North and west, anybody in the pink color, you are under a winter storm warning tonight through the morning. East of the city, in the purple area, you are under a Winter Weather advisory. The reason of the difference between a minor advisory and a major advisory, we expect warm air to push in the system once it gets going. Rain over southeast section of virginia now. Some not reaching the ground. The air is dry. That will rapidly change tonight. What we have an area of low pressure that caused the snow out west. That is here. That is diving to the east. Then the storm comes together with the energy transferring to the coast. That storm will be the major storm that will cause the blizzard in the northeast and the storm that will cause us all kind of headaches. What is interesting to realize the storm is so big the Ocean Temperatures here in the mid70s. The water temperatures. Warmth and moisture will be pulled in. We ne the farthest north you go from washington the more cold air you will see. This is just one computer model we are looking at but we think it has a good handle on things here. This is for 11 00 tonight. A few tenth of an inch of snow will fall. It may begin as rain and mix at sleet at times. Overnight it will turn north and draw in colder air so we will start to pile up the snow. By 6 00 in the morning, its close to an inch in the city. Two in annapolis. Four in baltimore. Six in frederick. In the day, cold winds coming up the north, the storm stronger off the coast. The snow could fall heavily through the midday. We think by the time we hit Late Afternoon we could see up to 15 inches of snow in northern Calvert County. Ten in frederick. It doesnt mean these are the exact numbers but it gives you an idea as you go south of town very little. You get farther north, its heavier and heavier. We will continue to watch that. I tell you, we may change the forecast as we get through the night. We have to wait for the storm to form. Plan on delays farther north is where we send abc7s kevin lewis in gaithersburg. Gaithersburg will have a lot more snow to deal with than we will here in the city of washington. Kevin, folks ready . Are they anticipating what is coming . Kevin it seems yeah, everyone is talking about it. Its on everyones mind. It is bright and sunny now but we know that will change. One benefit that stands to benefit is hardware stores. Are at lowes in gaithersburg. Staff has taken out the winter staples, including the starter logs for fires. We have shovels. Windshield wiper fluid. Traditional firewood. There is fire pits and down the end are what remain of the salt bags. The staff here tell me they had actually just packed up and moved all of this back to their storage room. Only a few days ago. Then word of this winter storm came and they got the forklift to move all the pallets out. The most interesting stat, they had 75 snow blowers sold today alone. Believe me, this weather pattern is going to have a huge impact on our sales. We have seen incremental increase in terms of demands in the past couple of hours compared to the weeks past. I cant come up with the adjective to tell you the impact this has on the snow blowers here. Kevin lowes in gaithersburg is planning to open its doors at 6 00 a. M. Tomorrow. Im told there will be nine employees here at a bare minimum. Of course, Montgomery County is not alone. The district also breaking for Winter Weather. That is where we find our own stephen tschida. He is at a salt dome in southeast. Hey, stephen. Stephen you can really feel in the a of the looming storm. Possibly a bad one. Check out the salt dome behind me. You can see the salt. They are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the mayor, the chief of police. The head of d. P. W. We have video of what is going on here at this salt dome throughout the day. They have been pulling it up in the truck. Heading out to get the roads coated and protected from the inclement weather coming our way. This is going to get going any moment. Well be here on hand and bring you what the mayor and what everyone has to say about how d. C. Is preparing for the looming snowstorm. Reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. Jonathan thank you. Metro is trying to get ahead of the storm. Anyone with metro access plans take note. Service has been suspended. No more rides today. None are available tomorrow. It comes to the rail you can expect normal service tonig time at 5 00. If the snow tops six inches they have to reassess the above ground service. Metro advises bus service may be disrupted tomorrow. You can get realtime updates sent to your cell phone. Go to our newsroom. Go to wjla. Com text. A great resource for this. Alison we dont need to have a lot of snow here to actually feel the effects of the storm. Michelle yeah. Up and down the east coast the flights are canceled. The traffic is expected to be treacherous if you are heading north. Abc7s transportation reporter Brianne Carter at Reagan National airport. The options are quickly becoming limited for getting in and out of town. Brianne the clock is ticking. The name of the game is trying to beat mother nature. We have seen the folks flying out tonight or tomorrow trying to get on a flight earlier today. So far, checking the departure board in the last ten minutes. Here at the Reagan National airport. No cancellation from any flight from now until 6 00. That is good news for the folks trying to get out ahead of the storm. If you are coming here to Reagan National airport, the security lines are piling up. They are lengthy at this hour. Earlier today we met a man trying to get to toronto. We knows how to deal with the snow. He is concerned what would happen with a lot of snow here and he could possibly be stuck. So he got on an earlier flight to get out of town. I know the weather can do to flights and people traveling. People get stuck here. I dont wanted to be one of them. Brianne people taking the rails and amtrak, there could be train disruptions throughout the day as well. Well have more at abc7 news at 5 00. Reporting live, Brianne Carter. Now a look on the roads, toss josh thanks a lot. We are working our way around town starting off in Northern Virginia to get an idea of the conditions as the system starts to move in. Show you where we are. Its not a bad spot as the storm getting ready. Occoquan, you can see along the river. But one of the things we are noticing the breeze picking up and the cloud cover really starting to move in. I want to show you a couple of things on the truck. What i have done is set up the weather bug to see what the conditions are in the area. I will take it full screen. 44 for the actual temperature. But you will notice here one of the magic numbers is the dew point. The moisture starting to go up in the area. That is a good sign we are getting the storm system in here closer. I want to come back out live. The temperature in the air is one thing. But i want to show you the road temperatures. This thermometer, i can point it at the road and get a reading. Still, right here on the black top after the sunny day, 62 to 63 degrees. So the snow that come first is likely going to melt. It will take a few hours for it to come down heavy enough and quickly enough to sea it stick. So keep that in mind as i send it back your way. Jonathan we are about to hear from the mayor about the battle plans for the city. Listen in. Mayor bowser they started to treat major and residential roads in the district. D. P. C. Suspended the street sweeping for tuesday. All scheduled bulk trash pickup appointments for tuesday have been canceled and will be rescheduled. I like to know the snow team is preparing for a full deployment. We will have 200 plows scheduled on the street. They will be at their post by 7 00 p. M. Tonight. We are asking residents and Business Owners in the district to spre or nonclumping kitty litter along the sidewalks to help pedestrians. We are asking you to check on your neighbors. Lastly, we would ask anybody that can help elderly resident or resident who needs assistance to do exactly that. We have a list of the d. C. Residents Snow Team Members who are willing to help out a nearby neighbor. Michelle you have been listening to mayor Muriel Bowser running down game plan for the approaching storm for the residents. Send it now to loughmiller county Loudoun County to see how they are preparing. Jeff . Jeff we are outside the giant on market street. One of the main Grocery Stores in leesburg. As josh knight described we have seen the cloud cover come in. The wind picked up. People are getting ready for the storm. You have lived in leesburg since 1984. Through . I think it. Will it looks like it. I think it will be a big one. Are you ready . How are you feeling about the oncoming storm . I think im ready. I will enjoy it. Ill look out the window and stay home. Jeff good plan. She has a plan. And governor mccauley declared a state emergency in virginia so the state agencies are on hand to help the local agencies. Well be in leesburg all night to watch for it and bring you the updates. Jonathan thank you. Stormwatch7s Team Coverage continues soon. Good morning washington will get bright and early. Well, not bright. Early. They will navigate the storm. It will be dark out. Weather and traffic every ten minutes that starts at 4 00 in the morning, which is earlier than normal. Coming up here at abc7 news at 4 00 a look back at the storm of the century. It is 24 years to the day after the blizzard of michelle plus, a former mayor pleads guilty after a meth bust. Many expected him to be released. We will explain why he is still behind bars tonight. Jonathan a special sendoff. The u. S. Special olympic team heading overseas. The ovation. We have it for you coming up. Alison remember as we brace for the winter whiplash here we want you to share your winter scenes. Take pictures and video and upload them at burst. Com wjla. Well be right back. Jonathan the man arrested after jumping the fence at the white house friday is in federal court. 26yearold Jonathan Tran hopped the fence, told secret service when he was confronted he was the friend of the president and had an appointment. He was carrying a backpack with mace. He is facing charges for entering restricted area and carrying a dangerous weapon. Alison former fairfax mayor Richard Silverthorne pleaded guilty to meth charges today. He was expected to be released but as Richard Reeve reports you could hear gasps in the courtroom when he unexpectedly was ordered to go to Richard Scott silverthorne flanked you by his authority was free since last summer on his own recognizance but no more. I was shocked. Richard a packed courtroom stunned when the judge ordered him held without bond moments after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine. I expected to have the sentencing may or june. I didnt get to say goodbye. Richard the case began last summer when the police got a tip that he was using a website to meet men and trade meth for sexual encounters. An undercover agent set up a profile on the site and police say he responded. This a few days, the suspect made contact with us. Richard authorities set up a sting operation at the tysons hotel. The mayor accused of giving an undercover officer 200 of meth. He pleaded guilty because thats what the evidence would have shown. Richard the defense attorney was surprised at remorseful. He loves fairfax city. It was his right. As a result of this, his ability to lead has been taken away. Richard at sentencing he faces up to 40 years in prison. His attorney citing the mayors three decades of Public Service and clean record hoping for time served or perhaps pro base. He went to rehab. He is trying to get his life together. And for Something Like this to happen is nonsense. Richard silverthorne faces sentencing june 9. In fairfax, Richard Reeve, abc7 news. Jonathan abc7 is on traffic watch. Julie wright is back. Julie, its the ride home before the storm so everybody is driving slower. Julie its the calm before the storm. Hopefully everyone took the initiative this afternoon to check the car for a full tank of gas. Tire pressure. That sort of thing. Wiper fluid. If you have to be out in the mess, it will be that. A mess. We encourage you to stay put in you can. The ride home tied up on 279, there is a crash at stewart lane. The beltway itself, we have delays in each direction. The inner loop coming from 270 out of bethesda into college park. 27minute ride. The outer loop slowing like a morning commute. 21minute drive to bethesda. Here we are coming across the American Legion bridge north and southbound. Slow go from 66 up north to 270. The same for those on the outer loop. From 270 headed back to 66, an 18minute commute there. Reminder, metrorail, a change from what we heard earlier. Trains will operate tomorrow but on a saturday schedule. Limited access to metro rail tomorrow. Keep that in mind. Metro bus Service Suspended through tuesday. Metro access suspended through tuesday as well. Keep that in mind. Metro bust the metrobus is what i meant to say. Ill be back in 20 minutes to help you prep the car for tomorrows ride. Back to you. Michelle we have a blast from the past. Winter blast from the p the east coast, dumping several inches of snow here but a lot more up north. This prove to be historic and a crippling blizzard in new england. The storm forming now could rival that for some of the same regions hit in 1993. When you put they way, it makes you feel like run for the hills. Get the milk and the bread and all those things. Alison you know you remember that well. Doug definitely. I had six hours of sleep in two days. It was fun. I was a lot younger. What happened with that is interesting. This is a parallel to this in a way. The eastern part of anne arundel, Calvert County got for little snow. The district got a lot more. New england got bombed out by it. This may be similar, too. Not the same storm but similar characteristics. Lets get you started. Steve rudin standing by in the weather center. We will g minutes as we give you the complete story. Hi, steve. Steve hi. Doug well back in a minute. Ill tell you about the storm and the temperatures now. 46 in washington. You saw josh knight take a look at the surface temperatures of the roadways. Over 60 degrees in spots. So here is what will happen. The precipitation starts because of what the temperatures are like a couple thousand feet off the ground, it will start as rain. The ground temperatures and the air temperatures, it will take a while for this to change over and start falling to have an impact. So it will be messy and wet for a while. It will mix and change to snow. The areas most likely to get the snow to matter are the areas in pink. District west and north. Weather advisory south and east of town. We talk about the rain snow line where its a huge cutoff. You might get a couple of inch or two of snow here and then you get three or four inches, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve this is how the future cast shows it. The storm develops tomorrow morning deeply off the eastern part of north carolina. It will pull in ocean moisture, rain, sleet. Snow to the north and west. Colder winds change it back to snow before it tapers off. Big story is the winds and the snowshowers. Strong winds. Thats where steve rudin picks up the weather story. Steve its going to start to pick up as we move through the overnight hours to early tomorrow morning. Winds out of the northeast at midnight tonight. Wind gusts 8 to 15 miles per hour. Look what happens as we move in the Morning Hours tomorrow. Around 7 00, we will see wind gusts here around 25 miles per hour. Closer to the coast. Ocean city, wind gusts closer to 50 miles per hour. Then the winds begin to ease as we look at the storm. Beginning to move out of here. We are not the only ones to deal with the nasty storm. Winter storm warning for the d. C. Area, district and points north and west. Head to philadelphia. The blizzard warnings to the north. Ne tomorrow. Then due to a mixture of sleet, mixing in with the snow. Boston has a winter storm warning. But just off to the west, they have the blizzard warning. Its a mess up and down the east coast come tomorrow morning. How much snow we see around here . We will head to doug. Doug we look to tomorrow morning. We see warm temperatures above freezing. A lot of rain and mix with the snow farther north and west. That is the steadiest, heaviest snowfall in the area until it comes to an end as the snowshowers and the rain showers late in the day. This will give us an idea. Its not absolutely for sure what will happen. A good trend. Looking to midnight we have less than an inch in the metro area. Piling up in the colder areas. By 6 00 a. M. , over an inch we think is possible in the metro area. Much more with every ten miles north you go. As you get through the day, it gets a wallop by noon. Ten inches in frederick and ha three or more in the middle of the city. So all of this again is subject to this rain snow line. Stronger the push of warm air, the more rain and sleet will mix in. That will knock down the accumulations. Could this all be wrong and we get more . Yes, that is possible. Could we mind up get could we wind up getting less . Yes, that is possible. But this is what we are holding with until the storm develops and starts to move. We will get new guidance and figure out something more accurate. But this will be a heck of a met in the morning. Gusty winds, a little melting but the story is it will be bitterly cold tomorrow night. Anything wet on the ground will freeze. Steve and i will back in a little bit to update you on the winter storm. Alison well see you soon. Reminder here, kids and parents, be the first to know if school is closed tomorrow. Check the ticker or sign up for text alerts at wjla. Com text. Of course, just pick your School System right there. Jonathan still ahead for us, look bikes being blown away. How strong that wind was that literally halted a race that had bikers holding on for dear life. That is coming up. Michelle but first, a big celebration. The s