now at 11:00, a travel fight mare. people stranded at bay area airports scrambling to save their holiday plans. good evening, i'm juliette goodrich in for sara tonight. one of the busiest travel days of the year. hundreds of thousands of people across the country having a tough time getting home for the holidays. our local airports were packed with stranded travelers today. you can blame a fridged winter storm just pummeling the area. the nation for the third day. right now nearly 180 million people are in areas below freezing. 60% of the u.is ndchi fact alaska airlines actually

canceled all of its portland flights and seattle flights out of seattle over 500 in total. so nationwide airlines scrapped 650 u.s. flights. about double the number yesterday. let's go to alaska airlines. they tweeted out this photo of its plane literally covered in icicles on the sea-tac runway. so many people are stranded at sfo because of the winter storm. there have been 322 delays, 122 cancellations at the airport today. betty yu is live there today, talking to so many travelers. i bet they're frustrated? >> reporter: that's right, juliette. and at this hour as you can see behind me, there is still a line to deal with those ongoing cancellations. tonight i met one woman from san jose who said she is just not making it home at all for christmas and she had an entire check-in luggage full of presents. so

you can imagine the disappointment. >> i'm if it's really 45 minutes later and my bag is not out here. bit time we met her in the evening. >> i'm hoping you could help me. >> reporter: she should have been home in nashville. it would have been her first time reunited with her family since the pandemic began. >> this is all i've been thinking about since the last three months. it's the first time. i know i'm not the only one in this airport right now, but god, i'm mad. >> reporter: noelle is one of several passengers at sfo dealing with delays and canceled flights due to snowstorms, freezing temperatures across the u.s. >> they started off saying it was weather. and then the second delay they came on the intercom and said we're actually looking for a pilot. and then when we find the pilot, we have to find a crew.

>> reporter: the airline offered her a connecting flight to chicago that would have gotten her home very late christmas night. >> nashville is really cold right now like 10 degrees, but chicago is negative 10. why would i go to chicago? i'd be stranded out there. i live here. i might as well go home. >> reporter: the chan family is from hong kong, planning to spend christmas in alaska. but after their connecting flight was canceled, they found themselves booking a last-minute hotel in san francisco. they had to cancel several tours including one to see the northern lights. >> that's okay, question have fun anywhere. we can find something good to do. >> reporter: at this point in the night, noelle is just trying to get her checked bag back in her possession after five hours of waiting. >> i'm suppose to work new year's eve in the bar, so i

can't go right after christmas. i'd have to wait until the new year started. i've gone through every emotion at this point. all i can do is laugh and be a little insane. >> oh my gosh, betty, everyone has a story. you want to take them home to say let's make this better and help you out. what happened if you do have a canceled flight? what compensation can they get? >> reporter: that's right, juliette. i wanted to give her a hug after all she has been through. you know, each airline really does set its own policies about what it can do for passengers. some airlines do provide vouchers for meals and hotel stays and amenities. but no federal law that requires airlines to do so. >> i'm looking at the girls behind you. it looks like they're in their jammies just running around. they want to get to their destination. it's

so cute. any way betty -- >> it's been a long night for all. >> yes, it has. betty, thank you. let's go to the crazy weather causing this in the first place. so paul in seattle, we are talking about icy roads. this is actually some video sent to our producer. one of our friends took this video. the car is sliding down the hill smashing into other cars. >> yes, sea-tac airport had all the runways closed at one point. most of the day just one runway open. >> right. four people were killed in a 46-car pileup. sop of the cars are on top of each other. that's scary. and multiple 18 wheelers just smashed up. >> yeah, so it's a multitude of factors. slick roads, reduced visibility, some people going way too fast for the conditions and hikely there will be some

people going very slow. >> believe it or not, the storm system is also causing major coastal flooding in new england. so this is the reality for residents in wells, maine where powerful waves are just flooding entire neighborhoods. >> yes, the storm system moved in, it was an onshore wind, producing basically the hurricane of a storm surge. this is the kind of thing you can see even in the wintertime. >> this makes being stuck in the airport a little more bearable. in edgewater, new jersey, flooding just swallowed up cars, submerging them. that's before temps plunged tonight. >> yes, edgewater is right on the hudson river across from new york city. the hudson gets backed up. the water being pushed in from the ocean, up the river, so the river levels just automatically rise and overflows the banks and produces all this kind of

damage. >> check this out, it shows how lucky we are to be in the national weather service. tweeting out this map showing arizona, california, florida, some of the only states with tolerable temps. >> yes, all that purple. everything here is either single-digit temperatures or sub zero temperatures before you even factor in the wind and what it actually feels like once you factor in that windchill. you know it's cold when houston is below freezing. >> you're leaving over here. where are you heading? >> somewhere in this area. >> do you really want to do that? >> i do not. >> but you have to. >> and we will do it. >> the flight is on time? >> yes. here is the good news. the storm system is starting to begin the end of its life cycle. let's switch over to the weather maps and take a look at the big picture pattern of what's happening with this major winter storm that's really just producing not only snow, but really it's the wind associated with this that has been a major factor. it wasn't a huge snow maker. the wind

blowing around that snow moving in from the north as you factor that in on top of the cold air and feels even worse. still getting a ton of lake effect snow. and they will get several feet of snow. here are the windchill values that you can see. close to 30 degree below zero windchills. feels like minus 4 in nashville right now. those places are not used to the chill. the good news is tomorrow is not going to be that bad and some troubled spots. and it will be windy for all the travel hubs and rain in the pacific northwest. that's a lot better than what they had for today. in the bay area our weather looks pretty good as we head into the weekend. and we will look ahead to the next rain chance coming up in just a few minutes. >> all right, we have talked so many people just stuck in the jam there, but we want to show you this one interview that just kind of stood out. take a listen. >> i'm being gas lit. i don't know what's happening. is the flight not canceled? i don't

know what's happening. a break up trip with my girlfriend. now i'm going through the whole thing where i've been on the phone with them for an hour and haven't gotten anything booked. >> this is stand back and wait. >> we don't have time to unpack all of that. it's a breakup trip. so they're going to? >> tokyo, but he had to meet her somewhere, so they could take the trip before they breakup. i mean credit for him for being self-aware. >> i don't know if the airlines are gaslighting him. >> good luck with that breakup. >> all right, thanks, paul. still ahead this is usually the most important time for dungeness crabs. we talked to crabbers about the struggles to get through the season. plus it looks more like a disney ride than your traditional holiday lights. where you can see this unorthodoxed christmas display based on a holiday cult classic. the giants went on

last-minute holiday shopping. >> that they did. two new players with recent success added to the roster, which one of which has a very familiar face. i would say it's identical, but not a familiar [narrator] everyone needs quality health insurance, even if you're healthy and active. cored calirnis a free see to help you get covered. 90% of members have received financial help and every plan offered is comprehensive, covering preventive care, doctor visits, emergency care, and more. regardless of your income, check today to see how covered california can help you. and if you have questions, there's free assistance every step of the way. covered california, this way to health insurance. enroll by december 31st at coveredca.com.

imagine being told your job is on hold with no answer on when you could go back. that's what it has been like. the season has been delayed three times because of concerns about humpback whales. well now they finally know they can get back to work on december 31. and our kenny choi shows us what that long wait has been like for a

local crabber who is desperate for a paycheck. >> as they are waiting for opening day. >> making sure everything is perfect. that's the goal. >> reporter: multiple delays means no income since salmon season ended months ago. >> we don't really have a paycheck. so you come walking in with nothing, it kind of hurts. >> reporter: the aroma of good coffee abound on a small boat. he works alone most of the time on the dreams of hiring more hands to help. he can't wait to help the customers off the dock like he did last year for the first time. >> just getting the crab for the first time. it's really cool. >> reporter: big smiles on their faces? >> oh yeah, they're like awe, i don't want to touch it. >> reporter: crabbers usually get the green light to start in november. but the longer presences of humpback whales over the last few years and the danger of entanglement has kept them at bay. >> i wanted to be a part of the problem. iour we wahave to >> r

to lodi, wondering if his small business can survive. >> not being able to make a living and paying, you know, my bills and feeding my family, keeping a roof over their head, and having to get a land job, no no offense. that's like my worst fear. >> reporter: even crabbers with three times as many pots as juanes feel the pressure and pinch. >> we're dying on the vine. i mean if it's not salmon, it's crab. it's just we're hitting it from all sides. >> reporter: nearby restaurant workers have gotten used to crabless holidays, but that doesn't mean the impact on their bottom line isn't felt. >> what we miss is the opportunity to sell crab to guests thanksgiving, christmas holiday season. >> reporter: three humpback whales got entangled in crab gear according to state officials. one is too many, but also emphasize they can't

survive with the season getting seemingly shorter each year. >> we just can't take it. it's the fuel ice, the ice docks, the small buyers. another one just sold out. >> we don't have the time on the water to actually make a living. >> reporter: but juanes can't simply untie his love for the sea and bringing home a good catch for crab lovers still waiting. >> coming back here, seeing a line full of people waiting to buy your crab from off the dock here. that's a super high. >> reporter: the news of the season start next week brings much needed joy to the docks. >> it's morning. >> it sounds so good, and i know you're allergic to it. but i'm happy they have business. all right, december 31. good deal. all right, let's get to our weather locally, kind of what we have in stored. >> a pretty good christmas overall except the air quality isn't going to be great. >> okay. >> that's one thing i guess there is always something we get to complain about and it is

going to be that smudge of haze. air quality in the unhealthy groups for most of the bay area and most of today. it's not going to improve much at all over the weekend. the air quality management district says some spots are getting moderate air quality. but it looks like we're going to see more of a change in the big picture weather pattern into next week. but the spare the air alert continues until christmas day. it shows the big picture perspective. the area of high pressure that's at ground level will shift away and the storm door is going to be wide open beginning late monday and continuing through the rest of next week. a parade of storm systems that's heading in. let's take a look at the details of the first one that will be moving in on monday night to tuesday. associated with what looks to be an ar-3 on the atmospheric river. some of the data is trying to push it up the level. it means we'll get mostly beneficial rain out of the system, but also the

potential for some hazards. specifically too much rain leading to localized flooding and gusty winds. it is strong enough to do some tree damage, some power line damage. that's something we'll be evaluating as that storm system will get closer. but a weaker atmospheric river will follow it up. timing is up in the air. but the latest weather prediction center will show a significant chance of picking up over two and a half inches of rain in parts of the trivalley on our widespread basis. even more than that for most of the bay area. potentially picking up 5 to 7 inches of rain. we want this spaced out, so we have a supply of ground water. right now we're starting to cool off a little bit with the temperatures in the 40s to the 50s, still holding on to above 50 in san francisco and 50 in san jose. we will drop down to

the upper 30s tonight. mid-40s around the bay and the coast, which is normal for this time of the year. temperatures tomorrow if you're going to be heading out to santa clara to watch the 49ers take on washington. the game time temperature at 65 degrees. that's about where the temperatures are going to hover for most of the game. it looks like a nice christmas weekend overall temperature wise, again, the air quality is not great. low to mid-60s. the numbers are above average for christmas eve and christmas day. maybe even brings in a degree warmer. then the pivot to the more unsettled weather pattern will happen. tuesday highlighted as an alert day because of the moderate atmospheric river bringing in the rain. and some lingering showers on wednesday and then either thursday or friday, that next weaker atmospheric river will be heading our way with more rain in the forecast. charlie will join us tonight with a look at sports. i know you've got a lot going on? >> we do. not a lot of live sports, but plenty to get to. diagnosing the problem for golden state after the tough start of a familiar face that

will join the giants bullpen. plus, the winner of bull city so far. houston's tea retriever, hawk. a star was born tonight. i'll break down the film next. ! and still to come, this san francisco fire house actually trucked in snow from the sierra. was it enough to be crowned champion in the battle of the fire houses?

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-doc? click, call or visit a store today. ugh, this rental car is so boring to drive. let's be honest. the rent-a-car industry is the definition of boring. and the reason can be found in the name itself. rent - a - car? you don't want a friend. you want the friend. you don't want a job. you want the job. the is always over a. that's why we don't offer a car. we offer the car. ( ♪♪ ) sixt. rent the car.

welcome in to sports everybody. giants fans didn't get the big present they were hoping for this holiday season. they missed out on carlos correa. san francisco instead was left scrambling with last-minute shopping and not a lot of toys left to pick from. the giants did agree to some pretty good players. they got a deal done with michael conforto, two years, $36 million. of course, it's not a done deal until he passes a physical. by the way conforto's agent, scott boras, who also represents correa. awkward.

taylor rogers joins his twin brother tyler rogers in the bay area after agreeing to a three year deal worth $33 million. they're the first teammates to be teammates since jose and ozzy conseco back in the 1990s. for now they will settle for some winds on their upcoming eight-game home stand. golden state was blown out by the nets and the knicks to end the road trip. they will now host the grizzlies on christmas day in a playoff rematch. dr. draymond, here he is on his diagnosis of what's ailing the defending champs.. >> our defense has been god awful. we've got to figure it out. this year's team is different than last year's team. pac-12 opener for second ranked stanford and cal. last-minute knitting. that's multitasking at its finest. the

cardinal hailey jones, scoring while being found. jones had 21 points and 10 rebounds. the cardinals beat cal eight straight times. check this out. find you someone who has as much fun in their job as hawks. look at them getting the crowd fired up, sprinting the sideline, even has his hawk as he raises his fist. i don't actually know if houston won this game against louisiana. and really it doesn't matter. we're showing you the highlight because hawk became an overnight sensation. they're the ken bones out there. there's the daniel guy with the vans. now there's hawk going nuts after retrieving the t's. we like it, we love it. hopefully we'll get more with it. >> thanks, charlie. up next if you want to take treats home from the holiday party, but you don't want to get caught sneaking them. we have an

all right, crowds gather every night to see an elaborate display inspired by the night before christmas. photojournalist michael vargas takes us there tonight. [ music ] ♪°7 >> this is the nightmare before christmas. but we started working on this 17 years ago. >> we started out with about three characters. >> come on, let's go and play. >> no, i know, i will beyond once storms come in. >> some people said they came in with their kids and now

they're bringing their kids around. it's a real joy. kind of surprised every time of the year. we don't tell people what we're going to add. then people who come every year, they try to guess what's new. and they'll ask us if we have add. >> you know, we've got great neighbors that they love us, and they are very tolerant of the traffic and everything else. we just appreciate the community and the fact they support us. >> that's what makes us happy is to give something back to the community and just let everybody have a fun time for just a couple of minutes. [ music ] ♪°7

>> it is beautiful for being the nightmare before christmas. let's take you to the battle of the station. every year san francisco fire stations get decked out for the holidays in hopes of being the chosen one as best decorated. well mount davidson station 39 has been crowned the champion. it's impossible to ignore the attention to detail the firefighters even adding a light up christmas tree over their became tree. >> station 12 in coal valley, look at how beautiful that one is. let's get to finishing in third place. the barrel of equipment in the mission district trucked in snow from the sierra for their snow machine. they actually won last year. they got third place this year. but i would say they're all winners for what they do. all right, up next, a sneaky and wearable way to pocket treats from holiday parties without getting caught. we'll

norman, bad news... i never graduated from med school. what?

but the good news is... it's the xfinity hello 2023 sale! now hurry, and you can get xfinity internet for $19.99 a month plus, when you add xfinity mobile, you get the best price for 2 lines of unlimited. i gotta get this deal... and for a limited time, get 500 dollars back. i don't want to miss that! that's amazing doc. drop everything. get to the xfinity hello 2023 sale. -doc? click, call or visit a store today.

all right, this is a scenario we're alienia with. you're at a holiday party with delicious appetizers and desserts. you would love to take a few home, right, but you didn't know if it would be appropriate to whip out plastic bags. here is the answer. >> fanny packs. >> that's good. hefty just unveil the ad the snack ed the new scarf. the key is using this hidden storage pockets to keep those appetizers fresh. the snack scarf comes in two sizes quart and gallon. the scarf sells for less than $3 each. >> this looks like a good way to get snacks, maybe beverage into the movie theater. >> oh, that's a good one. i already got that down. >> and imagine coming home for the holiday party and just pulling 20 deviled eggs out of the gallon scarf right there.

>> imagine that you forgot you did that after the holiday party because you had too many. >> yes, so many things. okay, thank you for watching. the news continues streaming on cbs captioning sponsored by cbs >> scientists at a department of energy lab in california have figured out how to successfully produce a nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain. that means they've succeeded in taking two hydrogen atoms and using 192 powerful lasers to force those atoms to fuse together. >> commencing test 1149... >> activating laser convergence. >> focus, focus... dammit, who let that cat in here?! ( explosion )