the aurora borealis or northern lights are usually restricted to higher latitudes of the arctic circle. as duncan kennedy reports, they have moved far south. northernou think lights, you probably imagine the arctic circle, not will disclose. >> you can see the northern lights here. >> but that is where the 17-year-old astronomer has been reviewing this stellar spectacular in the heart of the south. >> it's amazing, really. i did not think i would ever see the northern lights from my hometown. >> for several nights, this is what tom and an army of amateur astronomers have been treated to -- the aurora borealis, a stunning natural light show shooting beams of colors across the sky. but it's not just here in leafy surrey that these dazzling lights have been seen. they have been viewed right across the south in essex, gloucestershire, and wiltshire. for the first time, in many quarters of a century. >> the result of exceptional burst of charged particles currently streaming off the sun and colliding with the earth's atmosphere and water collision. but why is the south seeing them? activity

for only thirty km from the arctic circle. but the ice caps are melting making animals more scarce eskimos now have to travel further to go hunting. and had delicious red is very expensive. the euro forty cents a liter. that's double the price in june of the capital of alaska as part of the gods. joining us. lucy and her friends won their twenty day to be as profitable as possible the greek born there. are you truly need. you're going to hold the can or my mom winds. in alaska only native communities are allowed to hunt protected sea mammals it's a tradition to this four thousand years old. what you might like it. we were hearts with rules. sideburns anything. i need to get money out of money in a day with them for all skin maybe you rhiannon. a lot of fun to spend. the arctic ice cube has lost thirty percent of the surface in the past thirty years. lucy now west coast seal hunt in our debate the sand. now why is not for a reason that worried about what they do usually is that lagoon. i love going and usually frozen. with me u

clouds and other than that, we have sunshine and dry weeks ago as the storm track moves into the arctic circle and dumps it on the east coast they are ready for another blast of arctic air. >> mid-to-upper 60's an the bay. tonight, we have patchy fog and upper 30's inland and 49 in san francisco. next week, when, the first storm, the welcome of the storms, the appetizer, it moves out. we get a break on thursday. friday and saturday the stronger systems moves in. here is a preliminary look at how much rain we get with the first storm .1" to half an inch and the second inform is all green at 1" to 3" stretching into the sierra so several feet of snow up there next weekend. this weekend, we are in the upper 60's away from the coast. here is leyla gulen with the ski report. >> if you cannot wait for the snow next week you can get fresh air this is the toyota lake tahoe report. in the mountains, headed to squaw valley we have up to 5' base. alpine meadows is up to 5' and same for heavenly. it will take about an average of three to 3 1/2 hours with snow tires not requireed. 2' do 2.5 feet of snow in

track is being driven to the north by the throw around the high pressure and it is driven into the arctic circlere the upper midwest will not have highs from the negative range next week. that is how cold it will be. back here, we have 70's inland today, and the prosecute of us are in the mid-to-upper 60's and tonight we are look at patchy fog possible, and more than this morning, and temperatures in the upper 30's inland to low 40's and low-to-mid 40's at the bay shore and to the coast, san francisco is mild at 49 degrees. here is a look at what is going on next week, with our first storm coming in and it could bring us light rain, moderate rain. it moves through quickly and the next storm comes in friday and saturday and we will end february wet and begin march on a wet note. can you see the greens to the north and starting to push down toward the monterey bill in salinas valley are we need it. that is where the exceptional drought is right new but the rest of us are rind behind that. if we can get a couple of inches of rain equivalent that means a couple of feet of show but not this welcome,

snowboarding he's a mountain rescue worker and then about polar polar bear the polar bear is from the arctic circle as we know only twenty five thousand of them left in the wild so we're trying to keep them and promote the fact that we're looking after these animals on the run. it's not a rabbit rabbit this is a hare this is that this is the dog's head about a little right and so that you know as it is i admit that i've never heard of a dose or a female here isn't it for the hospitality your hair is yes of course what you are using to is actually but let's not talk about eating let's talk about saving them. decided for hospitality and the sort of times that i hope that this has the story of the female as well you have two males that the female have she's at school she wears top grade she works with them in the restaurants of the stories and lots of books and lots of lots of cartoons all to go together with the olympic ceremony and the again the integration for the young ones and then on the coming weeks they're quite cute very nice going to keep them honest because i rather like it you know what ye

passing cloud goes over the top of that area of high pressure and look how far north into the arctic circlee jet stream is going so it is dislodging the air mass and low-to-mid 60's at the coast and mid-to-upper circuit around the bay shore and upper 60's main land. san francisco will be at 49. here is the swirling air mass of moisture. coming our way on wednesday, the weaker of the two storms and you get a break on thursday and friday the next system comes in and it will rain from friday into saturday and maybe we will get a break on sunday. the first system is up to .5" of rain but all the green is an inch to three inches of rain which is 1' to 3' in the sierras. it is a week away. watch out for the tree pollen which is high. >> a beautiful weekend for a nice drive somewhere. it is already a nice weekend if a drive because it is quiet. we don't have too much in the way of accidents and we have one thing, at the bay bridge toll plaza but, first, as we focus on the bay bridge, eastbound side from the tunnel to the tower we have lanes blocked until noon today and if you headed along in the w

thursday, this arctic air, and it's a true arctic air mass, with residence right now above the arctic circle so that air is coming all the way down from near the pole, minus three for a high on thursday, 30 in new york, 21 in burlington, all across the region, way below average. it will continue on beyond that. back to you. >> that forecast of course is having a big impact on the commodity markets. since the first day of winter, december 21st, natural gas futures as you can see, up 36%. cold also having an impact on wheat as well. wheat futures up more than 7% in a month. >> thank you. 90% of the great lakes frozen, icebreakers are working around the clock to try to keep shipping lanes open. scott cohn is on a ship and we track him as he heads south on the st. claire river towards detroit. >> reporter: we are turning around heading back north toward lake huron. this is the problem. it kind of looks like the crushed ice in your afternoon cocktail, but this is dangerous stuff and it is wreaking havoc in the great lakes. as you said, close to 90%, 88%, to be specific, of the great lakes are lik

. >>> lake michigan is liking like the arctic circle. our own mike tobin braving the elements on the banks of lake michigan. mike? >> jenna, hard to see it through driving snow but lake michigan is back there. someone has to work out there. you depend on them. their story is coming up. ♪ [ chicken caws ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. eartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! mayo? corn dogs? you are so outta here! aah! [ female announcer ] the complete balanced nutrition of great-tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition inharge™. jon: still to come this hour, do you know what today? it was five years ago today that president obama signed into law the sweeping stimulus bill. it was almost a trillion dollars of your taxpayer money. was it wisely spent? we'll get into that. and this nasty winter causing more ice to cover the great lakes. what the coast guard