you got your big games... ...and regular games. get it all at a great price... ...and the holiday season is won. everything in one place. my giant. from the cbs broadcast center in philadelphia. this is cbs-3 "eyewitness news". good afternoon, everyone, i'm nicole brewer. erika von tiehl is off this noon. another dreary day here in the delaware valley. the good news is it is not freezing, the rain instead of snow, people out, maybe traveling for the holidays, snow probably wouldn't be the best idea, so a first look at the forecast, with meteorologist, katie fehlinger. that is some good news, unless you're skier or snow boarder? >> absolutely, not obviously going to have white christmas

this time, just way too warm, but along with the good a fan of the warmth does come the bad in the fact this is one of the busiest travel days we see all year, it is a day that features two pretty significant travel impact, when it comes to the weather. specifically, we've had a lot of fog to deal with this morning, and still dealing with some rain, in being parks starting to over spread as we take you outside to storm scan3 over spread portions of the area, and little more widespread coverage. so some of the pockets you can see it is radar 101. see the yellow on the radar, you know heavier, steadier batch of rain. this is all moving in from a warmfront from south to north. as a result of all of the moisture and the light wind that we've got, plus the warmth no less, we have had visibility problems. so the dense fog advisory sort of shifted little bit as to where it has been put into place here, but it has been extended now, until 6:00 p.m. essentially for the outlying counties surrounding philadelphia, coast of new jersey, state of delaware. so that's where the problems are primarily most pronounced when it comes to the fog, and we are very mild, you know,

that's been a big headliner for our weather as of late. 06 degrees the temperature currently at the airport, add couple of additional degrees for that daytime high. pair of six's, expectation out at the shore points, additional showers, probably even few pockets of steady rain at some point this afternoon, here in philly, but six a the expected hi, and again, that is well above average, in fact, flirting with record territory yet again this afternoon, nicole, back to you. >> all right, katie, thank you. triple a expects this holiday travel season to be the busiest ever, the agency says, nearly 6 million people will fly the friendly skies, and many of them are taking off from philadelphia international airport. that's where we find "eyewitness news" reporter justin finch. >> wednesday morning, 4:00 a.m., round one of the holiday rush, as philadelphia international. at terminal e, the tsa check point line stretched all the way to baggage claims. we jumped in. >> were you surprised to see how long these lines are this morning, and how many people seem to be traveling? >> absolutely, yes. i expected it to be crowded

but i didn't expect this. >> from now until new years, expect crowds, triple a forecast more than 100 million americans traveling 15 miles or more, in the philly area upward of 1 million traverse. they didn't see their first holdup coming so soon. how long did you think would take to you get to your flight. >> not even hour. >> this is the longer i've ever seen it. >> once the wait is over next stop for them, the dominican republic. >> no school, no work, fun, sun, what are you going to do? >> you will find up back in the tsa lines, roads will be busy, too, with gas prices down this year, triple a expects more americans to hit the highways. >> seeing the lowest gas prices of the year, and we expect to be at the lowest for the new years holiday since 2009. >> oh, my goodness, i was devastated. >> driving could have been darlene a's back up after missing her flight. most americans will drive, but

packing her patience, she is leaving later. it is christmas, after all. >> all things happen for a reason. so, for some reason, i didn't get my flight i guess so that i can talk to you guys. >> justin finch, cbs-3, "eyewitness news". looking on the bright side. meantime, chicago's o'hare airport was packed this morning with people trying to get out of town for the holidays. the lines were long but moving at a steady pace. triple a reports flying is a bit cheap they are year, fares are about 6% lower this holiday season. >> and it was a similar scene over at los angeles international airport. traffic moved along at a crawl as people made their way to the arrivals area. but everybody, going home for the holidays, and before you hit the roads, go to the website cbsphilly.com. there you will find real time traffic information to make sure your ride is a smooth one. be safe out there. >> in other news, philadelphia police are investigating a serious crash involving a septa trolley and a stolen suv. it happened around 9:30, the

49th and grays avenue in kingsessing. police say two males from the stolen suv are in extremely critical condition, 26 people on the trolley were taken to area hospitals for treatment. >> with christmas just days away, salvation army ready to make holiday wishes come true for families in need. jan carabeo live at philadelphia salvation operation center conshohocken avenue fairmount park with more on that, dan, hello. >> good afternoon, the greater philadelphia salvation army really is making christmas wishes come true today, this is let me tell you even though the folks have to wait in a little bit of rain before getting inside, they're leaving with huge smiles. because they know what's happening here today, really is going to make for a very, merry christmas. >> you got to get one game for the girl, right? >> for thousands of parents like michelle mcfarland, this is what christmas shopping looks like this year. >> she has a little girl.

>> two mickey's. >> and two young boys at home. >> yes, walk i talk. >> i today the salvation army is making not only their christmas wishes come true, but also, sheinelle's dream of christmas morning with her kids. >> wake me up really early, it look like 5:00 in the morning, then we all go there, open up the gifts. >> the salvation army greater philadelphia will give away close to 20,000 toys, to nearly 8,000 families this holiday season. they say, thanks in part to 400 community toy drives across the region. >> it is toyfest, the salvation army. >> that's right. >> including cbs-3 "joy of sharing" toyfest that wrapped up earlier this week. >> very heartwarm whg you see the happy expressions when they see the toy that they wanted to get that they wouldn't be able to afford. >> it means a lot. because like i really didn't have it this year, i hate to see the sad faces on the kids t real did i help me out. >> she hopes she won't need it next year, but comfort the salvation army will be here if

she does. >> it will get better. >> yes, i pray on that, right? >> it will get better. >> and this really is a team effort. dozens of volunteers helping out today, you at home who made those donations, nicole, back to you. >> that's the true spirit of christmas, jan, thanks, we appreciate. that will christmas also coming few days early for some children thanks to the generosity of septa employees, decorated bus on hand to septa's north pole headquarters in center city. filled the bus with toys, bikes and other fun items to celebrate the holidays. the septa sleigh ride for children and assisting families in our area. >> this year unbelievable, 10,000 toys we estimate will be distributed, which is moran the number of septa employees that we have. just a little bit more. so great effort by our employees. >> oh, love to see that. this by the way is the 35th year septa employees have participated in their annual all toy drive. that's what it is all about.

>> switching gears right now, fireball that lit up the evening sky across three western states last night turned out to be space junk. yes, as correspondent anna within err report, the lights show left spectators puzzled over what they thought they were seeing. >> what is that? >> what is it? what is that? >> it was the midnight mystery, keeping people awake in parts of california, arizona, and nevada last night. a blazing bright light streaking across the sky. >> oh, yes, all over facebook, really wonder what it is. >> local news stays cents -- stations were baffled. >> we've been getting all kind of phonecalls. >> we are hearing reports of bright fireball. >> but what is it? we still don't know. >> witnesses offered variety of their he is. >> could be an airplane? >> really long shooting star? >> might and meteor. >> santa claus? >> other just watched in amazement. >> wow. >> lift off. >> according to us strategic command, which helps monitor thousands of items, orbiting

in space, the object was the renmant of used russian rocket, one that may have helped launch a soy used supply vehicle to the international space station on monday, scheduled to dock this morning. >> every day hundreds and hundreds of tons of materials slam into the earth atmosphere, but we are quite fortunate that most of these than the are produced on earth are tracked. and we can control to some extent what their characteristics will be when they come back to earth. >> look at that time coming apart right now. >> russian rocketer one of 16,000 space object cracked by the joint space operations center, which had predicted the spacecraft would fall over arizona tuesday evening. anna westerner, cbs news, new york. so there you go. santa doesn't come until the 25th anyway. 12:09. real housewife is out of jail but not so fast. she is not free just yet. we'll have that story coming up next. also, more than dozen

tractor-trailers blown over like toy cars. how fast the winds were whipping in california and when it might end. also, a perfect circle of ice spinning in a lake. we'll tell you what causes this natural phenomenon when we come back.

>> a person of interest is in custody in connection with the death after prominent psychiatrist in center city. police say 75 year old howard baker was strangled inside the rodeway inn on walnut st. monday. he was found naked on the

floor with a belt tide around his neck. investigators say surveillance video shows baker had two separate male guesses and one left with his back pack. police believe that man may have committed the crime. >> lawyer for the woman accused of intentionally hitting dozens every pedestrians on the las vegas strip says she plans to plead not guilty. twenty-four year old lakeisha holloway set to face murder charges. they say holloway killed a woman and her 35 others when she drove onto crowded sidewalk on sunday with her three year old daughter in the back seat. us military spokesperson says the battle to re-take the iraqi city, is going to be tough fight, and could take a long time. today iraqi troops shelled more of the city and report their most significant advances since ramadi fell to isis forces in may. but, military expert say there are hundreds of islamic state fighters still in the city, and hundreds more on the northern and western parameters. well, switches gears right

now, after serving 11 months behind bars, real housewife theresa has been released from prison. photographers swarmed outside the reality star's mansion as she arrived home this morning. the now convicted fell on will remain on house arrest until february 5th. she began serving her sentence in january after pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud and several other charges in march of 2014. >> still ahead on "eyewitness news", if you are looking for a job, you're in luck. if you like to play with toys that is. we'll explain. plus the roof of gas station blown over. just one of the many places damaged by violent winds. we'll have more video of this coming up next. katie? >> and nicole, we are definitely dealing with some weather hazards of our own here in the delaware valley, fog and rain, but still some very significant warmth. we'll breakdown all of it, that you need to know, it is all coming up.

want to do something special this holiday season? support i have a dream foundation. help a child achieve the dream of a higher education. cbs cares.

>> i'm sending a message home to my family at galloway township new jersey. i want to say happy holidays to you guys, jacob, dad, all of my uncles, my aunts, all of my friends back at home. happy holidays and be safe. >> it is 12:17 right now. trees snapped in half, more than dozen tractor-trailers blown over, all by forceful winds maxing eight a miles an hour at times in california just north of los angeles, the resident are used to winds, but not like this. one woman said the winds blew her right over. i came out to see the cats, took my right off my feet, completely just lifted me up, slammed me down. >> come out here, standing on the highway, jump up and the

winds will take you away. losing my balance just standing here. >> wow, incredible stuff. winds advisory remains in effect for few more hours since parts of southern california today. incredible. also, a strange site on lake in minnesota. check out this phenomenon here. it is a swirling circle of ice. now, katie, meteorologist, would do a lot better than i would, but told it occurs when water moves faster than it can freeze, creating sort of pancake of ice. >> yes. >> sort of makes sense? basically the same reason that you never see the ice or rather the ocean freeze over, because there is constant motion, constant current. so it doesn't -- it needs to be still in order for that to happen. so that's really it. no ice here. >> pretty, though. >> sure. we just got a bunch of rain. >> very dreary day unfortunately. >> fog. >> so many people traveling today, that's what casino of is the kicker here, like not great timing for it. a lot of people having to deal with not just airport delays but delays out on the area roadways because you're having trouble seeing your hand in front of your face.

behind news couple of spots, we want to walk you through the visibility problems, rain issue, but also give you sense of how the rest of this week will shape up. if you like mild air, i got you covered there. let's go ahead, take it outside. start it off with view in the neighborhood network, not view of the roadways here but certainly good sense that you have got some fog issues, and it is very, very dreary. understandably, not one loan soul out here on the margate beaches, just again too dreary for that it seems, although very mild. let's look at the actual area, these, remember, just observation sites it, doesn't mean the entire city of philly is at 5-mile visibility, okay? keep that in mind it, comes through in pockets, but clearly there is a distinction here, the further north, the further inland go, the worse that fog has become. and specially up in the mountains us terrain, not looking so hot, but dense fog advisory was extended for at least the surround counties outside of philly. all because of warmfront lifting in as we speak, bringing with it some pockets granted but pocket of steadier rain along the way, this is

very active pattern, not going to see any major pulses of cold in the days ahead, we do have a lot to track here. warmfront today, cold front tomorrow, which frankly right now is a monster of a frontal boundary, because it is actually setting off numerous tornados watches and warnings back through missouri and portions of arkansas. thankfully that cold front will be dissipating by the time it hit us headed into tomorrow. meantime we've been talking about airport delays, do you have some delays currently out at philadelphia international airport, with the damp weather and the areas of fog, but you're also going to see that sort of trickle down effect to a lot of the other major hubs, new york, jfk at this point reporting some pretty heavy duty delays f that's where your travels already taking you, make sure you call ahead, you just don't want to ways the extra time sitting in a terminal, right? let's talk white christmas, pretty much know it won't happen. just too warm. average probability, tip ily low shot to see white christmas anyway. by definition, white christmas would be according to the national weather service, depend who you ask, but the official definition inch of

snow on the ground on december 25th. best shot for that, you got to fly west. so we are not going to see it this year, and even heck would you have to go pretty close to the canadian border to get it, virtually nil shot at it. not virtually, it is a nil shot to see it at all here in the local area, lining we said, just too warm. let's jump ahead couple of days, talking eagles, big game coming up here saturday. 51 degrees at kick off. that's very, very warm for the standards, but it is nothing compared to how warm it will be. check out thursday. yep. 74 degrees, the expected hi, that not just breaks the record, but it also shatters it, by a solid 10 degrees. we're flirting with records today, we're flirting with records on christmas day itself. and even the coolest day, nicole, monday, 49? >> wow. >> that's still above average by 6 degrees. so just gives you a sense of how incredible this pattern has been. >> so crazy. mid 70s, unreal, right? >> we'll take it.

>> i'm happen which it. >> all right, thanks, katie. it is time to check your philadelphia job market report. cbs news business analyst gel schlessinger shows you unique job opportunity if you love playing with toys. >> tis the season for one set of industrial designers, toy makers, these professionals are on track for happy holiday season. with sales projected to rise over 6% from last year. that's the biggest increase in ten years, according to market research firm npd group. will likely make for happy kids this season, but also good news for people in the business of making toys, then make no mistake, being a toy designer isn't all fun and games. while you clearly need to have a love foreplay, and creative streak, more goes into the job than meets the eye. you'll need a solid understanding of design, you should be able to illustrate your idea both through drawing and computer design, safety also a key concern, when building toys for kids, so you need to be a tune to this, as well. companies report that their designers mostly major in

industrial design, robotics, business, even child psychology. toy designers in the philadelphia area make nearly $70,000 a year. not bad for someone who gets to spends the whole day with a bunch of toys. i'm jill schlessinger, cbs-3, "eyewitness

>> coming up later today on "eyewitness news" at 5:00 you know all about distracted driving. what about distracted walking? take a take a look at the growing number of people getting hurt while walk with their cell phones. that's coming up an on "eyewitness news" at 5:00. >> very philly holiday. i love. >> this we will take you on tour of the most philly things to do this holiday season. you can see christmas eve, 10:30, sister station "cw philly". christmas day see it just after midnight cbs-3 at 12:30 p.m. on cw, and 3:00 p.m. on the cbs-3 full schedule on our website for you cbsphilly.com. >> very philly christmas. >> i love the sound of. that will that's "eyewitness news" at noon, i'm nicole brewer. for erika who is off, katie all of us here, thanks for watching. >> "eyewitness news" does continue at 5:00. always on line at cbsphilly.com. >> the young and the restless is next. thanks for watching. have a great day, everybody.

>> jill: billy, this is your mother. again. telling you to call me. again. please do it this time. >> colin: can i interest you in a, um, slice of holiday fruitcake? 'tis the season. >> jill: [ laughs ] nobody eats that stuff. besides, how can you even think about sweets or booze at a time like this? >> colin: christmas time? >> jill: no, darling. i'm talking about billy. i'm worried about him. >> colin: oh, that. [ chuckles ] well, look, i wouldn't let it get you down, really. >> jill: colin, you may believe in this hands-off kind of parenting with cane, but i cannot stand by and watch my son self-destruct. >> colin: sweetheart, look, that's not what i meant. >> jill: i know it's not what you mean. it's just billy's been in such a tailspin ever since jack f