one section of vdot isn't talking to the other. in a busy vdot construction zone -- >> oh, ok. very confusing. >> drivers are venting over a traffic signage snafu. >> i'd rather just obey the law. >> just last week th speed limit abruptly dropped along this section of dale boulevard. >> no warning that had gone down from 45 to 35. so a lot of citizens were caught off guard. out vdot field crews saw the plans for this widening traffic signal project and changed the speed limit signs without telling the chief traffic engineer like they're supposed to. >> that affects not just people who are traveling but, you know people who want to obey the law. that's not ok. >> problem was vdot engineers decided the speed reduction wasn't necessary. so this weekend, the vdot crew removed the 35-mile-per-hour sign. sandwiched on top of 45-mile-per-hour sign. but they didn't tell field personnel. >> stole one of these metal signs and threw the thing off and took it? >> yeah. >> really? field crews put tarps in the 45-mile-per-hour sign. they thought the speed limit was supposed to be reduced. be

look behind me you see at this vdot facility in leesburg trucks are ready. mixing together a 50/50 mixture of salt and sand. ma they'll put out on the roadways. by 4:00 this afternoon, vdot will have more than 3,800 trucks out there on the roads, and they're really going have to rely on their plows this time because the chemicals used to melt the snow and ice, they really don't work that well when it's this cold out. the calm before the storm. vdot crews beginning to mobile ease and even more report for duty in the next few hours. the big push pre-treat roads in advance of the snow. with such frigid temperatures it promises to be a challenge. chemicals used to treat the roads are let effective below 20 degrees. vdot is adding sand to their normal mixture to give cars a little traction but it's going to be tough out there. >> when the temperatures gorge to be as low as they are tomorrow in the teen even below, chemicals don't work well on the road. no chemical really does. we'll push tonight, plowing the snow as much as tonight. what's left on there tomorrow

they say a contractor, not vdot, is responsible for clearing a path in their townhouse key minute he a plow never came. >> nobody showed up. >> what they cannot clear will harden ove>> the morning commute will be an issue. >> in our travels, we found that vdot has done a tremendous job clearing main roads, but they're still working on side streets. in dale city and fairfax, lots of streets were still covered in snow and ice. >> it has been very cold. >> she said that a vdot plow came through a few times overnight, but there roadway is still frozen. >> it's very hard. >> then there are sledders too young to worry about adult concerns still police that there is plenty of snow on their road. -- still happy there is plenty of snow on their road. vdot says they are working around the clock, hundreds to clear roads and side streets already planning for the next storm. live in dale city, jay korff abc 7 news. >> more than 100 people have had their cars towed during the storm. the department of public works ticketed and towed dozens of vehicles to make way for snowplows after d.c. mayor muri

vdot saying it's their goal to have all roads plowed 48 hours after the end of the snow. take a quick look here. fall hill avenue, sorry to get you there, chris. there it is. one of the plows going by. we've seen plenty of them going by in the past 15 20 minutes, hour or so as i've said. these trucks will be on the roads all night and all morning. going to be a long one for those workers. live in fredricksburg, jeff goldberg, abc 7 news. >> thank you, jeff. metro, of course is monitoring the storm with bus and rail service likely to be affected. with eight inches or more of snow metro could stop above ground train service. already, metro access service has been suspended until at least wednesday. meanwhile, local airports are also facing problems. airlines canceled more than 1700 flights to date nationwide. more than 500 are grounded for tomorrow. and as you would expect the grocery stores across the region are busy. especially in southern maryland which could bear the brunt of the storm. because today is a holiday, many people shopped this morning. that cut down on the l

another tip vdot has for you. they ask you that if you can park your car in your driveway tonight, all of your cars get them off the street they'd appreciate that so they can plow as much of the street as possible. live in fairfax, adam tuss, news4. >> adam thank you. >>> the northeast isn't the only part of the country getting hit by the winter weather this time around. parts of the south are dealing with a dangerous mix of snow sleet, and freezing rain right now. thousands of people are without power and roads are treacherous in places. parts of kentucky could see up to 15 inches of snow. forecasters say this could be the worst snowstorm to hit the louisville area in ten years. >>> the storm is creating a mess at the airports tonight as you might expect. this is what's called the misery map. it's on flightaware.com. the red portions of those circles represent delays and cancellations into and out of each of the regions there. you can see our three airports are truly feeling the effects of this storm. >> all thos

it turns out one hand of vdot wasn't telling the other what was going on. now, just last week vdot field crews saw plans for a widening traffic signal project here. they saw those plans. they changed the speed limit from 45 to 35 miles per hour but they didn't sign off with the northern virginia chief traffic engineer like they were supposed to. original plans was to reduce the speed. it was decided that wouldn't be necessary. now, sometime this past weekend, vdot crews removed those 35-mile-per-hour signs that were sandwiched over the 45-mile-per-hour signs. but they didn't tell the field crews. so it turns out their stolen signs weren't stolen at all. >> that kind of does worry me a little bit because, you know that affects not just, you know, people who are traveling but, you know people who want to obey the law. that's not ok. >> and what about those tarps? well, the field crews thought that someone first had stolen those signs. then they thought that the reduced speed limit was supposed to be in place so they covered up those 45-mile-per-hour signs. bo

vdot tells "7 on your side" this bridge is also cracking internally. construction to replace it is set to begin in the spring. for $27 million. 12 miles west the route 7 bridge over the dulles toll road is also being watched closely by vdot. its deck is also crumbling while orangern drivers and pedestrians to be aware. it's scheduled to be replaced next year and will look like this after $35 million. >> we're not concerned about safety. it's structurally ok. but we want to get it now before we would have safety concerns. >> while virginia is monitoring its older and weaker bridges, maryland is doing the same. over the last few days the maryland state highway administration has been inspecting its structurally deficient bridges. these are the ones that our viewing area receiving the attention. but regardless of what is found money will be the biggest hurdle. >> congress needs to find a way to fund infrastructure the issue is, to increase the gas tax or find another funding source from our perspective, we don't care which one it is. we know that it needs

vdot is $15 million over budget in northern virginia. it will make up for that loss by maintenance and repairs we're told but they won't put off anything concerning safety. >> right now, detectives are looking for the man who exposed himself to a woman in silver spring and tried to rape her. this happened late last night in the 1400 block of hampshire court west and the victim was able to get away. >> despite threats from congress smoking marijuana is now legal in the district. the initiative legalizes possession of up to two ounces for those at home. residents can grow three mature plants at home. while the law about possession has changed, it's illegal to smoke pot in public or buy it alison? >> all these changes are posing some challenges for parents who, of course were telling their children marijuana was illegal. suzanne kennedy shows us how some are talking to their kids in the midst of these mixed messages. >> she is preparing for a conversation she wouldn't have had a year ago. before marijuana was legal in the district. >> just

the virginia governor has told vdot crews to get ready right now. nobody is taking any chances in preparation for a storm coming on monday night. >> we are going to be ready for it. this is the first major storm we have had this winter. no major storm of significance. we are pulling out all the stops. we will have more than 3800 trucks available. they will be deployed by midafternoon tomorrow. they will be pre-staged around the interstate and neighborhoods so they will be ready to hit the road. >> what do you think the impacts will be because of the presidents' day weekend? will people be off the roads? will people becoming home on monday night and that the problematic? >> you have people traveling. it is good news for tomorrow. we will have a few hours to do some tree treating. by tomorrow afternoon and evening we will urge people to stay off the roads. it will be very difficult for our crews because of the frigid temperatures. the chemicals do not work as well as because of the frigid temperatures. >> joan morris, thank you for joining us. 3800 tr

vdot there have been several hundred traffic incidents. we are giving you a look at the elements. right now, the troubles that you can expect heading into tonight. first, we kick off the stormwatch 7 coverage with eileen whelan. what do people need to know? eileen: after the long duration of snow we have had, now it is sleet and eventually freezing rain. we were all looking outside of the belfort furniture weather center window and we are already starting to see the sleet coding the trees. this is the warm air intrusion, the pink over charles and prince george's counties the milder air working its way in, especially into the d.c. metro area, within the capital beltway, the transition from snow to sleet. even though the snow is stopping for some of us it is still falling heavy in frederick and loudoun counties. a bit of improvement as you get further west come into the i-7881 corridor. the winter storm warning in effect for the d.c. area. the national weather service extended the warning to include d.c. arlington, alexandria. really messy conditions outside. the roads are completel

the vdot crews are hoping they have just as easy of a job. thousands of vdot contractors are loading up for a snow fight. crews are piling up salt and sand and in some cases loading brine to treat roads still thick with salt from this weekend's storm. they're pretreating 350 lane miles of northern virginia trouble spots including the beltway, 66 and 95. some bridges and ramps will get doused with magnesium chloride. >> we don't anticipate any trouble, but we're encouraging motorists to stay off the roads. if you don't have to travel, please stay home. >> reporter: most of the trucks are equipped with automatic vehicle locators so vdot can computer map which roads have been hit and which are still waiting to see a plow. it is so darn cold that a lot of those traditional chemicals aren't working. you can look at main street and see there's a good bit of snow. there are pluses and makes in terms of what's going on with rush hour and the timing. -- minuses in terms of what's going on with rush hour and the teening, going to hit d.c. in the middle

vdot sent hundreds of trucks to the fredricksburg area ready to clear the considerable amount of snow from overnight. northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg spoke with some drivers braving the slow drive along 95. >> the blue skies and clear roads at midday are a welcomed sight for drivers in fredricksburg. >> 180 degree change. it's nice outside. it's warm and sunny. >> following a morning that did not look promising. >> pretty bad. the roads are still pretty messy. >> tough. really difficult, challenging. >> jeanette and her husband stopped for a short break on a very long trip from georgia to maryland. >> it's taken me about 16 hours. >> wow! >> at about 37 miles an hour. i won't go more than that. >> we're starting to make a little headway. >> plowing was nonstop across fredricksburg all morning. pickup trucks clearing parking lots as fast as possible to get business back to normal. but the morning movement was a far cry from last night's stand still on 95. bumper-to-bumper traffic going nowhere as this storm beat down for hours. by 5:00 a.m. this morning, the snow had stopp

vdot has been out in force. but they haven't been able to do more than one path in some neighborhoods like this one. a number of slick spots and snow patches like the one right in front of us. you know that's not taken care of, which you likely won't, that will refreeze and this will be absolute treacherous mess come to morning when so many people are going to have to go back to work. go back to school. there will be buses on the roads so this could be quite a mess. the weather situation we're dealing with right now is we know that vdot is back in full force. they have thousands of plows out there to make this happen. we also close to here have a small subdivision with an h.o.a. and they're supposed to have a contractor who plows their roads. and so you got a situation where some of these folks are turning into it right now, this road is really bad. and the snow is really quite deep. that's the situation from mobile track 7. we'll keep you guys updated and hit another neighborhood for the next hit. reporting liv

. >>> vdot crews have been out trea the roads all night to get ready for this morning. mcauliffe and the public safety secry pers thanked tron workers. mccaus says the state has t $150 million of its snow budget. they deploy 2500 operators across the state. >>> 6:07. as you're getting ready for work this morning, we're bringing the news straight to your phone. if you have the nbc washington app, ye already getting our push alerts on the latest scho closin kee rolling thi if you haven done it already, it's easy pup just download the app on your smart phone. n legal marijuana.e are lots of rules you need to know. we've put them online and we'll ng coming up.d we've learned fairfax and ar county schools are now closed is a change. they we delayed. >>> we're tracking the impact this wm is having in your community. looking live in southern mary where the snow is starti to come down pretty steady. we're finding on the roads there. and whi it's coming right now tom n is tracking when you'll see the heaviest snowfall in yo neighborhood. >>> plus wh ignoring that scho bus stop s

thank you, steve shannon, with vdot. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: as always. the other big concern is the extreme cold and potential for power outages. high winds are a very bad combination. virginia is in full prep mode. they want to make sure that you have the information, the website and phone numbers ready in case your power does go out. we have that information on our wusa 9 app. you can find information there. not only that, but any cold weather information and resources that you might need for this extreme cold. bruce, back to you. >> surae, thanks a lot. good information coming in. you can see the trucks parked on the side of the road on standby, just in case. >>> meantime, across dc and maryland, road crews are ready to hit the streets. as temperatures drop and precipitation increases, ddot will mobilize more than 200 snow trucks. in maryland, the state highway administration says it will deploy 1000 salt trucks across the state to make sure the roads remain clear and drivable. >>> you definitely need to bundle up if you're headed out this evening. we

. >>> today you can tell vdot what you think about a new project in stafford county. vdot wants to improve the intersection at ferry road from route 3 to mt. vernon avenue. at 5:00 tonight, you can stop by the hearing and see the design proposal and ask questions. it will be at the fredericksburg residency officer on deacon road. >>> as shelters fill up dozens of homeless men and women are being put in hotel rooms in montgomery county. scott mcfarland obtained records showing there was an overflow last month. he asked county officials about that. they told him 88 homeless people were put in hotel rooms. there were nearly 900 homeless at one point last year. >>> a rookie nypd officer accused of killing an unarmed black man has been released without bail this morning. he says he accidentally shot the plan while patrolling a darkened stairwell in a public housing development with another officer. both had been on the force for less than 18 months. he pled not guilty to manslaughter charges. right now he's on desk duty and could be suspended without pay. >>> new this morn

so vdot can see which roads have salt and which ones still need a plow. our hank silverberg is checking out the conditions on route 7 near fairfax and loudoun county line there. how's it look? >> reporter: it looks cold and wet. you're right, there's plows all over. they're mostly spreading is -- sand and salt. they're not necessarily plowing. we've only got about 1 to 1 1/2 inches on the ground. the snow has pick up. topper said it was 5 out here. it feels a lot colder. some people we talked to, the snowplow operators in particular getting ready for a long night. they work about 20 hours, of course, taking a couple rests. if you are out traveling, the roads right now are okay. you can get along if you go slow, but it could be a big problem as the snow begins to mount. we've seen traffic significantly decrease in the few minutes we've been sitting in this parking lot right at the intersection of loudoun and fairfax county line. in sterling hank silverberg, wusa9 news >>> the storm rolled in from the west, so what's happening out that way? here's a preview

nearly 1500 vdot crews pretreated all of the roads in northern virginia overnight and continued to do so well into the morning. at one point, it was a bit challenging to keep up with all of that snowfall. we saw a number of cars slide off the roads. some minor accidents as well. delays cancellations and people heeding the advice to stay home certainly helped keep those numbers to a minimum. as of right now though only concerns are possibly black ice here and there on overpasses bridges and elevated areas but other than that vdot crews certainly did a great job treating these roads, plowing these areas and as i mentioned, those neighborhood roads are the last ones to go. and after that things will certainly look even better than they are now. back to you. >> in the district drivers woke up to a few slippery spots this morning. crews have been working since the overnight hours pretreating those bridges and ramps to help prevent refreezing. you have 24 hours to shovel away any snow in the district. officials are also asking property owners to put deicer or salt on their sidewalks. >> thi

was significantly shorter than usual meaning a lot of people actually delayed their trips just as vdot asked. that could be part of why virginia state police reported less than five accidents this morning in northern virginia. we fund some roads in pretty bad shape. they were all the ones you would expect to be bad. the side roads like this one on joplin road off of route 1 in dumfries and this one on horner road in wood brink. the busy streets like route 1 and 95 were in good condition. despite of that heavy snow we saw falling all morning long, in people still had to ge to work. we spoke -- go to work. we spoke to one man who didn't have a choice to go work and another who didn't leave till 10:30. >> reporter: you still have to go to work today? >> yes. my fiance is a teacher, she got called out. hopefully i'll get an e-mail from my boss who says i can stay home. >> reporter: you woke up and said what? >> i don't drive in snow, not active falling snow. >> reporter: i don't blame you. we were here at about 10:340 when i spoke to that gentleman. we were here at the commuter lot and the

the primary roads, vdot has done really an excellent job cleaning up those streets. interstates and primary roads but the side roads, you'll see a lot of problems with that. according to state police virginia state police they've had over 2200 incidents reported around the state, 600 disabled vehicles but on a positive note, it's hard to believe people really did a great job staying off the roads. and we actually found a few drivers this morning that were also impressed with how quiet the streets were all throughout the morning. take a listen. >> it was slow. took me an hour longer to get here from richmond than normal. >> the roads are you know it's slippery but i think it gets real bad when there's too many people on the roads. >> and you know ladies it's interesting, i was talking to a family from alaska. and i told them what do you think about this? and they're like our snow plows don't even come out in this kind of weather. so they were like no big deal. really excited, obviously with all of this snow. you certainly want to keep in mind that the roads are still

this is one of two bridges that vdot is paying very close attention to right now. it is structurally deficient and is scheduled to be replaced in just a couple of months here starting in the spring. now, if you walk up on this bridge, you can see it deteriorate deteriorated, the deck and railing. what you can't see is a big problem. vdot tells "7 on your side" this bridge has internal cracking and the cost to replace it $27 million. 12 miles west of here there's another bridge vdot is paying very close attention to. it's very heavily trafficked. that's route 7, that bridge that goes over the dulles toll road. that has the same external structure or problems that this bridge has. the first one, although it does not have the internal cracking the cost to fix that one $35 million. that will happen in 2016. >> our infrastructure doesn't last forever. and that we need to continually maintain it and upgrade it. there's a cost to do that. >> "7 on your side" has also learned there are 21 structurally deficient bridges inside the district. coming up at 6:00 we'll tell you

when vdot gets ready for the big storm, excitement fills the air well before the snow. >> this time of year. >> he has worked here for 18 years. this is go time. 900 trucks will be blanketing the interstates and the main road in stafford in addition to the 3800 pieces of equipment scattered across northern virginia. >> everybody in vdot is working whether you're an accountant or engineer. >> we spotted several trucks waiting to get moving once the snow started falling. the focus will shift to plowing remove the snow as fast as it falls. >> you feel good you know. >> rafael ortiz relies on two wheels, not four. rain, shine or snow. >> i got to put my 40 miles today. no matter >> caroline street in downtown fredricksburg looked like a holiday postcard which is how it felt to this family. >> i love this weather. >> probably no school tomorrow. all the kids will love that and teachers, too many we love that too. yes, happy. >> yeah a lot of people hoping for that snow day tomorrow. this is route 639 in frederick where you can see cars moving slowly and steadily. that's good news. when it c

so vdot is asking people to delay their commute, stay at home if they can. if you cannot, just be prepared. this is what our' going to deal -- this is what our a going to deal with. it will be a messy commute. allow yourself extra time. >> thank you. we can't wait for things to clear up around here. >> right. yellow alert day continues. howard? things are moving out quickly. >> looks like the next couple of hours. we've already seen the worst of the snow. as bad as it is, it's agent better than it was about -- it's a little better than if was about 15 minutes -- it was about 15 minutes ago. the window of opportunity for a lot of the schools was lost with the snow this morning. let me show you doppler. we still have moderate to heavy snow going on east and southeast of us. wherever you see the blue, that's where we get into the heavier snow, the one pinch per hour stuff. i heard from danny in leonardtown, they have 4 inches. that's a lot down there. look north and west, the snow color is gray. see how they're a lot lighter? that means we have a lot less snow

vdot will the site rather than pay millions to move the pile.

vdot crews have been out all night long. have seen them, they have been putting down the chemicals, the sand.d so right now roads are in good shape. so not seeing any problems of co we have very light c here in the woodbridge area but as rush hour starts to pi it could get more harry out there. sh also men that the school here in prince w are going to be closed toda so kiddos you get to sleep in this morning. reportg live in woodbridge men mcgrath, news 4. >>> and we snowfl right now, we do have other delays and closur to tell you about. the fedt opening on a two hour delay today. you also have the option to take unsched telework or unscg late too. public schools on a two hour delay. we've learned fairfax, mont princ opening two hours late today. same goes for schools in it are arlin county. prince william, spots vein yarks fauqui geo a closed. same goes for fredericksbg city schools and st. mary's, calvt county schools closed, as well. >> anne arundel county schools and city and masss are all opening hours late. downlo wash

and in virginia, vdot is in high response mode.s of plows and trucks are ready to spray a billion pounds of salt on the state roads. >>> house speaker john boehner says he is prepared to let the funding run out at homeland security. he says you can blame senate democrats if the agency shuts down. he made the comments yesterday. democrats accuse him of playing politics. it's part of the ongoing battle of the president's executive action on immigration last year. >>> today, a high-powered meeting with the high highest members this afternoon. they're going to sit down to talk about cross-regional issues including transportation and public safety in our region. >>> if you live in maryland we're learning more about how you feel about the state's casinos. the university of maryland and "the washington post" put out a new poll. it says 53% of maryland voters feel positive about casino expansion. 38% say casinos are a bad thing. 5% said they have no opinion. the state's next casino, the mgm at national harbor is set to open next year. >>>

. >>> vdot says it is in high response mode right now. it has thousands of plows and trucks ready to spray more than 1 billion counts of salt on the roads. in maryland 1,200 trucks are on standby right now. no matter how roads look drive slowly and safely out there. there can be ice out there, as well. the temperatures are not going up. we'll head out to chuck bell to get an hour-by-hour breakdown today. >>> in warren and shenandoah public county schools closed today. >>> also today, new leadership takes over at montgomery county public schools. superintendent joshua starr is resigning today. the team discovered there were concerns about his communication skills. we told you the board of education may have lost confidence in his ability to do the job. the school board has begun looking for his successor. larry bowers will serve as interim superintendent. >>> if you plan to park this morning at dulles international airport, you may want to arrive early. crews plan work in the parking lot from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00. it's in preparation for the

vdot will deploy more than 1400 trucks today. vdot plans to send out about 1400 trucks.conditions. tracking of conditions with dave zahren. he is that those details. dave: we are in the teens right now at at reagan national airport, 17, 18 in winchester and the wind chill a single digits out there. because of a very cold air, all of this moisture coming our way out of the ohio valley will be falling initially as snow instead of rain. it will change over to freezing rain and sleet. we can have multiple inches piling up here. right now and doppler radar snow falling to the west. the air continues to be very dry, but it will moisten later on. winter storm warnings north and west of the city from 9:00 a.m., three inches to eight inches in some areas, d.c. south and ease, we will see temperatures just around the freezing point, anywhere from one inch to four inches full stop all of that will be changing over to rains later on, and tomorrow about 40 degrees with sunshine, suzanne. suzanne: all right, thank you dave antiwhite for watching. have a great day. s "wild countdown" i

traffic will be rerouted until vdot can assess the damage. to developing news in the district. a homicide at an upscale hotel in northwest. police are trying to figure out what happened in side the donovan. roz plater has been on the scene all night. what can you tell us? >> investigators are winding down their work now. you just saw the corners fan leaving -- coroner's van leaving about an hour ago. all of this began just after 11:00 at the donovan hotel when somebody discovered a man's body in a hotel room. this is a homicide believed to be due to a stabbing. a woman has been questioned by investigators. it is unusual to have a case like this being investigated at this type of hotel. the donovan is a very popular boutique hotel. as we talked to a number of guest they had no idea what was happening here. >> thank you for that report, roz. investigations seem to be winding down. a crime alert in the rosslyn neighborhood after a series of reagan's. five cars were broken into. more than a dozen were broken into at north colored in all of our. if you have information, police want

vdot plows along route 7 -- the biggest part of the snow offensive. main roadways passable. neighborhood streets, not so much. >> they are worse, but you can still get around. reporter: up north in harpers ferry, west virginia, a traffic mess along route 340. a trio of stuck tractor-trailers caused a mile-long backup. >> they don't want us to pass yet. >>reporter: good samaritans pulling one driver in her car to safety. >> this is nothing. i'm from utah. reporter: and they went to the supermarket in this. >> we have a giant truck, so it is not a big deal. i was in a car, i would not be out here at all. reporter: this weather has left behind incredible landscapes. check out this wall, huge pieces of snow everywhere. the concern, as roz plater mentioned, icing overnight. later tomorrow, the rain. so our winter adventure continues. richard reeve, abc 7 news. scott: abc 7 is your storm watch weather station. we will bring you updates on air and on social media. download the free weather app to have alerts on your smart phone. stormwatch cover is not over. next, 9000 complaints t

a lot of these guys are subcontractors for vdot. they get the call to come here some h jersey they come down here time to take care of our roads. >> these guys are being told to start their spreaders every hour so they don't freeze in the cold. this is hard work. and because it is so cold out, all across the region putting down any liquid is a risky move. instead, this storm being dealt with initially with a heavy dose of sand and salt and plow. >> we'll be plowing as much as we can tonight but because what's left on there tomorrow will freeze. >> reporter: for right now, all hands on deck. for drivers a long wait to fill up at the gas pump before settling in for the night. crews will be on 12-hour shifts until saul the snow is taken care of. we'll tell you why at 6:00. adam tuss news4. >> going to be a long night. we're trying to find out if weather had anything to d do with this fiery train derailment in montgomery west virginia. the train is carrying crude oil, which as you can see caused an explosion today, setting one home on f

reporter: vdot crews report at midnight. about 1500 trucks will deploy. jay korff, abc 7 news. alison: our stormwatch coverage will start at 4:00 tomorrow morning. jacqui jeras will have up-to-the-minute forecasts. and stay connected with us on facebook, twitter, and wjla.com. this just in from arlington -- pools of water near the entrance of the crystal city metro station. about one inch of water we are told possibly from a broken pipe is puddling near the escalator. water was also bubbling onto the payment -- pavement at street level. the tro says it is not disrupting services, but the cause is under investigation. leon: in less than an hour, new marijuana laws take effect in the district. after midnight you will be able to use and grow certain types of marijuana in your home. but in politics, the battle is just getting started. roz plater has the new law and the showdown. roz? reporter: leon, the showdown is between d.c.'s mayor and two powerful congressmen on capitol hill who have oversight of the district. but d.c.'s mayor is not backing down. there is a party going on at

vdot trucks are out clearing roads in northern virginia and crews are fixing outages. dominion has about 20,000 customers without power and pepco with 8,300. download the weather app or head over to nbcwashington.com. >>> please stay off the roads late tonight and all day tomorrow. >> the massachusetts governor warning people about another winter storm. some areas of new england could see additional two feet of snow blizzard conditions and extremely cold windchills. >>> new at 11:00, the weather is causing massive pile-ups. dealing with whiteout conditions in indiana where heavy snow and high winds caused this five-car crash and slick roads caused an even bigger pile-up in pennsylvania. even though it involved more than 100 cars and trucks police say there were only minor injuries. >>> now to astory. our sister station in baltimore reports a teenager shot and killed himself after police tried to pull him over. he took off and fired at officers. and wbal says the car he was driving is registered to a home in kentucky where three people were found dead today. >>> now to

is deploying its full snow team vdot has crews on alert and maryland highway administration is on alert. alison: there is a winter weather advisory in the area tomorrow. steve rudin has when the snow will have and how much we will see. steve: tomorrow will be a wild day, snow, sleet, changing over to rain. the temperatures, it is cold dry, 13 degrees at dulles, six degrees andrews. scanning the skies with doppler radar, nothing at this time. however, to the south and west, the national weather service has posted a winter weather advisory for the district and immediate surrounding county starting at 9:00 in the morning, extending until early sunday morning. the areas in pink -- frederick county into loudoun county -- looking at a winter snow warning. the express forecast, in the teens. the temperatures in the 20's with snow in the afternoon and evening. that and much more coming up. alison: we will see you then, steve. several big school districts canceled saturday activities because of the winter weather. prince george's, fairfax and other counties will not hold a full list of events. g

. >> rep now, vdot will send t the trucks at 4:00 a.m. tomorr morning.e sure you stay away from them while driving and be carefu from alexandria news4. thank you. > because of new winter amtrak is already canc some travel for tomorr. trains on several virginia lines have all bn canceled. same goes for service between new and savannah, gaeorgia. the s and northeast regi servi between d.c. new york, and boston that will opere on a normal schedule tomorr. they say to check online because the weather could cause more delays or cancellations. 4 today will start early tomo morning to get you up school delays d travel conditions on the roads. us when you wake up begig at 4:00 a.m. >>> less than an hour from now, d.c. residents wl be able to legally light up. marijua b legal in the dist at 12:01 a.m. it sparked a showdown between city leaders and members of congress we are live to show us why. jackie? well, the original plan cald for everybody to light up at midnight, but it turns out they cannot do that because is bar is not a private reside still a lot of conf

. >> gary is a bridge engineer for vdot in northern virginia. he said of the commonwealth structurally deficient bridges, only 50 are in northern virginia. but another 271 are very close to that designation. >> i would say that here in northern virginia we're winning the fight. we're staying on top of things and we're addressing the problems before they become big problems. >> chris pabst abc 7 news. >> a c took the life of a frederick county teenager. 17-year-old claire knight died when her s.u.v. hit a school bus. the driver suffered minor injuries and the one student on the bus was not hurt. investigators say knight crossed a double yellow line but did not know why. middletown high school is providing counseling to students and staff. new at 6:00, the washington suburban sanitary commission driver is charged in connection with a crash that killed a man in gaithersburg. john cline is accused of negligent driving and failing to yield to oncoming traffic. authorities say he hit a man while making a left turn last september. he was riding his bic

vdot is out in full force. hopefully people are heeding our warnings and are keeping our speed down. if we see anything, if you come across anything that poses a threat to the traveling public we'll get back to you from mobile track 7. we're live in leesburg jay korff, abc 7 news. >> thank you very much. another look at traffic now from bob emler in the wtop traffic center with details. hi there. >> hi, alison. can't say that the quick moving snow squalls have caused any problems on the roads as of yet. we have a new crash on the inner loop of the beltway before the georgetown pike on the virginia side and northbound george washington parkway after turkey run, there's been an accident. volume delays through bethesda and silver spring on the beltway. going to slow down a bit here and there. not too bad. 270 northbound heading into frederick county, just some delays up there. get into frederick county where some of the snow is falling right now and right now on 66 12 123, not doing too badly. i'm bob emler on wto

vdot plans to lift and move steel beams for a bridge widening. still ahead at 6:00, a shakeup in president obama's administration. when the f.d.a. commissioner plans to step down. and get ready for a bitter cold night. doug will show us how far the temperatures will drop. >> there's breaking news tonight about tiger woods. and how did the terrapins celebrate their win over penn state last night? by lighting candles for mark >> a virginia home owner is suing the town of vienna after a water main break flooded her basement causing $30,000 in damage. "7 on your side" investigator chris pabst first brought you this story last week. chris is live in vienna with the update. chris? >> well when you hear the term "act of god," what do you normally think about? a tornado, earthquake? possibly something getting hit by lightning? here in the town of vienna it was also considered an act of god when a water main break is doing damage to your personal property. that is something the town will not pay for. and will not reimburse you for. and because of that vie

vdot has asked commuters to delay their commute if at all possible because they need to get out and they need to do their job. mike, for that x, come over here. i want to show you. this is the x i made at 5:30. now loot at t. you can see -- now look at it. you can see a little bit of the ground but not much. that shows you how much is coming down and how quickly it's coming down. for you at home this is what it looks like if you're about to head out the door. be care out there. allow extra time and if you can, stay at home. for now back you to in the studio. >> again the federal government is on a two-hour delay and they're encouraging teleworking as well. >>> southern prince george's county and pretty much all of charles county are expected to get 4 to 6 inches of snow. >> delia goncalves driving in southern maryland where it started to stick the last time we checked in with her. how does it look now, delia? >> reporter: it is coming down fast and furious. both hands are on the wheel because take a look. i've slowed down my speed significantly and the roads are covered. snow really comi

and also tonight, vdot will be holding another public hearing for comments about plans to widen 66 to add toll lanes between the beltway and haymarket. that meeting starts at 6:00 at vdot's northern virginia district office at 4975 alliance drive in fairfax. >> let's get a check of the traffic situation at this point in the morning. bob emler, how does it look right now? >> bob? i don't know if bob can hear us. we can't hear bob. >> green on the map. that's good to see. >> all right. well weatherwise, wow it's chilly and you can hear the winds howling. >> yeah. this is the last day i look at a royal caribbean ad and walk right outside. not until march. >> i'll tell you, really only a few snow flurries but front come in earlier this morning. skies cleared. it is brutally cold out there. wait until tonight when we see how low the temperatures are going to get. let's get started. this is a time lapse through the day from our weather bug camera. high clouds and low clouds briefly with a passage of the cold front. temperatures never managed to get above 34 35 degrees in arlington or anywhe

vdot says it's $15 million over budget in northern virginia. that doesn't include today's removal costs, maryland state highway administration was $36 million over budget heading into today. at least five area school districts are also now out of snow days. they include montgomery, prince george's frederick and charles counties as well as alexandria city schools. it is now illegal to possess and smoke marijuana inside the district. but with restrictions. you can't possess more than two ounces. you can only smoke on private property and the drug cannot be bought or sold. one day in there are still many questions about the law. d.c. bureau chief sam ford is live with the answers. sam? >> maureen, the city has put out flyers like these because there are so many questions. many on the first day of the new law. >> is it legal to buy in d.c.? >> lots of questions. >> are there dispensaries here in d.c. now? >> now that marijuana is legal and people like adam idinger who launched this effort can publicly smoke and display his two ounce stash -- >> i e

it's a lite shiny here this mornin t we have seen a lot of vdot crews out there. we've see some of the trucks actu laying down salt. e seen a lot of salt on the road. one ramp that we pass over and you could just e the salt kind of stacked up on t ramp to make sure that it doesn't freeze. so roads are in good shape, but of cou the timing of this we're g into the morning rush hour, timing of it is not great. we'll sta to see the traffic pickg up here shortly. we'll be dealing an eye on the and we'll let you know all about the latest road cond throughout the morn reportg l woodbridge megan mcgrath, news 4. >>> let's stay in virginia for a moment and go to a meal wra sea segal on the road for us in the dumfries area. we're heading south on 95. we passed through springfield. we were noticing some flurries at that point. the activity like megan just said has picked up a little bit more but even from springfield down to he right around the dumfri area we are seeing a li bit of a dusting on the roads at most in areas, though. but even i have to say at times by photograph

vdot the crews will widen the inner loop ramp taking traffic from rolling road to the fairfax county parkway. it will create a dual lane ramp. you can stop by a meeting at rolling valley elementary school at 6:30 tonight. >>> this rocket is scheduled to be shot into deep space take. spacex is shooting it sky ward to study solar storms which can affect gps signals as well as electric power grids here on earth. the company called off the launch yesterday when a glitch disrupted tracking equipment just minutes before liftoff. they will try again around 6:00 tonight. >>> coming up on 4:41. we'll come down a little loetwer and talk about the picture we're seeing here. what are we seeing guys? just some clouds. >> so does that mean rain? weather and traffic on the 1s. >> yeah we are. just to our west getting a few light sprinkles this morning. if you're about to head out the door live in western maryland, pap hame of west virginia, may enkuptw sprinkles. very scattered in montgomery county and fairfax loudoun county. these are tr o to the east. so maybe a brief sprinkle between now and 7:0

. >> reporter: vdot is warning people about black ice on wednesday, too. it says it has cleared the main runs, but it still working on a second pass through the neighborhoods. perhaps we're all spending too much time worrying about tomorrow and missing the sheer joy of today. we had a lot of fun with those kids, but here is something else. if you want to worry, you might want to worry about your battery. if you have left it, if you have an old one and you left it for several days in this kind of cold temperature, it really could fail you in the morning. aaa says that they've actually had 12,000 calls for help in the mid-atlantic, 6,000 of those about have been for dead batteries. i actually got myself one of those new lithium ion jump chargers just the other day and i haven't tried it yet luckily, but they say it can actually jump 10 cars and it might be a little good for peace of mind. back to you guys. >> i hear it's a new investment and derek just got a new engine in his vehicle. >> no, a new battery. >>> the snow emergency man lifted in the district. t

update from vdot on the road conditions tonight. all primary roads have been cleared. and crews made at least one pass on secondary roads. but crews are clearing only an eight to 10 foot wide path in neighborhoods. and they will not clear to bare pavement. virginia residents are advised to park off the street or on the odd number side of the street to allow trucks room to do their work. the wintry weather is blamed for two deadly crashes in virginia including one in our area. last night, near the intersection of route 50 and route 15 the other was in white county. virginia state police say they responded to more than 1,000 crashes between 4:00 yesterday afternoon and noon today. a driver died after losing control and colliding with a plow truck. this was the scene captured by news chopper 7 shortly before -- or rather after 9:00 this morning. investigators say the driver was going too fast on route 97 near the montgomery county howard county line. the victim was a 26-year-old man from timonium and no one else was hurt. a second deadly crash is reported in maryland and

vdot officials are looking into whether a power problem is to blame. >> a crime alert in the district this noon as police investigate a homicide in northeast. it happened overnight in the brookland neighborhood on the 1,200 block of brentwood road. terrified residents awoke to the sound of gunshots. >> it was like boom, boom boom boom, boom! >> residents of the brookland manor apartments describe frightening moments overnight as police raced to the scene of a deadly shooting inside this ground level apartment. police say the call came in around 12:45 morning and the victim described as unconscious and in serious condition was later pronounced dead. his body removed by the medical examiner. long time residents say there's been less crime here in recent years and they feel safer overall. but this homicide investigation is a wake-up call. >> for this to happen. >> problem here. >> one woman told us she heard the sound of about eight gunshots, not rapid fire but a slower succession maybe even methodical. she says she then heard a car pull out of the parking lot. that's when she went to ch

. >> across the commonwealth, vdot says crews are pretreating roads with 3800 plows and trucks for deployment in northern virginia as well. in alexandria the bitter cold resulted in the cancellation of the country's biggest president's day parade. organizers say several participants backed out. stilt, many attended the annual indoor event. >> we listened and she has spoken. >> they spent the day tearing down these no parking signs that would have lined the parade route. these parking restrictions won't be enforced today. while city leaders say they're disappointed with the cancellation, they say it's the right call. >> i was scheduled to ride in a convertible. i want to tell you i'm so glad now that i didn't have to do that! >> no one could be more disappointed than alexandria's town crier. >> i live to serve this city. the most important public appearance of the year. he's not shedding too many tears. that's good. in this cold it would quickly become icicles. >> and the cold weather is suspected for a burst pipe at dulles international airport. that pipe burst last night in the control tower

vdot is advising all motorists to use caution the rest of the week. the extra low temperatures are likely to cause more refreezing. and take a look at this. what the cold weather caused after a water main break in baltimore. several cars were frozen to the road and as you see right here, encased in ice. it happened this morning along argon drive in north baltimore. crews are working to repair the break and restore water service to that area. new this noon a prince george's county man is charged with soliciting sex from a 12-year-old on line. police say the girl notified authorities after receiving sexually explicit messages and photos from 21-year-old vincent hill in a messenger app. detectives then posed as the girl. they say hill told the girl to cut school and meet him at a shopping center for sex acts. when he showed up police arrested him. the parents accused of leaving their two toddlers in the car while they went wine tasting appeared in court today. police say it was only 28 degrees at the time and there was no heat left on. mike conneen has t

vdot says it's cleared major roads and is still working on its second pass through residential streets and is worried about ice in the morning despite what people might have seen today. >> i found the roads completely clear, easy drive, a couple little spots where the plows pushed it out on the highway and wears on the tires, but that was only a second. >> there still potential for slick roadways, particularly in the morning, icy patches. so we really want folks to take their time. >> something else to think about, your battery. if you have an old one and it's been sitting in the cold unused a few days, it could fail you in the morning. aaa mid-atlantic has had 12,000 calls for car trouble in the last few days and almost half were for dead batteries. >>> howard county police say a patch of ice or snow could have led to this deadly crash on route 97 this morning at the howard and montgomery county line. it looks like the 26-year-old driver from timonium took a curve too quickly and hit some ice or snow on the shoulder and got back on the road where it hit a truck with a plow attached. t

. >> vdot stationed hundreds of crews across northern virginia trying to put traction on the roads. >> we have three crews on stand by. our crews have chain saws. that's our biggest concern tonight is the wind. it's going to be dangerous. >> reporter: very dangerous, and you know, the wind sometimes doesn't seem too bad but then you'll feel the gusts every now and again. very strong conditions out here. i want to show you the road. you can see the glaze, a sheet of ice right here just off fairfax drive. this is in falston. the snow has covered some of the signs there. even the light signal sometimes is hard to see. the metro sign also right there, balston you can barely make that out. really hard conditions, multiple accidents all over the area just dealing with some pretty bad conditions with the low temperatures, the high winds and really slick conditions out here. bruce. >> okay. thanks a lot for that and to pick up on what you were just talking about, tonight's weather has left a lot of roads slippery. it's led to all sorts of fender benders and crashes throughout the washington a