erika: good morning. it's tuesday, december 29. i'm erika tarantal. antoinette: i'm antoinette antonio. emily and randy are off this morning. stories we're following on the eyeopener right now. a fire rescue in webster. the daring move from the first officers on the scene. erika: an international manhunt comes to an end. the arrest in mexico for the so-called affluenza teenager. antoinette: the first snow of the season today. how the mbta is trying to stay ahead. let's take a live look at our radar right now. you can see much of the state is blanketed in snow and sleet. on the other side of your screen, new video in overnight from framingham as flakes begin to fall there. it's the first winter storm of

morning commute. erika: we've got live team coverage for you. let's start with stormteam 5 meteorologist cindy fitzgibbon. she's tracking the slushy mess this morning. it was like ice pellets. cindy: if you're just waking up this morning, you may be hearing that pinging on the window. that is an indication that we do have a lot of sleet out there. wherever you see this purple color, that is where we have sleet right now. notice that is encroaching inside of 495 right now closer into boston where you can see there is still some blue showing up to the north. the route 2 corridor, southern new hampshire, the north shore, that is where we still have some snow but also pockets of sleet mixing on in. it is a mess this morning. it is going to stay that way through midday. a wintery mix. snow, sleet and ice. eventually transitioning to rain. but out in the central and western part of the state, that rain will be freezing on contact so winter weather advisory for you until about 7:00 this evening. not a lot of snow. a coating to a couple of inches for most of us.

into southern new hampshire where we could see over two inches of snow there. the big concern, of course, the temperatures and how that is going to impact travel. you can see we're only in the 20's right now worcester county. it is at the freezing mark in boston with the wind coming in off the water. so as this storm approaches, it will bring in warmer air. the temperatures come up this afternoon. by 7:00 a.m. we're talking about rain on this south coast and the cape, icing elsewhere. that ice transitions outside of 495 as we get into the afternoon. but it should be raining elsewhere. so it is going to turn into a very messy day overall with temperatures coming up into the 40's by this afternoon. now it is tough out there right now. as you are getting ready to head out to the roads. i want to get you up to speed on what you may be encountering out there. our own doug meehan is driving around in the mess that we have out there this morning. good morning, doug. doug: good morning, cindy. roads are an absolute mess. we are northbound on 128 right

mass pike. and we basically have the far left lanes are completely covered in a snow-slush mix. the right-hand lanes have only been broken up because of some random vehicle travel. we have seen some of the plows, an armada of them, traveling on the southbound side. four or five in a row. let me tell you something. if you do not have to get out on these roadways this morning, i would absolutely wait. they are a mess. they're wet. in some spots they're icy. i came down 128 this morning from lynnfield, a greater presence of snow on the roadways up there. pike interchange we're just coming up on grove street, you've got more of that slushy, icy mix that's on the roadways right now. i think it's only get to worse for a while. we'll be out here. we'll keep an eye on things. my only suggestion is just if don't. at least for now.

i'm doug meehan. olessa, how is it on the other roadways. olessa: pretty much the same, doug. i made the same trip as you traveling down 128. the roads, a lot of them have not been treated. the major and the secondary roadways as well. be careful. exit ramps from extra slick. here's a live look at the pike for you by allston/brighton. you can see plows heading down the westbound side. there is eastbound. even a tiny bit of that coating can do a lot of damage. i saw several spinouts on my way in. you want to be careful. on the maps we're watching a couple accidents early this morning as you travel route 3 northbound at the lowell connector. another crash eastbound on the pike just clearing over by 128. a spinout cleared away over on 128 south near exit 30. and then we're watching another accident here 24 northbound by route 27 so several accidents already out there this morning. it doesn't matter if you're south or north of town. any moisture and any of that precipitation can do some damage so you want to be careful. for now we're expecting the trains and buses to start the morning on schedule. we'll keep you posted on that. mike, not good timing for a morning commute.

i'm going to be keeping an eye on that rain-snow line, the sleet line all of that going on this morning. on radar, we had snow initially. we're trying to get a little warm air mixing in here. that is completing those pockets where we're seeing different types of precipitation. let's focus in on some of those areas, one as you look around the city. here. i'm getting a little built of sleet around the city but i'm city. head down towards the cape. once you cross the canal you're pretty much into sleet right here it looks like. we may have some pockets of freezing rain going on as well. as you look off to the west, this is a large area of sleet that has kind of worked its way in now. it's working its way in. that will create very slippery conditions. remember cindy was talking about not so much that the sleet piles up that much but it is extremely slippery. the accumulations may not be that much but the roadways are senior very slick out there. erika. erika: mike, thanks so much. right now the "t" is being put to the test. although we're not talking feet of snow. many riders are skeptical of the

jfk-umass station with the preparations underway right now. todd? todd: antoinette and erika, good morning. the memory of last season's brutal winter is still fresh for many riders and the agency. but the "t" says it is confident in new tools that will combat whatever this winter brings. here's a look at some of the new tools that we're talking about. new anti-icing machines are already being put to use on the red, blue, and orange lines. also new this winter, a mass-dot storm desk that will monitor conditions and manage changes. and storms will now be prioritized one through five-- five being the most severe. >> governor: we've got a ton of work to prepare for, for the winter. and i anticipate that that work will be put to good use. >> it was a nightmare. absolute nightmare last year. todd: commuters are anxious

trains will be on time. the mbta is expected to operate on a normal schedule today. we'll keep you posted throughout the morning. live at at jfk-umass, todd kazakiewich, wcvb, newscenter 5. of a tv, stay one step ahead of the storm with the free wcvb mobile app. get our latest forecasts, live radar, and real-time closings and delays. it's a free download in your app store. antoinette: other stories we're following right now. the so-called affluenza teen is behind bars. overnight, a texas district attorney's office confirmed ethan couch and his mother were caught in mexico. couch was sentenced to probation in 2013 for a drunk driving crash that killed four people. his attorneys claimed he suffered from affluenza, a condition that stems from having no rules set by his wealthy parents. the 18-year-old had been wanted for violating his probation. erika: a grand jury decides not to indict two white police

12-year-old black boy. tamir rice was shot to death in a cleveland park in 2014. he was carrying a pellet gun. although the call to 9-1-1 indicated tamir was a child playing with a toy, that information was not given to officers. surveillance video shows tamir rice was shot less than two seconds after police arrived at the justice department is reviewing the case. antoinette: right now we are waiting to learn what sparked a large fire at a home in webster. police rescuing a woman trapped inside. seven people are now without a home after the fire destroyed the multi-family apartment. the woman pulled from the flames in critical condition this morning. the fire started yesterday at this home on granite street. three webster police officers quickly jumped into action after learning an elderly woman was trapped inside. neighbors are applauding their heroic actions. >> they just rushed right in there. no hesitation at all.

you know, how they just do that. to save other people. antoinette: the fire marshal is working right now on pinpointing a cause. we're told that shingles made with petroleum products and a propane tank helped the fire spread quickly. a new push to curb the opioid epidemic in new england. erika: the request from first responders to help attack the problem at its root. two young boys are now heroes. the quick action they took to save their grandfather trapped in this wreck. cindy: snow already turning to sleet this morning. that transition will continue eventually changing to rain. the timeline on it all and how long this storm is sticking around. antoinette: here's a live look at the radar right now. rain in some places, snow and sleet in others. cindy has got more on your

antoinette: good morning. 4:41. welcome back. newscenter5 on the opioid changes are made to a new draft of a house bill seeking to curb the epidemic. minors and patients prescribed opioids for the first time would be limited to a seven-day supply. governor baker had urged a 72-hour supply. but anyone admitted to an emergency room with an apparent overdose would be required to undergo a substance abuse evaluation within 24 hours. the bill will be discussed next month. erika: it is now 4:42. a popular health food market is paying out. the complaints about price gouging from customers. a missed field goal attempt going viral this morning. the drama added to a crucial game for the broncos. antoinette: and our first winter storm of the season happening right now.

snow, sleet, rain, a mix in some parts. what you're facing on your morning commute when the

erika: welcome back at 4:45. so we have real activity in the weather. cindy: it's a reality, guys. although it is school vacation week so the kids are not going to school. i think they're waiting to use the new sled. not a lot of snow as we've been talking about. if you've been hearing that ping, ping, ping, we have still some snow but also sleet and eventually this is going over to

winter weather advisory through eastern most massachusetts until midday 1:00 but out west of 495, it goes until 7:00 p.m. because even as we change over to rain, the temperatures may never come up above 32 all that much so that rain may still freeze on contact and may be icy into the afternoon. if you're looking for the snow, you have to head up into central and northern new england. this area blue, dark blue here indicating where we will likely see over six inches of snow. good news for the ski areas up snow down here. now we are dealing with some snow and sleet. that will be the case through 9:00 this morning. thereafter, we're going to watch that sleet quickly change over to rain at the coastline but once you get north and west of 495, we may hang on to freezing rain right on into the afternoon. you can see the temperatures are only in the 20's. worcester, orange, lawrence, all in the lower 20's. but look at boston and plymouth and the cape. all sitting at our just above the freezing mark. that water temperature is 47 degrees. winds are coming in off the water. and that effect there of the

and penetrate westward here as we get into the midday and afternoon hours. but it may be tough to dislodge that cold air out through worcester county. you can see how warm it is to our south. mid 40's, d.c., pittsburgh. 50's in charlestown. this is the warmth that is going to surge north ward with our storm system. that's why eventually it's just going to overcome the cold air. we're talking about the rain moving on in. we're seeing that now just south here of nantucket getting some rain on nantucket right now. elsewhere, you see this purple color? this is the sleet. blue is indicating where we have some snow. initially it looks like a lot of us are still snowing but even in this area, there is some sleet mixing in. we're seeing that right around the boston area. but you get away from the coast up towards billerica outside of 128 still a decent amount of snow mixing in with the sleet but not for long. we step you through the timeline. by 7:00 this morning, it is raining on the south coast, the cape and the islands. but still a lot of sleet across the rest of the area. where is the snow in up toward the new hampshire seacoast and on up into maine.

we're pretty much winding down the snow. we'll watch that sleet transition over to rain at the coastline by about 9:00 this morning. but notice how that pink is lingering right on into the afternoon i think west of 495, that is where we may have lingering patches of some freezing drizzle, but the precipitation starts to wind down by 5:00. so how much? that is the question. for those answers we send it on over to mike. mike: cindy, it's how much of thing. as you pointed out we have sleet and rain. we have mix going on there. we have flat-out snow. let me show you what's happening right now. one thing i want to talk about for a few seconds is sleet. on. happening. what happens with sleet is it starts as a snow flake. it runs into warmer air. it melts and refreezes in a clump. cindy was talking about this earlier. when you hear that ping, ping, ping on the outside of your car or your window or you see it bouncing off you. that's the sleet. sleet does not accumulate that much but it's extremely slippery

that's why we're seeing a coating to two inches of snow as you look west of the city. 2-4 inches where it may be staying a little bit more snow and kind of a slushy coating as you look down towards the south. the other thing to watch for is where freezing rain may be developing later on this morning. we could see accumulations out there. that would make things really treacherous. freezing rain is when that water freezes on contact once it hits the roads. that's like an ice skating rink out there. we'll keep a close one on that one as well. cindy: in the berkshires we could have a half an inch or so of ice. there could be power outages as well. lots to keep in mind. i want to give you a snapshot of what the temperatures could be like by this evening even as the precipitation is pulling away. we're hovering near the freezing mark out through worcester county, the merrimack valley. freezing drizzle could be a concern. it could be a little slippery into the evening and overnight hours and even first thing tomorrow morning. as this storm pulls away the winds shift back to more of the northeast. that could mean there could be a few pockets of freezing drizzle around even tomorrow morning but dry.

to the south. this will try to make a run by us during the overnight hours wednesday with a little bit of rain at night. clearing though on new year's eve so if you have plans to head into the city for first night, it doesn't look like the weather will be an issue. by 7:00 we should be in the mid 30's falling back down a bit as we ring in the new year. it does look colder as we begin the new year. 30's starting up on friday right on in to the upcoming weekend. let's get you back out to the roads and see how we're going out there. it is a slow-go for sure. olessa: give yourself lots of extra travel time. a live look outside at the pike by allston/brighton. you can see just a little bit of that snow on the ground but a little bit can do a lot of damage. i saw several spinouts on my way in along 128 southbound. if you're heading out right now you want to be careful. we're watching a few problem spots already early this morning. first of all right here in lowell a closure on 495 northbound by route 3. an accident there shutting down the road at this point. also an accident there on route 3 itself right at the lowell connector. just cleared a crash on the pike near 128.

128 near exits 29 and 30. and then we're watching the truck accident here 24 northbound by route 27 just an indication of how a little bit of that precipitation can do a lot of damage. you really want to be careful. you're doing okay heading into boston. i'll keep you posted. we're expecting the trains and the buses to start the morning on schedule. erika. erika: olessa, thanks so much. two new hampshire boys hailed as heroes this morning after saving their grandfather from a dangerous wreck. 64-year-old frederick temple lost control of his truck in alexandria. his grandsons, 8 and 5 years old, were in the back seat. the truck careened 25 yards into the woods, striking several trees. temple was trapped, but the boys managed to escape and run to a nearby house for help. ray corchaine called 9-1-1 and followed the boys to the scene where he found their grandfather. >> he was bleeding profusely from the head. his legs were stuck. he couldn't move at all. those kids, they were little.

erika: temple is suffering serious injuries. his grandsons are doing okay, back home with their parents this morning. antoinette: topping economic headlines this tuesday. whole foods is paying out after claims it over-charged some customers in new york city. the company has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve the claims. whole foods admits the customers were over-charged for products including fruit and sandwiches. last year, the company paid close to $800,000 after the state of california found widespread pricing violations. erika: asian stocks saw some gains overnight as crude oil prices stabalized. right now u.s. stock futures are up. the dow lost nearly 24 points monday to close at 17,528. antoinette: a check of your trending stories this morning. motorhead frontman ian "lemmy" kilmister has died. the hard-rock hero had just turned 70 on christmas eve. his agent says he died yesterday in los angeles after a brief battle with an aggressive cancer.

he was deeply respected in the music industry as a rock master and innovator. erika: nasa releases the first ever video of pluto. only still images have been released before now. this video was taken with new horizons' infrared imaging. it's designed to let in different wavelengths of light so scientists can study molecular variations on the dwarf planet's surface. announcer: 45 for the win. not even close! antoinette: he was right. not even close. drama on the field for the denver broncos. kicker brandon mcmanus shanks a 45-yard field goal that would have won last night's game against the cincinnati bengals. instead the teams go to overtime. luckily for mcmanus, the broncos pulled off a win and clinched a playoff spot. could you imagine if they would have lost. erika: always so much pressure on the kickers.

they only get one shot. antoinette: hey, they get paid enough. dozens gather to rid themselves of the bad memories from the year. erika: the annual tradition in new york city that helps you start fresh. then new on the eyeopener at 5:00, recovering from an overdose only to be put at risk again. what many doctors don't know

erika: it is 4:56 right now. time for your early "news to go." antoinette: the so-called "affluenza" teenager and his mexico. overnight, a texas district attorney's office confirmed ethan couch and his mother were found near a resort. the 18-year-old had been wanted for violating his probation sentence for a drunk driving crash that killed four people in

his lawyers claimed he suffered from "affluenza," a condition caused by his privileged parents. erika: malden police are looking for the driver of the s.u.v. involved in a deadly hit and run. police say 71-year-old yaai chen was in a crosswalk when she was hit and killed sunday night. witnesses say the driver hesitated but left the scene. police have found the s.u.v. believed to be involved. they're now seeking a search warrant. antoinette: boston police are trying to track down this man accused of stealing $20,000 worth of copper from a construction site. it's located on nashua street. police say a moriarty construction employee noticed the theft on december 14. anyone with information is asked to contact boston police. erika: a haverhill mother and daughter are charged with making a false 9-1-1 call on christmas eve. holly fowler is held on $5,000 cash bail and her daughter kristine released on personal recognizance after their arraignment yesterday. police say the pair sparked a costly search after claiming a baby had been thrown into the merrimack river.

why the two made up the story. antoinette: times square visitors kick off new year's festivities with the annual "good riddance day." more than 100 people lined up yesterday to place bad memories into a portable shredder. some got rid of documents or pictures. others smashed computers or pill bottles, symbolically ridding themselves of their worst memories from the year to start fresh in 2016. erika: it must feel good to smash something. antoinette: shred it all up. cindy: not happening, it's gone. well, this is happening right now. pick a color, any color. we have a slew of precipitation types out there this morning. in some cases more than one happening at the same time. a lot of this purple color you're seeing is indicating sleet but there is still snow mixing in with the sleet in a lot of these areas. plain rain happening down on the islands where you see the green here on the vineyard in

once you get up into the merrimack valley, a lot of essex county up into southern new hampshire, this is where we still have primarily snow. i even had a few reports of sleet mixing up here as well. we're not looking at a lot of snow out of this system. it looks like we are going to see mild snow and some sleet transition to mainly sleet at 7:00 this morning. as we get deeper into the morning hours, late morning, sleet is beginning to change to rain. by midday, it is plain rain falling across most of the area. however, over the interior, there could be some freezing rain. we're not talking about a lot of accumulation in the snow. the sleet does pile up. so in total the combination of snow and sleet is looking like slushy coatings near the coastline and south of boston where the coating to a couple of inches elsewhere. once you get into northern worcester county, the merrimack valley and southern new hampshire, this is where we could have two to possibly up to four inches of snow and sleet combined. not a big producer of snow with this system. you can see why. by 7:00 this morning, the bulk

new hampshire seacoast an into