a 41-year-old woman has been found dead in a home on the 3200 block of mercer street. "action news" reporter christie ileto is live at the scene. christie, what are you finding there? >> reporter: well, jim, police are still on the scene trying to piece together what happened. now, homicide detectives are calling this a suspicious death and suspect foul play after a woman's body was discovered inside this port richmond home on the right. now, this is a look from chopper6 over the scene. just after 4:00 today police say a relative discovered the 41-year-old unresponsive in the living room of a home on the 3200 block of mercer. detectives say there are obvious injuries to the victim's head. she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics and right now it's unclear if there were any signs of forced entry. so far no arrests but again, police remain on scene. they are talking to neighbors and we even saw them pointing at what we believe are some home surveillance cameras on the exterior of one of the homes across the street so again we will be following

this very closely. reporting live here in that port richmond, christie ileto channel6 "action news." jim. >> christie, thank you. this was a record tying day in philadelphia. we hit a high of 74 degrees on this 24th day of february and if that doesn't sound terrific, well, we saw a lot of smiles on the faces of people taking advantage of this extraordinary spell of weather. in fact in parts of our area, it was the warmest february day ever, ever but not everybody is jumping for joy as we'll hear from bob brooks in a moment. but first let's check in with meteorologist cecily tynan with the facts and figures from accuweather. cecily. >> reporter: jim, it was warmer here today than san diego, it was warmer than phoenix arizona. take a look at these numbers. these numbers we typically see in the middle of may, not the end of february. philadelphia again tying that record high of 74, allentown 77, that is the highest february temperature ever recorded.

reading tying the february record of 77, trenton 75, mount pocono bad news for the ski resorts a record high of 67 and you notice the cool spot, cape may with that wind off the ocean. the ocean temperature in the low 40's so that makes a difference. so, today, yesterday, last sunday in the 70's. so, this is our third day of temperatures in the 70's. the only time this has ever happened before was way back in 1930. but we've never had three consecutive days in the 70's in february until now. because tomorrow we will make it a third. but changes are on the way. you can see all that warmth across the eastern half of the country but cooler air is starting to invade. bismarck north dakota is 31 degrees. chicago is 40. that cool air will be arriving behind a cold front and storm tracker6 live double scan showing that front will come with not only rain but also some rare february storms.

it's a tail of two seasons. late in the afternoon early in the evening a round of gusty thunderstorms. sunday a reality check, though. wind chills dropping to the 20's and 30's. i'll talk about the timing of the storms coming up in the full accuweather forecast. jim. >> cecily, thank you. so let's switch live to "action news" reporter bob brooks who is at the blue mountain ski resort in carbon county muc. bob, we know they're still skiing there but other resorts are seeing their revenues just melt away. >> reporter: jim, good evening, that's right. not good. temperatures in the 70's does not bode well for skiing or snowboarding. i've just seen a first. i'm a skier, been skiing a long time, february you see some guys up there, they're not wearing any shirts, jim, they are out here skiing with no shirts on here at blue mountain. things are fairing here a little bit better. they were prepared. they have great snow making capabilities but other places unfortunately not the case. with temperatures breaking

70 degrees in the poconos today that called for one thing, skiing and snowboarding in shorts. the unbelievably warm weather propertied us to head up to blue mountain today. so we geared up with marketing director melissa yuengling hopped on the slopes. there you go. and got an optimistic outlook despite the summer feel. >> we have a really great base across the mountains that we were even blowing snow earlier this week when we had the cooler temperatures to prepare. >> reporter: on top of them being prepared she says most of the slopes are opened. >> our bic guest obstacle is reminding people we're still here ready to go. >> reporter: she adds other resorts around the area that don't have their snow making abilities have had significant melting and that's unfortunate. so severe some of the races next weekend might be moved here to blue mountain. our sky cram at spring mountain montgomery county unfortunately looking a little more bear on the slopes though you'll hear most saying they love this warm weather. >> it's beautiful man, just perfect weather for sledding.

>> reporter: also worried this winter season is going to be cut entirely too short. >> hopefully the snow lasts a little bit longer we get more. >> reporter: one racer we spoke with says obviously with warm weather conditions aren't ideal. >> it's really hard to set a course and then keep the snow firm enough to actually be able to race. >> reporter: another live look here at blue mountain. that's another first. i saw men with no shirts on and i see someone wearing shorts out here, jim, with weather temperatures in the 70's, i guess anything sort of goes out here when you're trying to ski or snowboard. for now reporting live at blue mountain bob brooks channel6 "action news." jim. >> bob, thank you. we invite you to stay with 6abc.com/weather throughout the weekend. you'll be able to see the approach of forecasted rain and any changes that may come our way by checking storm tracker6 live radar and of course our team of meteorologists will work to keep you well informed and stay connected with them by following each on facebook and

twitter. officials are still trying to find out what sparked a two alarm blaze overnight at the ramada inn in that vineland. two people including a police officer were injured. this is how the fire looked just after it started at 2:00 in the morning. crews say hotel guests were hanging out of windows trying to get out. firefighters used ladders to bring them down. it's believed the fire started in a smoking room but it's still not clear if smoking played a r. the occupant that of room is in the hospital at crozer chester burn unit. police in south jersey are looking for the man who has exposed himself to women on at least seven occasions. evesham police have released this sketch of the suspect. investigators say the man hid in that bushes while committing lewd acts. the most recent incident happened late yesterday afternoon near kings grant and wood lake drives. police have increased patrols as the search for the suspect continues. a 13-year-old boy survived

after being hit by a car, dragged and pinned under the vehicle. the incident happened at 7:15 this morning near devereaux and rising sun in the lawncrest section of philadelphia. authorities say two vehicles crashed. one of those vehicles went onto the sidewalk where the boy was walking. several people were hurt including the boy who was taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. the new jersey pinelands are getting a natural gas pipeline. it is obviously a controversial issue but the pinelands commission today approved the pipeline project that will run 22 miles between maurice river township in cumberland county to the bl england power plant in upper township in cape may county. "action news" reporter katherine scott has the full story. >> reporter: the crowds sang and chanted even as the pinelands commission voted. ultimately approving the proposal to build if the 22-mile natural gas pipeline

through the pinelands. >> ♪ >> reporter: outside the crown plaza in cherry hill the lines started early and included supporters and critics of the plan. >> we're concerned that once they -- if they pass this pipeline today it's going to open up sort of a pandora's box and allow for more developments that's not appropriate. >> we do support the project. the employment part of it is why i'm here to create jobs for a lot of construction workers. >> reporter: back in 2012, south jersey gas submitted a development application with the pinelands commission to build the pipeline and it has seen backing from governor christie business entities and unions. supporters say the pipeline would make the power supply more dependable in the event of natural disasters. south jersey gas has maintained the new pipeline will be minimally invasive and bring a cleaner burning fuel to the power plant in cape may o county. >> i feel that these project

are designed very safely and thousands of miles of pipelines are in this country without incident and there is no conflict between it and the surrounding environment. >> reporter: critics argue the proposal does not benefit the pinelands or the people who live there which was a fundamental requirement for approving development in a protected area. they also worry about the precedent it sets for future projects and the messages the commission's approval sends. >> one of them is if you're rich and powerful enough f-you can get your project done regardless of what the world says. >> reporter: it's very likely that once again this matter will end up in court. a pending legal challenge was filed even before that today's vote. in cherry hill, katherine scott, channel6 "action news. >> and coming up on "action news" tonight, a nod to the golden age of hollywood on this oscars weekend, the red carpet is out for a special

evening for seniors in new jersey. and the sixers top prospect will remain on the side line. fans will have to wait until next year to see ben simmons. cecily. >> double scan live showing a cold front that will bring an end to our unprecedented streak of 70's. details on the timing of the storms and just how cold it will family behind it in the accuweather 7-day forecast. >> those stories and much more when that "action news" continues. >> ♪

ing. >> the good news here is that no students were on board this bus when it crashed in bala cynwyd. the bus collided with a box

truck near conshohocken state road at 9 o'clock this morning. officials say the driver suffered injuries but they don't appear to be too serious. what led up to this crash is still under investigation. this man, 33-year-old antawn hughes was charged with his seventh dui this morning. dover police officer pulled hughes over at 3:00 in the morning after he stopped in the middle of an intersection for a red line. the officer says hughes who lives in smyrna was drunk. he was committed to the vaughn correctional center in lieu of $6,000 bond. police in south jersey have a powerful new tool in their fight against crime. officials cut the ribbon today on what is being called the realtime crime center at rowan college in sewell. the facility acts as a hub which will collect analyze and distribute tactical information to law enforcement throughout south jersey. the red carpet is out and

tables are set for what promises to be a magical evening at brandywine living in princeton. tonight students from the hun school will escort the seniors who live there to a unique prom. with the oscars two days away the evening will be a nod to hollywood's golden age. residents will dine and dance. it has marin monroe and james dean look on. we have expanded oscars coverage on 6abc.com. right now we have a behind the scenes look at preparations for the big show. and of course on sunday night oscars night we'll have live video from the red carpet plus the most talked about moments as they happen. teens from every elementary school in chester-upland school district faced off today for the fifth annual heritage bowl. the students packed chester city hall council chambers to take part in the jeopardy style coat tig. the games focused on facts highlighting african-american history. main street elementary school took the title over returning

champions from elementary.

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>> disappointing news for sixers fans today. >> seems like we go through this every year with their top draft pick. once again sixers dominating headlines. yesterday's trade of nerlens noel is still news but we have news on ben simmons. he will not play this season. jeff skversky live at the wells fargo center with the details. jeff. >> reporter: sixers coach brett brown says he was pacing with anxiety yesterday waiting to find out these results of that ct scan for ben simmons. so as you can imagine he is very disappointed to find out simmons will not play at all this season because he is still not 100 percent fully healed so here's the plan going forward with simmons, he will have another scan a month from now and the plan is hopefully for him to play in the summer league and of course the start of next season. >> i expected him to play and

i'm disappointed for -- for lots of reasons that he isn't going to be able to play. >> he's heartbroken. he wants to play. he and wants to be out there. it's eating him alive i'm sure and, you know, unfortunately that's not going to happen this season. >> reporter: now, between simmons and joel embiid's knee injuries the sixers have been criticized for the way they've relayed the injury information and playing time expectation to the fans but sixers gm brian colangelo says today he's not deliberately trying to deceive anyone. >> i regret saying day to day when it should have been out indefinitely. but i have to say that there's never, ever been any effort to deceive fans, to mislead fans. >> nobody's trying to deceive people. it could have been done better. everybody agrees with that and for brian to admit it and own it and -- and also declare

that in the future we will try to do this better and we move on. >> reporter:. >> reporter: so with embiid out again tonight against the washington wizard jahlil okafor will get the start along with dario saric. jeff skversky channel6 "action news." ducis. >> jeff thank you so much. yesterday the sixers traded nerlens noel to the mavericks. he learned the new miss way in practice. the action cam caught up with nerlens noel at philadelphia international airport. leaving philadelphia wall not his choice but he knows he must move on. >> is it tough to glee. >> yeah. i was connected to the city so there's always certain emotions. i deal with it the best way i can and i'm on the move to a new chapter in my life. >> former central bucks west high school football coach

mike pettine has died. he led doylestown school for 33 seasons won 326 games and four state championships. grapefruit league baseball is under way. the phillies crossed the cause way to visit the yankees in tampa. two run homer in the ninth but it's not enough the phillies loss nine to four. and that's sports. >> thank you ducis. students at masterman high school in the spring garden section of philadelphia put their dancing shoes on today to demonstrate the results of the unique partnership. for the past 10 weeks instructors with the philadelphia dance foundation have been teaching the students different kinds of and social dance all part of a program called take the lead. in addition to dancing the lessons focused on communication, cooperation and teamwork.

>> you said it before but it's worth repeat. when we have 70-degree weather tomorrow, three in a row, that's never happened before in february. >> exactly. not in philadelphia recorded history so this is unprecedented and it will be ending over the weekend. storm tracker6 live double scan showing dry conditions out there. one of those days you want to kind of lie down in the park and look up so that's exactly what the action cam did today seeing some blue skies, mixing in with some fair weather cirrus and cumulus clouds and temperatures really the big story. yet another day of record highs. philadelphia -- oh, wait let me go back to that graphic. philadelphia 74 degrees. i'll talk about it. there we go. we got it working now. 74 degrees in philadelphia tying the record high. reading tying the all-time

february high of 77. allentown a new all time february high of 77. trenton the record high of 74 or 75 and mount pocono also a record of 67 degrees. so, compare that with the way it will feel on sunday morning. these are the wind chills. wind chills in the 20's, in the teens in the poconos so it's going to feel about 50 degrees cooler when you step outside on sunday morning so you'll definitely want the winter coat then. tonight, though, you don't need it. philadelphia 67. allentown 70. trenton 69. millville 62. the cool spot cape may with a wind off the water, the ocean, the ocean temperature 43 so the air temperature only 50 degrees. satellite6 and action radar showing this is the heat buster. it's a cold front. it's producing some showers and even some severe weather across the ohio valley. this will be rolling through late in the day tomorrow. so, ahead of it we've got another day of near record warmth. philadelphia the record 79. the all time february record,

i don't think we'll be hitting that, 74 will be the high. allentown 70. wilmington 72. and cape may quite a bit cooler, 59 degrees. so, future tracker timing out storms. around 3 o'clock is when they'll begin to move in to the western counties. looks like they'll be hitting philadelphia between about 5:00 and 6 o'clock, right along the i-95 corridor and this is a fast moving system. by 7:30, it's already beginning to roll off the coast, so if you're planning to do any grilling tomorrow enjoy the 70-degree weather, you really want to keep your eye to the sky because we could get some very dangerous storms between 3 o'clock in the western suburbs, 8 o'clock along the coast they could have some dangerous lightning, could have some damaging wind gusts more than 45 miles per hour and some quick heavy downpours, about a quarter to a half inch of rain and behind that we've got much cooler air on sunday. the high 46 degrees which is seasonable. but winds 30 to 35 miles per hour. even in the afternoon wind chills will be stuck in the

30's. association the exclusive accuweather 7-day forecast, temperatures in the 70's again. 74 degrees in philadelphia p late day showers and thunderstorms. behind that, plenty of sunshine tomorrow -- sunday but the high only 46 degrees. wind chills in the 30's. monday it quickly clouds up and warms up, 57 degrees and tuesday the last day of february it's going to be somewhat gloomy with periods of rain but mild, 60 degrees as we begin march, more rain and still mild, 65 degrees and then temperatures do begin to step down thursday 56 degrees and friday partly sunny brisk and chilly with a high of only 48 degrees and i will have an update on the timing of the storms coming up tonight on "action news" at 11:00. >> thanks cecily. abc's "world news tonight" with david muir is next on channel6. "action news" continues at 10:00 on phl17 with brian taff sharrie williams adam joseph and ducis rodgers. please join us at 11:o on

channel6 for a special health check report. can a sim bell dna test give you the tools to get in better shape. here it's ali gorman with a preview. >> reporter: scientists at a dna testing company say with a bit of your saliva in this test tube they can determine the best diet and exercise plan for your body. >> so whether the goal is getting fit losing weight, we can really guide people into those goals using that dna as a backbone. >> reporter: whether you're trying to loss weight or build muscle. i'll explain tonight on "action news" at 11:00. >> and for cecily tynan ducis rodgers and the entire "action news" team, i'm jim gardner. we hope you'll join us for "action news" at 11:00. >> ♪

tonight, the deadly shooting caught on camera. two police officers shot. the armed suspect killed. and confusion over who fired first. what the new video reveals. the chemical weapon at the airport. authorities now believe it was a vx nerve agent, the deadliest in the world, used to kill kim jong-un's brother. how did two young women pull this off? the video here. and one of them violently ill, moments after. the deadly storms hitting right now. millions in the path, from the midwest to the northeast. blizzard conditions, just as the weekend begins. president trump takes aim at the fbi, saying the fbi is totally unable to stop the national security leakers. adding, they can't even find them within the fbi itself. and, the amber alert across six states. and the race to find a