if you want to choose your kid as schools, your spouse's work those are the options that you have in order to get the warnings while you are on the go, today. again, the time frame from 10:00 in the morning until 3:00 this afternoon that we are at the greatest risk. right now, the rainfall is coming down at a rate of anywhere from three-quarters of an inch per hour to an inch and a quarter per power, will you off shore, this is a cell that i was looking at earlier this morning that caught my attention. it looks like the biggest concern out of it, right now will be very heavy downpours. i can't rule out a chance for some of the heavier rain moves the biggest concern will be for damaging winds or an isolated tornado as that stronger line >> topping out near 70 degrees. so, as far as heavy rain goes, it's pretty well timed in between the commutes. we do still have rain out

problems. we have a crash on i275. i don't know if rain caused it. the crash on the howard franklin that i told you about >> >> a crash blocking a couple of lanes, emergency vehicles on the scene, cars starting to move over as they enter i275 here.

come willing up at 6:02, 75 million people are bracing for a potentially historic blizzard. you are looking live, right now at clayton, georgia, where the snowstorm is the big story. there is a reporter standing there getting ready to do a live shot. that city south of the border with north carolina and it is a mess. take a look at this map from the national weather service. it may be tough to see he, but all of this lor, these are areas of winter storm watches, warnings, severe storm warnings, it's covering a large section of real estate here from the lower mississippi valley to the mid-atlantic and the keep south. all of north carolina and virginia under some type of advisory. governors in the states have already declared states of emergencies ahead of the storms. major cities, new york, philadelphia, baltimore and

crosshairs of this epic storm the capital could see up to two feet of snow and the blizzard threat has people mobilizing and power crews mobilizing. the federal government will close at noon and all transit will shut down as well. >> >> take a look at this from newport ritchie where duke energy crews are expected to depart for the carolinas. six trucks, going to hard hit areas to restore charges. >> the huge storm could put a dent in travel plays today and tomorrow, nearly 5,000 flights grounded today and tomorrow, more than 50 flights have been canceled so far. today, i want to show you a live look at the big board at tampa international airport. flights to cities like charlotte, washington, d.c and chicago won't be getting out at

major airlines are offering refunds. we will keep checking the status of the airlines so you can plan your day ahead. if you are leaving the house, right now, a link to the flight tracker on our mobile app, so >> >> 6:04, we just confirmed a second suspect wanted for two been arrested. he and another suspect in the case will go before a judge today. >> >> checking on a man's condition after a car hit him. florida highway patrol troopers said the man was not in a cross walk or was not wearing any reflective clothing when he was hit. he was rushed to the hospital. no charges have been filed. saint pete police are searching for a man behind a violent home invasion robbery

shattered jaw. the victim came home from a week long fishing trip and he was ambushed by two men. one of the suspects punched the victim with brass knuckles and shattered his jaw. he does not want to be identified. but the victim's father tells us, his jaw has been wired shut. >> they took his phone, took the battery out of it, saying "you better not call the cops." and off they went. he is very scared. >> police have arrested one suspect charged with home invasion robbery. anyone with information about a second suspect is asked to call

we have an update on the person that stole sell cal remains from a cemetery in texas a&m pay. crimestoppers is offering $3,000 for information leading to an arrest. detectives say the person stole inside. so far, for arrest in the case. >> a team of researchers is hoping that unidentified bodies from the now closed doe >> jerry: school for boys should get proper burials. >> a day after usf researchers gave their final reports l the dozens of graves excavated. usf asked for the boys remains to be moved off the campus to another grave site and for the

that spot. >> >> a robber thought he could get the better of this store owner, but she came prepared. the weapon she used to fight him off. >> this is withdraw is moving our way, little rain out there, but all of the mess there, heading our way. shea says the nasty weather will arrive in tampa bay at 10:00 this morning and it will stick around for hours. >> how much rain could we get

>> welcome back. 6:10, new this morning. protesters that spent hours camped out in front of a georgia courthouse said they are grateful that a will be charged with murder for shooting a naked unarmed officer. james olsen the first in five years to be prosecuted. feared for his life. family members say hill, a illness. >> a former police officer convicted of rape is going to spend the rest of his if prison attorneys argued that daniel used the power of his badge to target black women in oklahoma

thought they would never come forward. he was found guilty of five counts of rape and sentenced to 262 years in prison. >> i wanted to jump up in the air and shout. >> this is a victory in the courtroom, but a victory over rape for all all over the world. >> his attorneys say they are planning to appeal. >> >> cold front and strong line of storms potentially severe will be heading our way as we head through the morning. damaging winds, even a brief tornado possibilities, i'll time it all out for you coming up in florida's most accurate seven day. >> >> take a live look at this. this is flight awares misery map. hundreds of cancellations are lighting up airports across the country and that's all because

noreaster shea has been telling you about. dallas, o'hare and washington, d.c we'll let you know how bad things are at tia, that's

welcome back g -- the fur south you go, the weaker the storm system gets. right now, we are looking at garden variety scattered showers across hillsboro to pinellas county. then again, across temple terrace, we are getting heavier downpour on i75. i wouldn't rule out a rumble of thunder, but the morning commute will not be as heavily impacted as a stronger line of storms move through later on. bottom line.

it doesn't take much to cause problems for the morning commute, so give yourself extra time. there is a cell off shore getting my attention, so i did a yeary. this is what i love about our technology. it gives awe closer look at the storm and a closer look at the possible impacts from that portion of the storm and it looks like the greatest impact would be heavy rain that could lead to street flooding. but we are not looking at a tornado impact or even a wind impact that could create greater damage. again, good news with the stronger cell just off shore, but, again, we have the strongest line yet to come and that's going to move through from the coastal areas around

inland areas between noon to 3:00 in the afternoon. they will move through quickly, but they will bring a chance of strong storms. >> now, this is a large system. it's not just giving parts of the south east a chance for severe storms today, but as you probably heard us talking about, we have the winter weather on the north side of the system. travelers beware. you are going to find delays and cancellations today and into the weekend as well. temperatures this morning, starting off in the upper 50s, low 60s, talk about mild in comparison to what we had earlier this week. today, we'll be topping out in the upper 60s to near 70 happening around noon. the winds behind this front will be very gusty, continuing to bring moisture off the gulf.

showers behind the front. what i think you will notice most are the temperatures coming down and the winds keeping it blustery, especially into tomorrow. kids headed out to the festivities, bundle up. it will be a little nasty out there not a ton of rain, but definitely, gusty winds. all right, janelle, i'm seeing flashing lights and a lot more volume out there on the roads. >> we are seeing welt roads. 275, southbound, severe lanes blocked.

i will let you know what we are looking at. >> >> hunt avenue will be closed right under 275 for the whole weekend from friday night to monday morning. detour, you will want to use cypress, del may bring and strews to get tampa band crazy for billy joel. he is talking to tampa, playing emily arena at 8:00. it appears only resale tickets are available for this concert. if you still want to go, plan on paying a little extra to get one of the seats. >>

>> exhibit, architects of the imagination. exploring the unlikely relationship between walt disney and el sal tor dollly. you can check it out, starting tomorrow until mid-june. >> >> still ahead, a sobering reminder to pay close attention into work this morning. the shocking number of people that apparently ignore the rules of the road with regard to buses full of kids. what the state is expecting to do about it. >> >> hi, there, google is stepping up its weather tracking. the company has upgraded for android. it brings up a lot of information, including color coded sky conditions. fair weather alerts and detailed 10 day forecast. >> take a look at this high-end smart watch.

apple watch collection available on apple's website. >> previously, it was only available in certain stores. >> it sells for $1,000. >>

6:25, right now, following new developments on the defamation lawsuit against comedian bill cosby. a federal judge has granted cosby's mowing to dismiss the lawsuit. the judge ruled that he found no grounds for the defamation suit. hill is one of more than 50 women that accused cosby of sexual assaults. in two weeks, the judge will consider a motion by cosby's attorneys >> we are hearing from a 58- year-old massachusetts woman that fought off a would be robber with a wooden club. she was working at a store she

aching like he was a customer. when he pulled a knife on her, she immediately reached under the counselor where she keeps a club and a knife. >> she said she was shaken up, but went right back to work the next day. police are looking for the suspect woe is likely nursing a few bruises. >> >> take a look at titan doppler radar, right now, you can see heavy downpours moving across the clearwater, palm harbor areas as well. a little rain of heavier downpours off to the north. we are just getting started. we have a heavier line of showers and thunderstorms on the way and potentially even a risk for severe storms, we'll talk more about threat an the timing of the heftier storms coming up in seven day

putting children at risk the car seat problem all parents need to hear about this morning. plus, this. >> absurd, by the way. >> a radio host now under fire for his comment about a female nfl coach. while he called her new role absurd. we are keeping our eye on this crash. i275 southbound at i4, you can you see all of the cars having to move over to get around this accident. we are starting to see delays

not really ready for this type of weather.

but ready or not, here it comes. we'll let you know how many flights out of tampa will not be getting off the ground at all. >> we are on a local weather alert. scattered showers, you will see it on your morning commute, but take a look at what is heading our way. shea is tracking it all. >> this is a fast-moving line. when do we think it will be here? >> i want to emphasize the fact that what is coming through, garden variety showers, a few isolated storms, off to the northwest, which will be a stronger line of storms, can you see all of the lightning associated with it. i'll show you the lightning numbers in a bit. it gets interesting. we do have wet roads. this is not the potential for severe storms, just yet, but this is our wet commute in spots it's not too wide sped.

citrus counties, we have heavier pockets of rain. some of this is coming down at a half inch to three-quarters of an inch per hour, nothing too extreme. we are not looking at the intensity of our thunderstorms, later on, it will get nasty, by 10:00, we'll get the stronger line of storms setting up along the coastline from north to south. by noon, it's pressing inland across tampa bay an i-75 corridor. 2:00. it's into polk county. we are clearing up along the coastline. by 4:00, we are almost completely done with a few scattered showers. you can see once this really hefty line moves into the area. give it an hour to an hour and a half, it will be rolling east of you into the next spot. our biggest concern, damaging winds, can't rule out an isolated tornado. want to be aware.

scenario. as far as the morning commute, we are going to go to janell. what are you seeing out there so far? and the roads are wet. driving. we have a crash i275 southbound at i4 within the past couple of minutes, they have moved this crash out of the way, so more lanes back open this traffic normal. you can see the drive times, not too bad for this time of the morning. 18 minutes from the apex to i4, i4. we are seeing a slight slow >> >> we have a crash to tell you about hillsboro county. we are seeing some slow downs right now, we are hearing of roadblocks in the southbound portion of the intersection. alternate, veterans, at least for the mow men will be a lot better right now.

the door in the next couple of minutes, you might want to consider using veterans. we'll keep our eye on it and i will keep you posted here and on twitter. >> >> it is 6:33, now, many states staring down an epic winter storm expected to dump up to two feet of snow in some places and sparking state of emergencies around five states. outside of costco in virginia as the store tried to keep up with demand. similar scene at the trader's joe, limiting customers to 10 at a time in the store. facial's capital will send government workers home early and shut down transit in an effort to keep people off the roads. >> >> you are are live in newport ritchie where duke energy trucks will be heading north, six trucks lined up to head to the storm in north carolina.

the worst hit places. >> >> meanwhile, if you are heading to the airport, be prepared for major delays and even cancellations. i want to show you a look at flight aware misery map. you can see dozens of cancellations in washington, d.c , new york and o'hare. tampa is feeling the effects. adam is live at tampa, checking things our, how many flights are canceled so far -p? >> so far, today, already over 50 flights coming in and out of the airport canceled already, today, take a look at the board that you of just the departures, the tend we are seeing anything out of the carolinas, mid-atlantic area, baltimore, charlotte, washington, d.c , raleigh, all seeing big cancellations this morning. 10% of the flights coming in

have been canceled so far. the closer we get to the weekend, the mockagessations expected. i have been talking to alot of travelers this morning, including one woman that i met here, from baltimore. she was here with her parents trying to fly back to new york. but even before the big storm hit, she is dealing with already several flight cancellations. >> we actually called ahead early. we were supposed to leave originally saturday, but we decided to change it to tonight. we got a call last night late >> be back monday if time for classes, but because she has a kicking flight in baltimore, she admits she is skeptical happen. we have alot of information about the flight status board

some links that could help you have friends in the mid- >> >> shea joins me in the weather center. this could be a storm of historical proportions >> i think the biggest is the fact that it is hitting areas. heavy snow like this could be handled in some parts. look at how far south it is. we saw atlanta with snow and ice storm shut down the city. washington, d.c involved in this, carolinas, kentucky, tennessee and northern mississippi seeing snowfall this morning. have the equipment to handle this kind of snow and then we continuing to move not only through the day, today, but also into tomorrow, here is a look at all of the stated affected by the winter weather

red. that's just the northern winter section of this system, then, there is the chance for severe storm throughout parts of the south east. we are in the slight risk category, i'll time out our storm system and what we can expect behind that front coming up in florida's most accurate kevin day. >> >> if you are the parent of a school age child, woe want to show you something that will make your jaw drop. drivers illegally passing school buses in a single day. department of education said compared to last year, more people are racing back school buses even when the lights are flashing red, warning people to stop. a bill working its way through tallahassee can record anybody that speeds past. >>

ruling out arson as a cause for street. helicopters spotted the fire and they called it in. luckily, the family of five were not in at that time >> the reason a radio host said he is against profootball's first female coach and the dete it is touching online,

71,000 infant car seats may not be safe for your baby. the problem has to do with handle you use to carry your infant. those handles can crack and break, causing the seat to suddenly fall with a baby inside. at least one baby has been hurt. dozens more parents have filed complains. the impacted models -- >> again, 71,000 of them are under recall, right now. we have more specific model numbers that you can you check your car seat against. posted right now on our free mobile app. >> >> taking action for you with a new tool helping to protect you from scammers looking to rip you off.

tracker allows people to record scams and find out if any of your neighbors were victims. here in florida, 500 scams have been reported. website. you can see the scams and when they were reported. if you would like to try them out for yourself, we have a link on our website. >> >> still ahead this morning, we are tracking a weather alert. storms heading toward tampa this is what you are waking up to, right now, scattered showers out there, but shea will tell us abouthe powerful line and how long it will stick around.

all right, let's take a look at the skies, right now over tampa bay. you can see the rivergate tower showing us it's not all that nasty. a bit of shaking in the pick up as showers are moving into the area. rain, maybe a rumble of thunder or two in the first batch, but out to the northwest across the gulf that will be moving having a stronger impact potentially on the area. right now, heavier pockets of rain extended into northdale, also into the newport ritchie

heavier downpours heading into sugar mill woods across 19 and south of hernando across i75 into sumter county. this is a pretty typical wet weather event. the number of lightning strikes in the red box in the first round of rain, only 21, not bad at all, right? but take a look at the number of lightning strikes in the next line off shore, almost 1,500. we know this is second line is the stronger line and this will be making i way closer to the coastline at 10:00 this morning the good news if there is anything out of this, this has been weakening some. lightning numbers have been coming down, but it doesn't mean we wouldn't get any impact from strong to potentially

onsheer. we are in the slight risk category, all colored in storm predickion center has put us in the category for slight to severe storms. by 10:00 in the morning, the line starts to set itself off expending off to the northeast, that's when i think we'll have a chance for damaging winds or an isolated tornado. by 2:00, this really starts to weaken and move inland of at 2:00, the coast is dry and then by 6:00, it's completely out of here. even by 4:00, it will be out of here, a few scattered showers from gusty winds coming across the gulf. the biggest concerns will be from 10:00 this morning until 3:00 this afternoon.

isolated storm can'ting ruled out. so, travelers -- you know what is going on and you want to check ahead. as far as saturday goes, it will be a bit blustery. kids headed out. bundle up, winds will be blustery, a few showers possible especially early in the day. sunday much improved. that's florida's most accurate seven day. >> >> what is going on on the roads, not a lot of rain, but that doesn't mean we are not seeing problems. >> we don't see problems from rain, but lingering construction. having this wrapped up by 5:30 am. it is still out there. take a look. around 22nd avenue southbound 275 causing quite a mess. look at this, all the way back to 31st street. look at all of the congestion

one lane let's look at your alternate. southbound 75, you are in the red. u.s. 19 looking great in the that might be a better option at least until they get construction cleared off the roadway. >> >> we are still watching this in hillsboro, southbound, seeing slow downs, roadblock reported earlier. veterans. although we are starting to see delays build on the veterans. let's check the drive time so you can make a more educated decision. -- following breaking news overnight. more than 20 people died in a terror attack of a beachfront seafood restaurant in somalia.

worst inside. survivors heard gunfire. special forces went from room to room pursuing the gunman a was held up inside of the restaurant. >> >> sad developments to tell you about this morning in the search for a two-year-old missing tennessee boy, he has been missing for over a week. yesterday, hikers found noah chamberlain's body in the woods. it appears noah ran off and could not be found. >> >> hundreds of volunteers braved treacherous conditions. local sheriff is asking people to pray for his family. >> >> parents of this woman you just saw there will talk about her disappearance a decade ago. it was believed she was abducted while she was walking to her car leaving work in january 2006. two days after her

found a mile away. a man was seen on surveillance video parking that car. police could not identify him. >> >> 6:51, citrus high school rallying around their star soccer player after a collision temporarily paralyzed. he said he was going in and out of consciousness as his team rushed to his side. they thought his soccer career was over. numb. >> he was screaming "i'm done, i'm done." >> emergency crews air-lifted to the hospital where they waited to see if his paralysis would lift. good news, he is feeling back in his legs and his mother said >> >> controversy over a radio

host being called out after he said that women don't belong in professional sports. >> this guy is a coach that didn't play at high levels. >> we have been through this millions of times, no place for a woman in professional sports -- again. 92.3, the fan in cleveland talking about the buffalo bills hiring katherine smith as a special teams quality control coach. smith has more than a decade experience. but that didn't stop kylie from calling her unqualified or even unfit. calling her hiring absurd. alot of people did not take kindly to his comments.

anyone who is trying to decide if you need to buy one of the fitness trackers. heart monitors on the fit fit surge are claimed to be inaccurate. "consumer reports" tested fit bit trackers, including the ones in question and both rated excellent in heart rate monitoring. as a result of the tests -- pint-sized tampa tradition gets underway. >> children's parade on saturday. hoping to catch strands of beads tossed from the floats.

you have to be prepared for the weather. >> powerful line of storms heading for tampa bay. >> shea is tracking that rain and watching the weekend forecast. saturday fun could be impacted, right? >> yes, it could. get the kids bundled up. mostly dry, some showers, but there will be wind. first batch of rain moving onshore, garden variety storms with the first round, but it's the second round of storms approaching the coastline this morning that may pack a bigger punch. make sure you have storm shield on your mobile device so you can get alerts on the go. tomorrow behind the front, temperatures chilly, winds blustery. back to you 75 million americans are bracing for potentially

part of the storm system could blanket the mid-atlantic area with up to two feet of snow. five states have already >> >> 5,000 flights are canceled today and tomorrow, you are looking live at the big board at tia where more than 50 flights are grounded. trying to help you track the status using a link we posted on our abc action news mobile app. >> newport ritchie, duke energy crews are departing for the carolinas. one of the big trucks rolling out. six trucks will help to restore power to the hardest hit communities up north. >> we found out a driver will not face charges after hitting a a man on u.s. 301 around florida highway patrol troopers

crosswalk or wearing any reflective clothing. the pan was rushed to the hospital. we are making call calls, right now, trying to find out how he is doing. >> >> lingering construck slowing things down at 22nd avenue south. take a look at the backup happening at the ramp -- all of these cars trying to merge into one lane. you definitely want to consider taking u.s. 19 instead. traffic down to 15 mines an hour to this intersection and down as well. back to you. >> >> 6:56, we want to remind you, we are keeping track of the weather alerts, but if you are you just leaving for work or school, make sure you have the storm shield app handy on your mobile devise. and you can track it live on the radar. >> of course, we'll continue to

"good morning, america" is coming up next. >> join us back here at 9:00.