a lot 5:59 you are waking up to a super soaker as you can see on radar, heavy rain is drenching the entire area. how much rain you'll see and when it will stop. breaking news, a house breaks, explodes in the middle of the night. we're on the scene with investigators as they try to figure out what caused the explosion which was felt blocks away. >> the white house is changing its story about what happened during the raid which killed osama bin laden. this morning what really happened when navy s.e.a.l.s stormed bin laden's compound. good morning and welcome to news 4 today. i'm eun yang. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. thanks for joining us on this very busy and rainy wednesday morning. take a live look outside this morning. you can see it there in the air. rain, drizzle, clouds and chillier temperatures from yesterday. here's tom. >> crazy roller coaster spring continues, tom. >> the thermometer has whiplash. we went from the 80s yesterday afternoon. it plummeted all the way into the 40s west and north of

washington. and the moving colors waves of rain coming through. lightning detector showing thunder and lightning northern neck of virginia crossing the potomac, southern maryland. it's exiting heading across the bay to cambridge and easton. that's the area of heaviest rain. the rain is light to moderate where you see the patches of darker green. it's coming down harder. waves of rain from time to time throughout the day today. we will have them with us all the way to early afternoon. so far rainfall totals under half an inch generally. andrews air force base a little over half an inch. maybe an additional quarter inch on top of what's already fallen. 48 at reagan national. the temperatures have just continued to drop. mid-40s farther west and north. sunrise is just a few minutes away. but we won't see it. we'll have cloud cover with occasional showers, early afternoon. blustery northwest wind.

six midafternoon as we begin to dry out. much cooler tonight. a look at that coming up in 10 minutes. how is traffic now, jerry. >> beltway, virginia police are still on the scene of this accident. i was optimistic earlier they were going to move on. apparently not quite yet. outer loop near 50 along the far right side of the roadway. does appear traffic is moving along well. everybody slowing down, but that's a good thing. should find lanes open after the accident scene turning down toward anandale. outer loop for the american legion bridge, rockville pike, doing okay. a couple vehicles stopped on the shoulder of the exit ramp. not doing much at all. for those of you planning on traveling out of fredericksburg, i-95, just a little bit of volume up to the harbor. there the accident is out of the roadway. out on the rails this morning, good news all the way around for metro and vre riders. one minor delay on marc, penn 505. eun. >> thank, jerry.

6:02. breaking news out of montgomery county. a home is leveled after an early morning explosion. it happened on the 11,000 block of ashley drive in garrett park of rockville. that's where news 4's tracee wilkins is live on the phone with the latest. tracee, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eun. let me show you the pictures of what's left of this house after the explosion. investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what caused it. they have all the utilities here at the scene. they have shut down all the utilities on the scene. but of course they are leaning towards washington gas trying to figure out if this was caused by a gas explosion. inside the home this happened at 3:00 a.m. we're told by witnesses there was a man and woman inside the house who had just moved into the home. one witness say i believe so they were thrown from the house in the midst of this explosion. people who live around this house say the explosion was loud and it sounded like thunder to some people. but then other folks knew

definitely louder than thunder, ran out to find out what happened. one neighbor who actually tried to help them assist the couple until fire was able to get out on to the scene and transport them to the hospital. they're suffering severe burns. fire officials tell us they do believe they're going to survive their injuries. they are not listed in critical condition. taking a look you can see just how much debris from this house when it happened. it's making it a very dangerous place to be because some of that debris landed in trees. scott graham, assistant chief of montgomery county fire talking about that. >> there's a significant amount of debris not only on the property itself but in trees across the street. the debris has flown approximately 50 yards from the home in any direction. there was minor to moderate damage done to the two adjacent homes. >> reporter: what they're waiting for right now is daylight. when they get some daylight

they'll be able to take a closer look at what's left and go through basically a pile of wood and debris left there, what used to be a home, and see if they can figure out what caused all of this. back to you all in the studio. >> tracee, thanks so much for that update. your commute shouldn't be any worse this morning than normal if you take wisconsin avenue through bethesda. that road was closed last night because of an underground fire. about 1,000 people were without power during the fire. wisconsin reopened just before midnight and the lights are back on in homes without electricity >> learning new details about the operation that killed osama bin laden. the white house says he was not armed when he was confronted by a group of navy s.e.a.l.s at his compound in pakistan. officials say he resisted arrest and was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest. it's unclear whether any

pictures will ever be released. white house officials say worried any pictures could be inflammatory. meanwhile, intelligence officials are sorting through the hard drives and documents seized from the compound. those items have reportedly been sent to a secret location in afghanistan. while this recent operation may have killed al qaeda's leader, it has not destroyed al qaeda's mission. the head of the cia says the fight against the terrorist organization is just beginning. tracie potts joins us live from capitol hill with more on that. good morning, tracie. >> reporter: joe, good morning. good morning, everyone. cia director leon pan net ta briefed lawmakers about some of the top secret details of this mission. how those navy s.e.a.l.s were able to capture and kill the world's number one terrorist. >> you know, this was highly classified briefing. >> reporter: lawmakers who heard how they tracked down and killed osama bin laden called it riveting. >> walked through point by point. the bravery involved, the

planning, the decisiveness of the president. >> reporter: the white house is correcting some details saying bin laden resisted but was unarmed. top officials are debating whether to release photos of his death. >> this is an issue that we are taking into consideration is that it could be inflammatory. >> insighting the taliban and other islamic groups who already vowed revenge. >> continue to worry about a lone wolf, a individual radicalized and begins to mobilize. >> reporter: analysts insist the world needs proof that bin laden was killed. >> i've seen the photographs. we've analyzed them. there's no question that it's bin laden. >> reporter: meanwhile, pressure is mounting on pakistan to explain how bin laden hid for years virtually in plain sight within their borders. it's a delicate balance the white house calls pakistan a key partner in the fight against al qaeda. >> i think one clear message has gone out to the world.

there's no place to hide. >> reporter: now we'll probably hear a lot more about this today. homeland security committee is holding a hearing on terror threats on our mass transit system. joe? >> tracie potts reporting live. thanks very much. mr. obama invited former president george w. bush to attend tomorrow's service. he was in office when the attacks occurred. former president bush's spokesman said while he appreciates the offer he has chose tone remain out of the spotlight during his post-presidency. 6:08, 51 degrees. coming up, raging waters wreaking havoc in a number of states in the northwest. a 93-year-old being rescued moments before being swept away. >> gut check time for the caps.

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good morning. weather and traffic on the ones at 6 khrp 11. waves of rain moving across the region. thunder and lightning as well

now moving across the eastern shore out of the bay region. and it's much cooler this morning. it has dipped into the 40s throughout much of the region. 48 at reagan national. and a gray sky with light rain in washington right now. by 9:00, we should be back into the 50s. by noon time, upper 50s with still a few occasional showers and a blustery northwest wind. and high near 60 by midafternoon. here's your night planner. big changes on the way tonight. blustery wind will dry out by dawn. clear starting off thursday morning in the low 40s. we'll take a look at the rest of the week and weekend at 6 khrp 21. how is traffic, jerry. >> kennel worth avenue, new york avenue, pretty manageable even with the wet roads. haven't had any accidents reported in. rhode island avenue is doing okay. so good news there. see if that good news continues on. and for the most part, yes. inner loop of the beltway and outer loop between i-95 and 355 doing okay. trip out to the west, dulles airport, route 28, so far so good. again, the roads are slick so be

very, very cautious. check your trains if you are headed out to catch one. metro, vre, no delays. marc penn 505 delayed under 10 minutes >> 6:12, 50 degrees. the new rules which will make it difficult for parents to get credit cards. and prince kharlgs comes to washingt parts of the

midwest are under water after days of torrential downpours led to major flooding. the mississippi river has swallowed some neighborhoods in memphis and threatening to inundate more homes with floodwaters. several pages roads in arkansas are also under water this morning. and the flooding is devastating the state of mississippi, which was already hit by last week's deadly tornados.

>> historic based upon the prediction of the national weather service. >> in illinois, the army corps of engineers actually blew up a levee that flooded 130,000 acres of land in hopes of saving one community from flooding. 100 homes were destroyed in that army corps of engineer, when they blew up that levee to try to save the town of kay row, illinois. and new video shows why two missouri national guardsmen are being called heroes. they save an elderly woman from powerful floodwaters. the 93-year-old woman's car became trapped on a highway covered with water rushing from a swollen river. they used a tow rope to bring that woman to safety. >> prince charles is scheduled to meet with president obama today on the second day of his

three-day trip to washington. the prince arrived in the u.s. yesterday, just four days after prince william got married. he planted a tree at common good city farm on capitol hill. it's a small farm that grows produce for low-income residents. >> he's a pro poepb epblt of sustainable agriculture. and i think more people will have awareness about eating right and growing food in a sustainable way so we have our resources indefinitely to continue to grow food on it. and i believe that the word will get out a lot quicker now that he's come to the farm. >> before meeting with the president charles is slated for a speech at georgetown university on the future of food. the government is investing in the hybrid electric cars way of escalating escalating gas prices. they have two chevrolet volts in its fleet. it can get 40 miles a fuel charge at a cost of pennies per

day. george hawkins drives one of the cars. and tommy wells praise the new vehicles because he said they are environmentally friendly. and checking gasoline prices this morning. aaa reports the average price of regular in the district is $4.18 per gallon. maryland is at $3.97. virginia, #$.87. look at this, west virginia is at $4.11 per gallon of regular gas. new credit card rules could keep stay at home parents from getting a credit card. this is all meant to keep credit out of the hands of those who cannot afford it. but the new rule will make it

virtually impossible for a stay at home dad like brian bradshaw from getting his new card. >> everything is families. so the idea that i couldn't use my wife's salary for proof of income or my wife couldn't use my salary for proof of income i find it kind of strange. >> military spouses, whose partners who are serving overseas, will have the same problem. they could be an authorized user on a joint account or use a secured card preloaded with cash. this rule goes into effect the 1st of october. caps had the lead 3-2 heading into the third period after alex ovechkin got a rebound and topped off a power play finally. but the lightning came back and struck twice, ouch, within just 24 seconds, taking the lead and sealing the win. now with their season really on the do or die line, the caps are plenty frustrated. >> they're uncanny when they want to get a goal.

it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. they just dial it up. you can see it's like flipping a switch. when they're down it's just like, ah, they know they're going to score or something. i don't know what it is. it leaves you flabbergasted. >> that's a good word, flabbergasted. only other three teams in nhl history have come back from three games down. you can watch game 4 from tampa on comcast experts net. the puck drops at 7:00 tonight. yep, this could be the end of what otherwise was a wonderful season. >> i believe in miracles. and i think we can win four straight, optimist that i am. >> let's a all hope and pray. >> this just in to our newsroom. five arundel county schools are closed because of a power outage. chesapeake high school, chesapeake bay middle school, followinger mckeupb seu

elementary, books in elementary and lake shore el amounter. a wet morning commute. so prepare. have our umbrella handy. waves of rain coming through the last hour and thunder and lightning. that's moving north and east. behind that system we have just some light rain now passing across virginia into maryland. and we have much cooler temperatures. we're only in the 40s now prince george's, arlington, fairfax, the district, points west and north. south and east near 50. still six on the lower eastern shore. there's the gray sky over washington now. we'll have our temperatures climb back into the 50s by mid morning and only reach 60 by midafternoon. by then the rain will have ended. gusting to around 25 miles per hour. overnight tonight we will career out and get much cooler. low 40 to 40s tomorrow. sunny on thursday. blustery northwest wind.

upper six. 70 friday. sunny saturday, into the low 70s. mother's day, might get a passing shower. monday, tuesday next week a small chance of a shower both days. >> tom, 395 we are loading up quickly now. as you head north out of landmark en route to the 14th street bridge, just volume. no incidents. southbound 395 looks good. no concerns in the h.o.v.s. maryland on the beltway near route 50, john hanson highway. so far between college park, landover, everything moving along pretty well considering the weather. see how you're doing including one up at the harbor. everything has been cleared. so no concerns as far as traffic delays there. out on the rails, metro, vre, okay. marc penn 511 slightly delayed. jerry, thank you very much. >> 6:22, 52 degrees. new developments overnight in the case against lindsay lohan.

why she could now avoid jail time >> also ahead, the unusual lawsuit against a strip club in the area. [ male announcer ] want a better way to track what you spend?

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a plea deal. the move comes after the charge was reduced to misdemeanor. the city attorney often handles those case. a source close to lohan says she wants to move on to a plea deal, quote, and would be consistent with that. a strip club in maryland faces a gender discrimination lawsuit. a woman named iraq qaa wigs is seeking an injunction. they charged her $20 to get in while her husband was only charged $10. it seeks $200,000 in damages. we're live with investigators as they try to figure out what caused this home to explode. and you are waking up and heading into a lot of rain and chilly temperatures. meteorologist tom kierein is going to let us know how long the storm will last.

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take a look at this video. a home is destroyed in some kind of explosion early this morning. we're on the scene with investigators as they try to figure out exactly what happened here >> new information this morning about the death of osama bin laden who now says he was captured first and then killed. and take a look at this.

radar filled with nothing but rain. coming in waves this morning. when this downpour will start to let up. will we see the sun today? that's the question. >> a live look outside right now. the white house under cloudy skies and rain this morning as we get started. good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang. it is nasty outside right now. it's been raining most of the morning. meteorologist tom kierein will tell us more about this rain and when will it end? >> expect a snarled commute. traffic as it builds through the morning, another wave of a larger area of rain is about to move in another 15 minutes or so. we have had thunder and lightning on the eastern shore but that's beginning to break down a bit. the other big story is how much cooler it is. in fact, it has dropped 30 to 35 degrees since yesterday afternoon. it's down into the 40s now throughout most of the region. reagan national is at 48. prince george's, upper 40s. and there's the soggy scene there at reagan national airport.

our temperatures will probably make it back into the low to mid-50s by mid morning. upper 50s by noon timement the high today only around 60 degrees by midafternoon. by then we'll be drying out. blustery northwest wind with us from time to time gusting to 25 miles per hour this morning. so you need an umbrella this morning and your light spring jacket throughout the rest of the day. it's going to be cool. and cold again tomorrow morning. a look at your night planner at 6:41. jerry, how's traffic? >> tom, start from the north along i-270 loading up very quickly out of frederick to germantown and filling in the gaps as you continue south en route to the capital beltway. right now no accidents reported. in from the west along interstate 66 from haymarket heading east to manassas on 66, travel lanes open all the way in. again, we're building volume. northeast washington, long-term construction project on kennel worth avenue as you make the trip on in. and over on benning road,

minnesota avenue, relatively quiet. be careful. the roads will get slick all over again. >> jerry, thank you. >> we are following breaking news out of montgomery county. two people are in the hospital and a home leveled after an early morning explosion. >> this all happened in the 11000 block of ashley drive in garrett park. that's where news 4's tracee wilkins is live on the phone with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. they're still investigating to try and figure out what caused this explosion. in the meantime, this is what they're doing here. they shut down all the utilities. they have washington gas here on the scene. they're going to lead this investigation along with fire investigators to see if this is possibly a gas explosion. but they are not prepared to say exactly that caused it at this point. now when this all happened we had a man and a whom who were inside the house at the time. and according to neighbors, when that explosion happened they were blown out of the house and

severely injured and burned. fire investigators are saying it does look like they're going to survive their injuries. they're now listed in critical condition. one described for us exactly what it looked like after he heard that explosion. and said it was possibly thunder. of course it was so loud. no, that's not the case. this house had been demolished by some kind of explosion. all that's left now is rubble and destruction. and the other thing about this explosion is that one fire official said at least 50 yards in each direction of the explosion. so it really is a good thing that no one else was injured after this explosion happened. no one else was walking around at the time. because they're still dealing with debris on some of the treetops around here. they're dealing with nails and debris on the ground. hear from one neighbor who is describing what he saw.

>> i looked out the front window and i couldn't believe it. the house was gone. everything was in flames. i'm -- i'm still just kind of in shock about this. i really don't understand what happened. >> reporter: now, we're told the couple who lived in that house just moved in a few days ago, literally a few days ago. so of course now that we're getting some daylight they can start moving into the next phase of this investigation. tracee wilkins live on the scene. back to you all in the studio. >> tracee, thank you. we have brand-new information about osama bin laden's death. his daughter now says her father was captured alive and then killed by u.s. forces. that's according to pakistani officials. who confirmed that with nbc news. the white house has said that bin laden was shot twice after resisting arrest. the white house is also still trying to decide whether or not

to release photos that proved bin laden's death. meanwhile, intelligence officials are sorting through hard drives seized from the compound. those items have reportedly been sent to a secret location in afghanistan. and we're also learning more about what happened in those 40 minutes that it took a team of u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s to take down the al qaeda leader. >> originally, they said he used his wife as a shield. now the white house is clarifying that statement. >> bin laden's wife rushed the assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. bin laden was then shot and killed. he was not armed. >> white house officials say that there were 17 or 18 people inside the compound at the time of the raid. many of them were armed. >> we're also learning more about the interrogations that helped track down osama bin laden. peter king told nbc news that the information came from so-called enhanced interrogation techniques that included water brooding. khalid shaikh mohammed was

reportedly waterboarded some 183 times. conservatives have argued for years that such techniques aren't necessary to obtain information. president obama, however, said in the past, that some tactics are torture and unamerican. and tomorrow president obama will attend an observance of new york's ground zero. bin laiden masterminded the attacks on the world trade center which killed 3,000 people. mr. obama also invited former president george w. bush to attend today's service. mr. bush's spokesman, however, said, while he appreciates the offer, he has chose tone remain out of the spotlight during his post-presidency. and since osama bin laden's death, security across the u.s. has been on high alert. >> today lawmakers from across the country will hold a homeland security hearing on mass transit systems. u.s. officials say they have seen no credible intelligence of any terror plot in retaliation for the killing. still, they warn that mass transit systems in major cities across the country remain

attractive targets. 6:36 is your time, 50 degrees. a major traffic alert in northern virginia. the major commuter route you'll want to avoid for the next few years. and the new passes some metro riders are using.

6:39 is our time right now. 49 degrees out there. a lot of rain and drizzle too. kind of a chilly day as we begin this day. >> that's right. it's now 6:40. the "today" show is coming up next at 7:00. let's check in with matt lauer to see what they're working on today. good morning to you. >> hey, eun. good morning to you. coming up on wednesday on "td," a look at the raid. and the possible release of bin laden's death photo. also ahead, a pregnant woman's courageous decision during a shooting rampage. she jumped out of a second story window to save the life of her unborn child. she'll share her story for the very first time. and michael jackson's mother

catherine. what does she miss about her son. how are his children doing? what does she want to see done to the doctor charged in connection with michael's death. katherine jackson speaks out. we have that and much more ahead as we get started on a wednesday morning right here on "today." back to you. a look at our forecast. here's tom at 6:41. >> and it's rainy. it's pouring. >> leave early and bring an umbrella and dress for chilly weather. dramatic change since yesterday. we have had waves of rain coming through this morning, as well as thunder and lightning in the central eastern shore. that's depending right now it looks like it's beginning to diminish there. elsewhere, we have a little larger area of rain now. it's just now coming towards fredericksburg advancing toward the metro area. should be sweeping through in another half hour or so. and right now it is so much cooler than yesterday. it's dropped 30 to 35 degrees since yesterday afternoon. only 48 at reagan national.

and we do have a little bit of fog in the air here now with sprinkles in washington now. that next wave of rain will be coming through. and a few more waves of rain until noon time. we'll dry out this afternoon. highs near 60. then tonight here's your night planner. it will be in the low 50s through the evening. and low 40s by dawn tomorrow. starting off with a clear sky thursday. big changes on the way into the week and weekend. 6:51. we'll tell you about that. jerry, how is traffic? >> fairfax county off the beaten path along route 7100 at the fair lakes parkway, fair links parkway. things moving along pretty well on the wet roads. just be very careful particularly coming up into the intersections. outer loop at colesville road. delays after new hampshire avenue on the outer loop. inner loop, no hangups to report. travel lanes open. i-95 through springfield, slow. all travel lanes as you begin

the long commute north from the river. out on the rails, good news to share with y as far as metro and vre, no delays. marc, penn 511 and 409 both delayed. up on the brunswick line, brunswick 892. joe, eun. >> jerry, thank you very much. >> 6:42, 49 degrees. everything seems to cost more now days, right? >> duh. >> who is now lowering price, though. >> and the busy day ahead for prince charles as he wakes up here in washington, d.c.

6:45 now. prince charles will head to the white house today. he is set to meet with president obama on the second day of his three-day visit to washington. the prince is also set to speak at georgetown university. that's where we find news 4's megan mcgrath. good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning. prince charles is going to be the key note speaker at a conference on sustainable agriculture here at the georgetown university. now curious to see what the rain is going to do. he is expected to mix and mingle a little bit with students on campus. curious to see whether the rain will hamper that plan here. this is a three-day visit for prince charles. he is going to make a push for organic sustainable agriculture. he is the key note speaker at the campus of georgetown university. yesterday prince charles toured the common good city farm in

northwest. it grows food for low-income residents here in the district of columbia and nibbled on a little bit of spinach they grow on the farm. advocates home his celebrity will help focus attention on the issue of sustainable farming. >> he's a proponent of sustainable agriculture. and i think more people will have awareness about eating right and about growing food in a sustainable way so that we have our resources indefinitely to continue to grow food. and i believe that the word will get out a lot quicker now that he's come to the farm. >> and the prince will be delivering that speech at the conference at 10:30 this morning. not sure what time he is going to arrive. we will have to wait and see what the rain does in terms of his scheduled hearing, how long he stands outside and greets the students later on today. he will meet with president

obama at the white house. eun, back to you. >> megan mcgrath. megan, thank you. we have good news if you're a pepco customer. you could be about to save some money on your electric bill. it is cutting its rates for maryland and d.c. customers. if you live in maryland, you will save $22 a month. in the district, about $10. pepco says it's lowering rates because of falling energy prices. the company does not generate its own electricity, it purchases it from other wholesale suppliers. beginning next year you have to pay a five cent bag tax in you live or shop in montgomery county. they imposed an extra fee on all retail establishments, not just stores that sell food. it applies to both paper and plastic bags. it's expected to reduce litter and generate a million dollars a year. part of that money will fund free reusable bags for the poor and elderly. the move mirrors a similar measure in the district.

some d.c. students will test new metro i.d. cards similar to smartrip cards. "washington post" reports 500 students at the school without wall will test the dc-1 card. unlike the pass the students use now, it will have a chip that tracks usage. and you can disengage the card during nonschool hours. in if the agency deems it a success it could expand to other schools in the fall. route 50, known also as arlington boulevard in that area, will be renovated near courthouse road. two-year, $39 billion project will include new bike paths. drivers will have to deal with stag erred closures. fairfax drive will be closed between the two bridges. >> what this project is going to do is separate the local traffic from the through traffic.

>> vdot insists all three lanes of arlington boulevard, though, will be open in both directions during the rush hour. the project could be completed by november of 2013. 6:49 now. think $4 or $5 is expensive for a gallon of gas? rental consider companies will be charging $9 a gallon. courtney reagan joins us live with this story. that seems like an awful lot. courtney, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eun. it is an awful lot. don't forget to fill up the tank before you fill up the rental car. companies are charging more than $9 a gallon for drivers who return the vehicle without a full tank. at many airports, including jfk and o'hare, prepaying is cheaper than the average price at the local gas station. so just pay attention to those price. it might behoove you to do that prepaid gas.

back to you, eun. >> courtney, thanks so much. nice to see you. >> thank you. nice to see you too. just into our newsroom, five schools are closed today because of a power outage. they are chesapeake high school, chesapeake bay middle school, followinger mckenzie and brookin and lake shore elementaries because of power problems. >> probably a result of the storms we had yesterday. >> still raining. i don't know if that's related to weather. no wind yesterday. this morning we have had quite a bit of rain. this has been going on since last evening. waves of rain coming through virginia, west virginia, into the district, maryland, eastern shore. these will continue the next several hours. and lightning detector picked up thunder and lightning across the northern neck and eastern shore, southern maryland just about an hour ago. that is now dissipating. and we do have still another wave of rain coming in where you

see this dark green from culpepper, fredericksburg, southern maryland. this is heading to the north. right into the metro area in 10 minutes. farther to the west, yellow zone, heavy rains falling shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia. that's heading east. the other story how much colder it is. we have had a quarter to half an inch of rainfall around the region. and the temperatures are down into the 40s in many locations. only 48 at reagan national. 40s in montgomery, prince george's, arlington, fairfax, points west and north. only in the 40s. lower eastern shore, though, they are still in the six. the front is yet to arrive there. behind the front temperatures near 40, much of west virginia. gray and drippy sky over washington. occasional showers this morning. we'll have temperatures only rising to around 60 by midafternoon. by early afternoon, the rain should end. we'll clear out after midnight. down to 40 by dawn on thursday.

sunny tomorrow, upper 60s during the afternoon. a blustery northwest wind diminishing. friday, partly cloudy, near 70. might have an afternoon shower. mostly sunny, low 70s. mother's day sunday could get showers. check the weather any time weather channel on cable. how is traffic now, jerry? >> we are loading up big time now on the inner loop leaving springfield heading toward braddock road, continuing up to i-66. that's all volume. but it's probably rubber necking from an accident that is just out of camera range. outer loop of the beltway before braddock road. two right lanes blocked with an accident. outer loop will slow the inner loop. definitely very tough. see how we're doing if weather is a factor through southeast. pennsylvania avenue getting a little bit busy through the likes of minnesota avenue and up towards the sousa bridge. out on the rails this morning, update you here along metro, no delays. vre, no delays. marc pen 511, 409 and brunswick

tkphraeud. 6:53. break news out of montgomery county. two people in the hospital and a home is leveled after an early morning explosion on the 11000 block of ashley drive in garrett park. that's where tracee wilkins is live on the phone with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eun. let me take you right to the pictures and show you what's left of this house. it has been reduced to absolute rubble. and they are trying to work their way through all of this. now that we have sunlight out here, as much light as we're going to get this morning, it's going to help their investigation as they try and figure out exactly what caused this. of course all utilities are here on the scene. washington gas is here as well. they're going to be helping with the investigation to see if this was a gas explosion. it happened around 3:00 a.m. this morning. two people inside the home at the time. they were told that was a man and woman inside the home and they were actually blown out of the house. when this explosion happened. they suffered some severe burns and transported to the hospital

in critical condition where they are right now. fire officials say they are expected to survive their injuries. again, they had just moved into the home. all of that is part of the investigation as they try and figure out what leveled this house. the homes nearby had a little minor damage. what's really significant about this is in addition to the injuries, the two people inside the home. debris making the neighborhood pretty dangerous. trays where wilkins live this morning in montgomery county. back to you all in the studio. >> that's a lot of damage out there. tracee, thanks so much. 6:55, here are this morning's top stories. the white house says osama bin laden was not armed when confronted by a group of navy s.e.a.l.s at his compound in pakistan. his daughter claims he was captured alive and then killed by u.s. forces during the first few minutes of the operation. thousands of people in the midwest have been forced from

their homes as floodwaters aren't letting up. parts of memphis are buried beneath the swollen mississippi river and casinos in tanika, mississippi say they could be closed for weeks because of rising waters. go big or go home. a heart-breaking 4-approximate p loss. puck drops tonight at 7:00. go caps! out the door forecast. >> waves of rain sweeping across virginia, west virginia, the district, and maryland this morning. these will continue to come through here the next several hours. quite a chill in the air. you'll need your umbrella and spring jacket. later today, just near 60. but the rain should end by early afternoon. blustery northwest wind down near 40 tomorrow morning. afternoon highs, mid and upper 60s. bright and sunny. drying out nicely. small chance of an afternoon shower near 70. over the weekend, saturday looks to be mostly sunny, low 70s.

mother's day we might get passing showers with highs in the mid-70s on sunday. jerry, how is traffic now? >> tom, we are loading up 270. be aware the waves of rain will certainly cost you additional travel time. no accidents, just volume right now on 270 in the beltway. 395 same story. backup begins just inside the beltway heading for the 14th street bridge. thanks very much. that is news 4 today. thank you for starting your wednesday with us. >> the "today" show is next. right back here tomorrow morning starting at 4:30. hope you'll join us then. until then, have a great day. see you tomorrow. >> bye.