you might mind waking up to this news. it is the bw parkway on the southbound side inside the beltway, right here at 410, a single vehicle accident, a car hit a wall there. it is blocked at route 410. that's just in from park police. i suggest you plan early and use your alternate routes. you can take good luck road to keppel worth avenue or use route 450 as your alternate route. southbound gw parkway blocked with an accident u.s. park police are on the scene. if you're planning to head all the way to the other side of the beltway, things are fine. or if you're planning to take mark train number 874 is running 20 minutes late. let's go outside live right now. northbound on 395 at duke

street, a bit of volume for seminary road and the new mark center. coming up, i'll update you on the bw parkway at 6:25. back to you. next in sports, virginia tech and michigan go to overtime in the sugar bowl. >> let's get another check on the question of the morning. a recent study found which of these things has 60 times the germs a toilet does? is it a, a computer keyboard? b, a cell phone or c, a kitchen counter. >> our facebook friend sharon says a, the keyboard. who cleans that. you eat and drink at your desk. it can get nasty and how well can you really get between the keys even if you try to clean it. wear gloves from now on. >> keep the guesses coming, we'll reveal the answer at 6:53.

>> your weather first here at 6:22. fridgeid this morning.

coldest morning we've seen all season with temperatures down in the teens, even single digits right now. looking at the day planner, you can expect some clouds and sunshine mixing early. becoming mostly cloudy today. looks like we could see a couple of flurries late in the day. temperatures struggle to get to maybe 35 for the high. good news here. winds will be a lot less. we've got warmer days coming as soon as tomorrow. let's go over to mike and andrea. >> virginia tech fans not too happy this morning after last night's sugar bowl. >> for college football fans, last night's game against michigan definitely was an exciting one. >> hokies trailing 17-9 going into the fourth quarter. it was 20-17 with time expiring. michigan on top. meyer hits a field goal for tech. however, when it got to overtime, he would miss the 37- yarder. michigan's brendan gibbons did not miss his kick. michigan wins 23-20.

>> the capitals are sort of staging a comeback. if it ended today, they would make the playoffs as the seventh seed. they're three back of florida. d.c. hosting carrying last night. alexander ovechkin scored a power play goal in the first. his 17th of the season. he had an assist in the second period. caps top the flames 3-1. d.c. visiting san jose on saturday. college park last night, maryland hosting cornell. a good night for the big man. flynn, 15 points, 9 boards, terps win. they improve to 9-1 at home. maryland visits nc state coming up on sunday. >> in ten minutes, two local colleges are the best bang for your buck. and which majors are the ones you want to avoid. >> political science is a pretty good major today. we break down the results of the iowa caucuses with former maryland governor bob ehrlich. >> monika has a quick check on our traffic. >> southbound on the bw parkway, single vehicle

accident has it blocked at route 410. you want to choose an alternate route. i'll keep you posted on this situation coming up in my next report. you're watching 9news now. we'll be right back. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause

that you just keep going. (man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. 6:29. this is always the place to get

your weather first. and we begin our weather with some school closings and delays. in virginia, frederick county and winchester city schools are closed. also in virginia, clark county school will open two hours late. gnaw maryland, ball game and garrett county schools, two hour delay. in west virginia, these schools open two hours late. grant, hampshire, hardy and mineral county open two hours late. woo. it is cold out. monika will have an update on the commute in a moment. >> we're letting howard stay inside today because it is bone chilling cold out there. it is cold in the studio. >> oh, my gosh. >> our 180s. >> make sure it is nice and warm. >> i love them! >> mine are in my jacket. >> the 180s. >> joy has hers. >> jessica has hers. we're all in sync with you this morning. >> i'm feeling the love. thanks, guys. >> you're going to need them as well. it is really frigid out there. >> what did you say, howard?

i can't hear you. >> i'll tell you later, monika. it is cold. temperatures down in the teens and single digits. 17 officially at reagan national. 30 by noon with mostly cloudy skies. and just a couple of flurries will be possible late today. highs about 35. had those intense snow showers yesterday. in fact, in frederick county, virginia. one of the reasons winchester city schools are closed. right after sunset, they had a squall. still dealing with slippery conditions. clouds to the southwest while we're generally clear at the moment. look at the temps. down to 7 in winchester. fresh snow pack, clear skies. light winds. we're 17. mid teens for charles county over to andrews air force base and prince george's county. prince fredic coming in about 16, 17 with 10 up in frederick. wind chills, 7 in d.c. 8 in frederick. 12 in fredericksburg and only 4 in easton. monika samtani, good morning to you. >> howard, i have a pair of 180s if you need them.

right here. i'll keep them right here. on the southbound side of the bw parkway, no laughing matter. an accident, single vehicle into a wall there and park police are on the scene. they've been blocking the bw parkway at route 410 inside the parkway. you can use kenilworth avenue, you can use route 450 or route 50 inside the beltway to get you into cheverly and northeast while they do the accident cleanup. i don't believe there are serious injuries. this may take a little while for them to clean that one up. if you're planning to head over here into college park, no problems on the outer loop passing route one. it is going to slow down from route 29 to georgia avenue. but that's pretty much par for the course this week at least. we'll take you over to 270 on the southbound side. overall, delays on 270 as you head down from frederick, clarksburg and a bit here through rockville. in my next report, i'll update you on the bw parkway at 6:45. >> a very slim margin but is is

a victory. mitt romney, the winner in this year's republican caucus in iowa. former massachusetts governor got 25% of the votes. he just got 8 more votes than former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. ron paul got 21% of the vote. in yesterday's contest. >> you were working and i am work. we're all working together because of our passion for this country and our concern it is being led by a president who may be a nice guy but just is over his head by standing up and being bold. and leading. leading with that burden and responsibility you have. to be first. you have taken the first step of taking back this country. [ applause ] >> now, texas governor rick perry says he will reassess his campaign after iowa. he's actually out this morning. he got 10% of the vote. >> joining us for a look at the caucus results is former maryland governor bob ehrlich. he's also the head of mitt romney's campaign in maryland.

good morning. thank you for being here. >> good to see you. >> good to see you. >> where are my earmuffs? where are my 180s? come on, guys, give me a break. >> it was a win by the slimmest margin. a win is a win. >> we'll count it. >> does it matter? >> the expectation, if 10 to 18 to 20 doesn't matter. a few weeks ago, people were saying mitt may be second, third. a win is a win. in this state where it is not necessarily his constituency. it is a big win for him. for two candidates. romney and santorum, big nights for both. everyone else, not so much. what happens, even just one caucus state, your money tends to dry up. perry is seeing that. if you don't meet expectations, you guys upset that by the way, political pundits. he should do this, she should

do that. if they fail to do it, the money dries up. >> rick perry may be reassessing his campaign. michele bachmann with just 5% of the vote last night. she says she's staying in. we were asking earlier, is this a way for her to raise more money to pay off her campaign debt before she gets out? >> of course. money dries up quick. ask rudy giuliani. i was in that campaign. to win a good, today, rick santorum is going to pick up a lot of money. he'll go from 3% to 4% in new hampshire to something more than 3% or 4%. the romney campaign feels very good about the way this is breaking, obviously. he's very strong. the white house obviously -- the attacks have begun on a daily basis. that was really the great barometer when the white house, democratic national committee, weeks ago began testing the barometer, it told you all you needed to know about their view in the republican primary season. >> they said that in the beginning. >> it was going to be mitt romney and all of the other champions came up and --

>> flavor of the day. >> herman cain, bachmann. >> who got 50 votes last night. >> he's popular. >> bottom line is -- >> we've got 30 seconds left. >> new hampshire is almost a given. what about south carolina? seems like voters there are still looking for something other than romney. >> something to look for. newt gingrich is angry. he will run a lot of negative ads but a lot of money in new hampshire. what occurs there with respect to the ads will be pretty instructive. we think romney is going to win comfortably in new hampshire. tough state for anybody else. but how that plays out, repercussions in south carolina will be the major story come next week. >> all right, bob ehrlich, thank you for being with us. again, happy new year. >> get him some hot coffee. >> please, i'm begging. >> mike? >> thank you for joining us, mr. ehrlich. >> to a story you saw first right here on channel 9, d.c. councilman harry thomas jr. will resign from office amid allegations of some serious

ethics violations. thomas could wind up in prison. delia gonsalves is live outside the wilson building with the story this morning. >> good morning, mike. there are rumors and speculation for several months that still comes as a pretty big shocker. harry thomas jr.'s days here at the wilson building are coming to an end. he's expected to resign in the coming days. we're told that thomas will plead guilty to one felony count that carries a 2 to 3 year jail sentence. he's accused of using $300,000 meant for youth program he ran to pay for his own lavish vacation and a luxury suv. the fbi and i.r.s. raided his northeast home last month where his attorney told me that he was fighting the charges. but apparently they may not and they cannot fight these charges and will strike a plea deal with federal prosecutors in the coming days. we'll continue to follow this story, have reaction from council member thomas jr.'s

colleagues here at the wilson building a little later today. mike, back to you. delia gonsalves, thank you live outside the federal building. >> jessica doyle is watching your money and your tuition dollars. >> indeed. a look at the best values when it comes to going to college. >> these are the schools that will give you a top flight education and they will not break the bank. we have two of the top 100 right here in the washington area. here are the winners. kiplinger's 100 best values in public colleges named the university of maryland college park to its top ten list. it comes in at number eight. total instate costs are $19,400 a year. incoming freshman have an average gpa of 4.0. notable alums include jim plank, the founder of under armor and sergei brin, the founder of google. george mason university, s.a.t. word there for you.

$18,700. this school will give you a lot of bang for your bucks. now to picking the right degree to you can get a job after you graduate. georgetown university center on education in the work force is out with a new study today. "the washington post" says recent college grads with these degrees are having trouble finding a job. in terms of the numbers, they are grads with the highest rates of unemployment here, architecture with a jobless rate of 13.9%. arts at 11.1% and the humanities, that would be myself at 9.4%. these are the degrees that can help you get a job. degrees in health, had a jobless rate of 5. 4%. education also coming in at 5.4% and agriculture and natural resources at 7%. >> i still have my teacher's certificate just in case. >> there you go. >> thank you, jess. >> you got it. >> our time is 6:38. having a hard time sticking to those new year's resolutions?

ahead, three easy steps to be successful. >> and three easy steps to staying warm today. a heavy coat, gloves and a hat. you'll need them. >> and maybe your 180s. >> it is in the teens in many places and it only going up to the 30s. howard will let us know when the 50s will make a return. >> check us out tonight...

here's your sausage and pancakes, sweetie. thanks, mom. who are you calling "mom"? dunkin' sausage pancake bites, delicious like mom's, only easier to carry -- get three for $1.59. welcome back to 9news now. it is 6:43. yes, it is single -- almost single digit -- >> as far as wind chill is concerned. it is 17 degrees in northwest. it is cold outside. >> thankfully though, while we've got the coldest morning, the core of the cold hit us a few hours ago. today, less wind. >> that's good. >> only mid-30s. about i tomorrow, 40s and friday even warmer than that. >> just hang on. things will change. >> what a really cold day.

for those folks working outside, it will be another tough day. let's get you going with the bus stop forecast. begging mom and dad to wait with me in the car over to the bus stop and keep it running. keep me warm. we got temps in the teens and some low 20s over the next few hours under partly sunny skies. clouds are going to increase here middle of the day for the noon. only expecting a few flurries. potentially late today unlike the snow squalls we had yesterday. put down a coating of spots, that caused problems in the road. last night across frederick county, virginia, up toward winchester, anywhere up to a couple of inches. that caused all sorts of problems. that's why those schools are closed today. low 30s 3:00 and 6:00 with a high of 35. winds south to southwest 5 to 10 miles per hour. tonight with a southerly flow, temperatures not nearly as cold. 25 to 30. as they are right now with 9 in winchester. 17 in d.c. 19 southern maryland and fredericksburg and are wind chills, they're running in the

single digits to upper teens in fredericksburg. 4 in easton. 7 in d.c. and 6 in luray. clearly, the coldest morning we've seen all season by far. 17. feels like 7. documents at zero. the barometer very healthy now at 30.33 with high pressure building in. and while the cold air is up across the northeast, really the core of it is back here across areas in eastern canada and quebec. that will continue to pull away. with a warm push off the pacific coming into the western u.s., this will work its way east. the mild air that you see down across central part of the country is what's moving in as we head toward friday and saturday. especially before -- maybe things will get interesting around here sunday morning. as we look at the future cast, a weak disturbance coming across the region today. will increase the clouds. bring us a couple of snow showers to the mountains by 5:00 late this afternoon or really this evening, have a chance for a few flurries or snow showers until about 10:00 or 11:00 this thing will pull away. clear to partly cloudy. not nearly as cold.

tomorrow, looks like a decent amount of sunshine into the 40s. by friday, even more sunshine and i think friday's temperatures will warm into the 50s. today, about 35. late flurry, maybe even holding off until after dark with mostly cloudy skies. after a little morning sun mixing in. thursday, 46. nice friday. we'll finish out the work week with temperatures well up into the 50s. saturday, 52. by sunday morning, chance we may see a little snow early sunday morning. monday and tuesday, partly to mostly sunny. highs in the low 40s. monika samtani is along with timesaver traffic. >> we'll take a look live from sky 9 on the southbound side of the bw parkway here. i would say about half an hour, 40 minutes ago, a single vehicle accident had blocked off bw parkway southbound at route 410, clear the tow truck is gone. it left a two and a half mile delay for you on the southbound side of the parkway here with the lanes now open. i'll show where it is on the

map and what you can do inside the beltway right here at route 410, because of that delay, although the lanes are open, i still suggest if you can, go ahead and use route 450 or even route 50 if that's easier or convenient for you this morning. let's take you outside. on the outer loop of the beltway, you've got delays actually pretty jammed from new hampshire avenue heading around through silver spring. it doesn't really clear up until you pass georgia avenue. and now we'll take you over to the northbound side of i-395. just got word of an accident just north of edsall road sitting on the left shoulder. it left this delay for you on the northbound side of 395. quickly a look back at the maps. if you're planning to take metro this morning, yellow line is single tracking between pentagon city and len l'enfant plaza because of track work in between. coming up, another look around the area at 6:58. mike, back to you. >> thank you, monika. so, it is january 4th. how are your resolutions going? still on the diet, still

working out? we have suggestions on setting realistic goals for you to help get you in the right frame of mind especially when it cops to keeping fit. la keisha harris. certified nutritionist. when i saw what you had on, i said oh, look, it is a salad. >> it is raw kale mixed with red peppers and onions. >> as you were saying, some people say kale, i don't know if i want to try it. >> it is actually very tasty. everyone who has tried it goes back for thirds. >> because you're a nutritionist, would this be the center of a meal or in addition? >> it can be either or. it depends on how far you want to take it. you can have it as part of your vegetable and starch or have it with a protein. >> something like this would be 500 calories, 300 calories like -- >> probably about 300. >> very little. >> ok. just a quick rundown of what's physically in it. >> we have raw kale.

this is organic kale. this is nutritional yeast. extra virgin olive oil. liquid aminos which is soy sauce and filtered water. >> kale is good for digestion. >> digestion. pure enzymes into your system. helps your bloodstream. gives your body hydration. >> in addition to just trying to keep you fit and keeping your diet in good shape, you had three suggestions that you say you know what, you really can do this when it comes to new year's resolutions. first one was be realistic. >> don't set an unattainable goal. make sure the goals you set are goals you're going to stick to. >> that's not easy. so, don't set the bar too awful high. push yourself is your second suggestion. >> on those days when you think i can't do it, if you set the attainable goals, you can do it. push yourself to do it. >> start a little bit. before you know it, you've got more accomplished. >> the third one, don't be discouraged. >> don't be discouraged if

you're not taking off as much weight as you think you're going to or if you have a pound here or there and you eat that dessert, continue to move forward. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> we'll have her tips on wusa9.com. the news before you go is coming up next. we'll be right back.

when you first find out you have breast cancer, you feel like you're in a nightmare. when i was diagnosed, i felt very out of control and a victim of the disease. (woman) helpless but never hopeless. (woman) this is something we can do. (man) we can walk. (woman) 60 miles. we can erase breast cancer. (woman) 60 miles in 3 days. i can do that, we can do this. we can do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee, because everyone deserves a lifetime.

okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours?

at 6:53, very cold this morning. got a pretty sky out there. it is cold with temperatures in town in the teens. some areas still in the upper single digits. 30 by noon with mostly cloudy skies. highs today around 35. just a chance of a flurry late today and this evening. andrea and mike, over to you. >> thank you, howard. today is wednesday, january 4th. here is a check on the news before you go. former massachusetts governor mitt romney won the iowa caucus by just eight votes. he narrowly beat former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. this is the closest iowa caucus in history. >> d.c. health authorities inspected the occupy d.c. encampment at mcpherson square last night. "the washington examiner" reports neighbors have been complaining about a boom in the

rat population. authorities shut down the camp's kitchen until it can be inspected further. >> after virginia tech missed the 37-yard field goal in overtime last night, michigan gets one. hokies lose 23-20. tech finishes the season at 11- 3. ok, time to answer the question of the morning. recent study found which of these things has more than 60 times the germs that a toilet does? is it a, the computer keyboard. b, a cell phone or c, the kitchen counter. >> the a is , a computer keyboard. yucky! >> that's exactly why maybe be of us in the -- why many of us in the newsroom try to disinfect the keyboard before we start work in the morning. >> we with have one more check of traffic and weather right here on 9news now.

thanks, mom. who are you calling "mom"? dunkin' sausage pancake bites, delicious like mom's, only easier to carry -- get three for $1.59.

we are back with your weather first. before the 7-day forecast, we have a couple of closings and delays to pass along. frederick county and winchester city schools are closed in virginia. also in virginia, clark county schools will open two hours late. >> in maryland, allegheny and garrett county schools are on a two hour delay and in west virginia, these schools are all open two hours late this morning. they're grant, hampshire, hardy and minuteral counties. again opening two hours late. howard, you have the 7-day forecast and we're feeling your pain when you go outside. we're all in our 180s earmuffs. >> what a show of support. i'm overwhelmed. 35 today. after starting in the teens and some single digits. a lot less wind. maybe a late flurry. 50s friday and saturday and

some early flurries. maybe a little snow on sunday morning. we'll be watching that. monika? >> as you put on your 180s, southbound bw parkway, accident cleared. now, here's route 50, an accident as well. 395 northbound, an accident at duke street on the left shoulder. quickly on the inner loop before gallows road, an accident on the left shoulder. >> here is a different kind of 180. we're looking lower this morning after the big rally yesterday on wall street. we'll see how things go later. >> things feel good in the studio this morning. "the early show" begins next. they'll have more on the iowa caucuses and a look ahead to new hampshire's primary next tuesday. >> howard and i will be back in 25 minutes with a live update on weather and traffic. >> get updates all day at wusa9.com. >> we'll see you tomorrow morning at 4:25. we could use these in the newsroom today. it is really cold. don't forget your ea