good morning, welcome to wusa 9. today is tuesday, january 21st january 21st. it's a red alert day. i'm andrea roane. >> and i'm mike hydeck. we are dressed appropriately for red alert day. lots of equipment getting ready. good to see you my friend. >> good to be back leer on this snow day. breckenridge colorado, and this is great on a lot of levels. brought the cold with me. if you want show, cold -- snow, cold and wind, we have it starting later this afternoon into the afternoon. i want to show you the snow itself which is coming out of the midwest, just toward kentucky and ohio and west

virginia. now, seeing a little snow in western maryland. this is the first little finger of snow we're going to be seeing today. and those areas north and west are going to be seeing earlier, and what i'm forecasting, 6 to 9. i have the plus sign. have the 10 and 11 inches up here. not out of the question. a general 4 to 7 from dc south, and still a pretty decent snow at 2 to 4 for this part of the world. we have to watch out. one thing i learned about winter weather storms, and you know it already, they are chaotic. and you know, we just don't have a good ability, yet, to forecast when those bands are going to develop. temperature wise, 1:00, 29, light snow early. the heavier snow this afternoon. and the winds will be out of the north and northeast about 20 miles per hour. gusting to 30. we're still relatively mild

now. it's 38 in dc. look at the cold. st. -- pittsburgh is 21. the snow will be coming in. wind will be increasing. a rough afternoon for even late this morning. you have a few hours to get your chores down. temperatures currently low to mid-30s. fredericksburg 29. late this morning through the afternoon and evening hours, a very snowy time around here with tough travel conditions. monica is stepping in now with the early morning travel conditions and your time saver traffic. >> i saw a lot of people out, trying to get to work and do what they need to do before it all comes in, which is a great idea. i think the morning rush hour is going to be really heavy and of course parking lots around grocery stores are going to be a mess as well. keep that in mind. keep your patience with you and do know with the snow coming, you need to know before you go. cnbc and the law is, wipers on,

lights on. and if you're on the roadways, keep your cell phone handy. of course hands free. if you're in an emergency or you need to know anything, dial 511. now, if you are traveling over in prince george's county, a big accident on the inner loop of the beltway, we'll go to the chart camera and i'll show you what's going on. all lanes of the inner loop. they moved the camera over but all lanes of the inner loop are closed. you can go no further than eastbound route 450. it's an easy work around. no problems to report in virginia. i know v dot has about 4000 trucks o out read and on standby. we'll have more information as the morning progresses and we'll go to springfield on the northbound side of 95 very light. back to you guys. thank you monica, we want odd to let you know the federal government has announced it is closed for the day. the federal government is

closed for the day. i'm sure people can go to work and get that done. they'll be safe off the roads. >> especially, we're expecting up to 5 inches in some places. >> the delay wouldn't make a difference. as you can imagine, virginia, maryland and the district are prepping for the largest amount of snow we have seen in four years. temperatures falling. winds picking up as the day progresses making for a nasty storm. >> delia goncalves is live in virginia where the plows are getting ready to get busy. good morning delia. >> it has been a busy morning already. steve shannon is with me from v dolt, who has managed to get a couple hours of sleep, ready for a long day ahead. it could be a long couple of days because of the type of snow and the conditions we're expecting. let's start with how many trucks you have on the road. >> okay. throughout northern california we have approximately 4000.

here in lowden county we have 700. >> reporter: and 98% are contracted. >> that's correct. if i have 700 vehicles out fighting this snow, there's probably going to be about 20 to 25 that are actually v dot truck. >> reporter: and so you're at 4000, which is the highest level, you said level 5. >> that's correct. >> reporter: because we're expecting pretty heavy snowfall. >> that's correct. when we hit 6 inches, expected f inches or more -- 6 inches or more, we go to mobilization level 5, which is the highest level. >> reporter: and talk about the conditions. that's going to be tricky. it's snow, light fluffy, easy to but on the back end. >> the wind is going to be blowing everything right back on the road. we'll have drifts on the road. we'll continue plowing until we don't need to plow anymore. >> reporter: you expect a long couple of days,. >> probably obviously today and tonight and tomorrow. hopefully we'll have things in good shape by tomorrow night. >> reporter: so mike and andrea

mentioned karma gedden hoping it won't be that bad. what are you anticipating. >> a lot of snow. we have 4000 pieces of equipment out. we're ready for it. we have been mobilized since 4:00 a.m. officially but we started on this yesterday morning with our anti-icing. >> lots of salt brine on the roads and we were coming up here, the advisory of course stay off the roads, let the guys do the work. let the plows go through and make it safe for all of us to get through this event. back to you in the studio. >> thank you very much. she was with v dot, and will be there all day. if planning to catch a plane today, you may want to call ahead. as of early this morning, 1500 flights were canceled ahead of this week's winter storm. and that's according to to flight aware.com. 6 to 10 inches of snow is expected to fall in cities across the northeast and the

national weather service has issued a winter storm warning for new york city from noon today until wednesday morning. >> and new england is going to get wacked too. montgomery county had a teacher workday already. not a big deal there. a list of the big ones, so far, the entire list at the beginning of the screen. fairfax, prince william, staffords and spots l vain spots -- spotslvania schools. and montgomery was already scheduled to be closed. when you go to our web site which is brand new and clear to see. you'll look at the list. we have 93 alerts so far. maybe even more. everything basically is closed. if you had the three day weekend, most of the students are enjoying a four day weekend and beautiful snow to play in

later today. >> charleston county closed too. it's 4:08. the investigation into chris christie is heating up again. dawn zimmer alleges alleges christie threatened to withhold their sandy money. >> reporter: dawn zimmer, the democratic mayor of hoboken new jersey says it was back in may of last year that she received an ultimatum from new jersey lieutenant governor, kim guodon. >> she pulled me aside and said essentially you got them before with the rockefeller project, this project is really important to the governor. and she said that she had been with him on friday night and this was a direct message from the governor. >> reporter: zimmer says the administers threatened to withhold superstorm sandy funds with the city if she did not comply with the development

project backed by the rockefeller group. the lieutenant governor valley hasn'tly denied the hack have mentally denied the hack -- denied the allegation. governor christie is already under fire nor allegations that a sire staff member and political allies shut down access lines leading to the george washington bridge as political pay back against another mayor. the lane closures caused four days of gridlock. governor christie has denied any involvement. >> mayor zimmer says she met with the u.s. attorney's office over the weekend but the u.s. attorneys office is commenting on the meeting. and governor christie will be sworn in for a second term. there is a brand new us a a today poll and pugh research

poll showing the scandal is having an impact on his reputation. 58% of the people said they did not believe he was telling the truth about the scandal. governor christie's unfavorable rating jumped from 17 to 34%. mary carmen garcia may be some of the first arrested for the target breach. texas police believe they're part of a group that purchased accounts hacked during the breach, and manufactured credit cards to make purchases in the rio grand valley. officials in texas are working with the secret service on this investigation trying to determine if these credit cards were in fact connected to the hacked accounts. an industrial accident at a nebraska plant killed two people and injured at least ten more. officials have accounted for all of the other workers, but

the search and rescue has turned into a recovery effort. >> reporter: there were 38 employees in the nutritional plant when something caused the roof to cave in. >> i heard a crack and i was in the back and to be off -- took off running as soon as i heard the first crack. >> there are fatalities. we're not going to release the number at this time simply because we have not had the opportunity to clear the entire structure. >> reporter: the plant manufacturers food and medicine for livestock. >> our crews operated in extreme risk and hazardous situations and we have individuals rescuing people from different portions of the structure that had collapsed. >> reporter: authorities said that in addition to those who lost their lives, at least four people were admitted in critical condition to area hospitals with injuries involving burns and smoke

inhalation. >> that was dean reynolds reporting there. investigators have not figured out what caused the explosion. osha says this is not the first accident at the plant. in 2002, a worker was crushed to death. osha has find the company for a number of violations in recent years. it's 4:12. we want you to be our facebook fan of the day. >> and it is easy to submit an entry. go to wusa 9's facebook fan page. fill out an entry form and tell us why you should be the fan of and coming up at 5:30 we'll announce today's fan of the day.

. welcome back. 4:14. red alert day with the

snowstorm on the way. we're going to have problems this afternoon. 4 to 8 inches. i got the plus because there will be areas north and northwest of town could get to double digits of snowfall. should be a light, fluffy snow. temperatures falling to the 20s this afternoon. monica. >> if you're planning to head over to maryland on the beltway and you're getting an early start, you're going to come on an accident in the inner loop of the belt washington. route 50, john hanson highway. all lanes are blocked. you'll be forced to exit onto eastbound route 50. take that to route 704 southbound and back to the beltway. more on what's going on with the snow coming up. back to you guys. 4:50 and it sure is early. we're glad you're with us. it's time for the first your money segment. >> and jessica doyle is here with the headlines. how did wall street do yesterday. >> we were closed yesterday because we had the mlk day. the dow managed this last week to postits first weekly gain of

the year, and -- post its first weekly gain of the year. and we're going to get quarterly profits from johnson and johnson, verizon, delta, and nexflix. the dow stands this morning at 16458 after jumping 41 points in trade. the s&p 500 was down about 7 points on friday, and the nasdaq was down about 21 points. in the meantime, have you ever wondered why you were denied a line of credit. well, you are not alone. even though lenders are requiring you to send a letter detailing why you were denied, many people can't understand the codes and the confusing terminology. in this survey, nearly all of the lenders said the lack of clear communication is causing major frustration among consumers, if you fall into this category, try visiting reason code.org, to figure out what the codes actually mean. we want to bring an update on the massive security breach at target. we already know niemann marcus

has been hit. and at least six more retailers could have potentially been hacked. we're waiting to learn more about the situation. hackers could have used it at other stores. the fear at this point is that is just the tip of the iceberg. we're going to continue this story to follow it for you obviously. we'll send it back o you guys. >> yet another. it's a debilitating disease affecting hundreds of thousands of americans. after the break there's an experimental study in the works that could really help those suffering from ms. >> this is a really interesting story. you do not want to miss this one. as you head out the door, going down the highway, you're going to see snowplows along the side of the road that's because a big one is

. hello and welcome back to

wusa 9. it's a red alert day. it's almost 4:20. and snow is coming. it's going to start first in virginia. welcome back howard first of all. >> starting in western maryland now. some snow out there already. we're going to see it spread out west to east over the next several hours here. light snow becoming heavier late into the afternoon. you were saying 5 inches, could be 6, maybe 7 in dc. >> right in the metro area. >> right in the metro, and north and northwest, i think even a little bit more than that. it's going to be a dry, fluffy snow. temperatures are going to drop. and windshield advisories in later. we talked about the snow developing this morning, and the afternoon as temperatures fall into the 20s. let me give you an hourly break. by 8:00, i think some light snow or snow showers going on here becoming steady later this morning. a steady wind driven snow this afternoon. and you notice the temperatures dropping into the middle 20s by mid afternoon and the low 20s as arctic air moves in.

those winds 22 with a north wind. the windchills will drop from 10 to 20 below 0. winter storm warnings going all the way back to western virginia, southwestern virginia, up toward the boston area. travel on the i-95 corridor, this afternoon, this evening, is going to be a challenge nonetheless. as far as our head loins, looks -- looks like headlines, likes like a pure snow event. and you heard the folks in virginia talk about that. i went a little fast. i want to get back to that for you. let's keep going through. morning commute, the snow will develop i think by 8, 9:00, still okay 10:00 if you have to get out here in the metro, trying to get home late this morning, because the afternoon is going to be tough with the commute. 4 to 8 inches locally higher than that before the storm pulls out. there's the storm this morning. starting to take shape here on the ohio valley, the midwest, and those snows breaking out

into western pennsylvania, into the southern pennsylvania, and gettysburg, along route 15. maybe seeing a couple pieces of snow getting your way into western maryland. not all of this is reaching the ground. it's just starting up. this is the light stuff ahead of the main show, which we'll be seeing later. i think the main show is going to be around with a general 4 to 7 across the area. i have the 6 to 9 from dc north with the plus sign. there are going to be spots in the mountains hoar, north and west, that do get to 10. what we're dealing with is fluffy snow, it's going to be tough to measure because of the blowing around with the winds, gusting to 25 or so. and teens and low 20s here. we'll still relatively mild at 38 in washington, with fairfax and reston at 34. no problems outside outside , temperature currently 38. dew point's 27 and it feels

like 34 degrees. and big picture, i want to show you, here's the snowstorm gathering toward indianapolis. snowfall rates in chicago earlier this evening and last night, 2-inch an hour category. red alert today for the snowstorm. 29 but temperatures dropping. 10 tonight, windchills tonight, -10 to -20. the snow will be over about 10, 11, 12:00. quite cold to flurries on thursday at 22. milder saturday, 35, more flurries and snow showers sunday and monday. ome back win here's monika samtani with time saver traffic. >> and thank you for bringing it all back with you. we're prepared, the anti-icing and pretreating began early in virginia. v dot has 4000 trucks out. 700 in lowden. the volumes are light.

it's very early in the morning. a lot of people want to get the early start and get back home before it comes in. right now in maryland, crews are dealing with a serious crash on the inner loop of the beltway. all lanes shut down, let's take a live look. there. what had happened was there was a crash on the ramp from the inner loop to get onto eastbound route 50. driver tried to flee from the scene of the accident and got hit by another car. a ped struck all lanes of the inner loop, southbound 495 right here, are blocked. you're forced to exit on eastbound 450. come back from route 704 and back onto route 50 and the beltway. beware that may slow you down a bit more than normal here in the new carlton area. multiple sclerosis affects hundreds of thousands of people. researchers have not found an effective treatment for the

disease. there's an exciting treatment. and the doctor is following a woman doing the clinical trials, hoping to get mobility back. >> eleven years ago, megan was the picture of health. >> i used to run 5 miles a day. on my 3rd mile i started dragging my foot. i thought i was getting old and tired. i was 27 years old. nothing ever clicked to me that something was wrong. >> reporter: the diagnosis was multiple which sclerosis. the body attacks its and damages myelin. the nerves deteriorate and can cause a wide range of symptoms, causing visual problems, fatigue. >> the past year i have had a bad time with this disease. >> in what way. >> with my hip not working. with one night i woke up and i couldn't feel either of my

legs. sensations in my hands, that i couldn't hold a pen. right now, my biggest problem is my hamstring. i cannot get my hamstring to cooperate whiff to walk -- when you have to walk. >> reporter: current treatments try to stop progression of the disease. megan is about to test a new approach, using stem cells designed to actually make ms patients better. >> let's put this on your chest. >> reporter: stem cells can be morph into any cell in the body. patients like megan have bone mar row removed and the stem cells are changed. they will be injected directly into the spinal cord. the hope is they will repair the insulation and perhaps the wires underneath. >> this is the very first time in history that somebody is doing exactly what you're doing. does it frighten you at all.

>> it's something we have to do. we have to take these steps. everything else we have done doesn't work. >> reporter: later this month, megan is scheduled to be the first of 20ms patients to be treated this way. the primary goal is to find out if the procedure is safe. but megan is hoping for much more. >> i just want to be able to not be looked at all the time as p, you know, oh, she has ms or i don't want puppy dog eyes. i want to be able to be the best mom, play with my children. wear the 5-inch heels i used to wear and i'm going to beat i'm not gointo let it beat me. >> that was dr. john lapuk . the first trial is for safety, the next to determine if it's effective. if it's proven to be effective, it could be years before it gets fda approval. we have a health alert this morning, a familiar pharmacy product could help people in the early stages of ms.

scientists found that ms patients who up their intake of vitamin d had lower rates of new brain lesions and relapse compared to those with lower levels of vitamins. it impacts muscle control, strength, vision and balance. the study suggests that vitamin d helps protect the body from damage caused by the disease. so why can cocaine be so addictive for some. researchers at mount sinai believe they may have found a u loo. it releases level of -- found a clue. it releases a level of an enzyme, and may be able to curb the addictive power with drug therapies. and extra race of sunlight could help cut your risk of heart attack and stroke. researchers in the united kingdom found that sunlight alters levels of nitrous oxide in the skin and blood, helping to reduce blood pressure. and it's still important for

protecting your skin, researchers say moderate levels of ultraviolet light helps violate blood vessels, thereby reducing cardiovascular disease. time for the facebook question of the morning. 40% of people say they do this to cure a bad mood. >> is it a, exercise, b, sing, or c, shop? go to our facebook page. give us your answer and tell us why. we'll share some of your comments throughout the morning. and when you answer the question of the morning you'll have a chance to win four tickets to monster jam at the verizon center, friday and saturday. we're going to choose one winner every day th