Were tracking Severe Weather that could be moving through our area as early as this afternoon. Tom . You can see that there on storm team 4 radar. They are advancing from the west heading across West Virginia right now. They have a history of producing wind damage and even some isolated tornadoes. Right now severe thunderstorm watch put into effect until 5 00 this afternoon, all of the area in pink covers east and West Virginia and most of virginia. Metro area and much of maryland. This is in effect until 5 00 p. M. We could get up to 70mileperhour wind gusts that would cause likely Power Outages scattered across the region this afternoon and those storms are going to continue to advance off to our region here from the west. Live tower camera showing breaks in the cloud cover right now. Storm team 4 radar showing this line. A lot of lightning with it as well coming across West Virginia. The hour by hour timing, by 2 00 this afternoon, storms, frederick, northern montgomery and southern loudoun into falkier and Prince William county. Between 2 00 to 3 00 p. M. Coming right into the metro area, northern and western suburbs along the 95 corridor from baltimore down into Central Virginia. Then by 3 00 to 4 00 p. M. , it advance east of the metro area, continues to track off to the south and east and will then start to break up and dissipate by later this afternoon. Some of the computer models are showing it maybe a little slower and may come in a little later but that track is for the strongest storms to be coming right on through generally 2 to 3 00 p. M. , into the metro area. Thats when school is going to be dismissing students. Thats when we could have those very strong winds. Well look at the hour by hour as it changes here and well get new computer updates here throughout the hour here on news 4 midday. Stay with us. Well check back in with you. Speaking of storms, tens of thousands of people without power this morning and families grieving for loved ones killed in the severe storms in the midwest. Those storms including at least a dozen tornadoes caused damage in five different states, but the worst happened in illinois where two people died. A nursing home there was also hit hard. You can see trees were uprooted and cars s flipped over. Well have a closer look at the damage later in the broadcast. There are still tornado warnings and millions of people in the path of these storms. President trump is reacting to reviews of his address to congress. He tweeted thank you but the reaction among lawmakers has been divided along party lines. Lawrence Edward Lawrence has the latest. Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States [ applause ] President Donald Trump wasted no time condemning antisem itic we may be a nation divided on politics, were a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms. The American People heard his heart. Reporter this morning mike pence as we heard aggressive plans for jobs and infrastructure and healthcare and immigration. President donald trump told the American People where he wants to go. It lacked specifics but no shortage of harsh words for isis. A network of lawless savages that slaughtered men and women and children of all faiths and all beliefs. Directed the department of defense toss demolish the terror group. We are one people with one destiny. We all bleed the same blood. The speech had mixed reviews. Some democrats saying they cant ignore his past divisive but the rhetoric was the same. Weve seen that the speeches and reality dont match. Reporter republicans believe the president took shortly after the president s speech ended we learned that he will not sign his revised travel ban today. White house officials now say it will be signed later this week. The new order will restrict immigration from six majority muslim countries, not seven. Iraq is being taken off the list. Thats because the pentagon and state department say iraq has had a key role in fighting isis. The current travel ban is being challenged in court. And we have breaking news now, the peak bloom time for the Cherry Blossom on the national mall, march 14th through the 17th. And thats pretty early and the national Cherry Blossom festival will now begin earlier on march 15th. It was supposed to start on the 20th of the month. Peak bloom is when the trees of the tidal basin are blooming. Those numbers can change and so well let you know if they do. Developing this morning, somebody shot a woman in the district and we are now working to learn how badly she was hurt. The shooting happened on wayne place in southeast off of 4th street overnight. You can still see Police Officers crowded outside an apartment there from the video we had shot. We dont have much else from d. C. Police but they did tell us the woman was alive when medics took her to the hospital. Also developing right now, two men recovering from a stabbing in Loudoun CountySheriffs Office says they were stabbed in a Shopping Center this morning. This all taking place around 2 00 in the morning and investigators say after the men were stabbed, the suspect just drove off. Both victims are expected to survive. Covering Prince Georges County now, were working to learn if police plan to charge a man they say came at one of the officers with a knife. That officer shot the man on beachwood drive last night. The officer was originally called to the home because of a family dispute. Police tell us a 29yearold man walked out of the house armed with a knife. They say the officer repeatedly told him to drop the knife. He did not. Thats when the officer fired hitting the man in the thigh. Hes expected to be okay. Police need your help finding this suspect in a frightening Sexual Assault in fredericksburg. He sexually assaulted a woman at the capital ale house on Caroline Street february 19th. The man reportedly approached a group of people and struck up a conversation. He then followed one of the women into the bathroom and assaulted her there and left the restaurant. The suspect told witnesses he was from miami and was in the area for contract work at a nearby military base. Today there are several brandnew changes at a busy virginia intersection designed to keep people safe and moving. This is all happening near the George Mason University campus. 123 and braddock road. Also for pedestrians as well. Reporter absolutely, if you drive or walk in the area of route 123 and braddock road, you have noticed the changes. Most importantly, were talking about a second left turn lane from northbound and southbound route 123 to the area of braddock road. Also more pedestrian friendly sidewalks and crosswalks, signal improvement and drainage upgrades. We were there for the ribbon cutting, years in the making. The big picture here is they want to keep traffic moving when high volume rolls in. Were talking about George Mason University students and nearby residents too. If you are in this area, you know that several busy roads in this community have been seeing recent upgrades and we have supervisors who represent the braddock and springfield areas. What these cross areas will look like if there were no enhancements and heres what they had to say. Cars would be backed up on braddock road well past down to the parkway probably. Especially with george mason and growth of george mason, you have a lot of travel reform. I can tell you anecdotally its moving significantly better. The question will be what are the traffic counts and how does this project Going Forward. Reporter and as you can see, theres still work to be done. Analysis to be done on these improvements. As you see right now, travel is moving smoothly and left lanes appear to be working and underneath this area they found a civil war area, a sign that this has been a major thorough fair for many decades. A truck flying through the air. Were going to explain what let to this accident. At this hour where the dow has soared above 21,000 for the first time. Right now stronger is blasting her tumors. Without risking her bones. Its training her good cells. To fight the bad guys. Stronger is less pain. New hope. More fight. Its doing everything in your power. And everything in ours. Stronger, is changing even faster than they do. Because we dont just want your kids to grow up. We want them to grow up stronger. Fios is not cable. Were wired differently. By jd power 4 years in a row. And now you can love fios too. Get our best offer of the year. 150 meg internet with equal upload and download speeds, tv and phone. All for 79. 99 per month, for the first year with a twoyear agreement. Plus get hbo for a year and free multiroom dvr service for two years. Go to getfios. Com or call 1. 888. Get. Fios get the best. Get fios. This isnt a stunt from a hollywood movie. Its how a high speed chase ended for an he stole an employees pickup truck and led sheriffs deputies on a high speed chase. The deputies deployed a spike strip that sent the truck and driver into a ditch and into the air. The truck eventually ended up flipped and on its roof. The inmate and passenger were both arrested. Ubers ceo is apologizing for getting into an argument with a driver. It was caught on camera on super bowl sunday, the driver confronted travis about falling fares and the exchange got heat when his swearing at the driver several times before getting out and slamming the door. He apologized saying he must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. The driver in the video says the company doesnt care if drivers are not even making minimum wage. Terry mcauliffe signed a law inspired by a news 4 iteam School Districts must notify investigators within ten days if they suspect a teacher of Sexual Misconduct. Previously they were permitted to wait years to do so. In december, the i team reported a series of teachers who admitted Sexual Misconduct with students in Fairfax County slipped through the cracks. The state wasnt notified for years. Decided not to let us know. The good news is that will not continue. We have investigators, all of us want to make sure our children are safe. If there are teachers who may have committed some time of offense, we all need to know it. The state also approved a budget boost to help the Virginia Department of education investigate these cases. For prince georges cases, larry hogan, the county wants to regain control of the School Calendar after the state rejected a request to start classes in august rather than after labor day. Right now some county to funnel Public School money into private schools. Chris gordon has more. Prince georges county schools have a lot of needs that may not be met, if the state of maryland continues diverting Public School money to subsidize private school students. We need more money to build a new high point high school. Our schools are 40 and 50 years old. We need more money to expand programs we know are working. Baker is one of the leaders of this group and they are asking maryland lawmakers to eliminate the boost program of private school vouchers. They say Governor Hogans budget cuts 21 million from Public Schools to make 7 million available for private school subsidies. This parent went to private school but chose Public School for her child. I feel very strongly that Public Schools are something that all of us hold in common, together as taxpayers and thats important to me. Here in annapolis, there have been attempts to tie marylands republican governor larry hogan, to president trump. On this issue of favoring private schools over Public Schools, hes now made himself the outspoken supporter of trump and his antiPublic School agenda. Reporter a spokesperson for Governor Hogan sent a message saying what critics failed to mention is that the boost Program Offering public scholarships to low income students, was passed by the maryland General Assembly with agreement of the top democratic leaders. In annapolis, chris gordon, news 4. More on the calendar issue. Classes will be required to start after labor day to comply with the governors executive order. A Prince Georges County school specsperson says the system will comply wle steps. Nobody likes feeling stressed out. So all week long news 4 has been giving you ways for you and your kids to destress. This morning, news 4s amy cho has tips teens can use, part of a practice called mindfulness. Reporter high school can be a stressful place. At walt whitman high school, students are learning a way to cope with that stress and it takes as little as ten seconds. Feel calm and ease in the body. Reporter these english students take a break from interpreting books and learn how to analyze their own minds. They say where your attention goes your energy flows. Reporter mindful until teachers visit schools around the area. Anybody notice sensation in your hands. Reporter first step to shutting out stress can be simply realizing its there. They have the ability to feel it and sense it and understand whats going on and to respond in a wise way. Body language to how you want to feel. I want everybody to hold a victorious pose for 20 seconds. It is important when youre in school to focus on your mindset because it will help you do better. It is hard balancing everything in just being a teenager. Reporter giving mindfulness a try doesnt take much. Close your eyes and count to ten. It helps you relax and get your mind right before you do anything important like a test or sporting event. Reporter that little bit of time can make a big difference. In bethesda, amy cho, news 4. Meanwhile, churches across our area are holding special morning and lunchtime services for ash wednesday. Ash wednesday ushers in lent, the 40day period that proceeds easter, which is which christians believe jesus was reres secretaried. Pope francis called lent a journey of hope dont be this morning. We are under a severe thunderstorm watch. Tom is back with what you need to know on this weather alert day. Kirk cousins classic reaction after getting the y23wny y5yy tornado warnings taking place right now. People are sheltering in several states. Were getting a closer look at what so many are dealing with this morning. This is nbcs blake mccoy. Terrifying moments overnight now given way to damage and destruction today. You can see a lot of trees down and downed power lines as well and look at damage to this home. A lot of residents waking up to find similar scenes in their neighborhoods. Tornadoes ripping through the midwest overnight, leaving behind a twisted path of destruction. Cell phone video captured the fear. Holy crack. And seeing a massive funnel cloud touch down. Some people lost everything. It was all sentimental stuff and theres no saving it now. Reporter here in the small town of ottawa, the damage is devastating. One person killed by a tree rip from the ground. In missouri, near twister blew nearly a dozen vehicles and buildings and homes shredded killing one person there. Why does this always happen after night time . Its very difficult with all of the emergency vehicles and lights youre blinded. Reporter in arkansas, recovery operations are under way this morning in white county after the storm uprooted trees and downed power lines, injuring more than a dozen people. Its mindblowing, weve never had anything like it since ive been around. And its just its pretty wild. Reporter and because of the wide swath of that storm today, we are looking at possible Flight Cancellations and delays for a big part of the country. In ottawa, illinois, im blake mccoy, nbc news. Back here were expecting a little bit of Stormy Weather ourselves. Quite a bit. Not like that. Unfortunately for them it was a terrible thing. I posted on twitter and facebook thunderstorm watch and does include our region. Its in effect until 5 00 p. M. This is what it looks like. That watch covers all of this area in pink and northern virginia, much of West Virginia, much of maryland and areas to the east of the bay, not quite yet but however they may extend that farther east as we go through the afternoon. Its in effect until 5 00 p. M. , the severe thunderstorm watch. We could see gusts to 70 Miles Per Hour which could cause Power Outages. Sunshine is breaking up, thats not good news, it will help to destabilize the atmosphere. The leading edge coming into West Virginia. Heres the timing. This is a brandnew model update by 2 00 p. M. The storms are coming into the western and northern suburbs stretching down into Central Virginia right through washington and immediate metro area, between 2 00 and 3 00 p. M. After that, they are still strong along the Western Shores of the bay into Southern Maryland, 3 00 to 4 00 p. M. And they weaken dramatically across the eastern shore. Then the cloud cover breaks up overnight and winds shift north and west and well have chillier area moving back in. The main threat, high winds causing damage, only a moderate chance of maybe an isolated brief tornado, really spinning up, watch out f