j.c.: hotel inferno. a luxury skyscraper up in flames. >> a cool breeze blowing in. wait until you see the chill. >> the party underway in the city tonight. >> the increased see core toy coop the celebrations safe.

j.c.: right now, celebrations and security on the streets of boston. thousands are ready to welcome 2016. good evening. i'm j.c. monahan. phil: and i'm phil lipof. the new year arrives in just under an hour. and boston is ready to celebrate. j.c.: wcvb newscenter 5's juli mcdonald is live at the first night festivities in copley square. juli? juli: that is right. as the countdown gets lower, spirits here in town only get higher.

the lights are bright. we spoke to many people here today who told wcvb newscenter 5, there is no where else they would rather be as they celebrate brand-new year. [cheering and applauding] >> 2016. juli: a few minutes to go until the clock strong midnight shallerring the new year. the party for 2016 started hours ago. >> the city has so much to offer. it is fun to feel the nern go i on new year's eve. juli: thousands crowded were a copely and the common to taken the favorite traditions with the ones they love. >> we like seeing the ice sculptures. it is amazing what they are able to do. >> it is if up to be around other people and to be with everyone together. juli. following the parade. the crowd moved to the common for the family firework withs at 7:00. >> my kids don't get to

fireworks at mid might. they are too tired. at 7:00, i is great. juli: after looking back at the high and the lows, many are thinking ahead to the hopes and,s for the year to come. >> make more money. i want to have better. >> stay happy and healthy and enjoy life. [cheering and applauding] juli: to make the night sweeter. every part was free for the first time in year, the city of boston didn't run the show and it was actually outside nonprofit that organized everything including the big finale. still to come tonight, the fireworks at midnight. live in boston, juli mcdonald, wcvb newscenter 5. phil: thanks. phil: those families are seeing stepped-up security across the city tonight. j.c.: wcvb newscenter 5's john atwater is live in boston with the precautions being taken. john? john: j.c., the crowds may be smaller this year the police

with thousands swarming copely square. >> a little bit more guarded. john. there is apprehension in boston as it rings in a mu year. >> just being more aware of the surroundings. john: to calm those fears -- douche got to be out there. john. police are keeping a watchful eye deploying officers who are visible and many you won't see. >> we have plenty of resource around and a lot working the crowd. >> you see police officers off the street and we have security all over the place. we have good security. john: throughout the might, police have been cautious. man who made the trip downtown say the fear will not deter them as they place full confidence in boston police. >> you got to live your life if you keep staying around and worrying about it. >> if it is going top happen, that is the wait is. john. police have been busy responding to anything that could potentially be a let a. live in copely square, john atwater, wcvb newscenter 5. phil: let's take you live. phil: let's go live to new york city. hundreds of thousands packing times square.

the world is the safest place in the world tonight. a million people now counting down the minutes till the ball drop. and they are doing so under the watch of 6,000 police officers. everyone passing through security checkpoints. also about 20,000 smartphones have been handed out to nypd officers, so if they see any potential threats, they can quickly share pictures and information with each other. phil: it is a chilly night to ring in 2016. j.c.: it feels like first night. not birth out there. they are not so bundled up if they cannot move. you know how it is. marshmallow people. mike. 47 degrees. i know it has been colder. colder today than it has been lately. still ten degrees above normal. today was going down warm. we had the cloud cover move in late in the day. it acts as blanket and keeping

it is still 40 degrees out there. many spots dropped to the 30's. now overnight tonight, the skies will clear away. when that happens, then temperatures start to drop off which means we start tomorrow with clear skies and things on the chilly side early-early morning. if you are out for the first of the year jog or a jump in the water tomorrow morning. cool temperatures. we warm up a bit tomorrow, but not as warm as it was today. that is just beginning of really chilly air and the real cold air starts pushing in here on monday and tuesday. it is going to feel like a big weighter change. details on how cold it will get and how long it hangs around and any snow in this weekend's forecast as well. j.c.? j.c.: breaking news. firefighters on the scene now on main street which is route 9. you can see the flams there. we're told it has started in a barn and spread to the house but

phil: breaking news from german my. five to seven isis terrorists blamed a suicide bombing in new make. the attack never happened. the police quickly acted. the suspects are still on the loose at this hour. the city's main train station was shutdown and it has been reopened. a second station was also closed. people were urged to stay away from the areas but despite the warn, thousands filled the streets to welcome in the new year. phil: rochester, new york, canceled its new year's eve fireworks celebration following the arrest of a man who allegedly planned a terror attack. investigators say emanuel lutchman, an ex-convict, claimed to have received direction from an overseas member of isis and planned to carry out the attack tonight at a bar in rochester area. the 25-year-old allegedly bought knives and a machete for the attack. j.c.: hotel inferno. a 63-story building erupts in flames. it is a new year's spectacle thousands in dubai never

tonight, we're learning new details about how it started. wcvb newscenter 5's rhondella richardson is here with that. rhondella. large explosions could be heard outside of the burning about and inside, too. the blast continues throughout the night. a towering inferno. one of dubai's most famous luxury hotels consumed by flames? yes, i can see a lot of debris coming crown the building ain't is getting bigger and beggar. rondellle la. he fire started on the floor of the 63-story hotel and was busy all around. the roar could be heard in video shot by eyewitness. >> go! go! rhondella. it happened just before mid ni in a planned fireworks show starting at the tallest building nearby. >> some people ran. some people started screaming. rhondella. ho hundreds were evacuated. remarkably, fewer than 0 hurt. shortly after the clock struck mid might, fireworks news the

a surreal scene with the hotel still burning in the background. [cheering and applauding] there has been no mention of terror, arson, or any other official cause. investigators continue tonight what started the massive blaze. reporting live in the newsroom, rhondella richardson, wcvb newscenter 5. >> next on news: j.c.: drive ear close call on 495. mike: cold air means the chance of ocean effect snow. i will show you when you are most loo like to see some. j.c.: another live look as we countdown to midnight. we'll get you back to ryan seacrest at 11:30.

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j.c.: a highway hazard caught on camera. a dashcam on a new hampshire man's car capturing the moment a sheet of ice smashed his windshield. j.c.: it happened wednesday morning on route 495. a chilling example when snow is not cleared from a vehicle. it took serious damage. he was driving southbound during the morning commute. dashcam did not capture the license plate of the suv in front of him. our kelley tuthill talked about what happened. it happened wednesday morning on route 495. a chilling example of what can happen when snow isn't cleared from a vehicle. jeff cote's saab aero wagon took serious damage. he was driving south bound in haverhill during the morning commute. the dashcam did not capture the license plate of the suv in front of him. our kelley tuthill talked to cote about what happened. cote was not hurt.

accident caused by someone else. phil: retired neurosurgeon taught some republican polls but fallp as of late. staff changes will schefft the campaign into higher gear. j.c.: massive flooding continues in the midwest. water levels have reached record heights. two dozen people have died. floodwaters are causing transportation difficulties as highways and train tracks are underwater. a stretch of the mississippi river near st. louis, which is normally five-feet deep, is now 42-feet deep. prompting an oil pipeline to shut down operations out of safety concerns. phil: you see people were bundled up with scarf and hats. j.c.: no. there. 46 minutes. am i seeing that right? left to go before we hit 2016. i love the lights. you see the light on the

coming out. a laser light show. it is so beautiful down there. the best part is. you can enjoy it. like said, it is not bitter. i mean, way to do. >> you can breath out there. >> yeah. >> of course, the ice sum tures lit up. it is a spectacular sightsee as well. you were talking about the heavy rain over the mississippi river valley. a lot of rain is now pushed off. we still got to wait for the water to work the way down through the tributaries, that is why are hearing a lot of flooding out of the midwest. we're going to in the year on the dry side. a very warm end of the year as well. look at how much we smashed the record. by 4.4 degrees typically you break it bay tenth of a degree at most. now we have the warmest december ever recorded. now looking back. remember last february? you are trying to get out. last february, it was the coldest on record. 12 degrees below average. in between there. we had dren months going on.

winding up the year and just want to share with you. we're dry. about nine inches dry. the warmest day of the year. september 9th. that was late. 96 degrees. the coldest temperature we had this entire year. three below zero. that was set in february of last year. the outbreak of cold that we saw last year. we keep it that way. we may be keeping our total down as we head looing the season. check out temperatures. well, a few places that stayed 46 or even 369. look at this. providence, we had sunshine breaking out. 50 degrees he is. nantucket hit 52 and block island at 50 degrees. look now. we're getting ready for 2016 an along with that. our number 40 degrees. the winds are not that bad. out of the west at 13 and a little little bit of a bite to them. just a bit. not the horrible windchills. here are current testimony futures. off the highs for the day. not that far in manilow kags. still 38 in fitchburg. norwood, 37. a pocket of cold air that

that is why are seeing plymouth now at 35 despite having temperature of 50 degrees today. over the islands, pretty close to water temperatures now with readings to the 40's s. heres he wind that i was talking about. a little busy in boston. a little less in most areas. bet ghwak to temperature and the wind together. you get windchill index which is what i mean. not that cold compared to a lot of winter wes had. a lot of colder coming up and maybe heading to the weekend as cooler air starts flowing the way in here. the cloud cover keeping us warm and starting to break up a little bit. that gives you the idea sky wills be clearing tonight and cooler off. the most temperatures yacht side of the city will drop well to the 20's overnight. boston should hold ton 31 for high temperature. those partly cloudy skies and a westerly wind at 10 to 15 miles per hour. then tomorrow, calm. mostly sunny. as you get afternoon. there may be more cloud and wouldn't rule out the pos k of a flurry or two. because it is going to be cool. clouds will come in. a little shock. it could be a in ry or two

don't think it is a big issue for us at all. highs tomorrow will look like this. into the 40's you look north of the city you break down the next seven days. a couple of things going on. >> little bit breezy on saturday. sunday, a bit of cold air coming in. that may trigger off a flurry or bo. not looking for too much out of that one. one thing you want to watch for is monday. a northeast breeze blowing across the ocean water. you can get ocean effect snow. praim ally with the kip and cape cod. most of this won't see anything out of it. it is despent on the wind direction. the wind is just right. we could see a little snow accumulation monday. again, most of us want see anticipate thing out of it. the cold gives way to mild temperatures by the time we get to wednesday and thursday. a cold spill yes. a short lived one. philadelphia? phil: great. thanks, mike. phil: if your new year's resolution is to eat better and spend less, this is not for you.

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phil: harvard square eatery is serving up a high-priced delicacy this new year's eve. j.c.: a $175 burger is on the menu at alden & harlow. it is comprised of eights ounces house ground beef from kansas and topped with kobe beef tartare, an egg yolk, wisconsin cheese, shaved white truffle and a sprinkle salt. the burger is served on a parker house roll with a glass of champagne to wash it down. ed: heather: bet they sell a bunch them. you bite into it. there is $100 bill. almost worth it. >> there is bill belichick.

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bob: the rivalry is a lot more bitter than the weather will be tomorrow for the winter classic at gillette stadium. the bruins and canadians expected to have a new year's rocking day in front of 67,000 fans. now to the alumni game! number 77, ray bourque, leading the team out. rene rancourt doesn't get to sing tomorrow. he got some fist-pumping in today. >> somebody said the sun is going to go people who the well at 1:00 p.m. so it sound be issue.

i mean, we will take shots at the there from the d man and you can see half of those shots. that is not good really. >> is it going to be warm? is the ice going to be soft? is it going to be sunny? obviously, we sticking with the same time depending on the a lot of unknowns as we speak. bob. the alumni game. now to the alumni game! number 77, ray bourque, leading the team out. rene rancourt doesn't get to sing tomorrow. he got some fist-pumping in today. and here's proof that the old times still take it seriously. that bruins' alum jay miller taking a puck off the mouth. he lost a tooth but gained a great story. mark recchi put the puck in the net three times as the bruins beat montreal's old times. 5-4 in the shoot-out. here is bb. >> there is bill belichick. and here's a bb. and it is not brian boitano it is bill belichick.

impersonation. kind of looks like he could use a road couple of milk crates. at least a helmet. but he shook off the rust, had some fun, and then took his team to florida. and you don't have to ask to see the rask mask. that's a task we've already done. here it is. >> incredible miss to wrigley. pulls it. we're heading to the national championship game. they lead michigan state 38-0 midway through the fourth. now to the capital one orange bowl. what is in the highlights? just this. clemson to d'shawn watkins with a 3 a-yard touchdown pass to hunter. top-ranked clemson beats oklahoma. 37-17. the tiger res main unfeet and play for the first title since 1981. who is hungry for a $175 barring ner that is sports. >> i am. be bob. i would eat it.

j.c.: exactly. the weather for 2015 all looks good. meteorologist: yeah. we took record. now it will be cooling down a little bit. we get cold monday and tuesday. notice what happens. we pop back up. no big snowstorms there. oh, looks beautiful. >> there it is copely square, the first night celebrating.