newport news and hampton public schools says their students will only have a half a day because of the winter storm. to see when and where this system will hit - let s get right to chief meteorologist patrick rockey. tracking rain, snow and wind....we are gearing for a significant winter storm to impact hampton roads and ne north carolina over the next few days. but tonight will be the calm before the storm, so start preparing now. the weather will be fairly tranquil, with increasing clouds and overnight low temperatures in the mid 20s. then, all eyes will be on an area of low pressure that will move up the coast from the southwest. as the low moves into some very cold air already in place, snow will develop from southwest to northeast, starting mid- morning to midday friday in inland north carolina first. the snow will then cross the state line into hampton roads, again as all snow. areas along the albemarle and outer banks, though, will more than likely see rain. then, through the day, as low pressure moves closer to the area, it will drive in slightly warmer temperatures, which will cause the snow to transition into rain for most areas. however, our northern

the peninsulas, may see a slower transition to rain than the rest of us, meaning you could see a little more snow on friday. saturday will start with rain across most of the area. but later in the day, once the low exits the coast, colder air will wrap around the backside of the low, causing the rain to transition back to snow. some wintry weather could stick around into early sunday morning before all of the moisture pushes offshore. please keep in mind that the forecast will all be dependent on the precise track of the storm. right now, southside, the eastern shore and parts of inland north carolina could see anywhere from 1 to 2" of snow. most of our communities along the peninsulas could see between 2 and 4" of snow. however, we ll have to watch some of our northern peninsula communities. if there is any shift in the storm )s track, we could see areas like williamsburg, gloucester, mathews and middlesex counties receiving between 4 and 6" of snow. the albemarle and the outer banks will likely see snow. so stay tuned. in addition to the snow and rain, we will see very strong winds. nds will start to crank up on friday with gusts to near 30 mph. gusts could reach to 40+ mph on saturday and sunday. winds will start from the ne but shift to the north. this could create some coastal

southside. for next week, we re expecting the sunshine to return, with highs back in the upper 40s and lower 50s. our team coverage of the winter storm - continues with newschannel three s margaret kavanagh. and margaret - a big worry for some folks - is that the lights could go out during this storm. only mother nature knows what is going to happen, but dominion power says want to be as prepared as possible -- so if power lines like these ones have issues -- they want to be ready to respond. -- run go pro video over the sot 44:21 our number one goal is to get your lights on and to get

wearing a camera on his helmet -- a crew member with dominion power shows us what it is like working on the power lines up in their air. 42:50 we got a great group of guys here that work hard and we )re ready for the storm jarod seeloff is part of the 200 crews in hampton roads and northern north carolina who could be responding if your power goes out. right now dominion power says they )re in preparation mode. 32:09 it might affect different areas differently like one area may have a lot of snow for another area wrong with it might be the strong winds that cause the problem " friday crews will start working 12 hour shifts, they )re gassing up the trucks and making sure their gear is good to go. 31:32 "they also have chains for the tires they have ice cleats so they are ready to drive i want to walk or climb trees where ever they need to to get the lights and the heat back on31:46 dominion power has been talking to other utility companies as far as florida, georgia, and alabama - so if they need back up -- it will be sent. but those crews will go to the area with the greatest need - not necessarily hampton roads -- but regardless -- dominion says social media will be used more than ever if we

34:14 you can also follow us on twitter friend us on facebook sign up for text messages we want to do everything we can so you understand what s going on with us and we going to understand what )s going on with you jarod admits he doesn t like working in the cold -- but his favorite part of this time of year is turning someone )s power back on - when they need it most. 43:56 "when a customer come out and thank us for the job that we do you know" we have links and information about how you can best connect to dominion power if you have problems. go to our website - wtkr.com. live in norfolk, mk, newschannel 3 and right now newschannel three s gabriella deluca is live at virginia beach town center. gabby how s the resort city preparing for the big winter storm? i can t tell you how many times people have come by the fountain today to take pictures of this fountain. now the big concern for public works crews is that same effect that youre seeing on the fountain could happen on the roads. thats why crews are

30 trucks on standby -- ready to go in case the virginia beach roads get ugly the next couple days. 47;01 we haven )t been bored with weather conditions over the last five years so it s come a common place with us and it )s our jobs and that )s what we do frost patrol is once again hitting the roads early tomorrow morning. three trucks will start out at 1 am, staying through rush hour at 8 -- theyll be spreading a salt and salt mixture on bridges and overpasses. and if things get bad -- thats when the 30 trucks come into play. 41:53 we don )t know exactly what to expect out of this storm so we probably won t be using all 30 but we )re always prepared in vb for this type of things thats exactly what they did today -- making sure all the spreaders and blades were in place. overall, public works crews are thinking positively. 47;57 on a scale of one to 10 how concerned are you on this one a 2 or 3 why s that bc it is showing rain along our coastal area in vb for this particular event but others -- not so much. 35;28 i hate it. it )s just horrible i hate cold weather 38:23 i m not excited because j

afraid as soon as the first snowflake falls in gonna have a hard time getting home and i ll probably get stuck in nn this wknd but everyone agrees on one thing -- all eyes will be on the forecast 48:38 it )s a close watch. we just keep a close attention to all the weather models and try to make the best educated guess we can to what we do next you re watching nc3 right? certainly hahaha live in virginia beach- gabriella deluca - newschannel three. if you haven )t been the the grocery store to stock up for this weekend-- now might be the time. the shelves are still full -- but the lines were growing this afternoon at the food lion on

loading up on the necessities for what looks like a weekend in and out of the weather. and as many were saying today -- it s better to be safe than sorry. experts say bottled water should be first on your grocery list -- along with canned or no- cook foods in case the power goes out. also -- make sure to get any medications you may need for a few days. first responders are getting ready to deal with whatever happens during this winter storm. newschannel 3 s todd corillo shows us how they re getting ready to keep you safe. rain -- snow -- wind -- and more. no matter what impacts this winter storm brings to hampton roads -- first responders are gearing up virginia beach district fire chief michael barakey knows more than likely they )ll be responding to some issues in the coming days. the american red cross is urging

the storm. doing that can lead to a fire -- requiring a response from firefighters in less than ideal conditions. to see more of our continuing team coverage - head to wtkr dot com. there you will find the newest updates - as well as school closings because of the

virginia beach police have arrested a man following a bomb threat at joint expeditionary base little creek-fort story yesterday. 28-year-old khalid mohamed making bomb threats. he s being held in the virginia beach bond. police shut down parts of shore drive for hours last night after a suspicious package was discovered. this all started around five near gate five. the f-b-i is involved in the investigation. the base is operating normally now. newport news police need you to take action against crime -- they )re looking for the man who-p&tried to rob the 7-eleven on-p&kiln-p&creek parkway two weeks ago. it happened just before 3 a-m. the night shift clerk told police the man showed a gun wrapped in a white cloth, demanded cash -- but fled as the clerk approached him. if you recognize this man or know anything that could help police -- take action and call the crime line. coming up on newschannel three at five - beach police want to find the folks - who )ve run up nearly 26-thousand dollars -- using stolen credit cards. and it )s an important question to ask yourself. if you get stuck on the side of the road

what you need to help you survive?

governor mcauliffe today in norfolk talking about getting ready for the storm. he declared a state of emergency this morinng. that allows the state to pre- positi0n heavy equipment that may be needed as well as getting the national guard ready across virginia in case the need to respond quickly. our team coverage of the winter storm - continues with newschannel three s makenzie walter. and makenzie - we could see a lot of people stuck on the side of the road because of the snow. how can drivers prepare for the worst? weve seen a lot of people getting shovels and food to stock up their homes but youre right - we still have to get around in the winter as much as wed sometimes just like to stay inside - but the worst could happen and you could be stuck in your car on the side of the road and its so important to have some type of winter car kit so youre prepared.

during winter storms - but to be stuck on the side of the road is a whole other story. gorjeane we do many more battery calls during this time of year especialy as those temperatures drop below freezing and when it gets into the teens and even the single digits its obviously the worst case scenario - but if you do find yourself stuck - theres some emergency supplies you can have with you to make the wait much safer. triple a reccommends everyone have a winter car safety kit. gorjeane this is what we consider most of the things that youre going to need in your kit. you can put together your own - or you can buy a premade one, but theres a distinct list of things you never want to be without when traveling in snowy conditions: a flashlight with extra batteries, flares or reflective triangles, a first aid kit, nonperishable food and water, a blanket or sleeping bag and of course auto emergency tools like tow ropes and jumper cables. gorjeane there may be things you can do to get yourself out of trouble - things such as possibly sand or kitty litter if you get stuck or a

phone so that you can call for help but nows definitely the time that we put all of those preparations into good use and to make sure that that winter kit gets put into our car obviously the car kit is preparing for the absolute worst - if youre stranded on the side of the road for a long period of time this will help you get through it. i realized this winter - i didnt have one - so ive collected a few of the essentials like a first aid kit and jumper cables but i still need a flashlight and some type of shovel or sand so i can dig my self out. but i asked georgejean at triple a if you only have one item in this first aid kit - and you probably guessed what it is - a cell phone. its the way youll call for help you need to make sure it can ways be charged either by a r charger or if your battery is dead in your car that wont work so they have these portable chargers that you can charge up and then plug your phone in from here and call for help because no matter how stocked your car kit is -

tracking rain, snow and wind....we are gearing for a significant winter storm to impact hampton roads and ne north carolina over the next few days. but tonight will be the calm before the storm, so start preparing now. the weather will be fairly tranquil, with increasing clouds and

then, all eyes will be on an area of low pressure that will move up the coast from the southwest. as the low moves into some very cold air already in place, snow will develop from southwest to northeast, starting mid- morning to midday friday in inland north carolina first. the snow will then cross the state line into hampton roads, again as all snow. areas along the albemarle and outer banks, though, will more than likely see rain. then, through the day, as low pressure moves closer to the area, it will drive in slightly warmer temperatures, which will cause the snow to transition into rain for most areas. however, our northern communities, especially along the peninsulas, may see a slower transition to rain than the rest of us, meaning you could see a little more snow on friday. saturday will start with rain across most of the area. but later in the day, once the low exits the coast, colder air will wrap around the backside of the low, causing the rain to transition back to snow.

wintry weather could stick around into early sunday morning before all of the moisture pushes offshore. please keep in mind that the forecast will all be dependent on the precise track of the storm. right now, southside, the eastern shore and parts of inland north carolina could see anywhere from 1 to 2" of snow. most of our communities along the peninsulas could see between 2 and 4" of snow. however, we ll have to watch some of our northern peninsula communities. if there is any shift in the storm )s track, we could see areas like williamsburg, gloucester, mathews and middlesex counties receiving between 4 and 6" of snow. the albemarle and the outer banks will likely see snow. so stay tuned. in addition to the snow and rain, we will see very strong winds. winds will start to crank up on friday with gusts to near 30 mph. gusts could reach to 40+ mph on saturday and sunday.

the ne but shift to the north. this could create some coastal and tidal flooding issues, especially for parts of the southside. for next week, we re expecting the sunshine to

virginia beach police need your help -- to find the people in these pictures. police say these folks are involved in a string of credit card thefts. they )re accused of using stolen cards three times from the whole foods on laskin road and the t-j-maxx on virginia beach boulevard. in each theft -- women were distracted while the suspect chatted with them -- later the victims realized their credit cards were missing. the accused thieves have charged 26- thousand dollars to the cards -- using them around virginia beach - since this summer.

for what )s coming. too much confidence in your truck - could land you on the side of

it seems the cold or the snow - never bothered these two little girls. check out these carefree kids from winston salem - north carolina. they had a great time - singing and dancing to the song )let it go ) - from disney s hit animated film "frozen" yesterday. they even wore princess customs - from the movie. yesterday s dusting will not compare to the monster storm heading our way. how the east coast is bracing for it - ahead

north carolina - just one one of the states - on edge about the storm heading our way. and rightfully so - the monster storm could paralyze cities from north carolina - and further up the east coast. parts of virginia could see up to two feet of snow - and that s not all you should look out for. some of us could see sleet - rain and maybe even flooding.

are making a call to dismiss