this is also a big building piece in the atmosphere that will not allow this storm system to make inroads up into new england. if the h. was over southeastern canada the low would have more opportunity to come across the cape and wallop us but that is not going to happen. it's going out to sea with us being on the northern edge of the storm system. a lot of clouds, there will be a little bit of light snow developing from the south coast trying to work up into the city of boston. that will chew up some of the snow that you see here boston down to the bridgewater area but there will be a burst of steed yore snow on to the cape. because of the that i think you folks along an south of 44 have the best chance of sith know. 3-6 inches of snow likely especially at the water's edge. metro boston coasting to an inch. if you've travel plans saturday around the metro i don't think i would change those plans. allow a little extra time

that shuts things down. so in terms of dinner reservations or date night. keep 'em, looks good. >> ryan: moving on a family of four left without a home after their house goes up in flames. you can see the smoke pouring from the home there in rehobby rehoboth. two people who live there were treated for smoke inhalation. >> jadiann: also on 7 a student police officer makes a veteran move rushing in to rescue a driver trapped in his car after a crash. brandon gunnoe has the story from burlington. >> reporter: let's say this is the left lane -- >> reporter: charlie guerriero is three weeks away from graduation was on his way to the police academy when he was called to protect and serve. >> all of a sudden this car in left travel lane started >> reporter: the car in control. hit the jersey barrier and flipped over on to its roof.

>> he was upside down in the seat belt kicking the window trying to get out. i ran out, tried to kick the window. >> reporter: it.work. he ran to get his police baton. broke the window and pulled the man to safety. >> he was completely in shock. he didn't say much. he was just kind of very out of it. he said he lost consciousness. >> reporter: using what he learned from his first responder training, the student officer made sure the man was ok until emt's arrived. >> i don't know how to explain it. it wasn't like oh, should i stop it's like stop the car. get out. try to help them that. is why you go to the police being ad a me. >> reporter: another student officer saw what happened, guarino reported to the acked a pee like any other day. >> it's exciting because everybody wants to do that, that is why we're there. we want to help people. >> reporter: brandon gunnoe, 7 news. >> ryan: the snowboarder could face criminal charges for triggering an avalanche as a california resort.

camera as he went down a slope. he caused an avalanche in the process. the area has been closed off to the public and by snowboarding put others at rich before a frightening fripp. a trucker survivors after he is tossed from his crash. the look rolls on the road there and the driver is thrown sky high. he is at the hospital being treated for those injuries. >> jadiann: a would be thief in indiana tries to pull an a.t.m. off the wall. a person attaches what looks like chains to it and then pull ace way. they drove off when they realized they couldn't tear the machine from the wall. >> deeply saddened they choose to do this. and all nor nothing. there was nothing in the kiosk. we don't keep money in it. >> jadiann: the owner says it'll cost her thousands of dollars to repair the machine.

in washington state going beyond the call of duty to comfort a baby. the baby's mother hit several parked cars. witnesses heard the baby crying. a police officer rushed to the infant and his father instincts immediately kicked in. >> change the diaper, find a bottle. find a toy. then play and make her happy. >> reporter: police suspected the baby's mother was driving under the influence and have charged her for reckless endanger many. >> jadiann: amazon offering refunds to people who purchased the hover boards on their website. the decision following growing concerns over the safety of those records. the consumer product safety commission is being looking at more than three dozen hover boards smoking or bursting into flames. amazon is still selling the boards on-line despite the decision. reports of hover boards have erupted. one board is being blamed

airlines say there is a potential fire hazard from the batteries that power the devices. retailers are expecting a surge of tv purchases leading up to this year's big super bowl game. we know who we hope is in the game. a survey found 26% of americans plan to buy new tv's this year. a quarter of them will do so during super bowl sales. big stores like wall marts are offering deals on tv to lure in the shoppers. wal-mart planning to give most of their u.s. employees a pay raise. they plan to raise the wages of more than $1.2 million employees to $10 an hour. >> ryan: with the massive storm set to hit the east coast officials in pennsylvania introduced a new app for drivers can track snow plows. the app helps drivers find which roads in their neighborhood are clear. about 1/3 of the plows in

>> we equip some of the trucks with tracking devices so the public can see where some of the trucks are and it also gives an option for a two-hour cookie trail so they can monitor some of our activities. >> ryan: as we've been talking about tens of millions of people could be affected by the storm set to hit the mid atlantic. >> a tab -- taxi cab goings up in flames. the whole thing was caught on camera. officials are trying to figure out why it exploded. jonathan hall has more on what happened from quincy. >> reporter: just seconds. seconds after witness john mcdonald's grabbed his cell phone the cab's windows began to explode. >> there were six explosions and i thought it could hit the gas line. if the it did that the car would have gone in the air. there are multiple cars on either side of the cab so there was western there

explosion in the car that it could affect the other cars. >> reporter: he say as male cab driver and an elderly woman he was driving home from physical therapy made it out of the car in time even though she was' using two canes but he was concerned they were not far enough away. was she freaking? >> neither of them were. i was screaming at them to get away from the car. >> reporter: the drama played out behind an apartment building catering to senior citizens. the fire department got her quickly. very quickly. glad to see the fire engines. >> they weren't as stressed as i was. they were' very calmly, they came forward and they put the flames out. >> reporter: a tow crew got the destroyed taxi back to yellow cab where we're told there would be no comment. >> jadiann: that was' jonathan hall reporting. the pats ready to square off against the broncos in the afc championship game. but it's what the players

is getting a lot of attention. >> ryan: one of the patriots' biggest fans will be getting quite the gift. byron barnett joins us live with that story. >> reporter: hey there, you know jean johnson has been a loyal patriots fan since the team was formed way back in 1960. now that she is about to turn 100 years old, she is getting a special present from her favorite team. >> as far as i'm concerned they are the football game. >> reporter: long time patriots fan jean johnson of convince hoe turns is 00 next month sent the team a birthday card hoping to get as many birthday players to sign it. the sign came with a letter from her grandson quoting her saying i may be near 100 years old but there is eyes. have you seen the uniforms they make the boys wear. >> i hear that you like the

they're nice and tight. >> reporter: no surprise number 87 is her favorite player. >> he is a good-looking guy. >> reporter: okay. >> he, he, i like the way he expresses himself. >> reporter: johnson became a football fan watching her two sons play the game. several patriots players were happy to sign her birthday card. >> you got to support the fans. thank the fans for being there and especially the 100-year-old lady. >> reporter: what about the comment about the tight pants that you boys wear? >> they are what wear. if you attract 100-year-old ladies that is a good thing. >> reporter: jean johnson turns 100 on february 4, three days before the super bowl. she says if the patriots come away with a another championship that will be the best birthday present of all. that is the story live from gillette stadium, i'm byron barnett, 7 news. >> ryan: that was an amazing story. stay with us for the pats in the play-offs, trey daerr is

will be there very soon. see trey's live reports starting today at 5:00 on 7 nbc. >> jadiann: i have to watch the story again. >> ryan: i love her comments about the pageants. >> jadiann: then gronk, it is what it is. we'll post that one later so people can see it. a winter wonderland. impressive man-made sculptures are ready to open for business across the u.s. including one not far from massachusetts. >> reporter: sea otter saved. it was a race to the rescue as rescuers try to rehabilitate a group of babies abandoned by their mother. a female hockey player receiving a special visit from one of the bruins as she recover from a

>> ryan: winter fans in minnesota are about to experience a magical frozen treat. dozens of ice towers made of

twin cities ice castles. >> jadiann: the icy experience is set for a ground opening this weekend -- grand opening this weekend. after a lengthy warm weather delay build remembers placing the final touches on the eden prairie ice castles. >> all the ice you see is 100% water. there's blue ice. >> reporter: the they psych to a -- stick to a theme. 60 towers made of solid ice are spread over an acre. between the walls you will find tunnels, caves, fountain, water falls and slides. the entire structure is build on thousands of home ground icicles. >> we grow ,000s of icicles everyday parfest them. >> reporter: they place the icicles where the ice should flow. in time the icicles are

he take it is takes more than 2 million gallons of waters that came from three miles of wide lines. they turn on the sprinklers. >> it catches on the ice and freezes and builds up and up and up. whole thing. >> reporter: it take as crew of 10-20 people at least 12 hours a day seven day as week with only a few days left. they're almost set to open. if you are planning on checking out the palace bundle up and if you want an extra special show plan on attending once the sun goes down. >> hundreds of lights through the ice and we have a light show singhed up to the music. >> jadiann: beautiful ice castles are a winter tradition. aside from minnesota they're also popping up in utah, new hampshire and canada. never seen anything like that. >> ryan: awesome, new hampshire. surprise guest the animal that took up residence overnight in one florida man's pool.

elephant in the room but kroc in the pool? forecast coming up next. >> jadiann: at 5:00 a traffic meltdown. the mid atlantic preparing for a monster storm but they're already down for the count after just one inch of snow. >> ryan: patriots one game away from super bowl status. how tom brady is getting ready for the much-an patrioted matchup. >> while temperatures outside are plummeting your heating bills are sky rocketing.

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>> reporter: good afternoon. no major changes to our thought process. the brunt of the storm stays south of new england. still we'll deal with some snow and wind. the wind focus saturday

the snow focus mid to late afternoon h saturday saturday afternoon. i think you folks on the south coast have the best chaps of shoveling and plowing from this storm right here. showers and thunderstorms exploding with the low pressure system which moves across carolina, grabs more moisture from atlantic and normally a storm in this position would come up into the gulf of maine but high pressure will not allow that to happen. it's going to be a struggle for the storm to move north up to new england. i think we'll be on the northern edge. they're tough because you go from all to nothing in a few minutes. dry air will chew up the northern edge even more so i think you are going to find a condensed band of accumulating snow to reports of nothing only a couple flurries, south shore, then route 44 south of there. 3-6 inches of snow arriving

mid-afternoon on saturday. very light and patchy. then there up 3-6 inches of snow. 30-40 les an hour winds boston cape ann. right oned cape ann probably 45-50. much on the cape and the islands. the wind will be from the northeast. piling water to the new england coastline. two high tide cycles, the 11 p.m.and 11:00 a.m. that like the snow we'll as we get closer into the storm re-evaluate that but that is the thinking at this time. right now, closing the books on a decent winter day. not as much winter out there. temperatures at this time

tonight, clear, told, down to the deeps so your commute is cold tomorrow but another nice winter day with much less wind. mostly sunny sky, 27 had ever 33. even saturday ski country you can get to the slopes. won't be no snow there but making snow all week. next week we start to warm things up. bit of a january thaw. tuesday of next week, mid 40s, see you at 5 with bri eggers. >> ryan: i'll take that. see you then. here is joe stapleton with a check of the roads. >> reporter: route 1 southbound we had an earlier tunnel. the headlights slow moving and sluggish on the way down but this situation at least is improving a great deal. causes a curiosity delay here. back up along route 1 northbound. basically stretches right back into revere. all the way up into lynnfield where it has been a slow go. tight ride on the southbound side of the expressway. that is averaging a 49

braintree area purchase delays north of the city. earlier crashes along route 495 southbound in lowell and along 128 northbound in woburn causing a lot of red lights there as you can tell. head out to the mass pike, westbound, we have a lot of folks trying to do that now. out by exit 17 that is now more than an hour ride from downtown boston out to the natick area. joe stapleton, 7 news. >> jadiann: home ownner florida rescues a home of baby otters. workers found the otter den while digging up a driveway. the baby otters are safe in a wildlife hospital but they won't be able to survive on their own for months so volunteers are working six them. >> we put them in our laps and squirt the formula into it. >> this will be a long haul endeavor for them to get released back into the wild

we're estimating about $2300, $2400 peroter. >> the hospital is collecting donations to help with the high cost of caring for the baby otters. >> ryan: another home owner in florida found the animal on his property but this was a little more dangerous. an 8 foot crocodile decided to take a swim in his pool. he was brought back to the ocean. >> jadiann: a letdown for "star wars" fans. why they'll have to wait longer for the release of the next movie to criticize him for missing votes. "but i am going to miss votes, but he's been missing "one third of all of his were missed before he announced he was running for president." over the last three years, marco rubio has missed more votes... than any other senator. washington politician marco rubio. doesn't show up for work, but wants a promotion?

>> ryan: topping the buses "star "star wars" fans eager for another movie will have to wait. >> jadiann: disney announcing the release date to the force awakens is being pushed back. he is standing thereful' hit theaters in december of 2017. disney didn't give a reason for the delay but there are rumors that scripts could be rewritten. >> ryan: celine dionne is scheduled to return to her las vegas stage. her husband died of cancer and days later her brother also died of cancer. fans are eager to support the singer whenever she returns. >> jadiann: for the first time in eight years abba reunited at the launch of a

it's attracting big cords and while the three members of the band showed their support they denied any speculation they would grace the stage together again. >> ryan: take a tour of buckingham palos without leaving your home. this is an inside look at one of the most popular places in the u.k. it takes viewers on a tour of the residence led by guides who will reveal secrets of the property. >> jadiann: never the same as being there but that is wonderful thing. much more to come in the next 90 minutes, thank you for sticking with us, i'm jadiann thompson. >> ryan: i'm ryan schulteis, 7 news at 5:00 starts right now. >> kim: winter weather heading our way. >> reporter: clear and cold in new england. here is the storm powerhouse. >> adam: a sprinkling of snow causing crippling conditions in the nation's capital and it could get pirs. >> kim: pats getting

>> give itself me motivation. >> kim: how gronk is responding to the broncos message. >> adam: 22 years later some of the patriots' biggest stars opening up about robert kraft's legacy of leadership. >> kim: the threat that led authorities to cancel class. >> adam: unforgettable day for one local athlete. the special visit from a bruins' star. >> announcer: 7 news at 5:00 starts now. >> adam: we're tracking winter weather as advertised. a monster storm is taking a turn and in the mid atlantic is preparing for the worst. several areas could possibly see a foot of snow. >> kim: big question, what could -- does it mean for us? >> the brunt of the storm is expected to be south of new england. we'll be right on the northern edge of this storm system. still advertising some snow even in metro boston but most of the accumulating snow is down along the south coast. we'll have winds saturday

this is the storm timing.