leesburg. 38 in hagerstown. and even a 26-mile per hour wind gust in fredericksburg. these are going to continue to increase as we go through the night. temperatures, 50 in gaithersburg. 53 downtown. 54 in leesburg and 45 up in frederick. so, not crazy cold, but it's going to feel rather chilly if you are headed out. becoming partly cloudy, windy and colder. gusts 40 to 50. we'll come back and let you know if it's going to stay windy all weekend and tell you how cold it's going to get saturday and sunday. >> thank you for that, topper. those strong winds blew through some powerful thunderstorms just south of town and as scott broom reports, some of the worst hit down in la plata, pounding folks with heavy rain and some pea-sized hail. >> here in southern maryland, they spent much of the day under a tornado watch and while none of those stores materialized, the drama of the day is how violent the weather got when the temperature dropped like a rock. >> this is repeated time lapse video of what meteorologists

know as a bow cloud formation, moving with remarkable speed. for those that know, clouds like this are a warning sign. the conditions are ripe for violent weather, maybe even a tornado. when it finally hit, it left people scrambling. rain came in sheets, the temperature dropped 12 degrees in three minutes. and then there was the pea sized hail. on the roads, moments of terror for some drivers with blinding rain and gusts rocking the car. dispatchers telling school bus drivers to pull over. >> all buses pull over to the side. >> it was beautiful. it's not anymore. >> i think it's crazy. it was beautiful today. 70, gorgeous. i'm driving down route 6 and it was pouring down rain. i'm hoping still for some snow. and then a beautiful spring. >> tended up as a day of

violent spring-like weather, a month and a half too early. scott broom, 9news now. >> indeed, felt a lot more like may than february. we want to know, did the storms or winds cause any damage in your part of the world? fill out a storm report at wusa9.com. maryland's governor says he will sign that bill, legalizing same sex marriage in a ceremony next thursday. the measure cleared the general assembly last night by a 3 vote margin. however, the laws future is far from certain. republican neil filed the paperwork today with the state board of elections for a referendum petition and if the board approves it, they'll have to collect signatures to get the measure on the november ballot. >> the virginia senate struck down one of the two controversial bills that would require a woman to get an ultrasound before having an abortion. senator jill vogul asked her version be stricken from the calendar and it was on the 31-2 vote. that comes two days after the

house of delegates amended the bill to require only external ultrasounds. the senate scheduled to vote on a second and identical version this coming monday. >> today, the governor explained why he urged lawmakers to change that ultrasound bill. he learned that in order to determine the gestational age of a fetus, an invasive ultrasound is not necessarily medically and could be a problem legally. >> we found out from the medical community that in most cases, if the abdominal ultrasound isn't sufficient, they already do other kinds of ultrasounds. i didn't think it was proper to mandate invasive ultrasounds. let's make those amendments. i also got legal advice from various people, including my attorney general, that these invasive requirements might run a foul of fourth amendment laws. >> fourth amendment is what guards against unreasonable search and seizure. proponents could challenge the

measure. arguing the government undergoing any type of ultrasound is an unreasonable search. the battle for the control in virginia senate is all done. the democratic caucus would do its caucus today. break a 20-20 tie in the senate. the caucus decision comes a day after the democrats successfully blocked the senate budget from passing. >> tonight, a sad note to report about a young man in uniform. us marine, michael quinn, was one of those seven marines who died wednesday when two helicopters collided in a training exercise in arizona. quinn graduated from loudoun valley high school back in 2002. four years later, he graduated from the u.s. naval academy and had been recently engaged to his long time girlfriend. he was also looking forward to deployment in afghanistan this spring. our condolences tonight to the quinn family. next tuesday, voters in michigan head off to the polls making their choice for the republican presidential nomination and it is a crucial

state for mitt romney because that's where he was born and some analysts say romney loss could blow this race wide open. shelby lynn with more on that. >> mitt romney got a chilling reception. >> the union organized a protest ahead of romney's speech. he did not support the government bailout in 2008. instead, he favored a managed bankruptcy for the auto makers and wrote, let detroit go bankrupt. romney put some of the blame on demands from the uaw. >> it's important that the uaw takes care, not to impair the long-term future of the industry. >> he said the auto industry needs to invest in new technology and new markets. >> detroit shouldn't just be the motor city of america. it has to be the motor city of the entire world. >> he also unveiled an economic program to tackle federal spending and entitlement

programs. rick santorum has a new add in the state attacking romney on the bailout issue. >> he supported the wall street bailouts while turning his back on michigan workers. >> santorum has said the government should not be involved in bailouts period. the ad tells his made in the u.s.a. plan, which cuts taxes for michigan manufactures, i'm shelby lynn reporting. >> and tonight, santorum is campaigning in the wolverine state. he is expected to harshly criticize. the latest polling has romney and santorum in a statistical tie. plenty of cities have banned smoking in public places or restaurants, but one california town wants to make it illegal to smoke outside their own property. considering the ban after a family complained. they said smoke from their neighbor's backyard caused health problems for their kids. proposals caught smokers and nonsmokers by surprise. >> what about people who have children in their home and they don't want to smoke in their

home? >> on your own property, that's unacceptable. >> the council has not yet set debate. california law bans it near playgrounds and parks. >> it doesn't propose a stop on people's rights as a homeowner or do they have legitimate health concerns for the people next door? weigh in. the address is mailbag@wusa9k. coming up, nuttiness for nike. the latest shoe creates pandemonium. but first, protests continue in afghanistan over the burning of koran's on an american base and now the pentagon is apologizing.

antiamerican protests in afghanistan have killed at least seven more people. marking the most violent day there so far. they started four days ago over news that nato forces had accidentally burned cop miss of the koran. more than 20 people, including two u.s. soldiers have been killed since the protest started. u.s. military officials promised to pull an investigation. afghanistan's president, karzai, asked for calm. today, the obama administration offering another apology for the burning of those koran's. that apology came from an assistant secretary of defense and given at the adam's center in sterling, virginia.

one of the largest mosques in the country. >> i come here today to apologize on behalf of the department of defense where the incident that took place in afghanistan this week. when american military personnel unknowingly and improperly disposed of islamic religious materials, including the holy koran. >> the white house says defense secretary, leon panetta will personally review the burning of the korans. all those strong winds blowing through the area have caused topper to declare this a severe weather alert day. he'll tell us when it will go away. full forecast coming your way. but first, footwear frenzy. people going crazy over nike's newest shoes. we head out to the mall to find out what the fuss is all about. that's up next.

pure pandemonium sweeping over the country tonight all over nike's latest sneaker. in orlando, more than 100 deputies in riot gear had to clear an unruly crowd. a similar scene in bathen rouge, louisiana. 600 people showed up early for the shoes and tried to force their way inside. the cops had to send everybody home. now at a mall outside indianapolis, customers trampled each other and rip add

ped a door off the hinges. the kicker, that store only had 12 pairs of the shoe. the craze was here in d.c. as well. this is hyattsville, maryland, where the crowds were lining up just for a chance to buy one of these shoes. the cops had to airings somebody for disorderly conduct. what's the big deal? we sent kristin fisher to try and find out. >> it was packed. police everywhere. >> up to a thousand people stood in line overnight outside the mall at prince georges in hyattsville. >> what it is about these sneakers that will make you do crazy things to get them? >> when they are on my feet, everybody looking at them. that's the best part. >> for the men, these elusive glow in the dark sneakers are a status symbol. >> i want to brag. that's basically what it is. >> for the ladies, it's all about money. >> you can buy them here for $200 and sell them online for $2200. >> before opening, the foot

locker store selling the shoe canceled the release due to safety concerns. >> the crowd remains on the scene in anticipation that the store may change their mind. >> but not calvin butler. >> wow were here last night at 11:00, drove down to raleigh and then came back and you still got nothing? >> still don't have any shoes. >> his buddy, he stayed in line in maryland didn't get them that they wanted, but they did drop $180 on the lebron 9's. >> love of my life. i'm sleeping with these tonight. >> do more women come up to you when you are wearing these shoes? >> i spent all my money on these. >> this group, which drove down from new york city, also scored the lebron's, but they are not taking any chances. they switched out their foot locker bags for these red ones out of fear they would get mugged. >> they steal your stuff. >> really? >> yeah. >> in hyattsville, kristen

fisher, 9news now. >> i was never worried about that with my old chuck taylors. it is not available at the nike website. it costs $220 and nike only made 1200 pairs. so as you might imagine, the price on ebay is just going up and up and up. at last check, one pair has a top bid of more than $30,000. so here's what i want to know. what the heck do you want a pair of these shoes and why do you want them so bad? we'll get to the story here in a second. all right, virginiaens affected by august earthquake have just 11 days left to apply for federal disaster aid. homeowners, businesses, and renters seeking assistance need to register by march 5. including culpeper, king george, orange, and spotsylvania as well as the city of fredericksburg. all right, so let's get over to topper who has the weather story for us. you have some new nike's? >> when she said she was going to buy them and put them on ebay, i thought good business

plan. it is a good business plan. >> it is a good idea if you can get them. >> all right, looking at big wins tonight. wind advisory covers the entire metro area and winds will be with us through tomorrow. let's have a live look outside. brought to you by michael and son. this is wisconsin avenue. looking to the left and north on wisconsin avenue toward bethesda. and it's nice out. it's getting chillier in the suburbs as winds pick up. i would definitely bring a jacket. winds right now are calm. the temperature is 53 and the dew point is still 50. so, we're not looking at anything drastic in terms of temperature, but it will gradually get colder tonight and remain so over the weekend. 50 in bethesda. 50 in rockville. and 49 in great falls. 49 in reston. 53 downtown. but 54 down toward fort belvoir and also in beltsville. so, here's the deal. essentially everybody is under a wind advisory. you have to go across the

divide to see a high wind warning. gusts up to 40 to 50 miles per hour. winds across the divide, gusts could be up to 60 miles per hour. back here, the latest gusts and this map is filling up and getting more impressive. 40-mile per hour wind gusts in martinsburg. 38 in leesburg. 26 in gaithersburg. and 22-mile per hour wind gust in fredericksburg. we'll be watching this all night. so windy and colder. gusts 40 to 50. coats are going to be needed all weekend. it will be colder all weekend as well. the better of the two days will be sunday because the winds will not be a factor. for tonight, becoming partly cloudy, windy, colder. gusts 40 to 50. lows 35 to 40, which is a lot colder than it's been. if you are headed out and staying out late tonight, really you are going to need a winter coat. temperatures, even though they are above freezing tonight, we are talking about windchills in the 20s when temperatures go down in the 30s and have strong winds. 37 in rockville.

36 in gaithersburg. 40 in arlington. upper 30s in college park and in bowie. to the west, upper 30s in reston and fairfax. and maybe 35 or so out toward leesburg, manassas, and middleburg. by morning, partly cloudy, windy and cold. grab a jacket. temperatures in the 30s and 40s. winds still west, northwest at 15 to 30. by afternoon, partly cloudy, windy, and colder. jacket and sunglasses. you'll need both of those. high temperatures 46 to 50 and winds northwest at 15 to 30 and gusty. you'll want to stay off the bay. all kinds of advisories. 35 to 40 to start. partly cloudy. and then by noon, 45 to 49 and by evening, 46 to about 51. so even though those are average temperatures and a lot of sunshine, it will feel brisk because of the wind. the next three days, it stays chilly on sunday, 48, but not much wind. and look what happens. milder on monday with sunshine. we're back in the mid 50s.

next seven days, don't look now, we are in the 60s by tuesday. clouds come in late. showers and yes, perhaps a thunderstorm as we get into wednesday of next week. mid 60s and then mid 50s on thursday. i believe that's march 1. that means it will come in like a lamb and looking at 60 degrees and sunshine next friday. >> you know, not mad about it, sir. >> big problem for some museums, there's no place to sit down. that is not a problem in this place. a guy named barney smith has opened the toilet seat museum. yeah, you heard me right. if it's a toy let and they made it, he likely has it, among the thousand or so camodes. he has a piece of saddam hussein's toilet. he is truly the king of throwns. why don't you drop by? >> okay. how did he get that? >> i don't know. we'll be back.

we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

in our mail bag tonight, gay marriage in maryland, lawmakers say yes, but religious opponents plan to fight on. bill, from hillsborrow, virginia, asks, what does religion have to do with it? you can get married in vegas without stepping foot in a church. so if those opposed would stop and think about that for a minute and not associate marriage with their religious beliefs, we might be able to find some common ground or consensus, equal treatment for all. you know what, i agree with that last line, there are many who will see the rest of that situation very differently from what you wrote. i'm sure we'll hear from them. meantime, chuck in virginia is a lot more concerned with the price of a gallon of gasoline. obama does nothing on gas costs because that's what he wants to push his green agenda.

we have all the oil we need because of the mild winter. reduced costs, not increased. obama sings the blues, we live the blues. well chuck, i'd argue the price of gasoline is largely out of the government's control, though i think the president is fret pretty purr persuasive. and then there was this on the rage in afghanistan over the military's burning of the koran. john says rage can be a two-way street. they burn christian churches, burn, destroy, and outlaw the bible. they offer no apologies or regrets and christians have not gone on any killing rampages. we apologize and they go on a killing rampage. that says a lot about grace, mercy, and peace, and the lack thereof. john, you have a point. now you are talking about radical elements of islam. but i too would like to know, how come the response in these

cases seems so disproportionate to what looks like the level of the offense? burning the koran was wrong and offensive to be sure, but somebody needed to die for that? and not even the people who actually did it? mailbag@wusa9.com. please answer that for me. that is our report. i'll be back at 11:00. log on any time to wusa9.com. have a great evening. we'll see you a bit later. bye bye.

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. one of the last photos of whitney houston alive. was she drinking tequila shots with her 18-year-old daughter? >> the club may actually face criminal liability. >> what our sources say really happened inside that club just before she died. plus, nearly a week after the funeral, where whitney's loved ones are now and her "sparkle" co-star's emotional tribute. ♪ "e.t.'s" countdown to the oscars, the latest from hollywood and highland today. >> how will the show acknowledge whitney's death. plus, "vogue's" andre leon talley. >> andre leon talley, i love you from angelina to j. lo, to nicole. >> i'm revealing my picks for oscars' all-time best dressed. and -- >> feel like cinderella.