a breakdown from charlestown in toward purcellville there in western loudoun county. so, we'll see more rain no doubt for the rest of the afternoon. temperatures also tell the story. 70 at tappahannock and salisbury. down to 55 with 50 in the shenandoah valley. 34 in oakland at garrett county. they're shooting for next weekend, skiers. sorry about that. light rain, 55 with a north- northeast wind at 57. the rain opt bigger picture, look at this season, spinning area with snow underneath it in nashville. rain from atlanta all the way up toward boston and parts of maine. northern maine is going to get pounded with potentially a foot of snow from this particular system. for us, the rain will be with us this afternoon and evening. by 9:45, here is the snow line. might even be a little bit further east than that. snow in the mountains. this thing will race out of here, main take three, four hours for the precip to shut down overnight. it will be gone but before it does leave, it will leave just a little dusting of snow perhaps north and west of town as you get into eastern

the dispute over christmas displays in loudoun county is becoming as common as those annual trips to the mall to see santa. at the center of the controversy this year, this crucified santa skeleton. this morning loudoun county officials will decide whether to ban all christmas displays on the county courthouse lawn after that skeleton nailed to the cross was torn down. a mom and a son put up the display, which was one of nine approved this year. an enraged woman tore it down, saying she was offended. that pile of bones has gotten a big response from both sides. >> i think it's extremely, extremely sad that someone in this country would try to debase christmas like this. >> the message to me is that the meaning of christmas, which is about faith and family, is dead and has been replaced by commercialism. >> reporter: the debate about christmas versus free speech continued at a heated public hearing. it's an argument we've seen before. in 2009, christmas displays on the courthouse lawn were banned after the constitutionality of a nativity scene. this one was questioned. last year that

plus, a shocking sight for homeowners in loudoun county. neighbors look out to see zebras running through the streets. first, a warning before you head to the mall. fairfax county police hosted an online chat about how to keep from being a victim while shopping. jane watrel reports about how your favorite gadget could make you a target. >> reporter: they are reminders of appointments and texts. security experts say cell phones can be major distractions, making shoppers vulnerable to bad guys, stealing the joy from the holiday. >> so many times people are talking on their cell phones and become unaware someone is behind them. it's one distraction to be aware of. >> a distracted shopper sat down some purchases only to have a thief walk off with the gifts. a concern for many as they use handheld devices to entertain. >> i'm focused on my ipad. probably wouldn't have noticed it. >> reporter: others banish their phones to their purses. a good plan say experts. >> what happens is most people set down all the bags they have, they set them down to

it happened outside the loudoun county courthouse and tonight, our peggy fox went back to leesburg to find out what is next for all of those holiday displays. >> this defends me very deeply. >> four members wanted to suspend the rules that allow public holiday displays like this. a skeleton santa on a cross. this grandmother found so offensive she took it down. >> it was predictable. it was easy to see coming. the ku klux klan put up crosses under this freedom of speech and we might get to that point. >> supervisor wanted this and all the displays banned and have only a christmas tree on the lawn, but he was out voted. >> this isn't keeping in the tradition by surprise attacks by antireligious forces hunkered in the leesburg courthouse. >> the 18-year-old who put up the skeleton, we're told by a friend is a christian and was making a commentary on the state of christmas being sacrificed to commercialization. only this lady and many others didn't see it that way. >> it's horrendous. >> it seems like it's here in leesburg that these things happen. they had the same problems. >> this is

it is the loudoun county courthouse. what people there have to say about a policy that allows all kinds of displays on the courthouse lawn. >>> the person that could spend some time in the white house is preparing to endorse mitt romney. learn who it is [ dog ] i am a rockstar. my coat? solid gold. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] neatiams naturals. you'll like what's in them and love what's not. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. [ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies! >>> 4:41 on this tuesday morning. a lot of the weather to talk about. it will be on settled today through today and tomorrow night we will stabilize a bit, but we could have a little bit of snow on the ground. let's talk about the rain. it is fairly mild. temperature in the 50's. 61

and fairfax now joins loudoun county, the airport authority, and the u.s. department of transportation to help pay for this project. phase two will run to dulles airport. it's expected to be done by 2017. >> big changes, rain, maybe some snow tomorrow. >> yeah, here's the deal. new information come in in the last hour. it is going to move out faster. i think the storm will be gone by 3:00 a.m. thursday morning, no problem. just cold. bad news is if you're going to the mountains, significant snow there. and in terms of temperatures. let's start with the satellite picture. this is twill a three pronged storm. one storm is north of us up and pennsylvania and another storm in the tennessee valley. another storm behind that. as the waves move along this frontal boundary, that will create the heavy rain for tomorrow and again, as the cold air gets in here, it looks like the precipitation will be pulling out. that's in the immediate metro area. right now we have light activity north of town and some heavier activity south of town. here's live doppler 9,000. southe

it includes howard, montgomery, loudoun county, northern fauquier, and points west. some of the high spots in the ridges of western maryland could get six inches of snow. sunrise 7:13. we have a mild morning. it will gradually get colder during the afternoon with more rain and maybe some flooding later this afternoon. watch out for high water. sunset at 4:46. then by midevening, we'll see the rain change over from sleet to snow after that. maybe a four or five hour period. we'll be down in the low 30s by midnight. here the snowfall forecast totals we'll get from this storm. three to six inches, areas far to our west in that dark blue zone. lighter blue zone, northern suburbs, northern montgomery county, loudoun down to blue ridge, one to three inches. higher amounts up on the ridges. and washington just maybe a dusting in the nearby suburbs west and north of washington, including northwest washington, on grassy areas mainly. the road temperatures are all above freezing. then tomorrow cold and blustery winds. we'll have this cold, dry, but sunny weather continuing all

mary's county and in loudoun county and in lees burg. we will see the showers throughout the rest of the evening. this is a long stream of rain from boston all the way down to charlotte and north carolina. and then we are watching this area right in here. this is the next storm that will make its way our way. will the produce a lot of rain tomorrow. we are talking about 1 to 2 inches of rain. the temperatures will fall all day long tomorrow. we're talking about snow. back to the west, 2 to 5 inches of snow. petersburg and around the 81 corridor in front royal and leesburg 1 to 2 inches there. montgomery county and frederick county 1 to 2 inches. west of there it will be about a coating. most will be out of here by 2:00 in the morning. the temperatures get colder. 45 on thursday 46 on friday, 44 on saturday. on thursday, that's when we do the holiday lights. we will be in a backyard live. we want to come to your house too. send us an e-mail. >>> for the first time this holiday season, the capital christmas tree has been lit up. john boehn

the areas of light rain fro wash.m county into frederick and loudoun county. it's warm, though. temperatures are in the low 60's. college park 51. those of you in southern maryland, york at 60 degrees. you do not have any showers. so southern maryland, dry but warm. 60 degrees and lexington park. southwest is where the rain is coming from. it is not highly organized. we will see the rain move towards the northeast through our area throughout the day today. off and on light rain or spotty showers throughout the day today. in in association with the cold front that is slowly dipping into the washington area. mid 60's. the cooler air will settle in for tomorrow. that could change tomorrow's rain into snow by tomorrow evening. kids i would not get too excited. >>> adam, we head back to the crofton-bowie area, route 3 a little progress. southbound route 3 is open. they still have the northbound lanes closed. so a little better there right now. silver spring, a little more volume heading towards us on the screen. the outer loop from college park to silver spring. everything is open. n

parts of howard county, loudoun county, if not all of loudoun county and points to the west. winter storm warnings in effect to the west of the ridges here toward portions of garrett county. they could see three to six inches of snow here. temperatures 52 degrees. look at the winds gusting upwards of 20 miles per hour. those wipds are only going to increase as we move throughout the rest of the night. 37 in cumberland, maryland. 57 toward cambridge. the colder air is moving in here. 43 in winchester. i think you could see the rain/snow line in your area over the next couple hours. this is what we are talking about through 9:00. heavy rain throughout the d.c. area. notice to the west, winchester, front royal, along 81, that's where we expect to see the rain change to snow. snow near i-81. that snow will be heavy at times. a burst of heavy know for two hours there. as we move to the east, we move this to 11:00 around i-95. to the west, the rain will be changing to snow in the area. west of i-95, it could be a burst of heavy snow. one to two hours around gaithersburg, germantown

the loudoun county board of supervisors voted against the ban on the displays yesterday. it comes after one of the approved displays, a skeleton on a santa suit hanging on a cross, was torn down by a woman she found offensive. they must allow all displays in order to preserve the traditional religious displays. >>> a high school girl from montgomery county is recovering after she was stabbed in a school parking lot. police say she was stabbed several times at northwood high school in silver spring after she and five other girls got into a fight. the girls all attended a basketball game between northwood and kennedy high school. police are not saying what the victim's condition is, but they do expect her to survive. they also say they're still searching for the suspect. >>> a virginia tech is facing a federal fine over the mass shootings over a year ago. virginia tech was too slow to notify students, faculty, and staff about a gunman loose on the blacksburg campus. the shooting spree left 33 people dead. the board fined the school for failure to promptly advise of safety t

inches mainly on grassy areas, shenandoah valley, in the blue ridge, northern montgomery county and loudoun county. closer to washington, just a light dusting on grassy areas. that would be from 9:00 this evening to 2:00 tomorrow morning. sun returns. cold weather and breezy. tomorrow cold and dry with sunshine. friday, saturday, sunday, monday, and tuesday. danella, how's traffic? >> tough. a lot of accidents on the roadways. let's start with route 109 at i-270, having an accident there. if you're taking i-270, jammed from urbanna down towards clarksburg. it's slow. delays start again around father hurley. you're jammed as you approach father hurley. those delays continue all the way to the spur. > if you're traveling on 395, still have the accident. 395 at duke street on the right side of the roadway. fire department is on the scene. got to stick to the left. two of your left lanes will get

mid and upper 40s in loudoun county and points north. south and east around the bay through central virginia, it's around 60. the colder air is going to be arriving there too as the day progresses. breaks in the clouds now. sunrise at 7:20. we'll be hovering around 50 in the metro area until around noon time. colder west and north. 40s all around the region during the afternoon. overnight tonight, might get precipitation in the form of maybe a few flurries. perhaps just some sprinkles. that would be mid to late evening. near 40 by midnight. and freezing start to saturday. a cold weekend to follow. highs in the mid-40s saturday and sunday with a blustery wind. a bit milder on monday and into tuesday and wednesday. might get rain tuesday night into wednesday morning. danella, how's traffic? >>> big delays inner loop of the beltway. we have an accident blocking the right lane at route 7. you're jammed from i-66 as you're making this commute. chopper 4 is live over the inner loop right now. you can see your lanes are packed as you approach t

just south of washington and southeast as well as far northern west toward loudoun county and western maryland. those sprinkles will be moving into the metro area over the next hour. right now mid-40s in suburbs and rural areas. near 40 parts of the shenandoah valley and out of the mountains. near 50 southern maryland and near the bay. sunrise 7:23. a little light rain off and on through midday. temperatures in the 50s. near 60 midafternoon. the rain may become a little heavier by midafternoon and this evening. maybe a little thunder and lightning by mid to late evening. look at chances for more rain coming up later this week and into the holiday weekend in ten minutes. danella, how's traffic? >>> so far still very light in our area. that's great news. if you're traveling along i-95 in maryland as well as bw parkway in maryland, i'm not seeing any issues northbound and southbound. we'll take a live look right now at bw parkway and 32. traveling, again, north and south. not seeing anything in the roadway for you, and you're traveling at a really good travel speed, at speed actually bec

then loudoun and northern fauquier to the west. the pink, around the oakland area, back through portions of western maryland, that is a winter storm warning, three to six, maybe more as far as inches go. gusty winds. we are at 50 degrees. the temperatures have fallen. gusts upwards of 28 to 30 miles per hour. they could get up to 40 miles per hour this evening. we could see trees down as this cold air moves in. 50 year. winchester down to 39. 37 in cumberland. the cold air is racing on in here. 28-mile-an-hour wind gusts in washington. 24 in martinsburg. the wins are going to increase throughout evening tonight. through the night, heavy rain along i-95. here comes it rain/snow line along 81. some of it will be heavy snow. i think you'll see a burst of heavy snow for two to three hours to the west. by 11:00, it is just to the west of i-95. a burst of heavy snow to montgomery county. gaithersburg, damascus, western portions of howard county, frederick and loudoun county. one to two hours of heavy snow there, then the whole system mov

he is live from the loudoun county courthouse and first of all, i'll start with you. three years and counting you had disputes. your reaction to the days vote which keeps the whole thing going. >> i was hoping that the board would actually take up consideration just to allow a christmas tree. but unfortunately, they chose not to do that. and discovered that they had an opportunity three years ago to have all displays of the holiday season and not any public displays of the atheist kind. if the government had done something and they chose not do that. it's a shame. >> do you feel like that one viewer who said she is embarrassed and humiliated by the fact that you are a spectacle this time of year? >> i believe the atheist groups cross the line with a display which even though it is intent by the young man to deal with an issue of commercialism, clearly be outrage to very young children and our holiday and christmas parade this saturday. i would also like to say the town of leesburg and town council does not have any decision making in this manner. so the town should no

. >>> now and christmas controversy brewing and loudoun county. holiday displays have triggered controversy in a battle between christians and atheists. starting this weekend the displays returned to the courthouse and this year they are competing for even less space, and it is stirring new attention. >> it is beginning to look a lot like christmas in downtown leesburg. >> the very word christmas contains the word christ. >> outside of the loudoun county courthouse the holiday season includes everyone, including atheists. >> the christmas season. i think 80's should maybe select a day on the calendar they want for their holiday -- i think that atheists should maybe select is aa day on the calendar they want for their holiday. >> if you don't like it, don't go. >> this year, next to the christmas tree and a nativity scene, people will see a painting of santa a picture about the church of the flying spaghetti monster, and others. >> i am not mocking the people, but i have a great amount of disrespect for religion, all religions. >> the board of supe

that includes howard, montgomery loudoun rappahannock, madison county and faquier uqier. rain throughout the day and around 11:00 p.m., we see the changeover to wet snow. only last until 2:00 a.m., then the precipitation is out of here. temperatures drop all day long. it will get gusty tonight's. flooding is the bigger concern for the metro area. >>> yes, in. it certainly is huddling on the highway. hydroplaning can be an issue this morning. in virginia, i do not have any accident. metro rails starting off on that normal service today. that's 495 west after georgia avenue on university boulevard. they had a structure fire. this is 29 at university boulevard, which is open. university boulevard east at colesville road. >>> 5:04 now. we want to get started with the latest developments in the stabbing that sent a teenage girl to the hospital. it happened last night right outside northwood high school in silver spring. brianne carter brings us the details this morning. >> we understand that that teenage girl was stabbed outside of the school you see behind me. following a dis

until january 1. >>> some loudoun county president's argument about a holiday decorations. talking about a skeleton dressed in a santa claus suits hanging on a cross. it was placed on the courthouse lawn in leesburg. the a disorganization set up a display. >> people of all faiths or no faith at all should have equal access to this courthouse groundss. . >> i was shocked the county would allow that. >> loudoun county allows all kinds of displays during the holiday season. during a public hearing last night the people who put up the controversial display took it down. they say they have no intention of putting its backup. >>> penn state sex abuse scandal could become a courtroom showdown. abc news is reporting that pennsylvania prosecutors will call all eight accusers to testify at at jerry sandusky's grand jury hearing next week. on the weekend gave an interview to the new york times and once again denied that he molested anyone. sources tell abc news that the interview enraged his accusers, who are anxious to now share their story. >>> 7 is on your side. federal safety regu

starting tonight at 7:00 some of those counties include frederick, montgomery, and loudoun counties. of course, this storm is expected not only to impact our area but several states up and down the east coast, all the way north to new england. abc 7 news. >> thank you so much. >>> a local doctor charged with sexually assaulting some of his patients dodged jail time. the judge sentenced dr. nizar hussain late this morning to a suspended sentence. now angry victims are speaking out. our reporters outside the courthouse in manassas with the latest. >> that suspended sentence from a 12 months in prison. but because it is a suspended sentence if she -- if he shows the behavior and has no contact with victims he could end up serving time in jail. the victim burst into tears in the courtroom. they are not happy with the justice system. >> it did not serve us, and i am not happy. i am very angry. >> another took the stand during the hearing, telling the judge she trusted dr. nizar hussain and he prayed on her. she says she does not sleep and is said to her stomach. while she severed, he will

this morning loudoun county officials will decide whether to ban all christmas displays on the courthouse lawn after this skeleton wearing a santa suit on a cross was torn down. a mother and son put up the display to show that christmas spirit is dead, overcome by commercialism. an enraged woman tore it down. she was offended. and then a heated public hearing where residents debated christmas versus free speech. >> the display was provocative, but in the united states of america under our constitution, provocative is protected. >> i have one word to describe what i felt this morning when i passed the courthouse square in leesburg, and that word is obscene. >> the argument is reminiscent of 2009, when christmas displays on the courthouse lawn were banned after the constitutionality of this nativity scene was questioned. last year that decision was overturned, and ten displays were allowed on the lawn based on a first come, first served basis. now this morning county officials are meeting and expected to decide what to do with the decorations this year. as for the woman who put up that skel

skeleton santa on a cross was drawing disapproving looks as soon as he appeared on the lawn of the loudoun county courthouse. >> i think it's horrible. >> what they did about putting a skeleton wrapped in a santa suit on top of a cross. >> we'll have to change the way that we go about things because of an offensive display that could scare my children. >> mary was so offended, she decided to do something about it. >> what are you doing? >> i'm taking this down. >> why? >> it's offensive. >> what's offensive about it? >> tell me you're not offended by it. >> you don't think santa claus dressed as santa is offensive on a cross? >> carefully, she dismantelled skeleton santa, bone by bone, she layed him on the grass. a sheriff deputy came out, but said nothing to mary. he asked this news reporter to stop filming on court property following a judge's order. >> you'll have to go. >> all right. >> we stepped outside the grounds while mary walked away. >> for decades, only christian displays were seen on the lawn of the loudoun county courthouse. this is the third year they have allowed other disp

areas around frederick county, maryland, down to loudoun county, virginia, by early thursday morning. west of the blue ridge could be four to six inches of snow, and behind that system it's quiet again. behind that system, a stretch, a long stretch of not just sunshine, but can you see temperatures that will be in the low to mid-40s. overnight temperatures consistent in the mid-20s to dau low freezing. it took a while to get here and it has been mild for so long, and it is here now. >> thank you, veronica. that's it for today. we invite you to tune in for the news here at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 aaron, you're all set. great, thanks. mike, thanks for doing that discount double check. you saved us hundreds. what was that? the discount double check? it's when we comb through your policies and make sure that you're getting all the discounts you deserve. no, i get that part, but you guys are doing my move. the discount double check move? that's my touchdown dance. so you're a dancer? no, i'm a quarterback. oh, a quarterback. mrr. i'm a robot. mm, mm. ee, er, ee, er. get out of here. [ male announ

who gets the coat something western montgomery, western loudoun. farther enough, you might get an inch on that and then the two and three and to the light blue. we're thinking three to six in the highest spots above 1,000 feet and may get six, seven, eight inches of snow out of this and now in motion here. i am pausing the future cast. we think the changeover on interstate 81, about 9:00, getting closer to d.c. around 11:00 and watch the timer here. in the morning, it's gone and out of here. it's still snowing in the mountains and this is where you may have problems. for the rest of us, that is going to be smooth sailing and unfortunately, very windy and cold and we're concerned that in the severe thunderstorm watchiary to the south and east, winds can gust to 70 miles an hour later tonight. that would do some damage. so, get ready for the wind, get ready for the cold. i wouldn't sweat too much about the snow. everyone's excited about the no and this has been a big rain deal and the storm is energized, as you can see with the kind of storm coming i

virginia and the panhandle too. 1 to 2 inches around 81 in front royal, winchester, maybe portions of loudoun county. there it is. this is the christmas tree lighting down at the capital. a beautiful tree right now. the house speaker just lit that tree with a second grader from california, believe it or not. a beautiful night for that. a few showers out there. but the weather for this, guys, is a nice one. look at that tree. just a spectacular view. wow. it really is quite pretty out there right now. the heaviest rain is not here yet. and tomorrow, i do think one to two inches down to the south. i-95 corridor including washington just north and west. maybe a possible coating right down by the capital for the christmas tree but most of the area should not see much at all around the district and the beltway. much of that will melt. you will see flakes but that's about it. not a big snow event for most of us. it will continue to move out of the region. >>> for the forecast this evening you know you will see more rain. shower activity throughout the evening tonight. but the big storm comes tomorr

residents in loudoun county are outraged after something hung up a skeleton santa claus on the warehouse lawn. darcy spencer has the story. >> reporter: the skeleton dressed in a santa suit and nailed to a cross was set up on the warehouse lawn in lees burg. it is one of nine displays this season. >> it is just extremely sad that there is someone in this county who would try to basically debase christmas like this. this really crossed the line. >> reporter: the display was built by a mother and son from middleburg. they are associated with an atheist group. the skeleton was dismantled by a woman who found it offensive. >> the message to me at least is that the meaning of christmas, which is about faith and family is dead and has been replaced by commercialism. >> reporter: some residents came by to see the skull and bones only to find it on the ground. >> what do you think of santa on a cross at the warehouse? >> i'm torn. i believe in the freedom of speech. >> reporter: the woman and her son who built it took it away. >> reporter: at a board of supervisors meeting there were strong opin

if you know any of these folks, call the loudoun county sheriff's office. >>> it's just like october. almost september out here. you probably can't see this, but there are insects flying around. it's just not normal this time of the year. let's talk about the wakeup weather. grab your umbrella. going to be mild, 50s to start. 50s by 7:00 and 50s by 9:00. we will come back. let you know when the heavy rain is going to roll in and if that rain could end in snow on thursday. >>> also still ahead, a man who says the name of accused penn state pedophile jerry sandusky talks about his life since the sex scandal broke. the story of the wrong sandusky. that's coming up next. >>> these shocking ads. stay with us. >>> imagine waking up one day to find out you had the same name as the guy now accused of committing heinous crimes. >> heinous crimes that made national news. that's exactly what happened recently to a maryland sportscaster who's spending a lot of times these days trying to distance himself from his namesake. >> the long time sports director of television in baltimore has always been

or even most of loudoun county. changeover time hagerstown 9:00 goes to snow. but i think the duration will only last about three hours. in frederick it goes to snow about ten. the duration only about two hours. if it goes to snow in rockville, it will be around 11:00, the duration will be an hour and quite possibly less than that because the storm pulls out as the cold air gets here. no changeover south and east of town and east of 95. you can see the white, though. that's the snow moving eastward. but look at all of the moisture still down to the south. there is even a severe thunderstorm watch just kind of touching extreme southern part of the delmarva. very dynamic system here. 48 downtown now. 45 in gaithersburg. 45 in frederick. now we're in the 30s up towards hagerstown, martinsburg and winchester. you folks will have a couple of inches before all of a sudden it's said and done west of i81. evening commute still a mess. flood warnings until 8:00. rain to snow briefly north and west. the good news, if there is

loudoun county and fairfax. a bit farther to the south too between manassas to charlottesville. there are a few sprinkles as well as just west of fredericksburg. these are advancing toward the metro area. we may have a few sprinkles moving through here over the next hour or so. right now we're in the 40s through most of the region to 50 degrees. right now reagan national is at 50. here's your day planner. some light rain off and on this morning in the 50s and maybe near 60 during the afternoon. getting heavier by late afternoon and this evening. front coming through may trigger thunder and lightning that delayed even some of those showers that should all end by midnight tonight. a look at more rain on the way for the rest of the week and into the holiday weekend. that will be coming up in ten minutes. danella, how's traffic? >> good morning. >>> if you're traveling around the beltway, let's check live cameras together. this is route 1 if you're traveling around the inner loop of the beltway, i'm not seeing any issues at all. outer loop making its way towards montgomery county, i

northern montgomery county beginning to drop down into the mid-50s as is loudoun county south and east of us. it's around 60 degrees this morning. we've got a few breaks in the clouds. quite a bit of cloudiness south and east and farther to the west. there is a disturbance in the atmosphere over the lower mississippi valley. that's going to be drifting off to the east overnight tonight and bring us perhaps a few sprinkles or maybe even a few flurries, especially in the higher elevations. sunrise 7:20 this morning. we'll be down to near 50 degrees by midmorning and then hold steady to around noontime and down in the 40s by midafternoon. by midnight near 40 degrees. it will be this evening from midevening to perhaps around midnight, might get sprinkles and flurries. don't be surprised if we see that. nothing's going to stick. tomorrow cold in the morning, afternoon highs mid-40s, and a blustery wind. more of the same on sunday. and then monday a bit milder with sunshine as we get into tuesday evening, might get a shower. and then mild weather moves in midweek next week. danella, how's tr

. >>> a purse snatching team caught on tape and now loudoun county investigators are trying to find a man and possibly two others who they say are responsible. check out this surveillance video from a parking lot, dulles crossing plaza near sterling. a woman is loading items into her car when a small pickup truck drives up, bumps her shopping cart, the driver reaches out of the drive driver's side window, grabbed the woman's purse back on wednesday, november 30th. investigators have released surveillance photos of the possible suspect. anyone with information in the case is asked to call loudoun county sheriff's office. >>> the head of the federal aviation administration is on leave after being arrested for dui this weekend. fairfax county police say randy babbitt was driving on the wrong side of old lee highway when he was arrested. babbitt is due in court in february. >>> bp, british petroleum has filed court documents accusing halliburton of destroying evidence related to the oil spill in the gulf of mexico. the filing claims halliburton officials destroyed evidence about possible

one to two toward frederick into loudoun county and northern fauquier. the high points here, the higher elevations about 1500 feet, where you can get two to three inches and more out in far western maryland and parts of west virginia. here's the forecast for the next three days. today, 50s but dropping. we've a's got the flood potential as well. friday, 47 and we're in pretty good shape through the weekend. a little blustery on saturday. highs near 40. monika? >> the wet road conditions are already affecting the roads especially on the knot side of town, outer loop. there is an accident on the outer loop right near georgia avenue. a car spun out there and multiple cell callers are telling us there are delays there. if you're planning to head in the four corners area on university boulevard eastbound at laraine before route 29, there is smoke billowing out of the safeway there. fire equipment is blocking eastbound university boulevard for the investigation. let's go over to the beltway live. here's what it looks like on the outer loop of georgia avenue. i

. >>> this morning loudoun county officials will decide whether to ban all christmas displays on the county courthouse lawn after one controversial display was torn down. a mother and son put up this display of a skeleton wearing a santa suit nailed to a cross as one of the nine approved displays this season, but the skeleton was quickly torn down by a woman who said she saw it as offensive. both the display and its vandalism have stirred strong emotions. >> i think it's extremely, extremely sad there's somebody in this county who would try to basically debase christmas like this. >> the message to me at least is that the meaning of christmas, which is about faith and family, is dead and has been replaced by commercialism. >> i'm torn. i also believe in freedom of speech. >> christmas displays on the courthouse lawn were banned back in 2009. that was overturned by the board of supervisors. displays are now allowed on a first come, first served basis. 4:39 is our time. >>> ahead on "news 4 today," solving a decades old mystery. why the fbi may finally be closing the book on the d.b. [

the winter weather advisories are posted and that including loudoun and montgomery county. you will have to get west in the counties to get a small accumulation. what a wet night, the wind is picking up, too, and i think i sense the temperature beginning to drop a bit. >> anddr you mentioned the nt temperatures at set degrees and in salisbury, the temperature is 69 degrees and to the west of rehoboth, the temperature is 70. you saw the numbers there on i- 81 already down into the lower 40s and let me show you the big picture yoof the storm. that does have a big footprint i and a lot of g rain coming up a when you're talking about 70 degrees g areas, there is a top of available moisture and that is what happened. that is why we're getting the e heavy to moderate rain and to r roanoke, another band of heavy rain and some thunderstorms un through central north carolina o and that has to come through later this evening. once that comes through, that is when this begins to shift into more of a winter storm for us and this is sentinel radar here. still some very, very moderate to

main a trace to an inch here in lower montgomery, western fairfax, eastern loudoun. but then you get to an inch or more from extreme northern montgomery through frederick, one to possibly two in the park and also out west two to as much as four inches. it will be a quick hitter. that's why we don't have the time to get more snow than that. severe weather alert day today with the rains, dropping temperatures. tomorrow, mid-40s. blustery, upper 40s friday. a chilly, windy saturday. only 39 by sunday, we're back in the mid-40s. monika? >> howard, we haven't had a morning like this in a long time. trafficwise. i mean incident, accidents all over town. we'll start with a live look at 270 at falls road. a car spun out here and for awhile, traffic was stopped to move the cars out of the roadway. you can see police are still on the scene. look at the delay trying to get down to falls road on 270. we'll take a look at the outer loop after georgia avenue. accident cleanup for an hour now caused this delay on the outer loop past georgia avenue. it looks like the lanes have been

the loudoun county board of supervisors voted against the ban yesterday. one of the approved displays, a skeleton in a santa claus suit hanging on a cross was torn down by a woman who says she found it offensive of the board members reasoned they must allow all displays in order to preserve the traditional religious displays. >>> former prince george's county executive jack johnson has one month to report to prison for orchestrating what prosecutors call one of the most notorious corruption cases in maryland history. a judge sentenced johnson to more than seven years in prison. prosecutors reduced their original recommendation from the maximum 14 years because they say johnson has cooperated with the investigation. we saw him use a cane for the first time. his lawyers say that the former prince george's county executive was recently diagnosed with mar kin sons disease. johnson pled guilty in may for accepting bribes up to $1 million. he apologized in court, saying his actions have haunted him and ruined his reputations. those in the county called johnson's

main two in western loudoun. some of the higher elevations in the park, we get above 1500 feet, we could have two inches or more there. this will be a quick hitter. it goes into effect tonight. the high temperatures continue to fall. watch out for flooded roads. we've had spinouts on the highways making it worse. here's monika samtani with an update. >> police and crews have had to work, caught up with them this morning because as howard said, we've had spinouts, cars bumping into jersey walls all over town. we'll first take you live over to the northbound side of 95 in springfield. this is what it looks like from at least newington trying to get up the line on to 395 toward duke street which is where we'll go right now. long-standing accident finally in the clearing stages on the northbound side of 95. here's what it looks like in land marc. everything has been moved to the shoulder. the arrow board is still set up giving you the warning to stay to the left to get around the activity. let's take you over back to

loudoun and howard county are in it, too but the possibility of a small amount of snow, we don't think it's going to be enough to cause huge problems. nevertheless those temperatures are going to be a big deal. gary is standing by to talk about the radar and the flooded roads which is a big part of this story and so dangerous at night. >> reporter: absolutely. we still have a flood warning in effect for the majority of the area. we'll get to that in a second, but this is going to be more wet now than white. it looks like very little snow. we'll get a little mixture, but in terms of even getting coverage out there, there's going to be minimal amounts of snow accumulating. let's go over to vipir and see the big picture here. the heaviest of the rain finally moving out a little bit. the snow mainly confined to western maryland, northwestern sections of maryland now and up into pennsylvania. we bring you a little closer to home now with our max hd radar. this gives you an idea from annapolis to severna park and out towards the bay, that's the heaviest of the rain and it continues to move o

there's a report of an accident in loudoun county that closes road 15 south of locusucketts. a quick look at springfield getting a little heavy from newington to springfield. back to you. >> thank you. >>> 6:21 52 degrees. >> it looked back at the life and legacy of an opera. >> we are going shopping and we will save you thousands. tips that will save your pantry and how to get a thousand dollars in groceries for $73. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] itit easy to see what subaru owners care about. ♪ ♪ that's why we created the share the love event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five ch fities. ♪ ♪ with your help, we can reach 20 million dollars by the end of this our fourth year. [ female announcer ] get 0 percent apr financing on select models for thirty-six months and we'll donate two-hundred and fifty dollars to to your choice of fiee charities. now through january 3rd. >>> he was known for his sharp wit and critical views of politics and religion. >> author and journalist christopher hitchens died in houston last night after a l

. >>> gets ready to see more decorations outside the loudoun county courthouse. this skeleton and a santa claus costume was ripped down yesterday. it can go back up and it will not be alone. we are live in leesburg with the latest. >> for now, that christmas tree in the background is the only holiday display that is on the front line of the courthouse. if the county supervisor had its way, it would stay that way. he said fisher, the atheist have crossed the line. -- he said this year, the atheists have crossed the line. >> i am not missing it at all. i think it was horrible. i am glad it is gone. >> there will be more displays. leesburg is decked out in preparation for saturday's big holiday parade. an eternity scene will be setup on the courthouse lawn by then, as will a number displayed by atheist. -- as will a number displayed by atheists. county supervisors pushed the bill to ban all displaced entirely for the rest of the season. >> our children will be going to shop with their parents. they have a right to be on the street without been accosted by nightmaris

there are major traffic delays in loudoun county because of this. route 50 remains closed between watson road and gum spring road because of this crash between a car and concrete truck. the driver of the car was stuck under the truck. he was rescued 45 minutes ago. they were taken to local hospitals. what caused it is being investigated. >>> turning now, the workweek got off to a chilly start. the question is, will the chill stay here? >> it was like a freeze doug kammerer. >> we officially went down to 29 degrees this weekend. we have been on a cold note out there. high temperature only in the low 40s for many of us. right now, many of you are in the 30s. 43 degrees outside right now at the airport. the winds are calm. it's definitely a cool evening out there. 36 right now in frederick. 39 in gaithersburg. 37 in winchester. culpeper coming in around 39 degrees. a very cold evening. it's going to lead to a cold night. many locations end up in the low 20s. storm 4 doppler radar all dry. we are going to stay that way during the night and over the next

northern fauquier, loudoun county, clark and frederick county and eastern portions of west virginia. also toward maryland around columbia and howard county reporting snow during the day. that is about it. take a look at the radar pictures. it looks pretty. a lot of people asking where's the snow been? it's been bottled up to the north. the storm 4 doppler radar shows everything is clear. there's snow activity toward the border and to the west. seeing pretty good snow there. that may try to move to the east. i'm not expecting much for the rest of the evening. the last couple hours showing precipitation through the region. 43 degrees under cloudy skies. winds out of the southwest at 7 miles per hour. it's bringing our windchill down to 39 degrees. we are going to see a system pass tonight. it's not going to do a lot except warm us up for tomorrow. to the south, the warm spot 47 in charlottesville, 46 in frederick. what can you expect this evening? 38 degrees by 11:00. a chilly night. not as cold as it was last nilgt. partly to mostly clear skies. there are going to be a lot of changes

the loudoun county board held a meeting last night on the dispute. the board chairman told 9news what's going on now is getting out of hand and it is just absurd. >>> party politics heading to court in virginia. democrats in the state senate are suing republicans over control of the senate. after last month's election, there are 20 republicans and 20 democrats. bill bolling, a republican, gets the tie-breaking vote. democrats say he doesn't get a vote on the organization of the senate meaning committee appointments should be split evenly. g.o.p. says the democrats are just sore losers. >> 6:37. jessica doyle is here with another "your money" report. >> she's talking about a big scam. >> a new scam is making the rounds. this one is targeting seniors and here's what you need to know to keep your family safe. the better business bureau says that someone pretending to be a grandchild calls a senior asking for money because he or she is having an emergency. in the latest twist in the scam, the caller not only knows the name of the person he or she is pret

a possible pipe bomb was found in loudoun county, virginia. it's causing evacuations in sterling tonight. people living in homes in manning square near church road and magnolia were told to leave the area. the device will be taken away and destroyed. more people are hitting the roads this holiday season as fewer people fly. this was the scene around 4:00 this afternoon on i-95 in virginia. traffic backed up from richmond all the way to springfield. derrick ward checked out the travel on the ground and through the air. he's at reagan national airport. hey, derrick? >> how are you? if you are traveling more than 50 miles you are going to have company and lots of it. it's the mode on the move literally and in terms of growth. business for bus lines have seen a 32% increase in the last year. low prices are obviously part of it. 20 bucks to the big apple is hard to beat. there are more ways to pass the time. >> lots of youtube. my iphone. my friend, girl talk. >> reporter: the train is holding its own after years of predictions and the demise of th

the rest of the afternoon and this evening and a winter advisory far to the west, howard, montgomery, loudoun, points west and north, and there could be accumulating snow tonight, and we will look at big changes on the way for the end of the week and into the weekend in just a few minutes. barbara? >> thank you, tom. >>> new hot lanes may ease the commute on i-95 in northern virginia. the governor announced the state has reached a $1 billion deal with a private contractor to improve one of the region's most congested corridors. the hov lanes would extend south to garrisonville road in staffford county, or the existing ones would, and the private company would foot 90% of the bill and in return collect the tolls. construction could start next year. >>> now let's look at traffic. danella? >> not looking good. let's talk about flooding. route 450 to fence highway, this is between church road and huntwood drive, lanes blocked in all directions. and military road at beach drive have reports of a sinkhole in that area and also reports of flooding especially around rock creek park. please use cautio

i saw some in montgomery village, loudoun county seeing some of the snow. most of that is now out of here. look at the radar behind me to see where the snow is now. it's snowing in portions of pennsylvania, over the pennsylvania border, maryland-pennsylvania border and wilmington and to the west around frostburg seeing flakes there, too. that's about it. maybe a few flurries this evening. most of us stay on the dry side of things. there's a system making its way through the area. it's not going to change the weather that much. 42 degrees is the temperature out there now. windchill of 38. a little bit on the chilly side. not too bad for the end of december. 34 in gaithersburg. down to the south, a little bit warmer. 45 degrees near fredericksburg. seeing clearing out as far as the clouds are concerned. partly cloudy to clear sides. low temperature down to 35. not as cool as it was last night. then we're going to see more changes. tomorrow, looking very, very nice as we head into the new year. a major change. it's about time. >> all right. that sounded threat

temps in the low 40s in northern loudoun county. mid to upper 40s. also in fairfax county. 50 in andrews. baden is 52. 45 for laurel. here in d.c., we sit right at 49 with cloudy skies and calm winds and the barometer continuing to drop. slowly at 30.01. plenty of cold out west. in the south, look at the warm temperatures. 50s and 60s. we've got the rain coming up from the south along with the mild weather. that's our weather today. tomorrow, we get a break early but more rain will be moving in by tomorrow night. then cooling down some over the weekend. today, 61. way above average with periods of rain. especially midmorning through mid afternoon. tomorrow, we start with a little sun. we finish clouds and some rain returns late tomorrow, tomorrow night out of here early friday. saturday looks ok for the 'skins game. 46. showers likely on christmas day. might be a couple of wet flakes mixed in. 50 again on monday. let's go to monika here to update you on your morning commute. >> we'll take a live look from sky 9, the northbound side of i-95 after rout