>> right now on nbc 10 news at 5:00, here's a look at the papal motorcade and that's the sound people made waiting for him. he found his way through washington, d.c. there he is, pope francis arriving on u.s. soil about an hour ago arriving right there at the apostolic nunciatury before a busy day on capital hill tomorrow. turning back time, we watched as pope francis touched down on american soil for the first time. the president was among those there, too, to welcome him to the united states. nbc 10 has your complete coverage of the pope's upcoming visit to philadelphia. >> but we begin with his stop in washington, d.c. rosemary connors is live there tonight. >> rosemary, a lot of excitement. >> reporter: keith and jacqueline, plenty of excitement, plenty of joy. over an hour ago the pope arrived in washington, as you can see, his chartered plane

landed and touched down at joint base andrews just outside of washington not too long ago. then, this is his first trip over to the united states. certainly a historic moment. after removing his cap, he walked down the steps of the plane to a boisterous and booming crowd, who had been anticipating this moment for quite some time. president obama, first lady, and his daughters were there to greet him. this is a rarity, because presidents usually wait for visitors to come to them at the white house. also met by a military honor guard, politicians and clergy, among many other religious on the runway. the vatican selected four children from different catholic schools in the d.c. area to also greet the holy father. francis left andrews in a fiat, that was the car of choice. from there he headed off to the residence, as you mentioned. right now he's on his way headed to what's considered to be the vatican embassy here in

washington. it's going to be a very busy day tomorrow. that's why he's going to get rest tonight. tomorrow he will celebrate a canonizati canonization mass in d.c. thursday he'll address a joint session of congress before in new york the pope will address the u.n. general assembly, he'll visit the world trade center, and, of course, celebrate mass. on saturday, that's the big day for philadelphia, he'll arrive in this city saturday morning for his two-day visit. reporting live in washington, i'm rosemary connors, nbc 10 news. back to you. >> rosemary, thank you. this all comes, of course, as philadelphia's gearing up for the pope's arrival. sky force 10 shows the view from above. for the very first time, nbc 10 sat down with a special agent in charge of the pope's visit to discuss the secret service's specific plans. today the agency revealed it may change or update security measures up to the last minute. >> investigative reporter mitch blacher joins us with details. what did you learn about this,

mitch? >> he talked about everything from how the decision was made to close i-76 to how agents are adapting to the latest threat. david beach was candid for a secret service agent and revealed what he could without jeopardizing months of planning. >> we will certainly be watching what happens in washington and new york with the pope. >> david beach and the secret service have taken heat for closing philadelphia in the name of security. >> people mistakenly associate everything with the security footprint. if you look at this event, the security footprint is relatively small. >> one of the undeniable footprints is closing interstate 76. we learned the decision including penn dot, state, and philly police, and the secret service. >> is it an easier way to get the pope to and from where he's staying, is it in case there's an emergency you have an evacuation route? >> i would say some of it is all of the above, really. whether or not we use that route for the pope has yet to be determined and we certainly are

not going to announce that anyway. however, part of it is emergency vehicles use, part of it is managing the traffic, ensuring you don't have a backup there, because there's no place for the people to go. >> special agent beach also talked about the latest threat revealed in a pennsylvania state police bulletin obtained by nbc news. it warns terrorists may try to imitate first responders. >> how concerned are you that someone may impersonate a first responder? >> you know, i hadn't seen that report until this morning, and i don't believe that report was necessarily associated with this event. with respect to your question, i believe we have the mechanisms in place to ensure that no impersonators would get in. >> what can you do? >> we have a robust credentialing system for the first responders working in this event and need to have access to this event and we have a screening process in place. >> beach is watching every move the pope makes. he was watching as the crowd in

cuba bypassed security to touch the holy father. >> what did you think when you saw that in cuba? >> really didn't give it much thought. i just know that i'm confident that won't happen here. >> now, special agent beach and the secret service are quarterbacking all the security for the pope's visit and pointed out the secret service didn't pick where the events happen, they just have to secure it wherever it does happen. >> security effort is going to involve every federal, local, state law enforcement agency. did you talk about disagreements between the agencies? >> we did. special agent beach said it's mostly smooth. they've been working together for years, so the local, the federal agencies, they are sharing information, they are even sharing bomb sniffing dogs as need be. coming up at 6:00, though, we do talk with the special agent again about security plans and the biggest weakness. that's at 6:00. >> he is the people's pope, so

he loves getting out and engaging with the people and that has to be unnerving knowing he's going to want to get so close. >> no doubt. >> mitch blacher, thank you. in south jersey today, police departments came together to discuss final preparations for the pope's visit. new jersey will be in a state of emergency this weekend. cydney long joins us live near the ben franklin bridge. >> not the only bridge shutting down, right? >> reporter: that's right. no specific time frame or specific bridge at this point, but the possibility does very much exist. that message coming to us today from camden county hire gher up. the decision could come after police and ems fully operate the emergency operations center on friday morning. >> 1:30, major motor vehicle

accident. >> reporter: today, a joint mock exercise to include police, fire, hazmat, fbi, and new jersey national guard. law enforcement from a to z and three counties testing their readiness on the final meeting after a year of extensive planning ahead of pope francis. >> our methodology and our philosophy has been to prepare for the worst and in preparing for the worst, we'll be ready for the best. >> today the training scenario is a fatal accident and stabbing suspect ready to jump from the ben franklin bridge as dozens make the walk to see the pope. is the overarching message to enjoy, but to also be vigilant? >> i think that's safe to say. >> reporter: what's not safe, speculating on the papal's pilgrim volume with 60,000 passes still not sold, 5,000 available on the river line, and 8,300 parking spots up for grabs in camden, officials worry many will be in cars. are there going to be any last

minute changes with regard to the bridges? >> well, i can't say any changes may come. clearly, the ben franklin bridge is going to be closed, so i don't see that changing, but as far as other bridge closures, the changes in that environment, you know, it's a possibility. >> reporter: and national guard troops will be deployed as necessary statewide, even to act as ambassadors and get people directions. if you're worried about the road or bridge closures, new jersey transit launched f-511 today you can also find information and tikts still available at gatewaytothepope.com, you can get them to your smartphone and our website, nbc10.com. the pope's trip to cuba, but before leaving he stopped at the shrine to cuba's patron saint.

during mass at the sanctuary of the virgin of charity, pope francis prayed for the cuban people to get what they most desire and most need. francis later blessed families at the cathedral of santiago. pope francis left the island nation bound for his first trip to the u.s. he asked cubans to rediscover their catholic heritage, which was pushed aside after the communist revolution 56 years ago. here's a look at the pope's schedule for the rest of the week. tomorrow the pontiff will attend a joint session of congress. on thursday he travels to new york city. pope francis will address the united nations on friday, before arriving in philadelphia saturday morning. you can count on nbc 10 for your coverage of the pope's visit to the united states. in addition to rosemary connors, matt is also reporting from washington, d.c.

then cydney long and katie zachary will pick it up from new york city on thursday. one day ahead of the official start of fall, it already feels like it outside. here's a live look at the parkway, which has transformed over the last few days. it is cool and cloudy out there. let's go to nbc 10 first alert meteorologist sheena parveen. >> sheena, we're going to see the return of summer-like temperatures, right? >> kind of. we'll be closer to 80 degrees, four degrees above normal for this time of year, but tomorrow warmer than today. so right now we're at 71 degrees in philadelphia, yes, cloudy and cool, feeling a lot like fall. upper 60s already through the lehigh valley. mid to low 70s through south jersey and delaware and really just locked into the cloud cover. most of the area except the poconos still seeing overcast skies, so a live look outside right now, center city. we are dry, no rain with the clouds, but the clouds are definitely here. we'll keep them in the forecast for this evening, but then overnight tonight we really start to see those clouds breaking up.

poconos already seeing some clearing by 11:00 p.m., temperatures around 50 degrees in the poconos, mid 60s for the philadelphia area and around the low 60s by 11:00 p.m. if you're along the shore. another cool night tonight and the warming tomorrow. that forecast and any rain chances for this weekend coming up. >> thank you, sheena. preparing for the worst. we'll show you the mobile medical unit one local community is unveiling just in time for the pope's visit. plus, fall technically begins tomorrow, but that doesn't mean things are slowing down at the jersey shore. the new strategy some towns are using to draw visitors. here's nbc 10's tim furlong. hey, tim. >> hey, keith. the parkway is closed, that wave of restrictions is expanding. coming up, a look over old city to talk about towing issues and what you need to know for the rest of tonight and tomorrow in the city of philadelphia.

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the third phase of parking restrictions for philadelphia ahead of the pope's visit begins in less than an hour. at 6:00 p.m. crews will begin towing cars in the area you see shaded in blue to help prepare for this weekend's events. let's go to tim furlong who's live in sky force 10. >> birds-eye view of the affected area. what can you see up there? >> i'll tell you what, i can top the map you just showed, we'll show you what it actually looks

like. this is what it looks like. if you take one thing from this report right now, parking and towing restrictions begin at 6:00. if you have the placard, you have more time, but it is time to take your planning into action and hopefully you have made a plan. tomorrow city schools are closing through the weekend, including public, so every day brings different challenges and restrictions, also more excitement as we get closer to the pope's visit. i know when i have questions about the logistics, as we come back live, i can tell you what i do, right to the nbc 10 news app and nbc10.com to try to figure out everything i need to know for that day, try to keep myself posted. i suspect you do the same. tim furlong, nbc 10 news. >> great advice and great vantage point, too, thanks. the evening mass at the pennsylvania convention center for the thousands of people who gathered for the world meeting of families congress.

different performances kicked off the opening ceremony for the congress this afternoon. a program featuring students highlighted the distance traveled by the pilgrims who are here from 100 countries. earlier philadelphia archbishop charles chaput listed the topics the group will end up covering. >> intimacy between husband and wife, finances, the care for people with disabilities, and the elderly. >> the archbishop said that while gathering is an expression of the catholic faith, it embraces all of humanity. with that being said, gay, lesbian, and transgender catholics begin a series of workshops this morning in center city. >> the coalition of groups say they've come together to work on getting lgbt parishioners greater inclusion into the church. the group equally blessed was recently told they could not have their workshop in a local catholic church, but the united

methodist church stepped in and gave them space in their church, instead. today a teacher fired for same-sex marriage told the group she'd like pope francis to listen to their concerns. >> we are your sisters and brothers in faith. we ask that the church reflect on its treatment of the lgbt community through the lens of social justice. >> the group will continue their workshops through sunday. friday night flashback is brought to you by philadelphia's credit union. >> not to throw you off, we know it's not friday night. people going what? the pope's arrival, though, has impacted high school football around the region. >> specifically the philadelphia public league, which decided to have most of their games and move them thursday, two games were moved to this afternoon, so we decided to move our friday night flashback to this afternoon, as well. the subject of this week's flashback, nolan carroll, the

first defensive back attended clay high school in green grove spring, florida. he went back and donated money to the team's field and weight room. it's a story we'll feature this sunday at 10:00, but here's a sample of the message that carroll shared about the importance of high school football with the current players there. >> i just want to see you guys be great. that's the bottom line here, be great in life on and off the football field. it will take you wherever you want to go. >> really it's just for me about giving back to my old team, the team that helped groom the way i was as a person and a player, you know, and i have so many memories of this school. >> a reminder, it is a special pope edition of the game of the week this week. we'll bring it to you thursday night. nbc10.com, cast your vote for one of the three teams you see here. voting ends tomorrow at 11:00.

now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist sheena parveen. >> well, a cloudy and cool day and it really does feel like today could be the first day of fall, but it's not. tomorrow is and, in fact, tomorrow we're going to be warmer than today. live look outside right now at schuylkill river near the art museum, overcast skies. we're not seeing any rain with these clouds, but it is keeping temperatures down. tomorrow it's the first day of fall coming up. we're going to be warming and we'll have a lot more sunshine, so may not feel like fall exactly through the afternoon, but still going to be a nice day. then we're going to cool down again as we go into the weekend for the papal visit and we are also keeping a very close eye on any rain chances. we'll show you what i'm talking about in just a minute. right now the upper 60s in allentown, 68 degrees, 71 now in philadelphia. 68 degrees glassboro, 71 in dover, so it's cool and pretty comfortable outside. little breezy around the area

still. average high this time of year is actually 76 degrees, so we're below that right now, but so far today we've gotten 75 degrees tomorrow for the official start of fall we'll be around 80 degrees, same thing thursday and keep moving down into the mid to upper 70s come friday and that cool down will last through the weekend. live look at satellite and radar. no rain but we have the clouds around. the poconos have been seeing some sunshine, so clearing up in the higher elevations, that's where the back edge of the clouds are. so tomorrow they'll be moving out, but the moisture off the carolina coast, that's what we'll be watching as we go into the weekend. so here's a look at future weather. we do actually stay dry the rest of the week. all this moisture is going to stay to the south. then saturday moisture tries to move farther north, but still far enough south to where we should be rain free saturday. by sunday the models are starting to keep the rain just to our south, so as we go through the weekend, there's a chance of rain south in philadelphia sunday, but we'll

be watching this closely to see if this moisture moves farther north. updates every day this week. temperatures will be in about the mid 70s. tonight, lows on the cool side, 50 for allentown, 56 doylestown and norris town. closer to the shore, low 60s, 57 degrees for areas like vineland. tomorrow, warmer temperatures right around 80 degrees for the first day of fall. staying that way for thursday. then we cool back to the mid 70s over the weekend and we'll be watching those rain chances. honoring a fallen hero. we'll tell you the unique way a local college is saying tribute to pennsylvania state trooper who lost his life in an ambush that gained national attention. plus -- >> the process of making way for the pope continues at independence hall. while the towing continues, as well. i'm doug shimell, the latest coming up. and remember you can count on nbc 10 to keep you covered during the pope's visit.

here's a live look at the ben franklin parkway.

new at 5:00, penn state is remembering a fallen pennsylvania state trooper who was ambushed along with his partner in the poconos last year. the university has established a scholarship to honor corporal

bryon dickson. the goal is to provide $2,500 to a criminology major each year. dickson graduated with honors from penn state's program. he was shot and killed last september. dickson left behind a wife and two young children. trooper alex douglass was severely wounded at that attack at the barracks. douglass is still recovering. police arrested eric frein after a man hunt. frein has pleaded not guilty in the shooting. david petraeus asked for forgiveness today. >> it was during testimony, petraeus was before the committee to share views on the mo middle east. it is his first public testimony since resigning after admitting an affair with his biographer paula broadwell, but he began by wanting to repeat an apology to the american public. >> i can only say again how sorry i am to let -- to those i

let down and strived to go forward. >> petraeus was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for sharing classified information with broadwell. to this now, it's the first of its kind in our area. >> it is, coming up, a look at the mobile medical units used in emergency situations during the pope's visit. plus, move it or lose it. in just minutes your car could be towed if it's parked in one section of the city. we have the information you need to know. here's a live look at cape may. it may be quiet now, but you might see crowds here during the weekend. pope-cation, a lot of people are calling it, a way to escape the pope's visit.

this is nbc 10 news. >> make way for the pope if you park near independence mall, the countdown is on for you to move your car and fast, as we mentioned earlier. new parking restrictions are going into effect so the area will be ready for the pope's visit this weekend. >> pope francis will be making a speech on saturday, but at 6:00 tonight, crews will begin towing cars in the area shaded in blue. the no parking rules already in effect for the areas around the parkway that you see in green and purple. let's go to nbc 10's doug shimell live on independence mall. >> have most people moved their cars by now? >> reporter: well, the city says

they've had 90% comply up to this point. with the pope actually in washington, d.c., all the deadlines out here and the dollars that go along with them seem a lot more real now. with the pope on final approach, it's photo op time for the mayor, until somebody asks about the pope. >> we're not paying for the pope to come. >> where will that money be allotted to? >> the continued amount as the stage goes up in front of independence hall where the pope will speak saturday afternoon. and the parking authority says it has gotten 90% compliance by residents moving their cars. they've now towed more than 200 out of the security box, though they expected 600 by now, and the placards continue to sell. >> the parking females become

available on 6:00 p.m. on thursday and people need to be off the street by 10:00 p.m., even with the placards. once you get into the garage, you won't be able to exit again until monday. >> reporter: as for the mayor and the question about who pays for the pope, the world meeting of families has agreed to pay at least $12 million. as far as the pope parking issue goes, if you live anywhere between 12th street and 3rd street or franklin square and washington square, you have a little less than 30 minutes to either get that placard or get your car moved. live in independence hall, doug shimell, nbc 10 news. >> good to know, doug, thank you. let's see how the pope's upcoming visit is affecting the roads. >> jessica boyington, any trouble spots out there? >> added volume on the schuylkill expressway, the drive, and all of the areas around the ben franklin parkway and the closures.

possibly because parking enforcement out there around 6:00 tonight and kelly drive between fairmount avenue and the art museum circle. ben franklin parkway closed to logan circle with the no parking zones in the area you can see the vine street expressway there at a crawl, but the schuylkill expressway is doing a tad better than we had originally thought, but you can see right here we have moving. we have slow speeds in our drive times. the vine street expressway is where we're seeing it the worst. all shaded in red right here is westbound. towards the schuylkill expressway or 30th street station we're at a complete crawl from 95 to the schuylkill and seven-minute trip so give yourself an extra ten minutes out on the vine today. >> good advice. >> i concur. let's head to the skies, tim furlong is live in sky force 10. >> you stopped by the world meeting of families earlier today. we see mass is under way inside. >> yeah, it's really cool to be above the convention center

looking down from sky force 10. take a look, this is what we see from up here. knowing how many people are in there, people visiting the u.s. from around the world and the country. i was in there earlier today at the opening ceremony, pretty exciting today, actually nice to see it happen, actually happen after years of preparing for it. now let's take you live inside right now. archbishop chaput and others holding the mass for thousands here for the world meeting. after mass, day one in the books, but tomorrow is another busy day, more speakers, meetings, and the theme right there, all the meetings, families, preparing them, making solid families even more solid. even how to cope with divorce and the loss of a spouse or child. heavy topics, but everyone having fun, too. lots of people seem very excited to be in our area. sure seems most people here are happy to welcome their guests. when we come back at 6:00, we'll take you back inside the convention center. i was there all afternoon before i came up in sky force 10.

that's where we're live now. tim furlong, nbc 10 news. >> tim, thank you. don't forget about the nbc 10 news app. free download with everything you need to know ahead of the pope's visit, including the road closures and what you can and can't bring to the parkway. it's the last day of summer, but it already feels like fall. here's a live look at camelbeach water park, where the crowds could be counted on when it was hot outside. let's go to nbc 10 first alert meteorologist sheena parveen. >> i understand we'll see a little warmer weather very soon. >> yeah, tomorrow. so we're going to have a nice warmup. more sunshine in the forecast, too. even though tomorrow's the first day of fall, it's not going to feel like fall the way today does with the overcast skies. upper 60s through the lehigh valley, 71 philadelphia, south jersey and delaware in the low 70s. clouds are still locked in. in the poconos we have clearing, but center city seeing overcast

chis, as well as most of the area. regardless of the cloud cover, we don't have any rain around right now. the clouds will start to break overnight tonight and we're going to cool down again. some of the coolest spots overnight north and west of philadelphia through the lehigh valley, upper parts of bucks and montgomery county. some areas around 50 degrees. there's a chance some of us could get into the upper 40s, maybe even quakertown. coming up, neighborhood forecast lows for tomorrow morning. the warmup tomorrow afternoon and rain chances we put in for the weekend forecast. we have new information about an early morning fire in logan township, new jersey. sky force 10 over the scene this morning. right now officials don't know what caused the fire on blue jay drive but tell us no one was hurt. the family living in the house made it out safely thanks to a neighbor who woke them up. heavy flames destroyed the front of that house. from our delaware bureau, police are looking to find the man who exposed himself to a

woman walking through the park last week. the woman was walking her dog thursday morning in the park when a man pulled down his pants, exposing himself to her. police tell us you could be eligible for a reward if you have information that results in an arrest or conviction in the case. now from our jersey shore bureau, dangerous painkillers are off the street in toms river. he is suspected of selling oxycodone out of his house in tutor court. law enforcement officials tell us that's where they discovered a large stash of illegal prescription pills. also from jersey shore, a push to make route 539, ten arrests, hundreds of tickets and more than 600 car stops in just 32 days, but most importantly, no deaths. officials began the effort after a rash of fatal crashes and

serious accidents on the highway. police tell us the most common ticket was for speeding. here's a look at what's coming up. >> fall begins tomorrow, but that doesn't mean everybody is leaving the jersey shore. still ahead, the effort to bring in fall tourists. plus, get another reason why health experts say you should put down the smokes. the disease is now being linked to. and our pope coverage continues. here's a live look at i-95 in south philadelphia, one of the highways that will be shut down during the papal visit.

many businesses are closing their doors, others doing the opposite. >> some are capitalizing on the opportunity by extending hours and discounting services. one of those places at 15th and locust in center city. they decided to keep their doors open to cater to those who want to look good for the pope on the

parkway. they've even dubbed it "look dope for the pope" with special t-shirts and special tank tops. they say in a culture where selfies are the norm, people want to look their very best when capturing those special moments. >> such a huge array of people that are coming. i know that they all would want to look good and look great for his appearance. look dope for the pope, yeah. >> now starbucks will extend its hours during the papal visit. this one near the ben franklin parkway will be open 24 hours all weekend. they've already stocked stores with supplies so they don't run out. >> starbucks is open, that's good. if you see a plan for pope francis' visit to philadelphia, especially with the nbc 10 news app. >> nbc 10 joining us live with how to find the information you need to know. vince? >> whether you're heading to the parkway or plan to follow what's going on from the shore or the

mountains, nbc 10 digital has you covered. i want to take you on a tour of our special section dedicated to pope francis' visit to philadelphia. there's live video, especially from nbc 10, but we have live video as he travels all throughout the country, through washington, d.c. and different spots. you can also get the latest information about closures and what's happening in the city. and, in fact, today i put together a story about what's closing when, so it's a day by day guide going hour by hour letting you know what closures will take effect, when the traffic box will affect you, and what you need to know to make sure you're moving your car, you don't want the $76 towing ticket. you'll also find a digit tally exclusive story about pope francis' visit to jail. advocates working to abolish sex traflking is a great chance to shine a light on a system that

treats victims of sex trafficking as criminals. you can find it on nbc10.com, on your computer, and on your mobile device. tap right here on the top of the page or the stairnbc 10 app. >> thank you. and delaware is preparing for the impact of the papal visit by the way they are going to operate special trains over the weekend. the trains will serve from the wilmington train station, marcus hook, and 30th street station in philadelphia. septa service will not occur from any other train station in delaware, except the wilmington train station, that's important to know. several roads will be closed in wilmington, including rosa parks drive, water street will be partially closed. drivers can check traffic and travel times by downloading the del dot app. hate to remind you guys, but summer's almost over. doesn't mean you can't go to the jersey shore, though. the new strategy that some towns are using to draw visitors.

that's right. and we're going to be warmer tomorrow for the first official day of fall with plenty more sunshine. hopefully that will cheer things up for you. and we're also tracking rain chances for the weekend. i'll show you that straight ahead. all new at 6:00, the four-footed members of the pope's security control. terry rug ls talked to one man who saddled up for the visit in 1979, a story that will have you shaking your head coming up at 6:00. live look right now at the ben franklin parkway, it will be much more crowded this weekend during the pope's visit. the barricades are up, black fencing is up, scaffolding is up, as well. much more as the pope has stepped foot on u.s. soil for the very first time as pontiff. we'll be right back.

some people down at the jersey shore say that doesn't mean you need to stop visiting. >> several towns are trying new strategies or holding special weekend events to draw people down this fall. nbc 10's drew smith is live in ocean city. >> drew, take us through some of these new strategies. >> reporter: and a lot of those folks told us this was one of the best summers in years, even though it's a little dreary today, a lot of people still out on the boardwalk, and again while the temperatures are probably going to be getting cooler over the next couple of weeks, leaders and businesses are hoping to keep the summer momentum rolling a little bit longer to fall. on the boardwalk in wildwood, life jackets and long pants are starting to make an appearance, but the fun isn't over yet. >> we will still be open. we're open weekends until october 11th. >> reporter: with the life guard stands empty, people aren't thinking about swimming in the ocean, but getting some last

minute shopping in. >> t-shirts, three for $10, you can't find those kind of sales during the summer. >> reporter: these friends say they are happy they chose this late september week for the vacation. >> wildwoods does a great job of hosting events on the weekend. >> a lot of the weekend events started to creep into october and early november. >> reporter: it's intentional to offer something for people to enjoy other than the beach as the weather cools. in atlantic city, the brand new conference center promises to draw business travelers in the off-season and the city will host more concerts with big names in october. in wildwood, work crews are getting ready for irish fall weekend. >> used to be labor day, last big hoorah for a lot of folks. >> reporter: organizers expect large crowds, some trying to get away from the road closures from the papal visit in philadelphia. >> we think this might be the biggest irish weekend we've ever had. >> reporter: and some businesses we spoke to already looked at

some of their numbers. they expect a better summer this summer moneywise than the last couple, so they are pretty happy. they are hoping that will continue and the weather, good weather, comes back for that weekend festival, which will begin on thursday and run through sunday. live in ocean city, drew smith, nbc 10 news. now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist sheena parveen. >> and definitely felt like fall today, overcast skies, cool temperatures, except if you were in the poconos. poconos had some early clearing from the clouds today. we're seeing clear skies right now, nice comfortable conditions in the poconos, but tomorrow with the first official day of fall is going to be warmer than today, close to 80 degrees. into the weekend, we cool back down into the mid 70s and we are watching any rain chances for the papal visit. we'll show you that forecast in a second. upper 60s through the lehigh valley, low 70s in philadelphia, also wilmington, millville coming in at 73 degrees, dover

right now 70 degrees. and we're all under cloudy skies, except for the poconos, and now we have some clearing areas north and west through parts of berks county, parts of the lehigh valley starting to see some clearing, but we're not seeing rain with the clouds. we will see them break up overnight tonight, more sunshine tomorrow. we are watching an area of moisture off the carolina coast. this is the one that could be giving us a rain chance over the weekend. here's what future weather shows starting with tomorrow we see more sun in the forecast wednesday afternoon. the clouds are moving away, then we go into thursday. more sunshine, also temperatures near 80 degrees, so warm up for at least two good days, then by friday the clouds start to move back in. take a look at the moisture to our south by friday. some of the models are trying to bring this up into the area at least close enough to spark a rain chance. here's one of them. saturday just to our south you see that moisture, sunday tries to move farther north, doesn't

exactly make it. of course, that rain can always shift to the north as we go through the next few days. we're still quite a ways out, but so far we're going to put a cha chance of showers in. temperatures over the weekend mid 70s. saturday does look to be a dryer day. for tonight, cool, especially when the clouds break up. upper 50s for philadelphia. chester, glassboro, even westchester, closer to the shore low 60s overnight. 57 degrees for vineland. tomorrow, though, mostly sunny, warmer day around 80 degrees, so a nice first day of fall. little bit above normal for this time of year. same thing as we go into thursday. friday we'll see more clouds moving in over the weekend. the rain chance we're going to watch for mostly sunday, we'll be updating that throughout the week. if you need another reason to put down the cigarettes is, now research says smokers are putting themselves and the people around them at risk for type 2 diabetes. a study of millions of smokers

find they are about 40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and just being around smokers ups the risk you'll get the disease by 22%. type 2 diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke. if that's enough to spur you to quit, there are two good ways to give it a shot. federal health officials say behavioral therapy can be very successful and is the best approach for pregnant women who want to quit. using smoking cessation drugs or nicotine replacement can also work. if you're considering e-cigarettes, researchers say there isn't enough evidence that they help or they are safe. they are preparing for the worst. >> here's nbc 10's deanna durante. >> it's a mobile position unit. the first of its kind in the state and it's being rolled out in time for the papal visit. >> then coming up on nbc 10 news at 6:00, the secret service tells the nbc 10 investigators the agency is stretched as they work to secure followed.

hear what the special agent in charge says about the security plan's biggest weakness. let's take a live look at center city. this is eighth and market streets. expect tourists to flood this area here during the pope's visit this weekend.

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it big crowds expected for the pope's visit this weekend, emergency crews are getting creati creative. >> misand medical crews on bikes and atvs, but a different kind of program is taking off in the suburbs just in time for the pope. >> tourniquets, things like that. >> reporter: it's not an ambulance. >> each physician will carry one with them. >> reporter: come this weekend this mobile physician unit may put on more miles than its traditional counterpart. >> we see this providing a tremendous part in the pope visit. mass causality in the event of a tremendous crowd surges, this gives us the ability to rapidly get to any point around that large area. >> reporter: unlike traditional ambulances, this unit will have the tools doctors can use in the field. >> in order to save their life it's going to be necessary to do an amputation out in the street, we have that capability to not only safely do the amputation,

but adequately medicate the patient. >> reporter: that's exactly what doctors were called to do last may, a major crash on the northeast extension and montgomery county doctors were on alert trying to get to the scene. ambulances were already on scene. when the physicians were mobilized, they couldn't get through the traffic and that's when an idea was born, to get those emergency doctors to the scene. >> at the time we didn't have these resources in montgomery county. >> reporter: doctors made it and performed the surgery. that allotted funds to buy the vehicle and stock it with equipment emergency doctors need. it will be rolled out for the papal visit and these doctors will be steps from where the pontiff is staying this weekend, they'll likely never see him. >> my place is really to support the people that are protecting and supporting him and to take care of the surge of folks that i understand have come down to our area to visit him. >> reporter: deanna durante, nbc 10 news. coming up next on nbc 10

news at 6:00, the mounted patrol will be part of security for the pope's visit. terry ruggles talks to a man who knows the surprises that can happen when an unpredictable pontiff comes to town. and a warmup for the first day of fall. tomorrow, followed by a chance of showers, some of it for your weekend. a look at that coming up. and sitting down with the secret service. the staffing problems for the weekend and the biggest weakness for the security plans next on nbc 10 news at 6:00.

nbc 10 news starts now. >> right now at 6:00, the pope in america. president obama greeted the pontiff after his plane touched down from cuba. pope francis will bring a spotlight on the issues closest to his heart. immigration, social injustice, and economic inequality. >> and now the world meeting of families philadelphia 2015 is officially open! >> as the world meeting of families officially starts in philadelphia. and the city continues to make way for the pope's arrival in just three days. good evening, i'm jacqueline london. right now pope francis is inside the vatican diplomatic mission. he is not expected to appear again this evening. he touched down at joint base

andrews just before 4:00 this afternoon. pope francis will spend two days in washington. he heads to new york city on friday, then arrives in philadelphia saturday morning. we are tracking the pope's u.s. visit on the ground and in the air with new information on security from the secret service and how one piece of history is repeating itself. nbc 10's rosemary connors begins our coverage live in washington. >> reporter: jacqueline, it was a warm welcome to say the least for pope francis, a joyous event for washington. he will rest this evening before a very busy day tomorrow. welcomed by a cheering crowd and throng of dignitaries, pope francis stepped on u.s. soil for the first time after 4:00 this afternoon. president obama and his family greeted the holy father first. the vice president and his wife, along with their