frederick. and 50 in leesburg and 55 in manassas, already 41 in oakland. a little bit of a change to the wind advisory. now everybody is under a wind advisory. so frederick and leesburg and panhandle of west virginia under an advisory, which means winds could gust to 50 as opposed to 60. if you go across the divide, then winds could gust over 60 miles per hour. so showers and thunderstorms ending early. lows 35 to 40. winds westerly at 15 to 30. we'll come back and tell you how long the winds are going to be around and how cold it's going to be over the weekend. while we began this day with temperatures that felt like spring, a reminder from the midwest tonight. it is still winter out there. bulldozers had to be brought out in south dakota to clear out half a foot of snow. and over in michigan, heavy snow is expected to taper off throughout the night. they are expecting a half foot there as well. >> our winter has been so mild, you might expect the

state highway department would be stocking away. it spent 30 million of its $36 million snow removal budget for the year. compare that to northern virginia, which spent less than half of its snow budget. d.c. spent just over half. bruce leshan trying to figure out why maryland has spent so much. >> they have a $36 million budget. they spent $30 million already. >> on what? >> you can't figure it out? >> no. >> rain is one thing. >> on snow removal? $30million? >> i thought it didn't snow much. >> lots of people want to know how maryland could have blown through almost its entire snow removal budget during one of the mildest winters most people can remember. >> that's crazy. on what? >> makes no sense to you? >> none at all. why? >> they say they have -- when they have a bad forecast, they have to get people in place and ready to take care of it. >> a maryland state highway

spokesman insists there have been plenty of iffy forecasts. >> they are saying 2 to 4. so i guess we see what happens hopefully we get plenty of it. >> crews have been put on stand by 14 times and that costs plenty. >> 95% of the time it didn't materialize, but we have to be out there 100% of the time. >> imagine if we said we would have gotten hammered and the crews weren't ready. >> i would rather talk about this than why did you not see that one coming? >> not everyone is buying it. >> just those trucks sitting on the beltway could not cost that much money. >> of course it is only february and we have been known to get snowstorms in april. another snow megeddon could blow out the snow removal budgets of maryland, d.c., and virginia. in rockville, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> why would you say that, leshan? they have also had 7 feet of

snow in western maryland, but some experts say better forecasting still might have saved the state a lot of money. anita. >> let's go back to our windy weather. in calvert county, the thomas johnson bridge, things are really starting to whip around. we sent scott broom to la plata. scott, you saw some hail out there today. >> reporter: yeah, we saw some hail and saw some thunderstorms blow through here today. the big drama was how rapidly the temperature fell and how violent that made some of the storm clouds. if you take a look at some of the pictures, he captured a immediate logical effect, called a bow cloud, and if you know meteorology, that's an indicator of violent weather to come and even perhaps the potential for tornadoes. we did not see a tornado, but we saw plenty of wind, plenty of hail, and torrential rains that sent people scattering and the temperature here dropped from about 73 degrees all the way down into the low 50s and in some places that happened in

a matter of just a minute or two. the violent weather is passed from here to charles county. and as top err reported earlier, although we are in a tornado watch box, it does look like most of the conditions for that have passed. reporting live in la plata, scott broom, 9news now. >> if you have any storm damage from earlier today or when the winds pick up tonight, please submit it with photos and video at wusa9.com. lesli. >> don't call it a reversal, those words today from virginia governor, bob mcdonnell as he made his first public comment since urging state lawmakers to remove language from a bill that would require women to seek an abortion. >> i support the bill, but i never say we support the bill without having the governor having the opportunity to review it and make amendments. >> at issue is a procedure known as a transvaginal ultrasound. it involves a wand to get an image of the fetus.

it differs where a wand is rubbed over a woman's belly. >> physicians aught to be able to know by ultrasound what the gestational age is. it's an important medical consideration. >> saturday night live put the issue in the national spotlight. >> really? now don't get me wrong. i love transvaginal. it's my favorite airline. so many miles on transvaginal that i always get upgraded to lady business. >> the daily show did the same a few days later. >> women might consider this bill a tsa patdown inside their vagina. >> there's been so much undue attention to this bill. >> on wednesday, governor mcdonnell wrote a letter to state lawmakers saying he thought the bill had issues. >> i believe there was some constitutional concerns about whether or not that bill would withstand scrutiny. >> and minutes later, the house of delegates passed a version of the bill that eliminated the procedure. >> and i just wanted to make it clear with amendments that

we would not do anything that would force an invasive medical procedure to get informed consent. >> now the amended bill, which requires a traditional ultrasound before a woman can get an abortion is still before the state senate. it appears governor mcdonnell will sign it if it passes. >> the celebration may still be ringing in the halls of the state house, but tonight, opponents of legalizing same sex marriage in maryland are taking steps to challenge the legislation. today, delegate neil filed legislation for a referendum petition. if that is approved, he will have to get nearly 55,000 signatures in order to force the issue on to the ballot come november. governor martin o'malley says he plans to sign the bill next week. old dominion university is giving gay and lesbian students a new option for living quarters. the university will offer dedicated on campus housing in the fall for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students and their supporters.

so far, at least 18 students signed up for the program. george mason university and the university of richmond also offer dedicated housing for gay and lesbian students. well, lesli, coming up tonight at 7:00, dozens of places ban smoking in restaurants in public buildings, but what about outside your own home? hear why one city is trying to pass a lot of folks from lighting up on their own property. that's 9news now at 7:00. and still ahead, people line up a full night in the rain for the latest hottest thing. find out what they were waiting for. and up next, michigan is the next stop for the candidates. a look for the republican push for campaign 2012 is next.

back on 9news now with campaign 2012 and the race for president. the next big primary contest is in michigan. voters head to the polls tuesday and today republican candidates are battling for

every vote they can get. mitt romney is telling folks if he's elected president, every american will get a tax cut, even the wealthiest. >> this kind of tax cut encourages small business to hire, to raise wages, and small businesses what pulls us out of recessions and get this economy going again. >> michigan is romney's home state, just the same, polls show he has not been able to break away from his biggest rival, rick santorum. >> 50 stations can be compared in a lot of ways. population, income, what about popularity? a new poll by a group called public policy polling did just that and found california is the least popular state. unfortunately, the group didn't go into detail why people don't like the land of the stars and starlets. we can tell you virginia is on the complete opposite side of the popularity spectrum. the registered voters who took part in the poll took the fifth when it came to favorite

states. colorado, and hawaii, i get hawaii, round out the top five. >> coming up, gas prices are not too popular with people these days. we'll show you some alternatives people are turning to up next. but first, a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. heartbreaking pictures from syria today as the u.s. and more than 60 other countries try to save the freedom movement there. plus, we'll explain why gas prices are breaking records. that's tonight on the cbs evening news.

according to aaa, prices at the pump went up 3 1/2 cents in the last 24 hours. and check out this video from orlando, florida. no need to adjust your set. that does say $5.79 and $5.84 a gallon for gas. this station is near the orlando airport. as prices continue to rise,

many are looking for alternatives to get behind the wheel. many are turning to sweat to save. >> with soaring gas prices, now drivers will have more company from pedal pushing commuters. >> biking is the fastest, cheapest, easiest, most environmentally friendly way to get around. >> when gas prices skyrocketed in 2008, cities across the country saw a bicycling boom. a 70% increase in commuters in some cases, according to the league of american bicyclists and many are becoming bike friendly, with lanes and space to lock up those two wheelers. >> the sticker shock of filling up your tank hits you. you think wow, maybe i should be doing something else. we're going to see a lot more people choosing to ride their bikes as they realize that. >> tuning up an old bike is key before hitting the road. >> what are other options? >> or if you are looking to buy new, there are options, like a hybrid road and mountain bike or one designed more for comfort.

>> if it's ready to go, you can strap your briefcase to. >> all that's missing is a bell. >> then there's this one. >> very light. >> it folds up if you are taking it on mass transit. some advice before you hang up your car keys, buy a helmet and make sure you don't run out of gas. >> you don't have to suddenly ride 100 miles to and from work. getting back in the saddle. getting into the feel of it is really smart. >> and you don't have to sacrifice style for saving. >> surprised you can bike with a skirt on and with heels. it's not a big deal. >> in washington, i'm sandra endo. >> i don't know about that. >> you go girl. biking with heels on. perhaps instead of pedal power, you like to use your own two feet. >> but the search for stylish kicks led to unbelievable scenes. >> outside the mall at prince georges where over 100 people camped out overnight in hopes of getting their hands on a hot

new pair of nike tennis shoes. >> what is it about these sneakers that will make you do crazy things to get them? >> when they on my feet, everybody looking at them. that's the best part. >> before opening, the foot locker store canceled the release due to safety concerns. >> the crowd remains on the scene and in anticipation that the store may change their mind. >> but not calvin butler. >> you were here last night. >> at 11:00. >> drove down to raleigh and then came back and you still got nothing. >> i have no shoes. >> his buddy who stayed in line didn't get the nike that they wanted, but they did drop $180 on the lebron 9's. >> love of my life. sleeping with these tonight. >> did more women come up to you when you are wearing these shoes? >> i spent all my money on these. >> in hyattsville, kristin fisher, 9news now. >> crazy stuff. you may have heard there's no business like show business, but what about snow business?

♪ there's no business like snow business, like no business i know ♪ >> that's crazy cute. they had some fun with the tv crew covering today's snow in chicago. some parts of the city and its suburbs saw between 2 and 6 inches of snow. and their little hats are the best. >> they are cute. i bet you would watch some of that stuff. >> i'm jealous of snow and jealous my girls aren't that little anymore. but that's pretty darn cute. notice how it wasn't covering all of the driveway. it was a wet snow even in chicago. temperature above freezing. they haven't had much snow either. >> but they've had snow. >> all right, we are looking at high winds later tonight. the good news is, all the showers pretty much gone. we'll take a live look outside. brought to you by michael and son.

we see some breaks in the clouds. we are done with the showers. we are in good shape, except for the increasing winds. we'll continue throughout the night. temperatures, actually up to 55 at national. winds north, northeast at 5. dew point still 52 and the winds out of the north, northeast. until the winds become more westerly, we aren't going to see much. live doppler 9,000, a couple showers north of annapolis and a couple showers moving through southern maryland into calvert county. these are light showers. all the convection or thunderstorms are across the bay and across into the del marva. you are done with showers. if you are headed out, grab a coat, it's going to get colder. 51 downtown. 50 in rockville. 48 in gaithersburg. mainly low 50s. 50 in reston. 54 in springfield. 52 in college park and 50 up in beltsville. so, here's the deal. a little bit of a change now, which ask for the better. all of metro area under an

advisory. the exception, you have to go across the divide, so once you cross into oakland and south, you are looking at winds that could be up to 60 miles per hour. high wind warning there until midnight. winds picking up a little bit. wind gust of 44 in winchester. 21-mile per hour wind gust in manassas and wind gust downtown. and we're going to see this map fill up and those wind gusts get higher. so windy and colder tonight. wind advisory until midnight. wind gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour. coats are going to be needed all weekend and it's going to be colder. especially saturday. temperatures are going to be the same saturday and sunday, but with the winds, going to feel on the chilly side. becoming partly cloudy, windy, colder. 35 to 40. winds out of the west at 15 to 30 and gusty. even though we remain above freezing tonight, still if you are out late, it's going to feel cold. 36 in gaithersburg. 37 in rockville. you factor in the winds, it's going to feel like it's in the

20s. 37 in reston and 38 for a low in college park. now tomorrow morning, partly cloudy, windy and cold. 30s and 40s. winds west, northwest at 15 to 30 and rather gusty. no advisories for tomorrow morning. and then by afternoon, partly cloudy, windy and colder. high temperatures 46 to 50. winds west, northwest at 15 to 30 with some higher gusts as well. next seven days, again, same.s on saturday and sunday, but it's going to feel nicer with less wind and we get into next week and boom, we're back in the 50s on monday. back in the 60s on tuesday. 65, we drop to the mid 50s on thursday. that's when march comes in like a lamb and we are back to 60 this time next week with sunshine. >> wow. it will be a long grass cutting season. >> okay. honey do list is getting longer and longer. >> that's right. >> all eyes. >> 21 games, the playoffs not guaranteed. they have to get going.

important practice session. why, you ask? well, that guy was there. alex ovechkin participated and told us whether he is playing tonight and robert griffin iii is talking to the redskins. when? i'll let you know, next.

and now, 9sports with dave owen, the best sports in town. >> well, he was only about 15 or 20 minutes, but it was an important 15 or 20 minutes. alex ovechkin zoomed around the ice plex and deemed himself ready to go. he missed the last game with one of the undisclosed lower body injuries. we know how that goes. 5-0 the other day. also didn't skate yesterday. after today's skate, he feels more normal. that's good because the caps have been funky lately. not in a good way. and they need to pick it up tonight. >> it's imperative that we get a win tonight. it doesn't matter how we do it. we need two points. >> take advantage and get back out there. before you know it, you'll be out of there soon. we have to get going tonight. >> bad fun, topper.

nba all star weekend begins tonight. the futures game, rookie's versus second year players. 22 assists in the game a year ago. so, what did they do at the nfl combine today? participates participants participants spoke to the media. questions coming from all over on a variety of topics. it was also measurement day. specifically for rg3, robert griffin iii. his height is very important. you have to look over those offensive lineman. some had doubts. 6'2". that's a good thing for him. he's going to talk with mike shanahan tomorrow, but not going to throw this weekend as the combine. why not? >> my decision. you don't go somewhere and run a game plan, you never practice with and in an environment that you aren't prepared for. that's why. >> man up and just blow the thing. march madness around the

corner. georgetown got wacked tuesday. tomorrow back home against villanova. hoyas looking to rebound from what is their worst loss of the . figures. you can see that game tomorrow here on wusa at 2:00. georgetown currently in a three- way tie for fourth f. they claim fourth or better, they get that double bye and a big east tournament. time to announce the winner of the high school of the week contest. thomas johnson, we'll have highlights tonight. 10,000 clicks, that is great stuff. >> kids really get into it. >> that's it for us, we are ready to get into the weekend. the cbs evening news is next. >> we are. at 7:00, derek is back with our area's only local newscast. >> and you'll find us always on at wusa9.com. have a great weekend.