spill, shown in red, is now blocking access to part of the houston ship channel, one of the busiest in the world. dozens of vessels, including two cruise ships, were stranded, unable to dock. fisherman jeff roberts spotted oil residue on his boat. >> the first oil was going up the ship channel. and then a couple of hours later, now it's coming around the back side of the island. >> reporter: a major concern. the surrounding area is also a popular habitat for shore birds, which the houston audubon society worries could be threatened. the coast guard now says it's getting first reports of oiled wildlife. >> once that oil is in the environment, it will move with the environment and has done so, and moving now out into the gulf of mexico. >> reporter: tonight, crews have stopped the leak and are removing the damaged barge from galveston bay, as they continue to monitor water and air quality, the spill's full reach unknown. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> millions of people are keeping the eye on the possibility of a major winter storm on the east coast in the next couple of days. nbc news meteorologist dylan dreyer is tracking it for us. dylan, good evening. >> good evening, le