it a night when we get to scranton. i heard it's starting to get icy out there. >> wet weather is reeking havoc on holiday travel plans tonight. both thanksgiving and hanukkah. >> big mess. >> has it put you back at all? >> it has. and i'm sorry but we have to go. >> and now high winds could ground macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> news 4 at 4:00 starts now. >> round two, here we go. first came heavy rains. and now we are seeing snow, folks moving across our region. right now, anxiety at airports across the country as people are headed out for thanksgiving and the first night of hanukkah, closely watching to see how the winter weather will impact their flights. some 200 flights have already been canceled nagt wide. mostly in the northeast. right now delays are at a minimum. >> no big delays on the rails

this hour either. but it is busy. amtrak added extra trains to accommodate all the holiday traveler travelers. for a hassle-free trip amtrak is urging passengers to get to the station early and be aware the extra thanksgiving day trains may not stop at all stations. >> and right now the story is snow. you can see the sides of the roads dusted with flakes right here. people planning to drive today and tomorrow are the ones who can expect the most company. more than 90% of the 43 million people traveling this week are getting behind the wheel. >> we're getting ready. we have team converage on what o expect into the holiday with transportation reporter adam tuss plus doug kammerer and chuck belle. chuck, let's begin with you. we are already seeing the flakes out there. >> you bet we are. now with the cold air spilling in, indeed rain drops are

changing over to snowflakes in many spots. winter weather advisories remain posted for southern parts of the shenandoah valley. no advisories in the immediate area, but that doesn't mean you won't see snowflakes. wind advisories for late evening into the overnight. current temperatures, 40 in town and mid to upper 30s in most of the suburbs. so it's plenty cold enough to support snowflakes, but it's not cold enough for it to accumulate on the roadways for sure. winds are gusting between 25 and 30 miles per hour across much of the region. and so it's a windy, cold, wet afternoon here. most of the snowflakes are on the west side of i-95. we have the best chance of seeing an inch or two out towards culpeper. you have the best chance of seeing a little bit of

accumulating snow. the cold wind will be here for the remainder of the late night hours. later on we'll talk about black friday shopping as well. wednesday evening travel plans, cold, rain and a little bit of snow. we're going to go to adam tuss with the latest on the impacts. >> it's never easy in this weather. windy, cold maybe a little bit of snow as almost on cue we had a couple of snowflakes start falling at the airport. for most of the afternoon it's been a cold and steady rain. let's take a look at what's happening here as people arrive to the airport tonight. this is the arrivals level here. of course, you have a lot of taxis coming here. people are trying to get to their holiday destinations. we've seen people picking up passengers. if you've seen reagan international you know the arrival level is downstairs. we had a minor traffic jam at the airport. you know the airport, luke, goes around the airport.

the policemen had to shoo people away. some other people have been coming up here to the media area actually parking their vehicles and waiting for their loved ones. minimal delays all around, but there are some delays on the board. no cancellations and of course it's always best to check ahead when you get here. another delay in the rollout of the affordable care act. the online marketplace where small businesses can buy insurance for their employees won't launch for another year. the reason for the delay is to make sure the website is fixed. according to documents agents will have to go through an insurance company to buy coverage for their workers. fewer than 50 employees to ses

buy insurance. a federal bankruptcy judge approved the settlement to allow a merger to take place next month. the judge allowed them to approve the merger. a developing story right now in northwest d.c. police are looking for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman last night. sources tell us the man came up from behind the woman at an atm at wisconsin avenue. police say the man approached her with a weapon, they believe was a knife and then forced her to a nearby alley on 44th street and raped her. news 4's mark segraves is working to learn more about what happened last night. he'll have a live report coming up at 5:00. >> there will be community prayer service at 7:00 # for victims of this massive church fire in ocean city, maryland. two men were killed including

the pastor. the community is in shock. the blaze broke out yesterday morning in the rectory of st. paul's episcopal church. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >> at least eight people are out of their homes on this thanksgiving eve because of an early morning house fire. this broke at a home in the capitol hill area near 15th street and aims street this picture shows flames righting up a doorway. firefighters had to rescue seven people from the burning building. one firefighter was injured when part of the roof came collapsing down. he should be okay, we hear. investigators are still searching for the cause of the fire. they're also working to find out what sparked another blaze that left several people shivering in the breeze. flames destroyed an apartment at this building in newton street and northwest.

a grandmother who lived there was able to escape safely with her grandchildren. she lost everything she owns but she's glad no one was hurt. stunning video as a police officer saves a man from a burning car. he didn't hesitate for a second. they're accused of racially profiling shoppers. now the nypd is under surveillance inside barney's department store. >> and party at the palace. must-see video as prince william rocks out with taylor swift and bon jovi. >> rain drops and flakes for now. i'll be back if a few more minutes teamed up with doug kammerer. we're going to talk about all the the winter weather impacts for the big travel day.

the county council today unanimously approved the measure to gradually increase it over the next four years by 2017 the minimum wage in the county will be $11.50. now that's the same as a similar bill passed by montgomery county's council. d.c. is planning to vote on the same measure in the coming weeks. if you believe in the midst of this cold, nasty rain some folks are choosing to camp out in it in the hopes of picking up a bargain. our northern virginia bureau caught up with these early shoppers. they've been lined up since monday at this best buy store. doors open at monday at 6:00. we spoke to the first man in line. >> burg one of the nights we were cold, we had one of our parents bring us food.

we just ate here. >> reporter: so far they've weathered two days of rain and sleet. they have 26 hours to go. ahead at 5:00, we are introduced to other folks who are waiting and explains how they are staying warm. >> allegations of racial profiling are prompting changes for the holiday season at barney's new york. now new york police officers will be the ones under surveillance inside the store's security rooms. that's according to an internal memo sent to staffers today. two african-american shoppers say police accused them of shoplifting earlier this year, even though they paid for their merchandise. the nypd said the officers only acted after talking to store employees in those instances. it's one of the most romantic and ornate gowns owned by the princess diana. >> plus, you've got to hear this. prince william rocks out with bon jovi and taylor swift.

one of princess diana's favorite gowns is up for auction in london. the white organza ball gown st trimmed with satin and smothered in whine stones and pearl embroidery. the dress is expected to fetch more than $100,000 when it goes on the auction block december 3rd. diana wore it several times.

it's from emanuel, the british fashion house that designed her wedding dress. however, she bought it at a red cross auction so the money would go to charity. meanwhile, diana's sons are busy contributing to her charity work. >> prince william took the stage to rock out with bon jovi and taylor swift. keir simmons has the latest from london. >> reporter: good day to you. this was a lavish party held at william and kate's home in kensington palace, but kate wasn't there. we think that's because sometimes william wants the focus to be on the charity rather than on kate because she gets so much attention. let's say that while kate was away, william was out to play. >> yes, that really is taylor swift, jon bon jovi and the the artist currently known as prince

william. ♪ living on a prayer >> reporter: a musical moment taylor plotted out all night. with no kate in sight taylor arrived looking like a princess. prince harry was embarking on the south pole. both princes going all out for their charities. >> my brother, i think he's quite jealous i managed to get away. >> reporter: no, harry. william is back home hanging out with taylor swift. >> he's very funny. really cool. >> reporter: please don't make me sing, he begged her. by which he obviously went please get me on stage, jon bon jovi liked the idea. >> i think he's very fond of singing "living on the prayer." i think i read that in the papers before. we'll see if we get a duet out of him. ♪ my life is brilliant >> reporter: so after stellar

performances at the winder wonderland gala ball, raising money for a homeless charity, thousands of dollars a ticket, taylor swift pulled a reluctant duke of cambridge from the audience. the prince composed himself and found a rhythm. and got at least half way there. prince william there more often heard god save the queen. he got i long very well with taylor swift, it certainly appear that had way. they had a long conversation. let's hope they understood each other because at one point taylor swift was asked a question by a british reporter and she leaned in and said, i love your accent. i haven't got a clue what you're saying. back to you. >> they sounded okay. >> half way there. like he said. >> when those are your singing mates, you keep your voice down low. let them shine. >> getting to our weather. how much more of this nasty stuff do we have to deal with?

>> here's the good news, everybody. we're at the beginning of the end of the process. the rain and the snow that we're dealing with are not going to last too much longer. that being said, it's sure an ugly way to get your thanksgiving holiday started. so many people hitting the roads, rails and highways trying to get out of town as fast as they can. that's the live view from reagan national airport where it's a cloudy bit of light rain with snowflakes mixing in. here's live storm team 4 radar. light rain and snow inside the capital beltway. mostly raindrops here in southern prince george's county. mostly light snowflakes from german town out to 270. and out across central virginia here, west of manassas, out towards warrenton, picking up light snow showers now. steadier snow showers coming to an end. that's the back edge of the first batch of snow. still flur is while this cool pocket of air aloft. the bulk of the show is over with in a little while.

no advisories in the metro area. winter weather advisories remain in parts of the southern shenandoah valley and the wind has to be a bit of a story as well. for more on that we'll go to doug kammerer with more on the impacts of twind. >> right now, chuck, we're deal t ing with the wind and we're going to continue to deal with the wind for the next few hours. 24 miles per hour wind gusts in washington. 31 in hagerstown. and those winds are really starting to kick up. we have a high wind advisory i effect for mostly elevations but gusts up wards of 50 miles an hour. o so heads up in that area. this really means wrooer in for very cold windchills. let's see what happens around 11:00. look at these numbers. 20 in d.c. 10 in martins burg. waking up tomorrow morning with wshs in the teens all across the

area. now chuck, we are going to talk about that seven day forecast coming up in just a little bit. >> you betcha, doug. for now i want to remind everybody it's a good opportunity to have everybody download the stormteam 4 weather app. more on how we think this will play out over the next 24 hours and also your advanced 7 day forecast there as well. light rain and snow rapidly coming to an end. here's the way the next four days are shaping up. mostly sunny for a good part of the day. near 40 on friday. highs in the 40s. we'll talk about that. and a cool start to next week when i talk about that. right now we want to take you live to the national mall. the festival of lights beguns at sundown and will be celebrated until the evening of december

5th. other estimates suggest it may happen in 2070. some folks are already calling this thanksgivikkah. i think you need a hash tag with that. >> sounds like it. baby panda getting plumper by the day. new pictures are coming up next. plus, what is with the gian louis vuitton suitcase? >> and will another injury sideline

the russian authorities are ordering the removal of a giant louis vuitton trunk in red square. the trunk is a pavilion that houses a world exhibit. it was modeled after a version owned by a russian noble man that bares his initials. proceeds benefit a children's charity. good cause or not, it's located next to lennon's tomb, and communist party leaders are outrage. they say it mocks red square's historic significance. super skier lindsey vonn says today she has overcome her injuries and is ready to compete

in the upcoming olympics in sochi. vonn was injured last week where she was training. she has been training hard to come back from a terrible crash back in february where she broke a leg and tore ligaments in her knee. vonn says she feels good about her ability to compete now. >> if things go well i'll be racing next week. if they don't, then i'm going to have to reassess and kind of see where i stand, and if i can, you know, make a comeback for the season. but i'm definitely feeling good. next week vonn is hoping to compete in the world cup. a panda born in taiwan is thriving to say the least. h little girl weighs 22 pounds and as you can see in the video, she's moving around like a champ. since pandas are an endangered

species, every birth and milestone is cause for celebration. we can't do a panda story without checking in with our little panda gal at the national zoo. here's a live look at the live panda cam. the cub, born in august, now weighs about 11 pounds and zoo keepers says she's responding to voices and other noises she hears. the zoo will announce this panda's name this sunday during a special ceremony, the result of an online poll that ended last week. >> she's frisky. they're playing. look at that. >> now before these turkeys get away, with the power vested in me, i want to grant popcorn a full reprieve. come on. >> and there it is. president obama fulfilling another duty of the nation's commander in chief. he delivers a turkey pardon, flanked by his daughters sasha and malia. the name is popcorn.

he gave the alternative turkey, caramel a reprieve as well. a holiday tradition could be canceled this year. how our nasty winter weather may put a stop to macy's thanksgiving day parade. plus this -- >> reporter: from the roads to the kitchen and even the

good afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. scores of people are heading out for thanksgiving and hanukkah destinations. those behind the wheels can expect delays, too. with snow in the forecast and more than 90% of thanksgiving travelers expected to drive. it was a dreadful morning for drivers in philadelphia. heavy rains flooded the eastbound lanes of busy i-76. they sent in a snowplow to clear the water out. at the same time a multivehicle accident closed the westbound lanes. one person died in that wreck. four others were injured. traffic was shut down in both directions for hours.

but right now it's moving again. plows also getting a workout in buffalo, new york. it made roads slick but so far no major accidents have been reported. still more snow is expected there. >> and it looks terrible, but it could have been worse. the national weather service says it was a tornado that hit north carolina with winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour. two people were trapped by debris when the roof of their condo building blew off. live outside, it's pretty thick now. a sloshsy mix of rain, sleet and yes, snow. >>ive us the time line on improvements. already improving conditions out to the north and west.

down towards winchester and front royal. still a lot of snowflakes mixing in in and around downtown. folks down to southern maryland, probably two or three hours until it's improving. high impact from 5:00 to 8:00 for rain and snow. breezy and cold. 8:00 to 11:00 tonight, thicks are starting to get better as the rain and snowflakes rapidly come to an end, remaining breezy and cool. by early tomorrow morning, dry, cool and breezy. not much of an impact there and conditions will continue to generally get better. by tomorrow evening a lot of folks are planning on doing shopping thanksgiving night. 5:00 to 10:00 tomorrow, clear skies and cold. really not much of an impact there. so that is welcomed news. wind chilled, decent amount of sunshine. highs tomorrow only in the mid 30s.

and thanksgiving is just a few hours away now and millions of americans across the nation are getting ready. >> the unofficial launch of the holiday shopping season comes the next day and, of course, retailers are getting ready for that, as you may imagine. >> reporter: hi, patd. you can see the whole country is in thanksgiving mode now. it's estimated 46 million turkeys will be roasted this thanksgiving. looking slightly confused on the white house steps, popcorn, the national thanksgiving turkey heard the words every bird should hope for. he and his friend caramel will be spared. >> in the spirit of thanksgiving i'm going to give him a break. >> president obama followed the decades old pardoning tradition and wished everyone a happy holiday. from laguardia, new york, to burr bank, california americans were rushing to their loved ones

and often enduring inicallymate weather. volunteers prepared meals for the homeless and back in washington, d.c. the nonprofit food and friends even put me to work. >> fold them over at the top and bend the ends down. >>. >> reporter: we were packaging the nearly 900 turkeys that will go to needy families tomorrow. they smell amazing. for thousands of people thanksgiving is a time to pay it forward. >> there was a time in my life where folks had to help me, and i didn't have any way to repay those folks, so i just want to give back in any way i can. >> reporter: elsewhere shoppers are already scoping out the post thanksgiving deals. a new survey suggests consumers will increase their holiday spending for the second year in a row. while consumers are spending more this year, not as much as they might have if it weren't

for the budget fighting on call toll hill. a police-involved shooting in l.a. let's go straight to scott macfarlane. >> reporter: police are reporting an active shooter near the sports center. this is an aerial footage of englewood. this is 110th street and 5th avenue. two officers hospitalized. that's according to the los angeles county sheriff's department. details regarding the nature of the injuries unavailable. but the aerial video you're seeing at one point showed 12 pa fr patrol vehicles in the area. the suspected shooter has barricaded themselves inside a home with a female hostage. this is all in englewood, california. we'll keep an eye on it and get back to you with more details as soon as we can. for now, at the live desk, scott macfarlane. >> it's a new thanksgiving tradition that often takes place before the turkey is carved. we're breaking it down for you

in the talk around town. >> we know her. and he didn't hesitate for a second. stunning video as a police officer saves a man from a burning car. the tense moment

a driver in new jersey is

critically injured but alive to see another thanksgiving thanks to the brave actions of a police officer and the rescue was all caught on dash cam video. take a look. the driver was unconscious in his burning pickup truck. cape may police officer ripped open the door and pulled that man out of the truck. he dragged him to safety before he went back to the blazing truck to see if any passengers were inside. his boss and a lot of other people are calling the patrol officer a hero tonight. he downplays the compliment. >> i think any of us officers at the cape may police department, they would have done the same thing. i truly do. it just happened to be me. >> reporter: the truck driver is in critical but stable condition tonight. it's still not clear what prompted the truck to catch fire. for a lot of people thanksgiving day means a lot more than a big meal, football and camping out in line to shop. it also means a time to give back.

and here is one way folks are giving back this year, the 14th annual feast of sharing event took place at the convention center. hundreds of volunteers helped out, including news 4's liz crenshaw. this provides thanksgiving dinner to 5,000 needy residents every year as well as free clothes and other necessities. the idea of giving back for thanksgiving is also the talk around town today. whor's troy johnson is here. and many of your listeners are saying their thanksgiving traditions now include volunteering. tell us about that. >> this is something special because a lot of people were excited about gathering around the table, joining our families and eating the really good food we've been salivating about for such a long time. but a lot of people are putting service first. taking care of other members of our community, before we break bread and enjoy or own meal. >> and is there something in

particular motivating them now? >> the thing that mote rates them is they remember when things weren't as good as they are today. they harken back to those times. i talked to a couple of listeners who have been to the dinners and now that things are better they want to give back to the community. they're not looking for applause or anything like that. they just feel it's necessary to do. irene says this is something she and her family won't miss. >> we get together each year to give back to the community. we enjoy it. we do it as a family. >> that's great. >> and one of the listeners i talked to phoenix, and thousands of miles away from home is going to do the same thing. >> can't enjoy their meal until they make sure someone else has a meal. >> right. >> so where are the locations where people can still go if they still want to help.

>> there are a few locations. you can check out the community for creative nonviolence. they have a dinner. they're looking for volunteers. work starts at 11:30 a.m. and there's one other location that you can check out. the valuable blessings. they're teaming up with the seat pleasant fire department. they plan to serve 600 people. is they're looking for greeters, for folks to hand out meals and make hoo people feel comfortable. all right. have a wonderful holiday. >> you, too. >> thank you. jim? where do they store pets on an airplane and how are they treated is something every pet owner considers when they think about traveling with their furry friend. up next, the news 4 i-team talks about one woman with the painful story to tell and the airline that tried to pay to keep her quiet. thanks, jim. still watching for rain drops and snowflakes around the metro

area. they're continuing to move into southern maryland. so it could be a slow go for your thanksgiving day travel plans to get going. more about that and the weekend ahead when i see you next.

the wet and windy weather may have played a role in this huge tree toppled over in d.c. this morning. this is in the friendship

heights area near the intersection of 39th. took down a few power lines but other than tearing up a front yard, there was no major property damage. that's good. the d.c. department of public works showed up and removed the tree from the roadway. >> so, chuck, you think that's a combination of saturated ground and wind? >> absolutely. it doesn't have the leaves gone either. you can tell it was a wind thing because the root ball was up with it. if the tree is snapped that's really strong winds or a dead tree. outside we have cloudy skies. we have rain. we have cold. we have everything to make your thanksgiving travel plans get off to an ugly start. sorry about that, everybody. who is here in thanksgiving of 2007? 77 degrees for the '07 thanksgiving. we'll be about 40 degrees colder tomorrow. rain and light snow in and around town and down through

stafford and fredricksburg. snowflakes are already starting to come to an end in the north and west. still lingering snow showers in parts of northern frederick county, southern and eastern montgomery county. they're all still seeing rain drops and snowflakes mixing in. luckily road temperatures are well above freezing so none of this is sticking to any of the major roadways. that's the good news. the bad news no amount of wetness will cause trouble. winter weather advisory has been dropped into portions of the shenandoah valley. wind advisories remain in effect. winds could gust in excess of 40 miles per hour for a brief time this evening. so windy and cold for sure. temperatures well above freezing. it's cold and miserable, but as long as we're this far above freezing no real travel problems should persist. there's the wind northwest at 12

gusting to 25 miles per hour. the hometown forecast in frederick, maryland, off and on snow showers. by 11:00, all of that is over. skies are starting to clear. mid 20s for early morning on thanksgiving morning and then tomorrow a decent amount of sunshine. one way to stay ahead of the storm. i'll team up with doug kammerer on news 4 at 5:00 and 6:00. and then on facebook we'll have the latest analysis available for you there. so light rain and snow quickly coming to an end. and our weather will finally improve. here is your seven day forecast. yes, there it is. 37 tomorrow. 40 on friday. low to mid 40s for saturday and sunday. we'll be dry all the way through the rest of the holiday weekend.

a virginia woman tells the news 4 i-team her dog almost died on a cross country flight, and she has proof on her cell phone camera. >> the airline would not pay the vet bills unless she agreed to keep quiet. now she's speaking out to scott macfarlane. >> i still want to be reimbursed, but i'm not going to be quiet. >> when janet decided to move from the east coast, she signed up for united's pet program. >> we had never been on the plane before. this was the first. >> reporter: she wanted it to be as easy as possible for her cat and dog. the program possibles personal handling in climate control vehicle if they are exposed to temperatures greater than 85 degrees for more than 45 minutes. >> and that was the beginning of the worst day of my life. >> reporter: during a layover january et watched from the window seat as her animals came off the plane. >> i watched this man kick her crate six times. kick it, kick it, kick it until it's under the wing of the plane. >> photos show the animals

sitting on the tarmac where temperatures reached 94 degrees that summer day. >> it's 4:06. the animals are still sitting in the tarmac. this man is about to load lugga luggage. >> as janet's concerns grew she started recording the trip. >> it's 4:25. that's the fuel trunk. animals were loaded on. doors are still wide open. 4:58. they're having air-conditioning troubles. >> after a three-hour delay they finally made it to boston and sedona was barely alive. >> her entire crate was filled with blood, feces, urine, she was dying. >> i am so sorry. >> reporter: united says cases like janet's are few saying they transported 77,000 animals with incidents in less than 1% of cases. reported problems to the u.s. department of transportation are relatively low for most airlines.

there have been 21 deaths, 17 injuries and 2 lost pets. >> that's a huge number for the pet parent. it shows flying with pets is risky. >> people have to really stop and think about it long and hard. is it worth it for me to check my family member his baggage? >> she was in icu for three days. a vet diagnosed her with heatstroke, urinary tract infection. sinclair wanted yipted to pay for it. the airline argued the dog had a preexisting condition. even though she received a clean bill of health prior to the trip. >> they would give me $1,000 if i signed a nondisclosure agreement. >> reporter: sinclair refused. instead going public, creating a facebook page called united airlines almost killed my greyhound which now has thousands of supporters. the next day united agreed to pay the bill but still wanted a

disclosure agreement. >> the only reason i can do an interview is because i didn't sign that, and i won't sign that. >> reporter: in an e-mail united said we are committed to ensuring safe and comfortable travel of all the the pets that fly with us and regret that sedona did not have a good experience. we offered to compensate mrs. sinclair by fully reimbursing her vet bill, but unfortunately she declined to accept the terms of the agreement. carter says while nondisclosure agreements are common among airlines, she doesn't think passengers should sign them. >> you have to go public. you owe it to travelers, to passengers, to pets. >> united airlines did refund the fee for flying the pets. airlines are required to report pet injuries and pet deaths to the federal government. they did not have any information involving sedona's incident from july. scott macfarlane, news 4 i-team. and for tips on traveling

with your pets, log on and search pet travel. >> a beloved holiday tradition could be canceled. how a nasty weather could throw a wrench in the thanksgiving day parade. we'll take you to the starting point for a full report next. >> thanksgiving and hanukkah fall at the seem time this year. i'll report from a classroom. this is the chair they give me to sit on.

so far, so good. that's the latest word from wichita about an airport runway. you may recall a boeing 747 cargo plane mistakenly landed at a tiny kansas airport instead of at mcconnell air space. the cargo plane weighs ten times the weight that runway is designed to accommodate. engineers are inspecting for damage. so far only a few broken lights along the runway. our wintery weather moving across the country may not only impact how you get to your thanksgiving destination. it may also impact what you see jay gray has the latest on whether the high winds could ground the balloons at the macy's thanksgiving day parade. >> reporter: as you can see we're seeing rain.

the temperature has fallen. the wind is picking up. still, they are inflating the balloons and very hopeful the show will go on as planned tomorrow morning. despite the falling temperatures and at times falling rain, crews are working through the weather to inflate the massive balloons for the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade while keeping an eye on conditions that could keep them from flying. >> we're inflating all the giant balloons that we feel confident will fly in tomorrow's parade. we work hand in hand with the city of new york, who help us continually monitor the weather, and we're going to keep an eye on it. >> reporter: the balloons aren't the only ones with a holiday trip in jeopardy. >> it is a domino effect. so everything may be fine here or we have a little bit of rain. but if there's problems elsewhere it could affect us

here. >> reporter: rain, snow and ice are impacting roadways and highways as well. some roads are closed. others just inching along because of the wintery mess. >> we're a little nervous with all the weather. it was pouring, but it was good. >> reporter: making the most of the holiday. which will hopefully include a very special tradition. >> they love the giant balloons or the energy of the marching bands or the fun of the clowns or the beautiful floats and pageantry. but most of all, it's thanksgiving. this is america's holiday. >> reporter: no matter what the weather brings. so the lingering question here is will the larger balloons like snoopy behind us get to be a part of tomorrow's party? the cutoff is a sustained wind of 33 miles an hour, gusts of 44 and decision won't be made until parade time early tomorrow morning. in new york, jay gray, news 4. right now at 5:00, rain, sleet, even a little bit of snow. we've seen it all in the last

couple of hours, so what next? cleared for takeoff tonight. a mega airline merger will mean big changes for local travelers looking for a deal at one of our busiest airports. and a frightening attack on a local woman on a local street that's really busy. and she was doing something many of us do every day. good evening. i'm wendy rieger. >> and i'm jim handly. storm team coverage begins right now. here's a live look at the conditions at this hour. temperatures are continuing to go down. >> and now the cold rain is turning into snow, and all eyes are on the thanksgiving day forecast. >> we have live team coverage for you tonight as we track every inch of the storm. we begin with chief meteorologist doug kammerer. doug? >> yeah, we are watching rain change to snow. most areas have seen a few snowflakes, but that's about it. on the radar right now you

notice that rain and snow line is along the i-95 corridor from baltimore to d.c. we have seen a couple of light snow showers in the region. but the other thing you notice is this is really starting to get out of here. we are ending our rain after one, two, even three inches of rain has fallen in the past day or two. rain is moving off to the east, outside of the beltway. off towards virginia and still inside the beltway towards prince george's county. so we'll continue to watch as this moves out. the wider picture shows it better as the whole storm moves out. as the storm moves out as far as the rain, the snow, the sleet, something else is moving in and that's the wind. chuck bell is outside right now. it's not just the wind, it's the brutally cold temperatures once again. >> reporter: absolutely. wind plus cold equals windchills that you'll really need to be ready for if you're going to be outside later this evening or first thing tomorrow morning. currently the winds are gusting between 20 and 30 miles per hour between most of the metro area. hottest gust right