it's being called franken- storm, and it's headed right for the east coast. hurricane sandy and a cold front could join forces turning an already nasty hurricane into a wicked nor'easter. we're talking heavy rain, strong winds, and up north, they could even see some snow, st in time for halloween. >> our mission at 9news is to keep you safe. we're going show you some gadgets that could help you if you lose power but first . >> where is sandy now? >> right now about 185 east northeast of nassau. you have some time to prepare, get some batteries. she's moving north-northwest at 13. the winds are down to 90 miles per hour. she is no longer a cat 2, she's a category 1, so that's good news. we've watched over the past six hours the pressurize, and that's one indication of a

weakening storm. so the pressure is going down. that means the storm is strengthening. if the pressure is going up it gerally means it's weakening. it's now clearing most of the bahamas. we'll kind of put the track up here for you. here's the deal. category 1 right now. winds 90 miles per hour. gusts are down to 115. they were 125 this evening. this hasn't changed. by friday, 8:00, off the coast of florida. pretty far off the coast. tropical storm force winds, maybe 40, 50-mile-per-hour winds. that's about it for florida. then it hugs or, excuse me, it parallels the southeast coast, goes through saturday and sunday. good news for north and south carolina, no doubt. then on sunday and monday it starts to turn back to the north and west, and that is not good for us, especially if it goes into southern sections of new jersey and southeastern sections of pennsylvania. that is not the worst-case scenario but it's pretty close. our spaghetti plot. again, the lines each represent

one model. closer together the lines, the more they agree, the more they separate the think it's gobbing this way or this way. here's the deal. we get into monday nature and tuesday. there's a good confluence that the storm is not going to go out to sea, it is going to go back to land and retrograde west-northwest. now, the question is it will be in new york or will it be in philadelphia. again, the time frame has not changed. tuesday is the real dangerous day, if you will. let's talk about some scenarios. 5%, scenario one, goes out to sea, wind none, rain none. that ain't gonna happen. sc ario two, goes into new york city or further north. now we have winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour. rain, just showers. don't see any flooding with scenario two. scenario three, now we're tracking it a little further south, northeast pennsylvania and northern new jersey, winds of 20 to 40, rain, perhaps an inch or less. scenario four, a 25% chance, it

goes into northeast maryland or southeast pennsylvania. this could be a disaster. 40 to 70-mile-per-hour winds, two to four inches of rain. this is generally the circle of where most of the damage would occur, and that would include pretty much the entire metro area. we haven't talked about it yet but it is possible in the mountains above about 2,000 feet west of the divide, and in the allegheny mountains north in pennsylvania they could even get some snow on the back side of this storm. that's the way it looks. again, scenario four not so good. any questions about the scenario? >> so a one in four chance of the scenario happening that we really don't want. when would you be able to tell us whether or not that's going to be a reality? >> i think when you have a tropical system, we're four days out still so just a question of monitoring it. i think we'll have a much better idea by sunday night, once it makes that turn to the west. if the cold front that's going try to merge with it, if the cold front is a little weaker and faster, it will push it out

and move it to the north. if north, then it will suck it down a little further to the south, and that is exactly what we don't want. now, this is going to kind of merge with another storm, and some folks are kind of comparing it to the perfect storm back in 9 1. for more on that here's meteorologist erica grow. >> we've been tracking the movement of sandy very closely because it could affect our weather next week. now, the computer forecast models right now are predicting that it will make a westward turn toward the united states once it gets up into the northeast. so what does that mean for our weather here in the d.c. metro area? it's a very rare movement for a tropical system called retrograde, and it looks familiar to new englanders who survived the perfect storm of 1991. the storm was so destructive and unusual that a book was written about it followed by the release of a movie starring george clooney. the perfect storm happened around halloween in 1991. it was the result of hurricane grace getting swept into a large nor'easter type storm

causing to the gain size and wind speed as it slowly moved west to new england. 75-mile-per-hour winds and weaves as high as 40 feat were reported along the shores of new england. today as hurricane sandy mavs north our forecast models are predicting a cold front will advance toward the east coast at the same time. was the perfect storm sandy is forecast to rotate inland, becoming a part of a peg ga cyclone that will bring heavy rain and high winds. the current forecast predicts that the hardest hit areas will be to our north. strong winds and heavy rain are the biggest threat to the d.c. metro area. luckily if the forecast stays on its current path we won't to have deal with storm surge on the ocean side beaches and the western shores of the chesapeake bay. so the reason that the storm surge isn't as much of a concern with this particular storm is because the west winds, they pull the water away from land and toward the ocean. >> which is unusual for this type of situation butt protect our coast. the only caveat, maybe the east side of the bay could be some buildup of water there, and

that's something we will certainly watch. we'll come back, have more on sandy in just a bit. back to you. >> thanks, guys. how prepared are you for sandy's arrival? some people aren't taking any chances. they're out tonight buying batteries and gadgets to keep the lights on. our deborah alvarone is one of them. >> if you haven't heard about searntiond you've been living under a rock. but what are you going to do with this when the lights go out? i'm here at eastern mountain sports. >> we've got a few things that will help you get through a power outage. here we have a solar charger that you will be able to charge up before a storm hits. you can also charge it up in the wall. that will help get you back on- line. >> what about this? >> very essential, especially for the power going out, emergency radio and flashlight. so we have here a headlamp. the best part about having a headlamp is going to be that it allows for hands-free. we have small usb chargers.

you can hook these up into your car charger, plug in a cell phone, ipad, works just like your propane gas range at home. they run off of coleman fuel cannisters. >> that's going make sure you don't get sick. >> that's going to make sure you don't get sick when the water plant can't pump wort out. one of the last things we have here is freeze-dried meals. they look tasty. i promise they could be worse. >> if the storm does come and we do lose power you guys are going to be here? >> we'll be here all weekend long. we've got plenty of gary and clothing. stop by, we'll do what we can to help you guys out. >> make sure you don't eat all the beef stew. >> thanks so much, nathan from eastern mountain sports in arlington. from here at ems, deborah alfarone, 9news. >> we've made it easy for you to track the storm. tex sandy to 25543 and will you

get simple instructions on how to download our wusa weather app. >> of course with less than two weeks now until the election, both presidential candidates are out conducting rallies. just a few minutes ago trying to make sure their voters get to the polls. there was a funny moment when president obama voted in chicago, and gary nurenberg has details. >> both sierdz trying to get voters to engage in early voting wherever they can. when the president tried to provide the example in chicago, the elections clerk appeared to catch him by surprise. >> you need some id. >> watch her. she checks. >> did you just look? >> she got an unexpected endorsement from a high-profile republican. >> the governor who was speaking on monday night at the debate was saying things that were quite different from what he said earlier so i'm not quite sure which governor romney we would be getting with respect to foreign policy. >> the doubts about governor

romney's beliefs expressed in rolling stone. "you know kids have good instinct. they look at the other guy and say that's a [ bleep ] i can tell." the new poll gives the president a 50 to 45 edge in the crucial state of ohio. >> we're gonna win ohio! >> but six minutes before that -- >> it wod be easier to find people who voted for barack obama and change their minds. i need ohio. ohio is going to set the course of the nation. we're going to win. >> by using a page from the two now eight obama campaign book. >> we want a president who will actually bring big changes, and i will and he won't. >> there was good news for governor romney that in cbs poll which shows him leading by seven points among independent voters in ohio, the voters both candidates are targeting. some campaign finance reports were due today. when the numbers get crunched we may find the cost of this year's campaign has reached $2 billion. >> and that is a lot of money.

thank you, gary. join us tomorrow 5:00 as andrea mccarren continues our series on the importance of virginia in this upcoming election. she's traveling to prince william county where voter turnout will be critical on november6th. an knit that. these jack-o-lanterns are going gangnam. >> and a restaurant shut down for health violations. that's right after the break.

a children's restaurant known for its giant rat mascot is in trouble but for non- rodent related health violations. and we'll join russ ptacek

for a live science experiment showing how restaurants and you can avoid a common food danger. first let's get to russ. >> ever wonder where those street vendors get their food you? ear about to see a warehouse filled with food carts. the warehouse is closed for violations. the excuses other closed violators offer for the nerve to serve until they get caught. we drove deep into rural western montgomery county to poolsville and the subway on fisher avenue shut down for continuing to operate with no hot water. >> i did not know. >> reporter: aren't you trained to know no hot water creates a danger in the food world? >> that's right. >> reporter: but why did you stay open? was that a mistake? >> that was a little mistake. >> reporter: he showed us he fixed it by purchasing a new water heater after inspectors arrived. >> that's hot. >> reporter: and proved he is

the certified food manager on duty. officials say there was none during their inspection. just like public swimming pools are required to have a life guard on duty, public restaurants are required to have a food safety manager on duty and on the premises. but that's not what we found inside this southeast riverfront neighborhood restaurant that had just been shut down for rodents. the owner of sizzling express on m street southeast told us the food safety manager had gone to the bank. >> i can help you. >> reporter: 10 minutes later the safety manager was back and she denied a rodent problem. >> rodent problem? no, no. >> reporter: you know what makes mouse droppings? >> she said the inspector was likely confused. >> you have the wild rice, then the grease on the floor, and it looks dark. >> reporter: she said they spent two days cleaning.

>> very dark. >> reporter: when we looked, we found no feces and no black rice. here in silver spring inside that chuck e cheese, inspectors found several problems but they focused on a floor drain oozing on to the kitchen floor. inspectors cited chuck e cheese for a sewage line backup in the dish washing area and ordered customers out for their safety. >> a little shocked. >> yeah, that's not good. i'm not sure if we'll be coming back. >> reporter: you will probably never go to wg food. it is dwarfed by construction on a shaw neighborhood side street. but it looks like the food may come to you. they wasn't tell us where the food from this warehouse is going but this is the second food cart that we've seen go in, and there are more food carts inside. inspectors ordered the warehouse doors closed, siting

potential dangers including no hot water. a worker told us we would have to talk to the manager. >> reporter: can you just tell us how many food carts and how many food trucks you serve? >> you'll have to talk to the manager. >> reporter: he claims the boss was stuck in traffic. but after two hours waiting for answers? >> reporter: you told us the manager was coming. >> yes, but he will not be able to come today. >> reporter: we've waited two hours. >> i'm sorry, he's not here. >> reporter: so he's not stuck in traffic. >> he's not able to come. he's stuck in traffic. >> reporter: inspectors cited rodent droppings and no towels or soap. that food warehouse and the restaurants all passed reinspection, all back in business even before we visited. >> let's talk about one of those critical violations. you talk about again and again, it can be such a big impact on people's safety. the hot water. >> reporter: it's one of the most common reasons to shut down a restaurant, operating with no hot water which means they can't sterilize the pots

and pans in the kitchen and they can't wash their hands in the bathroom. >> is over bathroom has to have hot water. >> reporter: every bathroom. >> we really need to get rid of the oils on our hand. let's show people what we're talking about. we've got hot water here and cold water. and this san oil. ready? here we go. with food coloring in it, so we can see where the oily residue. now let's wash. >> i'm in the cold water. >> i'm in the hot water. you see some residue of the food coloring still but much more of it is coming off on my hand. >> the cold water leaves more of a stain than hot water, which is breaking down the oil because it's warm, and there are more suds. >> that's what's going to get rid of the bacteria that can make people sick. >> more than the heat, it's the soap and the warmth breaking down the oil. >> russ, great information and why it's so important for these restaurants to follow those rules. >> tees law. >> topper. >> let's go over the tracking a gain of seafnltd we've seen a

little change. she has decreased both in pressure and winds, and that's usual al good correlation. winds are down to 90 miles per hour. those are sustained winds. gusts are still down a little bit but up to 115. category 1. this is by tomorrow evening at 8:00 on friday. it's well offshore of florida which means all the heavy rain is going to miss florida. i think they're going to have tropical storm force winds. remember, tropical storm force winds are anything over 39 miles per hour. saturday starts parallelling the southeast coast. that's g. stays off the south carolina coast and the north carolina coast. this is the troubling part. monday night, tuesday, it retrogrades to the west. this is one of the reasons they're drawing comparisons to the perfect storm back in '91 when the storm was off new england. it actually went back to the west. not a true nor'easter but at some point it will be, and that is not a good scenario for us at all. we'll go through the scenarios again. scenario one, stays out to sea, no wind, no rain, 5% chance. i don't see that happening.

scenario two, a 30% chance, hits new york city or farther north, winds 15 to 25, rain, just showers. now we're getting to some of the more troubling scenario. scenario 3, 40%. northeast p.a., northern new jersey, winds of 20 to 40 miles per hour, rain, not a huge problem. but number four, 25% chance into southeastern pennsylvania or northeastern maryland. now we have winds of 40 to 70 miles per hour, and we're talking a widespread swath of 40 to 70-mile-per-hour winds with two to four inches of rain. so now is a good time to get some batteries, check your drain, check your gutters. we still have time. our big day is tuesday. michael & son weather cam live. it's still 64, like september. pressure beginning to rise, 30.19 inches of mercury. so another mild start tomorrow. clouds hang tough. we had some breaks today. i think we hold mostly cloudy

tomorrow. may need the umbrella friday although not much in terms of heavy activity. just a couple sprinkles. we will be monitoring sandy for the rest of the week and weekend and into next week. weather alert green tomorrow, seasonable, 68. we'll go yellow alerts on saturday and sunday. showers on saturday. no lightning, nothing heavy. they will play those also league games. cooler sunday, temperatures in the low 60s. next seven days. next week, we have to start dealing with sandy directly. showers on monday, but the big day will be tuesday into halloween. temperatures in the 50s. yes, there is a chance some of this could be snow in our mountains. we will deal with that as we get closer to the event. even on thursday temperatures in the 50s. now, remember, you can track this as well on your ipad or smartphone. now, if you don't have our weather app go to the app store and search for wusa radar. it's a pretty powerfullal. we have the tropical track on. you can double hit a button or

a ., and that's where it shows where sandy is forecast to be and how strong. hit the information button. we scroll down. we have our tropical track object. we like that. but let's say we want to take the tropical satellite off and put water temperature of the atlantic object. now we can really see how warm the atlantic is. remember, warm water feeds the storm. so this is a pretty cool application to track the storm right along with us over the weekend and into next week. so if you don't have it, download it. it's pretty could. anita, derek, back to you. >> thank you, topper. i was thinking about checking with american u to see if i've got some eligibility left. >> they need you. hey, maryland might turn to craigslist to find its next quarterback. wanted, healthy gun slinger, please. another blow to the terps. another signal caller, another man down. wow, bad. another blow to the terps. we are also going to talk about

the redskins dealing with impairments. london fletcher with a concussion? maybe. we'll discuss next.

well, if franken-storm

comes to this area and wipes out byrd stadium randy edsel would probably tell you, i'm not surprised. what else could go wrong? what's happening in college park might not be unprecedented but it's darn close. devon burns lost for the season with an injury, misplaced bone in the foot. you're probably saying to yourself, haven't the terps lost other quarterbacks? well, yes, they have. take a look. maryland lost their original starting quarterback in the preseason, torn acl, so perry hills took over. he tore his acl, so burns took over, and he injures his foot in that game. that leaves a freshman as the only scholarship quarterback on the roster. by the way, wide receiver marcus lee broke his toe as well. what's up with guys' feet in this town? wow, all right. to the pro game. pierre garcon told reporters he has a torn legment in his foot

and he's not sure when he will be back. mike shanahan says it's a matter of pain tolerance. there ain't much he can do about this one. >> i can't really run. i can't really, you know, explode, be fast, because that's the only thing i really can do for offense, but i can't give them much explosion because it's that painful. >> great news here. london fletcher isn't dealing with a foot injury. bad news, a strained hammy and he also missed practice to see a specialist for balance problem. not sure if it's associated with a concussion but he is certainly questionable for sunday. time to announce our toyota high school football game of the week. 42,000 viewers voted for potomac at hilton, highlights tomorrow at 11:00. world series game two, giants going up two games to

love on detroit. they win it 2-0 tonight. the tigers with only two hits, which leads me to ask, how can a team from motown have so few hits? you like that? i do. >> so few hits. >> only problem right now is, my foot hurts. >> we'll be right back night. like that one better.

talk about a spook-tacular match-up, halloween and gangnam style. >> as we go out tonight, take a look. [ music ]