Talking about frozen pipes in houses. Today, it is as you said the problem with the cars. People are coming out and their cars wont start. They get under the hood and theyre finding that the problem is dead batteries so they are calling triple a. Weve been out riding along with one of the triple a trucks. We can show you a little bit of what hes been dealing with. Showing up at houses and the same story is told every time. They pop the hood and get out there and see the battery is no good. Its a story being told again and again and again. You talk to the triple a dispatchers and they say they are setting records in this weather. Whys that . When its this cold it takes 50 more ampage to start the battery. The battery cant handle it. They got so many calls, theyre backed up one after another. The driver just passed us right here. Hes looking for his next call. And then its going to go on and on. All of the triple a Service People are working 12 hour shift. Were continuing to work and when we come back at 6 00 well tell you more about why these cars just dont like the cold. In beltsville, brad bell abc 7 news. Ok, brad see you then. Thank you. The cold weather is also disrupting amtrak trains for a fourth straight day. The northeast corridor is running on a modified schedule once again. The number of excela express and northeast regional line has been reduced to half. Unclear when service will be fully restored. Amtraks northeast corridor is the busiest railroad in north america and the cold weather is being blamed for cracking some rails outside of the East Falls Church metro stop earlier this morning. The problem with delays on the orange and silver lines, normal service was restored a short time later. Cold prompted some local School Districts to cancel classes for the day but some of the districts did open up on time or on delay. We want to know how do you feel about some local School Districts closing for the cold . Not snow but cold. Post your answers for us on our abc 7 Facebook Page and well share a few responses a little later. Stay with abc 7 and wjla. Com as we track this Winter Weather. If you havent done it already, be sure to download our storm watch app. That way you can receive weather alerts on your cell phone at all times. Doug is back here with an updated forecast for you in a few minutes. Alison . To other news from the executive mansion to a prison cell. Today, a judge sentenced former virginia first ladder Maureen Mcdonnell to one year and one day in prison. Northern Virginia Bureau chief Jeff Goldberg is live in richmond with reaction to this sentence. Jeff . Alison Maureen Mcdonnell had no comment when leaving the courthouse. Her attorney expressing a great deal of thanks for the judge for this sentence that was six months less than what the prosecution had been asking for. Clearly, the most emotional and Pivotal Moment of todays trial was cheering from Maureen Mcdonnell herself, fighting through tears, reading a statement to judge James Spencer. Heres some of what she had to say today in court. Saying i started a chain of events that would bring pain and embarrassment on all of us. I blame no one but myself. The prosecution again making its case as well. The attorney saying that Maureen Mcdonnell made deliberate and conscious choices repeatedly and that she knew full well this scheme was wrong. Mrs. Mcdonnell left court today with her son bobby. During that statement, she talked about how her life had been shattered by this experience. And her family is hurting. Her marriage is broken and she feels alone and isolated. We heard from eight witnesses including the mcdonnell daughter rachel praising Maureen Mcdonnells strong character and kindness but also emphasizing how she felt overwhelmed and stressed by the job of first lady. Judge spencer also saying he too, struggled to understand the two different sides of Maureen Mcdonnell. Trying to understand exactly who she is before ultimately handing down a sentence of a year and a day. I appreciate very much judge spencers mercy and leniency for my wife today as he granted to me a month ago. The former governor is going to be appealing his sentence of two years in prison. The appeal for Maureen Mcdonnell will also go forward. The next step in that case will be in may. Coming up at 5 00 were going to take a look at some more strong and emotional words from Maureen Mcdonnell inside court. And also why judge James Spencer called this case puzzling. Thats coming up later. Live in richmond Jeff Goldberg abc 7 news. Prince William County police are increasing a reward to 21,000 for information in a murder case theyre following. Glenda romero was shot and killed february 21 2014 at the grocery and jewelry located on Jefferson Davis highway in woodbridge. The 21yearold was a store clerk there. Three male suspects wearing dark clothing with their faces covered were seen on surveillance cameras entering that store. Another employee was also shot but survived. If you have any information about this case you are asked to call crime solvers. Neighbors are remembering an 85yearold woman struck and killed by a hitandrun driver. This happened last night on Stone Crossing court at stone road in centreville. Sorry, Brianne Carter is near the scene now with more on the search for the driver this evening. Brianne . Leon at this hour police are still looking for that driver that struck and killed 85yearold adela antawa. Neighbors and family members would tell us that she would come from this intersection right here from this intersection to cross this street almost every day and now at this intersection right here take a look down the road you can see police have put this sign here at this intersection of stone road and Stone Crossing court to try to find out more information about this hit and run. Police say it was 6 45 thursday night and she was crossing the street when she somehow fell. Police say she was struck by a car. That driver never stopped. Neighbors tells us she walks in this area every day even in the cold. She likes it. It was her exercise. She was active. People close to the woman say she was originally from peru but had been living here for a long time with her son and other relatives. Shes a woman described as loving and active. A woman we spoke with earlier today says that she thinks of her as her grandmother. Not just to her but to her three kids as well. I need to really really find this person. Now, that is the sentiment that a number of neighbors echoed as well, that they hope they can find this person. Thats what police are hoping as well. They say this happened during rush hour and they know that someone may have seen or heard something as this was occurring on this road around 6 45 last night. They ask anyone to call this number or contact police. Brianne carter abc 7 news. All right, brianne, thank you. Transportation secretary anthony fox is in the district wrapping up a regional tour to promote spending on infrastructure. The issue comes amid inspections to some local bridges after that loose concrete from a bridge fell on to a car that was driving on the suitland parkway. 7 on your sides chris pabst is live in southwest with the secretarys message today. Chris . Well alison secretary foxs message is quite simple. He says that America Needs to find a way to fix its ailing highways and infrastructure. The problem is these guys finding a way to pay for it. Over the past five days, the u. S. Department of transportation secretary anthony fox has been touring five states including virginia looking at the nations infrastructure. Today, he concluded his tour with a stop at Union Station with mayor muriel bowser. Now, fox was pushing how important it is to the federal government to find a way to raise billions in revenue to repair the nations bridges, highways and roads. After years of stop gaps and temporary funding, the Highway Trust Fund is set to expire on may 31st of this year. And fox says congress and the president must take action. If were being honest with ourselves today, we would say that we know were not doing for the future generations what they need for us to do. Now, there are a number of ways those transportation funds can be raised. Coming up at 6 00 well tell you the two that are being most talked about and which one secretary fox favors. Live in d. C. Chris pabst, abc 7 news. High ranking maryland state official with the department of Public Safety is fired after a facebook posting. Michael allred was hired as a state stat coordinator and police liaison. Allred was let go yesterday after posting an inappropriate joke on facebook about being groped by the prison guards. Security has been extra tight in maryland prisons after a scandal involving smuggled drugs and cell phones in the Baltimore City detention center. D. C. Water has completed its investigation into a water advisory that was issued for parts of northwest back in december. So this advisory followed reports of the water smelling like petroleum. Rebecca cooper at the live desk now with what the investigation found. Rebecca . Alison and leon good news and bad news scenario for anyone drinking d. C. Water. The good news, d. C. Water ran several tests at 140 different sites and they did not find petroleum in any of the sources collected. The bad news well, its two fold. First, water Officials Say they still simply dont know the source of the smell even though if it was they reported in northwest d. C. In december. For anybody who did drink the water, investigators say theres a strong possibility that there was Petroleum Contamination but because the chemical that quickly changes from liquid to gas and then simply evaporates they may have failed to catch it while it was still in the water. Still, alison and leon, with the release of this report today officials insist d. C. Water remains safe to drink. Now, if any customers have any concerns, you can contact d. C. Water at their 24hour command center. Were posting those phone numbers on our website and we have much more information from the report. Thats all at wjla. Com. Alison and leon back to you. All good. As long as you cant light it. All right. Coming up on abc 7 news at 4 00 the f. B. I. Asking for your help in finding some serial robbers. Learn how many banks theyre accused of robbing so far. Plus the district is about to get a royal visit when Prince Charles and camilla will visit the white house. And well take you live to hollywood for a preview of the oscars. The preparation under way with just two days to go until i know grandmas house isnt the most exciting, but its only for a few hours. Look what ive got. When you get verizon fios, you get beautiful hd picture quality, super fast internet, and americas most reliable network. So you wont miss a second of that movie, that game they love, or those moments with family. Can we sleep over . Please come on make your house the house. You get more from verizon fios the tv Service Rated 1 in hd picture quality and signal reliability based on customer satisftion studies plus americas fastest most reliable internet. And for peace of mind, get a price quote in writing and professional installation from a highly trained verizon technician. Now thru february 21st get a fios triple play online for just 79. 99 a month a price guaranteed for two full years. Plus get an incredible 400 bonus with a twoyear agreement. But hurry, t this amazing deal ends february 21st. Visit verizon. Com worryfree to learn more today. The f. B. I. Is calling on the public to give them some help in hopes of nabbing some serial bank robbers out there. Theyre accused of hitting seven banks that are spread across Northern Virginia and maryland. Kevin lewis has the surveillance pictures that investigators want you to see. Leon and alison this crew made up of at least two men hit the Wells Fargo Bank here in sterling right around this time wednesday. The f. B. I. Saying this was the latest in a string of holdups that have become increasingly violent. Agents have dubbed these guys the black cat bandits because, as you can see, the men often sport black hats during the robberies, long beards sunglasses and scarves are part of their disguise. Since january 2nd the bandits have hit seven banks, five in Northern Virginia. The last two happening within 40 minutes of one another. In vienna the robbers shoved customers to the ground. When they got to the wells fargo here in sterling they pointed a gun at a customers head all the while screaming get down. And the violence against customers in the bank, these are guns that are out, theyre brandishing them and doesnt get much more violence than that. News of this robbery makes you feel what . Just disappointed, i guess. Because of the escalating violence, the f. B. I. Is now offering a reward of up to 30 grand. Agencies tell me that figure is more than what the bandits generally get away with. In sterling, im kevin lewis, abc 7 news. Now, lets get a check on the traffic situation on this friday. Bob emler in the wtop Traffic Center with details. Looking pretty good right there, bob. Looking a little better than it was out of the inner loop at tysons corner. Still heavy because of a crash that just cleared at the American Legion bridge there for the better part of two hours now gone. That will take a while to clear out. 95 north to 198, theres a crash there and on i95 traveling south, its volume mainly over the occoquan but all the way down into stafford. Lot of volume on this friday afternoon and plenty of sunshine headed west on 66 with delays going with it. Heading to centreville, this is the beltway on the inner loop on the right side of the screen coming up north of the toll road. Starting to improve at the front of the line where the crash had been. The back of the line still delays begin at route 7. This is on the beltway at connecticut avenue inner loop is going to slow down quite a bit moving from old georgetown road past Georgia Avenue and past college park and greenbelt. Thank you bob. Talk to you in a bit. Now, after seeing record cold outside today, more Winter Weather heading our way. Lets go live to our meteorologist steve rudin there at thompsons boat house in georgetown where i can imagine it is really cold steve . Maybe a little. It is it is cold out here. And its very very bright. At least the wind have now finally died down. Let me tell you early this morning, it was bitterly cold out there. We broke two records at our local airports. Reagan national airport, the existing record when they took them downtown d. C. Was 8 degrees set back in 1896. They dropped down to 5 degrees early this morning and record low at b. W. I. Marshall thats where they dropped down to 1 degree earlier this morning. Dulles, not close enough. Their record stands at 2 below and they dropped down to zero. Right now, 4 00 temperatures 18 at dulles. 16 at gaithersburg. 21 at Reagan National airport. Lexington park, maryland in the upper teens. Not that bad out there right now. We have some bigger changes on the way as we move through the day tomorrow. More on that from chief meteorologist doug hill. Gave everybody the ground view of the ice down there at the boat house on the potomac. Heres the rooftop view from 30 stories up. Still frozen solidly and will remain that way for days and days to come. But cold air you described has locked in place. Thats important. If temperatures were in the 30s right now, lets say it was 35 degrees and we had the same storm system coming the exact same way tomorrow maybe a few flakes but 99 rain tomorrow. But because its so cold here with the storm to the west were going to wind up getting snow eventually mixing with sleet and freezing rain and then plain rain but because of that expectation tomorrow we got a Winter Weather advisory for the metro area and beyond. Winter storm warnings a little north and west to the mountains where there could be substantial snowfall. Arctic air overhead will slide out and get down to 4 to 13 degrees tonight. Plenty of cold air in place for the approach of the system tomorrow. The storm is going to move from arkansas up into canada. But out from the east of it is a warm front and that warm front is going to lift our way and thats going to cause the moisture to fall. Problem is its going to take longer to get the warmer air in here. Well start with snow and sleet and freezing rain and plain Old Fashioned rain. Plenty of cold air around. Whole different situation than wed normally find from a western storm. Heres what the futurecast says. Clouds increase tomorrow morning and probably late morning to midday well see the snow move into the area from west toest east. The purple indicates sleet, freezing rain turnover. Most of the snow to the north. Notice that the warmer air is coming into the mountains before it comes into the metro area and overnight will be all rain and eventually by mid morning sunday models think it will all move out. In fact, by 10 00 a. M. Forecasting some breaks in the overcast. And that means some sunshine. So the big question how much . Were thinking one to three inches in this stripe. Pretty much the i95 corridor. And then six plus easily in the Higher Elevations. Now, if the sleet mixes in in your area for any length of time, you may be at the low end of the one to three. Same story to the west because sleet will compact with snow. Thats what were looking at eventually will take care of itself as it warms above freezing on sunday well get rain and a little melting. Then it gets cold again. Look at the seven day. Highs back in the mid 20s on sunday. Monday and tuesday, a little bit of warming late tuesday night into wednesday. Could hit 40 degrees in the area on wednesday and turn a bit colder and drier as we head through the end of next week. Ok not much else to say. I didnt say thank you. Thats all youre getting. Not today. Hopefully the temperatures will be much more inviting when the royals will come here Prince Charles and camilla will be visiting here next month. Theyll be meeting with president obama at the white house. The four day trip which is what its planned to be right now will also include a stop at George Washingtons home at mount vernon. A visit to the National Archives where the prince will mark the 800 anniversary of the magna carte and a trip to louisville kentucky, planned from march 17th to the 20th of march. Coming up maybe has to do with horses and races. Does love the horses. He does. Coming up on abc 7 news at 4 00, new issue with health care. Gov. Why the government is asking hundreds of thousands of customers to delay filing their tax returns. And learn how the d. C. Police officer is being honored for his efforts to save the life of a young boy that was shot in the head. Stay with us. Hollywood is busy enough on a regular day. This weekend is sure to be an absolute madhouse out there. Two days away from the academy awards. Madhouse in a good way. Mary bruce live in hollywood with a look at all the press. Hi there. Hey mary hi there. Well oscar is almost here and hollywood is buzzing with activity getting ready for its golden night. Its game time in hollywood. The countdown to the oscars is on. From rolling out the red carpet to polishing up the sought after prizes and even wheeling in the big man himself everyone is racing to get ready for the big night. Wolfgang puck is putting the final touches on his decadent menu. And all eyes are on first Time Academy Award host neil patrick harris. Have you started working on the show yet . That happens in a couple days, right . He has plenty of awards show experience but the oscars are different. A whos who of hollywood as well as millions of people at home will be watching him. This isnt just about who walks away with hollywoods top prize. Step aside, oscar. This is also fashions biggest night. What people at home dont realize is how much effort goes into one look. The pressure is on and the stars are pulling out all the stops to wow on the red carpet. Now, this is where it all happens. In just 48 hours, the stars will be here on the red carpet and you can really feel the excitement starting to grow. Everyone wondering who will take home that top prize. Live in hollywood, mary bruce, abc 7 news. Lee an leon and alison . Alison is jealous. Youre sleeveless told. Nice and warm. You can watch the oscars sunday night here on abc 7. Coverage from the red carpet will begin at 7 00. And coming up at 5 00 well hear from some local movie critics about which stars that they think should go home with an oscar. And you know one of the critics happens to be a familiar face from here at abc 7. Look forward to that. Wonder. Someone we love. All right. Still ahead here at 4 00 new details on a company that has some problems moving thousands of cars belonging to military members. How a virginia lawmaker is getting involved. Earlier this month, a woman who was a mother of four grandmother of 10 was arrested for looking out a window and the question has so many questions. Want to know how hard it can be. To breathe with copd . It can feel like this. Copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Spiriva is a oncedaily inhaled. Copd maintenance treatment. That helps open my airways for a full 24 hours. You know, spiriva helps me breathe easier. Spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. These may worsen with spiriva. Discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. Stop taking spiriva and seek immediate medical help if your breathing suddenly worsens your throat or tongue swells,. You can get hives, vision changes or eye pain or problems passing urine. Other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. Nothing can reverse copd. Spiriva helps me breathe better. Sfx blowing sound. Does breathing with copd. Heres my attempt to not sound like a broken record. Say it a different way. Get ready for more snow how about that . Far too happy about that. Excited about this prospect. What do you think . Broken record. Pretty sure. Same old thing. The cold set record lows this morning. Officially 5 at Reagan National airport. Broke the old washington, d. C. Record set back in 1896. Its still in the teens but a couple of degrees warmer than it was at this time yesterday. Average high for this time of february. Overnight tonight, mostly clear. 4 to 13. Air is cold and the ground is frozen. Some increasing cloudiness early in the morning. Heres what you need to know about the saturday weather. Winter weather advisory in effect in the entire area here i95 . And slightly to the west. Significant snowfall in the warning areas. Futurecast shows the clouds coming in early tomorrow morning and then snow approaching during the afternoon hours. And again in the metro area maybe an inch or two of snow mixed with sleet. But everybody is going to have the same deal at different times. The blue indicates the snow. This is 1 00 in the afternoon. Now were at 5 00 and the purple indicating sleet and freezing rain with the snow pushed to the north and kind of trapped out in the west. So the transition to be under way at that time. Kind of a guideline. As we get through late saturday night overnight to sunday it looks as though most will be rain with only a few pockets of sleeted left as temperatures rise above freezing and finally by midday on sunday the whole thing is out of here. Skies clear. And well be good to go. Not a major accumulation in the metro area. Major accumulations in Higher Elevations but for a while some very difficult driving conditions because of the frozen ground, the snow, the sleet and the freezing rain. Well be back in a few minutes with more. Look ahead to maybe some warming weather. You never know. Dont tease us. Dont tease. I hope so we werent the only ones around here seeing record cold today. Thats right. Because kids were shivering in normally warm places in the south. Marcy gonzalez has a look at that. Its beyond cold. Tremendously cold today. When this i got on three jackets, overall. Still isnt enough. Two pair of pants. Three shirts. And ice forms. Ive never seen it like this. Even in the most unexpected places. Easier to come to terms with it when you have to go to work and pay bills. Faces frozen as at least 70 cities hit record low temperatures today from indiana to florida. Its cold. Cold and dangerous. Freezing roads as far south as atlanta. And collapsing more than 100 roofs in massachusetts including at this farm where rescuers worked for hours trying to free the horses trapped below. This winter and this day so brutal too cold to be out. Some are calling it a crime including police in ohio. Stop and hold for this agency. Posting this wanted sign for jack frost. We decided last night wed do our best to try to track him down and bring some warmer weather back to our community. There is some warmer weather ahead for us here in the northeast but first, another winter storm with rain snow and ice in the forecast from new england all the way down to georgia. In new york, marcy gonzalez, abc 7 news. D. C. Family is seeking answers as it plans a funeral for next tuesday. Tawana johnson was arrested for misdemeanor destruction of property. She wound up dead in a jail cell apparent suicide victim. Abc 7 spoke to her family. Some apologies, anything. Anything Maria Johnson and other family members are frustrated seeking answers. Their mother the childrens grandmother, 46yearold Tawana Johnson was found dead, an apparent suicide hanged by the clothing she wore in central lockup at Police Headquarters february 8th. No details from authorities the family says. Just this she heard from an acquaintance also in the cell block that weekend. Shes not supposed to be there. She need to take her medicine and ignored her for three hours. Johnson drove a delivery van for an e. P. A. Contractor. She admits she had a drug problem. Family members said her behavior had become increasingly bizarre, perhaps, because of p. C. P. Use. On february 7th, she drove here to congress park. Her daughter ericas apartment and kicked out a window wearing bunny slippers. Cutting her foot. Angry about my window being kicked in. I had to call the police. Not butt i had no choice. They thought she had been taken to detox like the last time she was arrested but she was taken to United Medical center for her foot. Then to central lockup. There was no any type of suicidal ideations expressed. The director of d. C. Corrections said the hospital deemed her in good condition. Since launching an antisuicide program, d. C. Had not had one in 20 months. As for cries for help i have not heard that. I cannot comment on it and again, the investigation is still ongoing. So the family is preparing for a funeral saying more attention could have saved her. And theyre hating p. C. P. Its the devil. Thats all i can tell you. In southeast washington sam ford, abc 7 news. Virginia senator mark warner is asking military leaders for more information about a contractor thats paid millions of dollars to move cars for service members. The 7 on your side iteam exposed massive delays and problems with this company. The company is called International Auto logistics. Last week, we told you the military was prepared to move ahead with the heavy moving season. Now, warner sent a letter to the u. S. Transportation command asking for specifics on how i. A. L. Improved and its plans to provide Better Service during this summers surge. Alison . Leon a d. C. Officer is honored for his efforts to save a young boy who was shot in the head last year. The Washington Post is reporting that officer shannon strange was named officer of the year for the sixth district station. Strange responded to that gun battle in northeast in october where 9yearold jaden stancil was hit. Officer strange cradled jaden and kept him awake in the squad car while he was rushed to the hospital. Jaden was released from the hospital in january. The red robin restaurant chain is hoping its latest deal will pull in a very special customer. Theyre aiming for the pope. Now, heres the deal. If pope francis eats at red robin during lent, they will offer customers a free crab cake burger during lent. Round robin is asking customers to tweet the pope get him in on this deal. Likelihood of the pope eating at the restaurant, maybe a little low. Hes not scheduled to visit the u. S. Until september. Way after lent. Lent ends in early april. Dont think hell make a special trip . Plan on buying your own burger. Worth a try. Never know. Couldnt hurt. Coming up here at 4 00 today, 7 on your side with a consumer alert. Why investigators say foreign scams appear to increase in the month of february. And how you can avoid being a victim. Dont file taxes just yet depending on your health care plan. If youre getting it through healthcare. Gov, theres been a mistake. Ill tell you if youre part of that group coming up. And theres still time to answer the question of the day. We want to know how you feel about some local School District districts closing today because of the cold. I wish the question would have been about crab cake burgers instead. Post your answer on the Facebook Page. Big problems with the new health care law. An error could be messing up the tax filings for nearly a million americans. Senior political reporter scott thuman is live in our newsroom to explain. Scott . Alison and leon it turns out the government sent the wrong Tax Information to about 800,000 customers of healthcare. Gov so theyre asking those affected to delay filing their 2014 returns. The problem surrounds a new government form called the 1095a and kind of like a w2 form for people who got subsidized private coverage under obamacare. The government sent out calculations based on this years premiums instead of the numbers for last year. So the government trying to fix all those forms and numbers right now. Either way bit of a snag for the system that the white house cant be thrilled about. This should have no impact on the ability of people to file their taxes on time. I would anticipate h. H. S. Said they anticipate theyd be able to send the updated forms in the next couple of weeks. Ample time for people to file in advance of april 15th. The government says that most people should receive phone calls or emails if theyre in that affected group. They can look it up on their account at healthcare. Gov and get a message bchlt. About 20 of people got the subsidies in 2014. Keep in mind about 50,000 people have filed their taxes in that affected group. Theyre going to get special instructions from the Treasury Department on what to do next. But clearly, a bit of a mess on that side. Leon . All right. Thank you, scott. Coming up next on abc 7 news at 4 00, so rough news for a police dog. Had to do it. Why he was kicked off the police force. Thats right and 7 on your side with a consumer alert today about foreign scams. How investigators say that some are designed to play with your emotions. And leave you broke. As a Small Business owner you wouldnt deliver just half of what you have to offer to your customers. So why are you settling for halffast internet . Only verizon fios comes with speedmatch upload speeds as fast as your download speeds so files go out in a snap. Call today to get 200 back when you switch to fios internet and phone for just 99. 99 a month with a 2year agreement and get 200 back. Just call 1. 888. 774. 4418 today. Attorneys general around the country are warning about a sharp rise in foreign scams in recent months. They are targeting millions of americans for their hard earned cash. Consumer reporter john matterise explains what to watch out for so you dont waste your money. Scammers love the month of february. Many people are flush with tax returns in their hands while others are feeling lonely on the day after valentines day. Many people in the d. C. Area are vulnerable and your savings could be at risk. As tax refunds start to trickle into our Bank Accounts scammers are waiting to take them from us. Through scams that target our emotions. These con artists are really good. Whatever youre interested in, theyre going to be interested in. They want to make you feel that youre special. That youre loved. The attorney general has recently seen a sharp increase in scams that preys on our hopes and fears. Singles need to be careful about the romance or sweetheart scam that tarpthed this Warren County woman last fall. He knew god sent me into his life for a reason. Kathy met who she thought was a handsome soldier. Instead he was a con artist. Youve never been able to meet the person because theyre overseas in military. From hopes to love to fears of arrest to the more common scam people are falling for is a call from a phony i. R. S. Or f. B. I. Agent. Left a message that we had some problem with our taxes. We needed to call immediately you know theyll use the i. R. S. , sometimes they say that theyre from the f. B. I. Theyll say you owe the government money and will be arrested if you dont wire it immediately. Really good. At what they do, stealing peoples money and breaking their hearts. Never send money to anyone you never met whether a potential lover or government agent. Recognize when your emotions are being played so you dont waste your money. A Florida Police dog is out of a job because he bit two people. The 4yearold bit an officer back in november and then last week, he went a little bit further and jumped out of a patrol car and bit a Dunkin Donuts employee in the leg. Hell stay with his partner officer as a pet. All right, now back to our question of the day. We want to know how you feel about some schools closing today, rather, because of the cold out there. We got dozens of responses on our abc 7 Facebook Page with most feeling fine with schools closing for the cold. Brenda wrote i agree with the closings. I wish i didnt have to go out today for work. But some feel that all local schools should have opened today. One said this is too much time off. A school should remain open. If a child feels its too cold for their child to go to school keep them home. Its cold weather, not the apocalypse. Another wrote, its too cold for them. What if the bus broke down . Then what . It wont kill them to go a few extra days in the summer. What if the buses dont start, thats the problem. If they dont start, nobody can get to school. Exactly. Lets look ahead to whats coming up at 5 00 tonight, were getting answers from Fairfax County about why it decided to close the schools today there. Plus 7 on your side for a maryland man as he fights a d. C. Parking ticket even though he says he hasnt set foot in the district for 10 years. And a call to action from the head of the Fairfax County board of supervisors after a Deadly Police shooting. What she wants to see changed tonight at 5 00. First lets get another check of the weather and whats shaping up for the weekend and it sounds like kind of a mess. Yeah i mean, it will be difficult potentially very difficult driving conditions in many areas. So we get temperatures above freezing to start melting things off and make the chemicals more useful. Not a good story. Lets tell you what we know and the timing. First the numbers, we have talked about the record cold thats coming and we experienced that. 5 degrees. New record low in washington. Recorded at Reagan National. Beats d. C. s all time low temperature record set back in 1896. And of course the last time we have set a low jefrp record at any day in the month of february goes back 40 years. So its been a long time. So a big deal. 1 above was the record at b. W. I. Thurgood marshall. Temperatures now are plenty cold and recovering from these really low numbers. This shows you how cold it was this morning. Fredricksburg 2 below. 5 above at winchester. Zero at dulles. No record at dulles. Their record low was 2 below. Weve warmed up some. 21 in washington. 22 in fredricksburg. Most everybody tonight with clear skies down the temperatures will go once more. Clear skies in the morning. Some increasing cloudy early in the morning around sunrise but the lows will be already established and temperatures will be slow to climb. But they will climb through the day. But not enough to give us rain when the system comes in. It will give us snow instead. In fact under a Winter Weather advisory up and down the i95 corridor and beyond through the day tomorrow and tomorrow evening for snow mixing with sleet and eventually freezing rain and plain rain and more so to the west. Higher elevations and beyond where they can be piling up several inches of snow. Exactly how much . Maybe five or six or more to the west because of this storm system developing in the Lower Mississippi river valley and as that swings to the north, its going to bring in the moisture that will fall first as snow and then the warmer air coming in will change it over. By 11 00 tomorrow morning, the snow will be moving in. With us tomorrow afternoon and mixing with rain. Freezing rain and sleet in purple by 6 00 in the evening and through the nighttime hours, plain rain as surface temperatures get above freezing and that will end sunday morning with some sunshine. Temperatures in the 40s by the afternoon. General rule from one to three inches of snow in the metro area, i95 corridor. But if we get more sleet than snow, it will be lesser amounts. If we get more snow than sleet, then maybe the higher end of the one to three. You get the idea. Farther north and west you go the more precipitation and more snow and more sleet accumulation you will see. For the next seven days, heres a little glimmer of hope, how about that one for sunday . Well turn colder monday. Only 26. 31 for a high on tuesday. Everything will still be frozen but pull out of it a little bit. I mean that, a little bit. Next wednesday or thursday average high is 50 degrees in washington. Even at 32 34 40 were still well below average and thats going to continue through the end of the month and into the first week of march at least. Ok. Im full of good news. Thank you so much. Full of something. Hey, you said it. We thought it. You said it. All right. Get a check of the traffic situation. On that note bob emler is standing by in the wtop Traffic Center. Couple of trouble spots out there, bob. Indeed on the outer loop of the beltway at the baltimore washington parkway, crash on the right side. Some delays coming around at 50. Inner loop looking at it coming around from i95 and college park. A lot of volume to get up to laurel and fort meade. Volume headed to the west from the beltway off and on to centreville. No incidents along the way. Inner loop delays are starting at route 7 headed over to 270 with a new crash at the 270 spur and 270 at 109, hearing about an accident now. Lets see how it looks right now. On the beltway on the outer loop, traffic trying to get past the baltimore washington parkway and the crash is just up ahead. Its picked up a little bit here and on 395 southbound into the sun, volume headed to landmark with the lanes open. Im bob emler with 103. 5 wtop radio. Ok, bob. Thank you. Coming up next on abc 7 news at 4 00, a device originally developed to help astronauts is getting the average joe back on the road to recovery. See how this this is jim. A man who doesnt stand still. But jim has afib, Atrial Fibrillation an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. That puts jim at a greater risk of stroke. For years, jims medicine tied him to a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. But now, with onceaday xarelto®, jims on the move. Jims doctor recommended xarelto®. Like warfarin, xarelto® is proven effective to reduce afibrelated stroke risk. But xarelto® is the first and only onceaday prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem that doesnt require regular blood monitoring. So jims not tied to that monitoring routine. Gps proceed to the designated route. Not today. For patients currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. Xarelto® is just one pill a day taken with the evening meal. Plus, with no known dietary restrictions jim can eat the Healthy Foods he likes. Dont stop taking xarelto® rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. While taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Xarelto® can cause serious bleeding and in rare cases, may be fatal. Get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. If you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto® watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Jim changed his routine. Ask your doctor about xarelto®. Onceaday xarelto® means no regular blood monitoring, no known dietary restrictions. They were originally developed to help astronauts train for space and now they are all the rage. Liz bonis steps into a zero gravity treadmill to show us how it works. He was living the dream or at least the dream job of refereeing with the nba when eric dalon suffered a major setback. I tore my quad tendon. Luckily for dalon, he ended up with a dream rehab team as well after the injury and this hightech treadmill called its gravity eliminating treadmill is a buzz word thats used. After youre zipped into some special shorts, the alter g forms a vacuum seal at the base of your body. Vakcuum seal is important to create the space. It allows me to run without the pounding on joints. I know im quite the fashion statement. They say to experience it, you have to get in it so i threw it on over my work clothes with my running shoes. Tell me what you do here guys. Wow, i got to tell you, its quite the no impact cardio workout. And for those who need that theyll tell you better than i would have been without this machine. Don has been using this treadmill since he had an injury coaching his daughters Softball Team last spring. It was raining and i slid on the home plate. As i slid on the slim plate, i disconnected the quad tendon. It ruptured. It snapped. With hard work, he hopes to be back on the field soon. Long road to recovery. This has helped tremendously. Eric dalon, he too, hopes to soon jump in back as a referee. Im liz bonis abc 7 news. Brace yourself. If the extreme cold wasnt enough, were under a winter storm watch. The mess that were in for tomorrow. Also sentencing day for virginias formers first lady. I appreciate very much judge spencers mercy and leniency for my wife today. How long shell spend behind bars and her emotional plea to the judge. If you havent seen driven in the Nations Capital since the 1990s how do you get a concluded. C. Conclude parking ticket . Auto ukd you could say take the freezer and add some frosting this weekend. Todays record cold temperatures are about to give way to another round of snow. Just what you wanted to hear right . We also are already getting cancellation notices for tomorrow so youll find them at wjla. Com. Keep you posted on all that as it comes in. Chief meteorologist doug hill is in the storm watch 7 weather center. Doug . Hi there. We continue to enjoy clear skies. Few high clouds on the horizon with cold temperatures and more solidly frozen potomac river. Good time to tell you that even in this area when its cold for long periods, its never safe to go out on the ice. In the backyard, just dont do it, ok. Now, as far as the headlines, we have a bunch of them for you. Winter weather advisories up tomorrow in the metro area. Couple of inches of snow and sleet and freezing rain. More significant snow in the winter storm warnings area. More significant sleet and freezing rain. High pressure kept us high and dry. Freezing cold and sunny today. Thats opening the door of the atmosphere for the approach of this storm system and its warm front. The storm itself is going to pass to the west. It will take kind of a swipe at us. We wont have the full force of it. Instead, well have the leading edge of warmer air that youre seeing the influence of it with snow over portions of tennessee and northern alabama. That will slide in tomorrow. In time, enough warm air will get in it will change it over to sleet, freezing rain and eventually rain. Heres a timeline we put together for tomorrow. Cloudy early about 20 degrees. 24 at 1 00 when the snow begins. Snowing during the afternoon. Then we get to about 7 00 temperatures still below freezing and start to mix that traditional phase. By late tomorrow night, well get 33. By then wintry mix changing to rain. How much metro area . We think one to three inches of snow possible. More as you head