coveredca.com. but to get covered, you've got to get going. open enrollment ends february 15th. visit coveredca.com today. bracing for a windy and chilly start to your new year's. the show will go on. details up next >> the wind is starting to drop off at this hour. up next, a cold blast of air. we're talking frigid conditions. you thought it was cold already, just wait. we'll tell you when the coldest air of the season so far settles into your neighborhood. and a live look. this is not file video from 2013. no, ma'am, this is 2015 new zealand style.

i should say this is sydney. what a beautiful way to start the day. it is wednesday, december 31st. this is today in the bay. from nbc bay area, this is today in the bay. >> happy new year's in 19 hours. good morning. thank you for joining us. >> we do want to start you off with a microclimate weather alert because it is very cold out there. and the wind has been wreaking havoc. good morning. >> hey, good morning you two. a lot of people they probably have that outfit all ready to go this evening. ladies, i'm talking to you. make sure you have a nice, warm coat to put over it. temperatures are going to be chilly. if you can keep things in perspective, if you were here last year, it will be 5 to 10 degrees colder than last year. last year was cold in san francisco. but this morning it's the wind

that's enhancing that cold. so here's the deal. your true temperatures mostly in the 30s and 40s. it feels 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the true temperature when you factor in the wind. let me take you through the day. right now we're still getting the fierce wind. where you see the blue, the yellow, that's calmer wind. it will settle as we head throughout 3:00 today. after that front passes and just about all the way through now, we will start to see that cold, dense air settle in. and potential for frost tomorrow morning definitely likely. it will be a very cold night. we'll keep you updated. plus rain in my next report. back to you, sam and chris. >> strong wind making for a difficult the morning for folks across the bay area. as downed trees and power lines knocking out power to thousands of people. live in san jose where one person had to be taken to the

hospital after an unusual string of events that started with the winds. good morning, pob. >> good morning to you, sam. that person is going to be okay. we take you to south san jose to show you how the wind took down this traffic light. it doesn't appear to have been bolted to the sidewalk. it was being held by sandbags. last night's windy weather led to an apartment fire at 8:30 last night. cut power to the neighborhood. the man who lives there left his unit, his apartment unit to start cutting apart the down limbs. when he went back inside, he saw a horrible thing that happened, his christmas tree had caught fire. >> at the time power was out in the whole neighborhood. he had candles lit in the

apartment, fire in the fireplace and animals running free in the apartment. one of the animals knocked a candle over or something like that. >> the map and a couple other people were able to douse the fire with a garden hose. three people inhaled smoke. one so much they had to go to the hospital. that person is going to be okay. unfortunately that man and his roommate must find another place to live without it is repaired. the wind knocked down power lines. here's westfield mark. 40 stores went dark as a result of the outage. the damage not contained just to the south bay. these images from san francisco show how widespread down trees and power lines were as well. today in the bay. >> tough luck for those folks. here's video from san bernardino county. fire crews spent most of the time rescues more than 100 drivers trapped in the mountains

by heavy snow. many were trying to drive on a windy part of 138. when they got stuck. crews finished rescue operations two hours ago. no reports of any injuries. the latest cold snap is ripping in the new year in cold style. and you are looking a little breezy out there, my friend. but that's in the going to stop anybody, not even you. >> well, maybe it might. if i had a choice. you are going to brave the cold to see that new year's eve fireworks show here in san francisco, certainly bundle up. the temperatures expected to be in the low 40s. preparations will get under way here. about 200,000 people are expected. of course that can change if people find it too cold. the recommendation is to get here by 11:30 p.m.

be sure to build in times for public transit, traffic, or parking. the free fireworks show will begin promptly at midnight. the fireworks will be launched from barges south of sinbad's restaurant, yerba buena island and treasure island are certainly good choices. and a couple of plates on telegraph hill, the end of alta street and the end of calhoun terrace. remember the last two locations are residential areas and you should be respectful of those residents. the fireworks show will last 15 minutes. they do the pyrotechnics for the giants and the a else. there are always new interest fireworks to see.

it is usually sinked to music. you should be located near the speakers. speakers will be placed between pier 49 and the bay bridge. even though it will be chilly tonight, it will be clear enough skies to see the show. >> you can always put on an extra layer. you can't always clear the fun. download our app, nbc bay area for your smartphone. got a personal eased forecast along with the real-time doppler radar. i check that one all the time. free apple iphone app and free for android users. >> we continue to follow a developing news in the java sea. so far crews have recovered seven bodies as well as life vests, luggage and pieces of the

plane. they hope the black box could hold the key to finding out what happens. the crash site appears to be in relatively is shallow waters >> caltrans wants to fine the contractor $25,000 a day until the project is finished. rough spots and water leaking on to the tower foundation have yet to be fixed. caltrans agreed to help pay for the repairs provided they were done by the end of 2014. as of right now the repairs are not finished. of course there's only a few more hours to go. all the recent rain did little to help out california's water situation. the first snow survey of the year, department of water resources found 21.3 inches of snow on the ground. that means the water content is still far below average for the state. the snowpack supplies a third of the water needed for the state's

farms and homes. an interesting tidbit as we talk about all the rain water we have received. >> yeah. i've been out in snow surveys. certainly that one doesn't look as deep as years past. we have a look at the forecast. we are on a microclimate alert because of the wind and cold. >> that's right. it is chilly out there. these are your true temperatures outside. just to take you back to what we were talking about. we got slammed here in the bay area. we have had more rain than we have had. wettest december of all time in, fact. we got that persistent flow, the atmospheric river. it would just get caught off before reaching tahoe. a lot of the moisture never made its way over the sierra nevada. we got that atmospheric river potential next week. looking for rain here. a colder system.

we're looking even better for more snow. the snowpack matters when it comes to getting us out of the drought. let me show you one more time. 48 degrees in san francisco. your wind, though, 22 miles per hour. factor the two together and you get a windchill factor. take a look at what it really feels like when you factor in the wind. almost 41 degrees in san francisco. feels like 33 in san jose. the big one is truckee. temperatures in the teens. it feels like negative 6 degrees. that's how much the wind can impact the cold feel outdoors. as we head through the day, we have a cold blast of air on the way. temperatures tonight are going to be frigid. wherever you're headed you want to make sure you have the hat, the scarf, the gloves. no exposed skin if you can help it if you're going to be outdoors for any duration of time. as we get into the rest of the

day, temperatures looking pretty good. you can see the volume is light. that's why mike has the day off on your roadway. if anything happens, we will let you know. after all, some of us have to go to work today. speaking of which, back to you, sam and chris. >> good thing we showed up, right? >> 5:11 right now. we are here and happy to be here. a new way to pay for parking tickets. a city that could soon be accepting bitcoin.

disclaimer here. we told you about this yesterday. but given that it is new year's eve, we're going to tell you again. do your kids want to stay up to midnight to celebrate, but would you rather have them two to bed earlier? netflix has you covered. they released a video to help trick your kids that it's midnight. it's midnight in sydney, australia. you would have to say, yes, it is. it features characters from madagascar to ex claim it's midnight somewhere. >> when there's news that can help you, we will give it to you again. >> a city could accept new payment for parking tickets.

landon dowdy has that and plus how the futures are trading this last day of the year. >> good morning to you. the markets look to end the year on a positive note. and futures point to a higher open. stocks on pressure from overseas. it has been a great year overall for wall street. dow is set for six straight years of gains, the longest stretch since a nine-year winning streak in 1999. oil down about 45%. 2014 may go down as the year of the auto recall. g.m. ignition switches and takata air bags. some of the previous records set in 2004. there have been 700 recall announcements this year, that's two a day. that's the equivalent of 20 percent of the cars on the road.

and paying parking tickets with apple pay and bitcoin. new york issues between 8 and 10 million parking tickets a year, generating $30 billion of revenue for fines. guys, back to you. >> that would be interesting to see whether they get their payments faster. i know i probably would if i could do it that way. thank you very much, landon. 5:16 right now. you may think we have 18 hours, 44 minutes away from new year's. >> you may. >> you might. that would be foolish. some people are already celebrating. happy new year's to everybody. >> happy new year. >> any new year's resolutions? >> you're going to put us on the spot. i want to listen more. i want to listen to the people in my life around me. much more careful. >> that's a beautiful thing. >> i'm taking the puppy back to puppy school.

>> i think that's fantastic. everybody wants to do something a little bit better this time of year. for me, i don't know, guys. i have so many areas that i can improve. i don't know how i'm going to limit it to just one. you know what i want to do, i want to be a better forecaster. that's always my mission. i can tell you this season so far has put me on my toes. everybody excited about the potential of what this weren't could bring in terms of rainfall. we find a really good start to the season. but i do have to tell you what's coming our way next week doesn't look as significant as what came through the past couple of weeks. nonetheless, rain is in our forecast. temperatures and wind combined here. you want to know what it really feels like because of the wind. you're in the 30s. one degree away from freezing.

the feels like temperature in san jose. it has everything to do with the same wind speed of 12 miles per hour. but the numbers are going to continue to drop as we head throughout the day today. the front is about all the way through. as it continues to move through it will drop off. by 3:00, strong gusts in the central valley and higher elevations. overall getting a break from the heavy wind. it was just whipping yesterday. temps in the 50s for today. it will feel cool. you'll need your jacket. tonight, if you're headed out and about, keep in mind there is going to be a lot of people out there. that will help to keep you warm, all that body heat. even parts of the city will feel like freezing with that wind rather strong. north wind at 10 to 15 at

midnight. here's the good news, my friend. the storm track. back on its way. wednesday, thursday, friday. and i do want to show you this we are at least seven days out from the potential atmosphere i track. stim getting organized. back to you. >> thank you very much, christina. what technology up locks in our next story is something very special to a san francisco man. >> nbc's bay area garvin thomas has the story. >> the technology developed at berkeley lab makes a digital map of the surface of old recordings, then turns that image into sound. it's been used on some very historic recordings. and as you'll see in this bay area proud, very personal ones as well. there's a place in andover,

massachusetts where they are experts at preserving history. the northeast document conservation center like a hospital for old books, documents and photographs. a place they go to get their lives extended. or in the case of this 70--year-old 78 rpm broken record, be brought back to life. 21st century technology recovering 20th century sound that they have waited decades to hear. >> i think i'm going to have to hold my breath. because it's going to be emotional. >> the sound on that record you see is the voice of matt's grandfather ray. lieutenant ray, a b-24 bomber, flew 50 missions during the second world war. he returned to the states, started a family, became a pharmacist and eventually moved to the bay area. he passed away when his grandson matt was just 8 years old.

matt says as a child he used to pore over pictures of his grandfather at war, imagining the adventures. and that was good enough for a kid. >> when i got older, my curiosity went beyond that. i actually wanted to know some of the facts beyond just pictures. i wanted to know the story me hind the picture. there's no doubt there is a personal seven for me. >> so matt, at the time a television reporter in fresno, pored himself into the research. eventually producing a two-part tv series about his grandfather's service, tracking down and interviewing surviving crew members to hear their stories of his grandfather, yet still lacking something matt would have loved to have had. >> the voice of my grandfather. i never had it for the stories that i told. it was the one missing thing. >> missing until matt found these earlier this year in the garage of his grandmother's home

while helping her move. it seemed upon returning to the war in 1944, ray sat down for an interview with an omaha, nebraska radio station, an interview they recorded on two 78s. they had lost track of years and years ago. now they were so close, literally in his hands yet still lost in a way. >> there's a radial crack on both of them, which makes them unplayable. >> it was back to research again for matt. this trying to recover the audio, which led him to andover and technology at lawrence berkeley lab where they capture high resolution images of the record's groove, then a computer processes those pictures into sound. sound that matt, along with his father, are about to listen to for the first time. >> all right.

here we two. >> he's a flyer who comes from omaha. >> yes, sir. >> what were you doing before the war? >> once matt and his father got over how young ray started they settled in to listen to a 10-minute interview made 70 years ago. a small piece of american history perhaps but one that couldn't sound any bigger to one man's ears. >> i'm just really glad we got it done. >> this is precious, right? this is it. it's really nice to finally hear it. and be able to pass it on. >> that same technology used to recover the lieutenant's voice was used a few years ago to play back the oldest recording ever of a human voice made in france

in 1860. >> pretty cool. if you know someone doing something nice for others in your community, garvin would love to hear from you. go to nbcbayarea.com and search bay area proud. 5:24 right now. the most used word of 2014 isn't a word at all.

it is 5:26. a live look outside right now at times square in new york. yes, that is a very different picture from what it will look like in about 13 or 14 hours. i think 15 actually if you want to be technical here. but of course ground zero for lots of new year's day

celebrations. we will be staying tuned for that. >> the most used word of 2014 isn't a word at all. >> it's actually an image. according to an austin company, the word, quote, unquote, that popped up most in newspapers, quotes, social media and blogs, the heart emoji. it must be found globally, have a minimum of 25,000 in search engine results and appear in various forms of media. >> coming in at number 2 on the list, the twitter hashtag cym l simil and vape, smoking an electronic cigarette. >> 5:27. why you may want to arrange a designated driver instead of relying on ride sharing. we'll explain.

downed power lines around the bay area. how many communities are still in the dark this morning coming up. >> and that wind is finally starting to drop off. although it is still rather strong in san francisco. if you're trying to fly out of town, no delays out of sfo or sjc. we will keep you updated. a live look outside this morning at what appears to be part of at&t park. it's dark this morning. it is weapons, december 31st, new year's eve. you're watching today in the bay. >> from nbc bay area, this is today in the bay. >> it looks a little hazy in that spot. clear everywhere else. it is good to have you with us on this last day of 2014.

>> we are going to begin with meteorologist christina loren. christina, you talked about the wind picking up yesterday. we certainly saw that bear out. good morning. >> good morning to you. yeah. in some of the plates we don't typically see that kind of wind, it was a full on wind event in the south bay. downed trees. still aftermath out there. if you're going to be traveling, make sure you're ready for that. also, you want to make sure you get the leaves raked. a lot of leaves came down, whatever was left from the fall season. we're now in the first week of winter. as we head through the next couple of weeks, rain returning to the forecast. yesterday's brought us a lot of wind. is a cold blast of air. it feels like 33 in san jose. 37 in livermore. and 41 degrees in san francisco. meanwhile, the wind is starting to die off.

in truckee you can see exactly what happens. we were at negative 6. now it feels like 3 degrees. if you are going to be headed to tahoe, it will still be windy. travel very cautiously. overall, looking pretty good. temps in the 50s. nice and clear out there. winds dying down by lunchtime. breezy for tonight. wind completely drops off overnight. then we have a frigid morning for the first day of the new year. we'll talk more about that. plus rain returning in just a moment. >> she's been highlighting this this morning. fierce winds taking a toll across the bay area, knocking out power to thousands and sending tree after tumbling down. >> live in san jose where the wind also brought down a traffic light. good morning, bob. >> good morning to you, there chris and sam. last night's weather definitely imposed upon us too. brutal forces, the cold and the

wind, as you mentioned. if this truck weren't in the way you would be able to see what it did to this traffic signal. here's what it did to trees and power lines. knocked down all over from the south bay to the north of san francisco and beyond. widespread power outages last night. still some right now, including the westfield mall in san jose, which sent 40 stores in the dark. that power has been restored. and the cold. this is how fans bummed up last night watching stanford beat maryland in the foster farm bowl which felt more like the arctic ice bowl. >> it's cool. it's different. it's like back east. my friends are back in new york complaining about the cold and i'm saying the same thing here. >> last night's wind led to a fire in an apartment unit on seven trees boulevard in san

jo jose. it knocked down a tree and knocked out power. the man went outside to start cutting down limbs. went back inside to get water. that's when he realized his christmas tree had started a fire. they think when the power went out, he lit candles. went outside. one of his animals, pets, might have knocked down one of the candles, helps the reason the tree caught fire. three people suffered smoke inhalation. one had to be taken to the hospital. they are going to be okay. unfortunately the man and his roommate trying to find another place to live while the apartment is being repaired. pge has been working through the night to restore power to thousands of customers in the bay area. by 11:00, there were 17,000 of them without power. that number is down to 7,500.

so that's good progress right there. peninsula. 3,000 customers in the peninsula. 2100 in north bay. . the bay area is getting ready to usher in a new year. the question is will the cold weather come as a rude welcome to some folks. >> consider yourself warned. bundle up. annette joining us live with a preview of tonight's fireworks show. good morning, annette. . good morning. i think the key tonight is to layer up. i'm wearing three layers and i'm still really cold. the temperature around show time will be around in the low 40s. so certainly bundle up. here are some of the best locations that offer the best viewing. south of sinbad's restaurant between mission and folsom. yerba buena island and treasure

island. end of alta street and end of calhoun terrace. the last two are neighborhoods so be respectful of neighbors there. it is recommended that you be here by 11:30 p.m. be sure to build in time for delays. the show is usually synced to music. you should be near the speakers which will be placed from pier 14 to almost the bay area. the pyrotechnics company that does the san francisco giants and oakland a's show will also be doing this show as well. but as i said, it's going to be chilly tonight. so bundle up. this company usually also adds in a new and interesting fireworks each year. so that's an extra enticement to come out and see the show. i think i will need a little

more incentive than that. annette miranda on today in the bay. >> we need to get you a big fuzzy scarf. make sure you know what the weather is going to be like where you are celebrating no matter where you are new year's eve, download the app from your smartphone. received a personalized forecast as well as real-time doppler radar. it is is free for apple iphone and android users. >> if you would have bet on a white new year's eve in las vegas you would most likely be be cashing in right now your winning ticket. forecasters calling for 70% chance of light snow with 32 degree temperatures there. some 340,000 people are expected to pack the trips for the festivity. organizers say they are pretty confident the snow is not going to damper the event. las vegas has not seen significant snow in six years. >> people are making bets on

that. it is las vegas. a lot of people expect someone else to do the driving tonight. but those rides may be more expensive if you're not using a friend. here's what we're saying. when you're dealing with ride sharing companies like uber and lift, they use different kind of pricing, third pricing. riders can expect primetime rates. sometimes it can be five times or more the normal rate. that doesn't mean you shouldn't take one. just prepare for that or designate a friend. >> definitely some tphrapdemand there. possible flight delays. good news as you track the conditions. >> yeah. it was rough out of sfo yesterday. i can tell you this morning we're waking up without any flight delays across the beautiful great nation that we get to live in. yeah, ring in the new year together. you know what, i can tell you at midnight don't it's going to be chilly. if you are going to be counting

on uber to take you up or you're taking mass transit, make sure you're ready for big lines. you have to bundle up because it's going to be chilly out there. i had to wait for almost an hour. two hours to get uber that day. so you might have to wait. you want to make sure you are nice and warm if that is the case. icy conditions in los angeles. you might find delays there. that's potential. las vegas, count on delays if you're trying to fly out today because of the rain/snow mix. new york city looks good. no delays out of laguardia. gusty wind, ice and snow on the way for today. emeryville, the wind is still rather strong. you want to keep in mind you want to bundle up this morning and stay bundled throughout the day with temperatures that are pogue to be in the 50s, feeling more like the 40s. you factor in the wind which will die down. it will still be pleasy today. you'll go from 22 to about 11 in

san francisco as we head throughout this afternoon. and you can see right now looking nice and clear. no fog. that's not going to get in the way of your beautiful fireworks display tonight. yeah, it will be cold out there. it's better to be safe than sorry. i say go double layers. thermal underwear, long underwear. we know it's not sexy on new year's eve but you'll thank me for it later. >> functionality over aesthetics. >> happy is sexy. if you are warm and happy, that is sexy. >> i'll take your word for it. 5:40 right now. the search continues this morning, in other news, for the wreckage of the airasia plane. we'll have the latest in a few minutes. plus, new video of the damage left behind after another car fire in the south bay. what investigators are telling us now coming up. >> and looking live from our camera in emeryville. you see some of the breezy conditions that christina was talking about. that wind is going to clear out. but the temperatures are going to remain. we're back with 15 minutes of

nonstop news and weather coming up after the break.

as we first reported yesterday, search crews off the coast of indonesia located debris from airasia flight 8501. they found a life vest and luggage and the are still looking for the black boxes to find the key to what happened. . family members are getting devastating news. but it is the first step toward closure. as search crews in the java sea zeroed in on the wreckage of airasia flight 8501 the bodies of the first victims arrived at a military base in indonesia. shipping containers are being turned into makeshift morgues.

they prepare for the 162 victims. the discovery of a half dozen victims in various pieces of debris dashed hopes of finding any survivors but puts investigators a step closer to finding the so-called black boxes that may shed light on the disaster. the uss sampson and uss ft. worth have been dispatched to help in the search and recovery effort. >> it's a horrible, horrible experience. we will do our best and focus right now. >> it wife of the pilot is among those yearning not just for news but the return of a loved one. >> translator: i must be strong and tough. and i'm here for my children in the future. >> a search for answers at the bottom of the sea. >> that was brian mooar reporting. this is the damage left behind after a car fire in the south bay. another one.

firefighters called to caspian sea drive last night. they had to put out another one on willow street blocks away. firefighters have dealt with a half dozen suspicious car fires in the area in the past two weeks. just yesterday morning we told you about a car lit on fire in a parking garage on the san jose/camp border. . all the recent meantime is essentially leaving one south bay pet store high and dry right now. the owner of andy's pet shop in san jose says when it rains it powers. they had to set up tarps and buckets. the shop needs $1,000 to patch up the roof. but they do not have all the money to fix it. they're hoping the public is going to help them out here. >> certainly that pet store has been around for a lot of years.

if you have pets, you probably will have a hard time getting them outside this morning. >> yeah. once you get them outside, don't forget about them or they will be upset with you when you do open the door. it is so sold out there. a rare occurrence where we are getting used to the freezing feel. one degree above. this is the feels-like temperature. you take your true temperature and the air temperature and you factor in the wind. so here's the deal. if you're walking down the street, yeah, it feels kind of brisk. then hop on a bike, and you really feel that wind hit you in the face. and the cold intense guys. that's a good indication of how the windchill works. so this morning that feels-like temperature with that straight wind in san jose out of the north one degree above freezing. make sure you're ready for that. i don't think you'll find any frost on your windshield. until we wake up and meet here for the first day of 2015. hey, if you are going to be

staying in tonight like us after all, our alarm clocks go off two hours past midnight. we would love to see your frost pictures. that way we can show them to the bay area. and you can write us a little note on the frost. 22 miles per hour sustained in san francisco right now. here's the deal with the wind for today. we're not going to be dealing with it all day long. the warmer colors here is the stronger wind. between now and 9:00, it will stay rather strong. between 10:00 and 3:00, look at what happens. it drops off. the yellows and blues return. you're on the low end of the key. 10 to 20 miles per hour at that point. temperatures will be chilly today. once we lose that cold, cold wind tomorrow, what's going to happen is cool, dense air will settle in. and our inland valleys tomorrow morning filled with frost. bring in the sensitive plants. a chance for snow in vegas. so here's the deal.

we'll get two opportunities as we head throughout the day for you. at 9:00 a.m., i think that's the best chance for getting any snowfall on this trip. if we do get it, we will show you pictures today at 11:00. forward in time to 5:00, maybe getting a chaps. you see the pink here? that he wants a rain/snow mix. it's the straight white we want to get real snowfall over the strip. by midnight, it clears out of here. two opportunities, 10:00 a.m., 5:00 p.m. we'll keep you updated of course online. the rest of the week, temps will ease. sunday, back to the mid-60s. onshore flow. fog returns. and we might get rain next week. back to you, sam and chris. >> all right. thanks, christina. five months after a devastating fire tore through the kitchen of a critically acclaimed restaurant, the dining room is just hours from reopening. in july an early morning fire ripped through the restaurant shutting down the mitch lynn ch

two-star restaurant. the chef and owner will hold a special new year's eve party tonight to mark the opening. here's what he told us about it yesterday. >> we have been working very hard the past six months. but moving forward after tomorrow we'll be working with the skill set that we were here to do to begin with. >> the restaurant will resume its regular service on saturday. hes the menu has been updated you with expects patrons will be treated with the same top level experience. 5:49 right now. thousands are expected to downtown san jose to welcome in 2015. the communal bar and restaurant sold out for dinner, drinks and d.j. both establishments say the atmosphere new year's eve

improves every year. >> downtown san jose seems to be progressing. >> downtown san jose doesn't have that good of a rep right now. but everyone feels safe and very invited. >> while it still will be cold, nobody expects weather to keep people from partying. some parts of the world are already there. ♪ >> those are the celebratory sounds of the new year in australia less than an hour ago. the iconic sydney opera house taking center stage in celebration. >> and that was the celebration in auckland, new zealand. they are about three years into 2015. and we have about 18 hours left to go here. preparations are happening all over the world, including new

york city. that is where we find today in the bay sarah dallof. good morning, sarah. >> reporter: good morning, chris and sam. times square will look different tonight. 1 million people are expected to pack in to ring in 2015. a party of this size doesn't happen without a lot of planning and a lot of preparation. >> lots of fun. lots of good music. >> new crystal panels added to the iconic ball. >> the new panels will represent fortitude. >> and a test confetti drop. safety is a top concern. radiation detectors will scan the crowd and plainclothes police officers will be among the throngs of people. >> we have not received any specific threats. but the city will be on high alert for any signs of trouble. >> taylor swift and florida

georgia line are expected to take the stage. >> happy new year! >> and the new york mayor will push the button to drop the ball. the anticipation is drawing people already to times square. >> we like the whole buzz, the whole -- just everything. there's so much to take in. >> ready to leave the old year behind and usher in the new. and a celebration with no equal. >> reporter: and more than a ton of confetti will rain down on the crowd when the clock strikes midnight. it is all the responsibility of one person, the so-called confetti master. back to you guys. more details on that to come. but when do we expect to see lots of people starting to line up in their spots? >> reporter: well, they just

actually blocked off the streets here. we're seeing a few people with the 2015 hats. the real crowd will be in the afternoon and evening to save their spaces and to wait out the new year. >> thank you very much, sarah. we think we have it cold here but new york city might be a little worse. thank you very much. protesters plan to ring in the new year by making noise in oakland. occupy oakland with a noise demo at 11:00. according to occupy oakland's website, the goal here is to remind those who they say are being treated unfairly that they are not alone. several other protests are being planned elsewhere in oakland and san francisco. members of the community and local artists are inviting everyone to attend a vigil tomorrow afternoon in honor of grant >> 5:53 right now. a area cyber security is

contradicting federal authorities saying the cyber attack by sony may have been an inside job. the north core thinks that a disgruntled sony employee may have been behind the hack. one of the reasons, the breach shows intimate knowledge of the company's computer systems. evidence by the federal government is not concrete enough to say north korea was in fact, behind the hack. >> the attack was so bad that employees had to go old school using phone trees, notepads and blackberry toss battle their way through it. sony ceo told the wall street journal during the hack executives set up a phone tree to let everyone know what was going on. they also pulled out old black berry which use a different server to send out e-mails. the company had to cut paychecks manually like with a checkbook and pen. truly old school. >> we have to go old school when we lose power. can you imagine a corporation

and having to go that route? >> it sounds rather complicated. futures point to go higher levels. >> stocks did slip on tuesday on pressure from oversea ises. and a sharp decline in utility stocks. overall, it has been a good year for wall street. the dow is set for six straight years, the longest stretch since a nine-year streak in 1999. oil is down about 45%. we get data today on unemployment, manufacturing, and pending home sales. the dow is falling 55 points tuesday to 17,983. the nasdaq shedding 49. evxperts predicting the ful year ipad sales are going to decline. abi research forecast that ipad sales will reach 68 million units sold in 201. it's a number that's down from

74 million units sold last year. if it turns out to be true, the projections would be the first time in its history that it has gone down. amazon, barnes & noble and google are expected to have year-over-year declines in tablet sales as well. so a hot market once may be cooling off a little bit. >> i think it's just that most people who wanted one have one at this point. >> saturation. and our weather has been darned cold. >> good morning to you. cold, windy and dry. i don't know if you're someone who suffers from chapped limbs. boy, keep that chapstick handy today. really dry out there. we will get the pacific moisture we're used to. it will start to feel more like the bay area this time of year. it's going to be cool today. the wind is dropping off. do count on breezing conditions as we progress throughout the day. of course everybody wants to

know what it will be like for new year's eve. chilly conditions. you and the kids can check out "frozen" for free at the park. east coast time for you and your family. if you're going to be one of the thousands, as you guys can imagine, lots of people have been kpaoeuexcited about comingn francisco this time of year. i remember when that used to be me. i'm going to san francisco. enjoy it, people. it's beautiful. we get to live here. >> it's reality. it's paradise. 5:57 right now. saying farewell to 2014. we'll show you some of the images that helped shape the year coming up next. strong winds all over the bay area causing lots of damage, including this tree that came down in the north bay. we are live in the south bay where winds knocked out a traffic light.

and that's how you ripping in the new year. it is already 2015 in other parts of the world. we'll take a look at some of those celebrations, and the preparations under way for our celebrations here in the bay area. plus, windy conditions here help to go spark a fire at a san jose apartment complex. an unusual odd chain of events that led up to it. it is starting to drop off. i can tell you next up a cold blast. how low will they go? i'll have your temperature for overnight into the first weekend of 2015 in just moments >> one of the spots where folks like to ring in the new year, golden gate bridge. it will be very cold. we are live with new year's preparations wednesday, december 31st. this is today in the bay.