. >> it works down to 5 degrees. >> reporter: calcium chloride is your best bet. >> it works minus 5 degrees. >> reporter: people are looking for calcium chloride and wiped out the shelves at this store in king of prussia. it's going to be cold, don't rush and drive at a lower speed. in university city, dann cuellar channel 6 "action news." code blue is across the region because of the dangerous bitter cold, if you see a home ltz person call 215 232-1984. >>> just because animals are covered in fur doesn't mean they are not in danger from the cold. if you see an animal chained call (267)385-3000. the pet's owner will be fined. >>> southwest officials felt the bitter cold putting out a blaze of a house fire. the house had no heat and the man staying there was using that heater to keep warm. >> what we want to do, stress if you use kerosene heaters fill them outside and remember space heaters are safe. >> they are not releasing the name or age of the victim. this is the 5 city's 5th fire fatality this year. >>> police are looking for a man who held up a store in the 2100 block of cottm

. >> so penndot is prescribed to mix swalt calcium chloride which dramatically lowers temperatures that freezes. this is true for what homeowners use to melt ice and snow. rock salt works to a certain point. >> that works down to minus 5 degrees. >> although it's a lot more expensive he says calcium chloride is best bet. >> it's 25 minus. >> 25 minus degrees. >> calcium chloride. >> yes. >> people were scambleing to find stuff for the ice and snow wiping out this king of prussia home depot of everything. >> sold like hot cakes. >> wow. >> it's gone. >> gone. >> and of course it's valentine's day tomorrow. there likely will be a lot of people out and about. be careful on the roadways. take time. don't rush. drive at a lower speed. we're live in university city, dann cuellar "channel 6 action news." >> thank you dann as you said the warning about the cold is not just about comfort. these temperatures it's dangerous. with wind chills to minus 15 sunday morning frost bite can snet on exposed skin 15 to 30 minutes. >> it might include numbness, tingling, change in color of skin and pain as w

so penndot is mixing salt with calcium chloride. bruise wagner at the king of prussia home depot said it's the best bet for homeowners in these temperatures. >> calcium chloride is safer for the environment and animals and everything, it works up to 25 minus. >> 25 minus degrees calcium chloride. >> yes. >> it's valentine's day there will be many people out and about, take your time on the roads and drive at a lower speed when you're dealing with weather. >>> code blue alerts are in effect across the region because of the bitter and dangerous cold. if you see a homeless person outside you're under to call the hot line (215)232-1984. this is a good time to check on any elderly neighbors to make sure they are warm, as well. >>> and just because animals are covered in fur doesn't mean they are not in danger from the cold. if you see an animal chained outside call the animal control team >>> a kerosene heater is blamed for a fire on kingsessing avenue after 10:30. the house did not heat, they think the man was using the heater to keep w

penndot is mixing salt with calcium chloride and they are urging people to be extra careful this weekend. >> it's valentine's day we encourage yourself to give yourself plenty of of time and drive at a slower speed. >> philadelphia police say be careful, theives are on the look out for cars with the keels in the ignition. >>> dangerous cold is coming on the most romantic day of the year. valentine's day if you're heading out later today for your hot date take extra stems to stay warm. john rawlins complains how to keep safe while getting out. >> there's no such thing as bad weather only bad gear. with that in mind we went to rei who has the gear for out door weather. the manager said she wears wind resistant gloves and outer coat wind resistant. >> i have a couple of insulating layers and full length jacket, insulating layer. >> reporter: it keeps the wind from stealing it away. >> put your hands on the scene inside and breathe through it, you won't feel your breath on your hand. if you feel your breath on your hand it's not wind proof. >> reporter: add battery power at buckman ski shop

. >> reporter: penndot will mix salt and calcium chloride. bruise wagner said rock salt works up to a certain point. >> that works down to minus five degrees. >> reporter: although it is more and he expensive, he said calcium chloride is your best bet. >> it works up to 25 minus. >> reporter: people were trying buying things to melt ice and snow wiping out this king of prussia home depot. take your time and don't rush and drive at a lower speed. university city, dann cuellar channel 6 "action news." >> code blue alerts are in effect across the region because of the bitter and dangerous cold. if you see a homeless person call the homeless hot line (215)232-1984. this is a good time to check on elderly neighbors to make sure they are warm. and just because animals are covered in fur does not mean they are not in danger from the cold. if you see an animal chained outside call (267)385-3800. contact animal control in the area, the pet's owner will be fined. >>> fire officials in southwest philadelphia think the bitter cold played a role in a hous

. >> reporter: so they're prepared to mix calcium chloride with the salt if they have to which dramatically lowers the temperature at which water freezes. today we saw a problem on dellly drive near fountain green where water was coming down a slope and turned to ice and snow making for hazardous driving conditions. they had to shut down the northbound lanes for about an hour and a half to allow crews to clean up the mess. the bottom line, penndot urging motorists to be extra careful out there this weekend. >> it is valentine's day so there probably will be a lot of traffic out on the roadways so we just encourage motorists to give yourself plenty of time and don't be in a rush and drive at a slower speed. >> reporter: and so that you have it. it's been a season of storms this season which has kept penndot crews busy. just another re90 winter far from over. we're live here in king of prussia, i'm dann cuellar channel6 "action news." >> thank you dan. >>> as the temperatures drop please join us, check in with 6abc.com/weather. there you will find both the hourly and seven-day forecasts so yo

he says crews are spraying calcium chloride and the major roads to help melt that ice and those temperatures but speaking of ice, this is the problem. the side streets in manayunk and other places in our viewing area and it's only going to get worse as the temperatures drop. as darkness hit the city, the temperatures quickly dropped. well below freezing. leaving roads looking like this. zach was on his way to long island tonight and he told "eyewitness news" the ice and speeding cars worried him the most. >> i'm going stick to the main roads. 76 476,ism 95 and hope don't hit much traffic. >>> several areas around philadelphia. manayunk to be the bug geoff problem spot with icy hills and slippery streets. >> when i was coming in down here i actually slid a little bit. making the turn to go down to park. >> i drive really slow. not even just on the roads on the sidewalks too. there's black ice. just need to be careful walking report roar ice concerns aren't just on the roads. more formed on this medical building now known as the ice castle in west philadelphia. after firefighters sprayed thous

so calcium chloride and potassium chloride are the safest. >> reporter: in philadelphia drivers wereassing up and getting ready for what's sure to be a messy morning. penndot says they already for tomorrow morning's commute. they're warning drivers to take it slow, keep safe distance behind those plow trucks and interesting fact they say so far this season they've already used 88,000 tons of salt by tomorrow morning that number is only expected to rise. we're live in the nicetown section of the city tonight i'm diana rocco cbs3 "eyewitness news". >> diana, thank you. speaking of commute septa and new jersey transit say they will run a normal weekday schedule tomorrow. patco will run a snow schedule trains will be operating at slower speeds. amtrak will run a modified schedule on the northeast core don if you're traveling by plane, some flights have been canceled so you're advised to check with eighty four airline for more detailed information check out cbsphilly.com. >>> and we are getting an early start tomorrow morning to make sure you get out the door and do it safely. ukee erika

your sidewalks, the maryland cooperative extension service suggesting using magnesium chloride, calcium chloride or po pass yum chloride. all can be really really harsh and damage the concrete. salts can damage your plants. so the extension service recommends using only a thin coat of this. less is more here when talking about those de-icers. if want to try getting traction without the damage the extension service says you may already have some of this on hand. you can use sand. you can use fireplace ashes and even kitty litter. that's great for traction. those products aren't going to melt the ice but you'll have added stability, and you won't have the damage on the plants if you're worried about that. we'll have much more on this as we get ready for the big snow we're going have more coverage on news 4 at 4:00 5:00 and 6:00 and of course on the website at nbcwashington.com. barbara? >> erica ka erika, anything to get ready for the blowing snow? >> looking at today, producers and i, if you have a leaf blower might be a really good idea to take that out, because the snow is supposed to be really

the the way hardware store owner andrew segal say pay a little more, skip rock salt and buy calcium chloride ice melt instead. >> calcium melt snow down to negative 15 or negative 20 degrees where saltings down to about 5 degrees. >> reporter: there are those who didn't want any ice melt today, blue cross river rink on penns landing still drew a crowd despite the the cold. >> it is presidents day. all of the kid have all school. we said why not it is my son's 12 year-old birthday. >> reporter: back to our fire here in west philadelphia, fortunately no one was injured but six people have been displaced and they are staying with relatives tonight. as for the cause of this fire right now that is still remaining under investigation. reporting live from west philadelphia, todd quinones, cbs-3 "eyewitness news". >> incredible scene there todd, thanks very much. >>> some people, braved the dangerous cold to run errands today. "eyewitness news" in brooklyn camden county at the shop rite where shoppers filled their carts with the food and having else that they need to ride out the the cold and the sn

other common salts are calcium chloride, which is spread on streets to melt ice... and stannous flouride, the salt of tin and fluorine used in toothpaste. these different salts might have different crystalline structures. the ion ratios and sizes may be different. this is a calcite crystal. the edges come together at an angle. they're not perfectly squared off like in the salt or in the halite. this is a property of calcium carbonate. the calcium ions and the carbonate ions stack together and repeat in three dimensions millions of times to build up a crystal. because of the different shape and charges of the carbonate molecules and the calcium ions, these stack together in a different manner. the result is a crystal shape quite different from the halite. this table salt is our most commonly known ionic compound, but ionic bonding is not the only way that atoms can combine. most substances around us are molecules held together in another way. take this salad oil or vinegar or any molecule in my body. the atoms in these molecules are held together in a different way,

but we have the equipment, we have over 500,000 tons of salt 565,000 gallons of calcium chloride and salt brine. we're prepared for this, but getting folks off of the roads, staying at home as i say, this would be the worst storm we've had in virginia in five yoors. let us do our job and let the virginia department of transportation get the job done for us. >> all right. virginia governor terry mcauliffe we hope everything goes okay in the commonwealth and we thank you for joining us. >> thank you, jim. thanks doreen. >> the governor was supposed to meet with maryland governor larry hogan and d.c. mayor muriel bowser today. that meeting was cancel because of the weather. now mayor bouzer is declaring her own snow emergency in the district. that set to begin at 7:00 tomorrow morning. our team coverage continues now with news4's tom sherwood. he's live in northeast d.c. hi tom. >> hi doreen. let me show you, this is one of the largest salt domes in the whole region here. mayor bowser so declaring a no parking snow emergency at 7:00 a.m. and people all over the city were reacting to the

consumer reporters named the best ones magnesium chloride or calcium chloride.rd them mentioned a number of times today. both salts work in subzero temps. but what you keep in mind here is that both salts can really cause damage to your concrete especially your plants. so the "consumer reports" recommends using only a thin coat of this stuff. if you want to try getting some traction without the damage sand will work gravel will work fireplace ashes, maybe you've had that fireplace going the past couple days, that eel work. kitty litter. that will work the too. those products they're not going to melt the ice but you won't have the damage either. so that's good news to report there. now, some of the chemicals used to melt ice can also be very dangerous to your pets. definitely keep all pelts away from the antifreeze. it can be lethal if ingested by a dog or cat. when you bring them in wipe down their paws. we have a list of keeping your pets safe by going to nbcwashington.com and search pet safety. >> a fight brewing tonight between a local quaker house and d.c.

this is calcium chloride or salt. you pour it in like this.n and you tie it up like this. never thought i would be doing this on television. >> i didn't see the women's panty hose coming. >> you throw it up and it will melt the ice if your roof is low enough. lay it out. it will help the experts say. >> another use for women's panty hose. >> you don't even need a ladder. >> a ladder or a ladda? >> cookie monster, the prime suspect in a major heist. he will be here live to go inside the story. >> wait until you hear how people are reacting to ellen's "fifty shades of grey" spoof. roll it. >> all your life you're told to tame your curls... ♪ when you try to tame my curls, it feels like you want to tame me. dove wants you to unleash the beauty of your curls. that's why we created new dove quench absolute. this system deeply nourishes curls to quench dryness for 4 times more defined natural curls. new dove quench absolute. the way we see it, after a heavy snowfall, you have two options... you can stay inside. or get behind the wheel of the jeep gr