SPECIAL OPEN-SOT

BREAKING NEWS

Northeast Knockout

BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW ---

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS CANCELED AHEAD OF A CRIPPLING SNOWSTORM.

"And as it becomes one piece, one storm, it will really explode, it will really intensify and that's the concern

THE POWERFUL BLIZZARD IS EXPECTED TO DUMP SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW.

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED.

AND EVERYONE IS TOLD TO STAY INSIDE

.

"the rate of snowfall and reduced visibility during the evening rush hour will make safe travel nearly impossible

AND RIGHT NOW, TENS OF MILLIONS ARE PREPARING.

plow

NBC-2 COVERING EVERY ANGLE OF WHAT'S EXPECTED TO BE A WEEKEND NIGHTMARE.

BREAKING NEWS-CLIP

NORTHEAST MONSTER STORM-OMNITOPS

BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW AS THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED. NBC-2 IS TRACKING A RECORD-BREAKING AND DANGEROUS SNOWSTORM.

IT'S EXPECTED TO BURY PARTS OF THE NORTHEAST STARTING TODAY AND INTO TOMORROW.

PLUS, IT'S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THAT, BUT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IS SEEING SOME EFFECTS FROM THIS STORM -- WITH NBC2 DOPPLER RADAR PICKING UP SOME RAIN OVERNIGHT.

6:02 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-3SHOT

6:02 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX WALL

Today's Weather Story

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

TRAFFIC ALERT-CLIP

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, LEE CO ENFORCEMENT

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

EYE 75 AND U-S 41 ALL CLEAR.

WINTER STORM LIVE LOOK-TRXTOPS-SAT24LIVE LOOK

AND NEW RIGHT NOW --- TAKE A LIVE LOOK WITH US IN Waterbury, CT. AHEAD OF THAT SUPER BLIZZARD WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO START THIS MORNING, WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS FALLING TONIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY.

NORTHEAST MONSTER STORM-TRXTOPS-VIDBOXTOPS-MITTO-B

OUR NEIGHOBORS UP NORTH COULD SEE 10 TO 14 INCHES IN NEW YORK, AND UP TO 2 FEET IN THE BOSTON AREA.

FROM PENNSYLVANIA TO NEW ENGLAND --- WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS,

WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES,

AND COASTAL FLOODING.

TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO BE A NIGHTMARE.

PLOWS AND TONS OF SALT ARE ON STANDBY RIGHT NOW.

AND AIRLINES HAVE ALREADY CANCELED THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS.

THIS MORNING WE HAVE A CLOSE EYE ON SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN FORT MYERS.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE SEEING MORE THAN A DOZEN CANCELLATIONS.

NORTHEAST MONSTER STORM-(2) SOTVO

"The challenge will be thunder snow. So if you get thunder snowstorm, you could end up with 27 inches of snow, or 30 inches of snow!"

"We are hardy New Englanders let me tell you and used to these types of storms. But also want to remind everyone to use common sense. Stay off the streets of our city, basically, stay home."

BAGHDAD DOUBLE BOMBING-TRXTOPS-VO

BREAKING ALL NEW OVERNIGHT IN IRAQ ---

BACK-TO-BACK EXPLOSIONS IN BAGHDAD HAVE KILLED AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE AND WOUNDED 35.

TWO POLICE OFFICERS SAY A BOMB HIDDEN IN A BOX WENT OFF AT A PET MARKET.

TOSS TO STACEY-OC-TRX

DEVELOPING RIGHT NOW ---

"HE COULD BE ANYWHERE."

THAT'S THE LATEST FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LAW ENFORCEMENT, ON THE HUNT FOR AN EX-COP ON A RAMPAGE.

LA POLICE SHOOTINGS MANHUNT-NEWSROOM

THEY ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO FIND CHRISTOPHER DORNER.

IT SPANS THREE STATES AND MEXICO.

AND BRAND NEW INFORMATION. IN THE LAST HOUR, I'VE LEARNED SCHOOLS IN THE BIG BEAR SKI AREA ARE RE-OPENING TODAY.

LA POLICE SHOOTINGS MANHUNT-VOTOPS

I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT THAT OVERNIGHT, LA POLICE LAUNCHED MORE THAN 40 SECURITY DETAILS TO PRTTECT LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL AND OTHER WHO THEY BELIEVE ARE DORNER'S TARGETS.

THE POLICE CHIEF IS ASKING DORNER TO TURN HIMSELF IN, SAYING THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH.

ALSO THIS MORNING, ELECTRONIC TRAFFIC BOARDS IN THE AREA ARE FLASHING HIS PICTURE AND INFORMATION.

DORNER WAS FIRED FROM THE FORCE IN 2008, AND POLICE BELIEVE THIS IS RETALIATION.

LA POLICE SHOOTINGS MANHUNT-(3) SOT

"He communicated in this manifesto that police were fair game and their families."

"Dorner is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

LA POLICE SHOOTINGS MANHUNT-NEWSROOM

POLICE BELIEVE DORNER HAS MULTIPLE WEAONS INCLUDING ASSAULT RIFFLES.

THE TODAY SHOW WILL HAVE MUCH MORE COMING UP AFTER OUR SHOW AT 7.

COLLIER STABBING-OC-TRX-VO

DEVELOPING RIGHT NOW IN COLLIER COUNTY ---

NBC-2 IS WORKING TO IDENTIFY THE VICTIM OF A STABBING IN GOLDEN GATE

DEPUTIES ARE SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE WHO STABBED THE WOMAN LAST NIGHT.

IT HAPPENED ALONG 31ST AVENUE SOUTHWEST IN GOLDEN GATE.

THE VICTIM WENT TO THE HOSPITAL WITH NON LIFE THREATENING INJURIES.

HELICOPTERS SEARCHED THE AREA FOR THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE WHILE CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATORS COMBINED THE YARD OF THE HOME.

BRENNAN CONFIRMATION HEARING-OC-SOTVO

THIS MORNING WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF REACTION TO CIA DIRECTOR NOMINEE JOHN BRENNAN.

HE TESTIFIED DURING HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING ON CAPITOL HILL YESTERDAY.

AND BRENNAN STRONGLY DEFENDED THE USE OF ANTI-TERROR ATTACKS BY UNMANNED DRONES.

brennan: i respectfully disagree, senator. i -- i never believe it's better to kill a terrorist than to detain him.

PANETTA FAREWELL-OC-VO

TODAY, IT'S TIME TO SAY FAREWELL TO SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA.

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE JOINT CHIEF OF STAFF WILL HOST AN ARMED FORCES FAREWELL CEREMONY IN PANETTA'S HONOR.

SAN CARLOS ARSON-OC-TRX-SS-VO

RIGHT NOW IN LEE COUNTY ---

AN ARSONIST IS WANTED IN SAN CARLOS PARK!

5 BRUSH FIRES ALL STARTED NEAR US 41 WITHIN 24 HOURS.

4 OF THE 5 ARE WITHIN 1 MILE OF EACH OTHER.

THE 5 SEPARATE BRUSH FIRES BURNED THROUGH ABOUT 5 ACRES OF PROPERTY.

ALL OF THE LAND- VACANT.

PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEARBY- NOW ON HIGH ALERT.

GAS PRICES-TRXTOPS-CG-BNR

ALL NEW RIGHT NOW --- NBC-2 IS TRACKING THE LATEST GAS PRICES OVERNIGHT.

WE JUST GOT NEW AVERAGES AND HERE THEY ARE, ALL UP ONE PENNY FROM YESTERDAY ACROSS THE BOARD:

THE NEW NATIONAL AVERAGE IS $3.57.

IN FLORIDA IT'S NOW $3.64.

AND IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WE'RE PAYING $3.68 ON AVERAGE.

DMV SCAM-OC-CG

A FRAUD ALERT THIS MORNING FROM THE D-M-V -- BEWARE OF A BOGUS EMAIL.

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAY SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLES SAYS FRAUDSTERS SENT OUT THE EMAIL USING THE DEPARTMENT'S NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS.

THE MESSAGES LOOK LIKE RECEIPTS FROM ONLINE TRANSACTIONS.

BUT THEY INCLUDE BOGUS CONFIRMATION AND TRACKING NUMBERS.

QUARTER HOUR PUSH-2SHOT-REMLIVE

YOUR TIME RIGHT NOW ---

NEXT ON NBC-2 NEWS TODAY ---

A BIG STEP THIS MORNING AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO SPRING TRAINING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA!

FORECAST TEASE-OMNI

BREAK ONE 6:09:48

HIT TIME 6:09:48

6:12 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-CLIP

6:12 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX WALL

Full Forecast

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

TRAFFIC ALERT-TRX

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, CONSTRUCTION?

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

EYE 75 AND U-S 41 ALL CLEAR.

TRAFFIC ALERT BILLBOARD-CLIP

SOLOMON ISLAND QUAKE NEW DAMAGE-OC-TRX-VO

ALL NEW THIS MORNING --- STRONG AFTERSHOCKS ARE RATTLING THE SOLOMON ISLANDS IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC,

TWO DAYS AFTER AN 8 POINT 0 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI.

THE CONTINUED JOLTS ARE PREVENTING RELIEF WORKERS FROM REACHING VILLAGES DAMAGED BY WAVES.

CA FIERY CRASH STRONG VIDEO-TRXTOPS-NATSVO--WIPE

"there he goes. Uh oh no!!!

ALL NEW VIDEO TO SHOW YOU OVERNIGHT ---

TAKE A LOOK WITH US. AT THIS HIGH-SPEED POLICE CHASE IN L-A.

POLICE SAY THEY WERE AFTER A SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER. REACHING SPEEDS OVER 100 MILES PER HOUR.

BUZZER BEATER SHOT-NATSVOTOPS

nats of basketball shot at the buzzer, crowd goes wild, that was unbelievable!

WHAT A SHOT!

FOR THE FIFTH STRAIGHT WEEK, THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY LOST A GAME.

SPRING TRAINING ARRIVALS-2SH-TRX-OBX

YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT SPRING IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WITHOUT THINKING OF YOUR FAVORITE SPRING TRAINING BASEBALL TEAMS.

THE TWINS AND THE RED SOX. AND BOTH ARRIVE TODAY.

SPRING TRAINING ARRIVALS-REMLIVE

SPRING TRAINING ARRIVALS-VOTOPS

RED SOX 7AM

TWINS 9AM

WE'VE LEARNED THE EQUIPMEN TRUCKS FULL OF RED-SOX GEAR IS ON THE ROAD RIGHT NOW HEADED TO FORT MYERS.

THIS IS VIDEO OF THE TRUCKS LEAVING BOSTON.

THEY ARE SCHEDULED TO UNLOAD EARLY THIS MORNING.

SPRING TRAINING ARRIVALS-REMLIVE-OBX

WILLIE NELSON RE SCHEDULES-OC-CG

OVERNIGHT NBC-2 FOUND OUT WHEN WILLIE NELSON IS RESCHEDULING HIS CONCERT HE HAD TO CANCEL HERE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

ACCORDING TO OUR PARTNERS THE NAPLES DAILY NEWS,

THE NEW SHOW WILL BE TUESDAY APRIL 30TH AT 7:30PM AT GERMAIN ARENA.

A JANUARY CONCERT WAS POSTPONED WHEN NELSON GOT THE FLU.

EDISON FESTIVAL OF LIGHT JUNIOR PARADE-OC-VIDBOX-W

THE WEEKEND IS HERE AND THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF THINGS TO DO.

THIS SUNDAY THE CITY OF FORT MYERS WILL HOST THE EDISON FESTIVAL OF LIGHT JUNIOR FUN RUN AND JUNIOR PARADE.

HERE'S VIDEO OF LAST YEAR'S JUNIOR PARADE.

THIS YEAR THE FESTIVAL IS CELEBRATING THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY.

IN ADDITION TO FLOATS AND MARCHING BANDS, THE JUNIOR PARADE GIVES AREA CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES A CHANCE TO SHOWCASE THEIR CREATIVITY.

THE JUNIOR FUN RUN KICKS OFF AT 1 O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON.

THE PARADE STARTS AT 2-30.

EVERGLADES SEAFOOD FEST-SSTOPS-SS

AND IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR SOME SEAFOOD, THIS IS YOUR WEEKEND.

THE EVERGLADES SEAFOOD FESTIVAL KICKS OFF IN EVERGLADES CITY TONIGHT AND RUNS THROUGH SUNDAY.

THIS IS A COOL AERIAL PHOTO OF THE EVENT IN YEAR'S PAST.

TEASE TOSS TO BREAK-2SHOT-REMLIVE

YOUR TIME RIGHT NOW --

NEXT ON NBC TWO NEWS TODAY --

WX TEASE-OMNITOPS

WAVV 101.1 TEASE-SS BUMP TO BREAK

IF YOU NEED TO WALK OUT THE DOOR - WE CAN STILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN THE KNOW TODAY -

BREAK TWO 6:18:05

HIT TIME 6:18:05AM

6:22 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-CLIP

6:22 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX WALL

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

TRAFFIC BILLBOARD-CLIP

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, CONSTRUCTION?

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

EYE 75 AND U-S 41 ALL CLEAR.

COCONUT POINT ART FEST-2SH-TRX-OBX

HANDMADE JEWELERY.LIFE SIZE SCULPTURES.AND 270 ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!

DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION YET?

THIS WEEKEND KICKS OFF THE 7TH ANNUAL COOCNUT POINT ART FESTIVAL!

NBC-2'S DANIELLE KOLENIAK IS LIVE THIS MORNING WITH A SNEAK PEAK AT WHAT YOUR EYES CAN EXPECT!

COCONUT POINT ART FEST-REM 26

IN LESS THAN FOUR HOURS 270 ARTISTS WILL FILL THIS MALL AS THEY SET UP FOR ART FEST THIS WEEKEND-- AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT DRAWS IN THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES TO COCONUT POINT MALL.

SHOW TELL

Q&A WITH ARTIST

WE WILL HAVE TWO ARTISTS. ONE FOR EACH LIVESHOT. HERE ARE THEIR NAMES FOR SUPERS.

****SUPER*****

Todd Babb

Sculptor, Naples, FL

Christine Lyons

Painter, Naples, FL

COCONUT POINT ART FEST-VO

7th Annual Coconut Point Mall Art Festival

Saturday & Sunday, February 9 - 10

10:00 am to 5:00 pm

COCONUT POINT ART FEST-REMLIVE-BNR

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS WHO WILL BE HERE HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AT NBC-2.COM AND CLICK NEWSLINKS.

CROSS TALK 4 SHOT-4-SHOT

FACEBOOK FRIEND OF THE DAY-SSTOPS

TIME NOW TO SAY HELLO AND GOOD MORNING TO OUR NBC2 FACEBOOK FRIEND OF THE DAY.

THIS IS OF WILLIAM ROLDAN.

GREAT TO SEE YOU - THANKS FOR WATCHING AND CONNECTING WITH US ON OUR NBC2 NEWS FACEBOOK PAGE.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LIKE US - AND YOU COULD BE NEXT!

WX TEASE-TRXTOPS-SATLIVELOOK

AND NOW TAKE A LIVE LOOK AHEAD OF THAT SUPER BLIZZARD WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

OMNITOPS

BREAK THREE 6:27:03 AM

HIT TIME 6:27:03

HL1) WX HEADLINE-TRX-OMNI

HL2) BEST WEATHER VIDEO-TRX-VO

PLUS,

HL3) MORE BEST WEATHER ELEMENTS-TRX-SOTVO

"Accumulation is expected to be swift, heavy and dangerous." WHITE FLASH "Stay off the streets of our city. Basically stay home."

FROM FROM THE NEW YORK CITY AREA TO BOSTON AND BEYOND.

NEWS TODAY OPEN-CLIPTOPS

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-ANIBOXTOPS

RIGHT NOW ON NBC-2 NEWS TODAY -- NBC2 DOPPLER RADAR PICKING UP SOME RAIN OVERNIGHT.

AT THE SAME TIME --- THE NORTHEAST IS BRACING FOR A POSSIBLE RECORD-BREAKING, AND VERY DANGEROUS BLIZZARD.

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ARE ALREADY CANCELED.

NBC-2 ANCHOR STACEY DEFFNEBAUGH IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM,

MONITORING THE STORM PREP SITUATION CLOSELY.

northeast storm-vo

6:32 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-CLIP

6:32 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX CENTER

Today's Weather Story

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-TRXTOPS-DBX

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-NEWSROOM

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-VIDBOXTOPS-MITTO

MORE THAN TWO FEET OF SNOW, WITH DRIFTS OF MORE THAN 5 FEET, EXPECTED IN PARTS OF NEW ENGLAND.

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TODAY, AND MASS TRANSIT IS SHUTTING DOWN.

AND EVERYONE IS BEING TOLD TO STAY INSIDE AND STAY OFF THE ROADS.

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE ALREADY CANCELLED.

INCLUDING RIGHT HERE IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.

THIS IS A LIVE LOOK AT THE FLIGHT BOARD AT RSW.

AT LEAST A DOZEN FLIGHTS ARE CANCELED RIGHT NOW, AND THAT NUMBER COULD GO UP ANYTIME.

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-(4) SOT

SOT Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City

"We have more than 250,000 tons of salt on hand."

MOS Michael Bailey, Atlantic City, NJ

"We are trying to batten down the hatches here if any storms are coming. the

last one ruined us totally. "

MOS Susan Lichtenstein, Belmont, MA Resident

"This is panic shopping. So bread, milk, a snow shovel in case our snow

shovel breaks."

MOS voice of: Charlie Bosworth, Milton, MA Mechanic

NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-NEWSROOM

THIS MORNING I'VE LEARNED THAT IN SALEM, MASSACHUSSETS, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO A SUPERMARKET, BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY PEOPLE THERE TRYING TO STOCK UP.

TRAFFIC ALERT-TRX

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, LEE CO ENFORCEMENT

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

ROADS ARE ALL CLEAR - NO ACCIDENTS OR ROAD BLOCKS TO REPORT.

BRENNAN DRONES-OC-SOTVO

HAPPENING TODAY -- WE'LL WATCH TO SEE HOW THE VOTES ARE LEANING,

AS THE U-S SENATE CONSIDERS COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISOR JOHN BRENNAN TO HEAD THE C-I-A.

HE TESTIFIED YESTERDAY ON THE HILL, WHERE HE DEFENDED DRONE ATTACKS ON TERROR SUSPECTS. AND QUESTIONED WATERBOARDING AND OTHER INTERROGATION TACTICS.

"Any American who did that should know well that they in fact are a part of an enemy against us and that the United States will do anything possible to destroy that enemy to save American lives."

FLORIDA DRONES-HALFSCRN

THIS MORNING THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS ITS OWN DRONE BILL. AND IT'S FLYING THROUGH COMMITTEES.

IT WOULD BAN LAW ENFORCEMENT FROM USING UNMANNED DRONES.

BUT STATE POLICE CHIEFS AND SHERIFFS WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS,

WHEN THERE'S HIGH RISK OF A SPECIFIC TERRORIST ATTACK.

CALIFORNIA STRICTEST GUN LAWS-TRXTOPS-OC

DEVELOPING THIS MORNING --- CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS WANT TO DO EVEN MORE IN RESPONSE TO RECENT MASS SHOOTINGS.

DEMOCRATS, WHO CONTROL THE STATE LEGISLATURE, HAVE REVEALED 10 BILLS THEY SAY WOULD MAKE CALIFORNIA THE MOST RESTRICTIVE STATE FOR POSSESSING FIREARMS.

MARINER STUDENT GUN TO SCHOOL-TRXTOPS-SS

A STUDENT AT MARINER MIDDLE SCHOOL IS ACCUSED OF BRINGING A GUN AND A TASER TO SCHOOL.

DEPUTIES SAY FOUR STUDENTS TOLD THEIR PARENTS 14-YEAR-OLD YMEZ FORTE WAS PLAYING WITH THE GUN ON THE BUS.

CHAR CO SWAT FOLO-OC-TRX-VO

CASH, GUNS AND COLLECTER COINS ALL GONE - STOLEN FROM A SAFE IN ENGLEWOOD.

AND SUSPECTS ARE STILL OUT THERE SOMEWHERE THIS MORNING.

THE CHARLOTTE COUNTYSHERIFF'S OFFICE HAS FIVE PEOPLE IN CUSTODY BUT NEEDS YOUR HELP FINDING THE OTHER SUSPECTS.

BOEING TEST FLIGHTS-ONCAM

AFTER THREE WEEKS ON THE GROUND, BOEING'S DREAMLINER WILL SOON RETURN TO THE SKIES -- BUT ONLY SO ENGINEERS CAN TEST THE PLANE'S TROUBLED ELECTRICAL AND BATTERY SYSTEMS.

THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE FAA.

FPL SCOTUS-ONCAM

A STATE LAWYER REPRESENTING F-P-L CUSTOMERS IS TAKING A CASE TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT.

IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO MONTHS SINCE A CONTROVERSIAL RATE INCREASE WAS APPROVED FOR FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT.

F-P-L RECEIVED A 350-MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE THAT TOOK EFFECT IN JANUARY.

QUARTER HOUR PUSH-2SHOT-REMLIVELOOK

YOUR TIME RIGHT NOW ----

NEXT ON NBC-2 NEWS TODAY ---

WE'RE ON RED SOX WATCH -- AS THE EQUIPMENT TRUCK ARRIVES IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOR SPRING TRAINING.

FIRST ALERT DOPPLER TEASE-OMNI

BREAK FOUR 6:38:53 AM

HIT TIME 6:38:53

6:42 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-CLIP

6:42 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX WALL

Weather Trends

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

TRAFFIC BILLBOARD-CLIP

TRAFFIC ALERT-TRX

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, CONSTRUCTION OR CHAR CO ENFORCEMENT

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

ROADS ARE ALL CLEAR - NO ACCIDENTS OR ROAD BLOCKS TO REPORT.

EVERGLADES PYTHONS-2SH-VO

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? THE FLORIDA PYTHON CHALLENGE ENDS THIS SUNDAY.

AND, OUT OF THOUSANDS OF THESE INVASIVE SNAKES --- VOLUNTEERS CAPTURED ONLY 50.

MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN PART IN THE MONTH-LONG CHALLENGE TO HUNT DOWN BURMESE PYTHONS IN THE EVERGLADES.

WOUNDED WARRIORS-OC-VO

THIS MORNING, IT'S A CAMP THAT RUNS THROUGH FEBRUARY 10TH AT THE LEE COUNTY SPORTS COMPLEX.

AND IT WAS A VERY COOL.VERY WELL DESERVED DAY FOR SOME OF AMERICA'S WOUNDED WARRIORS.

THEY GOT TO PLAY BALL WITH FORMER RED SOX STARS.

THIS IS PART OF THE ANNUAL RED SOX FANTASY CAMP.

THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW WOUNDED SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN ARE PARTICIPATING.

ASTEROID CLOSE TO EARTH-2SH-VO

THIS MORNING NBC-2 IS LOOKING AHEAD TO AN ASTEROID SET TO PASS VERY CLOSE TO THE EARTH ON FEBRUARY 15TH. THE DAY AFTER VALENTINES DAY.

WHAT IS NOTABLE ABOUT THIS ASTEROID "FLYBY" Tht will HAPPEN NEXT WEEK. IS THAT A IT IS SO CLOSE THAT IT WILL ACTUALLY COME BETWEEN THE EARTH AND ITS SATELLITES, AND B IT WAS ONLY DISCOVERED ONE YEAR AGO.

FMB RV PARK FIRE-OC-VO

WE WANT TO UPDATE A SITUATION THAT CAUGHT A LOT OF PEOPLE'S ATTENTION ON FORT MYERS BEACH.

THE LEE COUNTY ARSON TASK FORCE TELLS NBC-2, THIS FIRE YESTERDAY WAS CAUSED BY HYDRAULIC AND FUEL LINES THAT BROKE ON A GARBAGE TRUCK AT SOME POINT.

SO WHEN THE TRUCK WENT TO LIFT AND EMPTY A DUMPSTER, THAT SPRAYED FLUID ONTO THE TRUCK'S ENGINE, IGNITING A FIRE.

AND FLAMES SPREAD TO THE NEARBY RV PARK.

FL ANIMAL DYEING BAN-OC-VIDBOX

NEW THIS MORNING ---

PINK BABY CHICKS, PURPLE BUNNIES AND ALL OTHER ARTIFICIALLY COLORED ANIMALS COULD BE BANNED HERE IN THE SUNSHINE STATE.

A NEW BILL WOULD BAN ANYONE IN FLORIDA FROM COLORING BIRDS AND ANIMALS OR IMPORTING COLORED ANIMALS AND BIRDS.

JOB FAIRS-OC-CGS

POLISH UP THOSE RESUMES. THERE ARE JOBS TO BE HAD THIS MORNING.

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF JOB FAIRS WE WANT TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT ---

ADVANCED DISPOSAL SERVICES WILL HOLD A JOB FAIR TODAY ON THE COMPANY'S PROPERTY.

IT'S FROM NINE TO 11:30.

AND EDISON MALL HAS A JOB FAIR ON SATURDAY--

FROM 11 AM - 2 PM.

THINK PINK-OC-SS-BNR

IT'S TIME TO THINK PINK.

N-B-C TWO IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE 2013 SUSAN G KOMEN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA RACE FOR THE CURE.

THE RACE IS SATURDAY, MARCH 9TH AT COCONUT POINT MALL IN ESTERO.

YOU CAN REGISTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL, START A TEAM, OR JOIN AN EXISTING TEAM.

WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW THIS WEEKEND-OC-VO

IN NEW YORK CITY THIS MORNING FINAL PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY FOR THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW.

MORE THAN 27-HUNDRED DOGS WILL STRUT THEIR STUFF IN THE FAMED DOG SHOW IN NEW YORK CITY.

IT'S BEING HELD NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY.

ORGANIZERS SAY THIS YEAR'S EVENT WILL SHOWCASE ENTRIES FROM ALL 50 STATES AND SEVERAL FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

WHAT'S TRENDING 2DAY-SS-VIDBOX

TIME NOW TO SEE WHAT'S TRENDING TODAY ---

THE STORIES AND VIDEOS GETTING THE MOST CLICKS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB.

GRAMMY CONTROVERSY HEATS UP W/ CHRIS CONNELLY

COVERAGE PROMISE-2SHOT

TIME NOW IS--

BREAKING NEWS. Aftershocks are rattling the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, after Wednesday's 8.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

WX TEASE-OMNITOPS

RED SOX-TRXTOPS-vo

ALL NEW RIGHT NOW ---

THE RED SOX EQUIPMENTMENT HAS ARRIVED IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOR SPRING TRAINING!

BREAK FIVE 6:49:12 AM

HIT TIME 6:49:12 AM

6:52 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-CLIP

6:52 FORECAST ON THE 2'S-WX WALL

Full Forecast

THIS WEATHERCAST HAS BEEN PREPARED BY THE NBC2 WEATHER STAFF.

IT IS NOT A VERBATIM OF WHAT IS BEING SAID, BUT IS THE FORECAST FOR OUR AREA.

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sun"

While the Northeast and New England states are bracing for a blizzard, we'll be basking in 80° weather despite the passage of a weak cold front.

Our morning will start off with mild temperatures in the 60s, along with just a couple of spotty showers mainly across our southern areas. These showers moving in are associated with a weak cold front currently sweeping across the peninsula. As we go through the day, a couple of lingering showers will still be possible across our far southern communities, while skies continue to clear from north to south. Afternoon highs will manage to climb into the upper 70s to low 80s with a bit more sunshine as we head into the second half of the day.

Once the front clears Southwest Florida, a slightly cooler and drier airmass will begin to filter down the state. You'll notice the change early Saturday morning as lows will have bottomed out in the upper 50s here in town with lower to middle 50s across our inland and northern cool spots.

High pressure will be building in for the weekend and this will set the stage for a beautiful Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Even though temperatures will recover into the 80s, our afternoons will feel quite pleasant with comfortable humidity values. Our mainly dry weather pattern will stay firmly in place through the first half of the week with plenty of sunshine and highs in the lower to middle 80s.

TRAFFIC BILLBOARD-CLIP

TRAFFIC ALERT-LIVE CAM, NAVI

ALL CLEAR, COLLIER CO ENFORCEMENT

TAKING A LOOK AT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ROADS RIGHT NOW.

ROADS ARE ALL CLEAR - NO ACCIDENTS OR ROAD BLOCKS TO REPORT.

TODAY SHOW TEASE-BNR SOTTOPS

TOP STORIES OPEN-CLIP

TS NORTHEAST BLIZZARD-OC-SOTVO

YOUR TIME NOW IS--

LET'S GET YOU UP TO SPEED WITH THIS MORNING'S TOP STORIES.

A DANGEROUS - RECORD BREAKING STORM IS ABOUT TO BEAR DOWN ON THE NORTHEAST.

"The challenge will be thunder snow. So if you get thunder snowstorm, you could end up with 27 inches of snow, or 30 inches of snow!"

THOUSANDS OF FLIGHTS ARE CANCELLED THIS MORNING.

THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO BURY PARTS PARTS OF THE REGION STARTING TODAY AND INTO TOMORROW.

MANY AREAS ARE UNDER A BLIZZARD WARNING THIS MORNING.

TS LA POLICE MANHUNT-SOTVO

THE HUNT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR AN EX-COP ON A RAMPAGE.

"Dorner is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous."

CHRISOPHER DORNER -- IS ACCUSED OF KILLING THREE PEOPLE --

INCLUDING A POLICE OFFICER AND A FORMER POLICE CHIEF'S DAUGHTER.

LOS ANGELES POLICE HAVE LAUNCHED MORE THAN 40 SECURITY DETAILS TO PROTECT LAW ENFORECMENT --

BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT'S WHO DORNER IS TARGETING.

TS BRENNAN CONFIRMATION-SOTVOTOPS

brennan: i respectfully disagree, senator. i -- i never believe it's better to kill a terrorist than to detain him.

JOHN BRENNAN'S CONFIRMATION HEARING COMES AMID CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING DRONE STRIKES.

HE'S DEFENDING THE TACTIC -- AND NOW LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING LIFTING THE SECRECY BEHIND THE PROGRAM --

TS PANETTA FAREWELL-VOTOPS

IT'S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA'S LAST DAY ON THE JOB.

PRESIDENT OBAMA AND THE JOINT CHIEF OF STAFF WILL HOST AN ARMED FORCES FAREWELL CEREMONY IN PANETTA'S HONOR.

TS GAS PRICES-CGTOPS

JUST IN TIME FOR ANY WEEKEND PLANS --

WE LOOKED UP THE NEWEST GAS PRICES OVERNIGHT.

AND THEY'RE STILL GOING UP!

ALL UP ONE PENNY FROM YESTERDAY.

THE NATIONAL AVERAGE SITTING AT 3.57 THIS MORNING.

TS SOLOMON ISLAND QUAKE DAMAGE-VOTOPS

PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC CONTINUE TO FEEL STRONG AFTERSHOCKS AFTER POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE EARLIER THIS WEEK. A 7 point 1 hit overnight.

THIS IS A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.

TS SAN CARLOS ARSON-VOTOPS

THIS MORNING -- INVESTIGATORS ARE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN AN ARSONIST.

THEY BELIEVE SOMEONE STARTED A STRING OF BRUSH FIRES IN SAN CARLOS PARK.

5 BRUSH FIRES ALL STARTED NEAR U-S 41 WITHIN 24 HOURS.

4 OF THE 5 ARE WITHIN JUST A MILE OF EACH OTHER.

THE 5 SEPARATE BRUSH FIRES BURNED THROUGH ABOUT 5 ACRES OF PROPERTY.

ALL OF THE LAND- VACANT.

TS FPL SCOTUS-ONCAM

A STATE LAWYER REPRESENTING F-P-L CUSTOMERS IS TAKING A CASE TO THE FLORIDA SUPREME COURT.

IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO MONTHS SINCE A CONTROVERSIAL RATE INCREASE WAS APPROVED FOR FLORIDA POWER AND LIGHT.

F-P-L RECEIVED A 350-MILLION DOLLAR INCREASE THAT TOOK EFFECT IN JANUARY.

TS RED SOX AND TWINS ARRIVAL-VOTOPS

ALL NEW RIGHT NOW ---

THE RED SOX EQUIPMENT TRUCK HAS JUST ARRIVED IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FOR SPRING TRAINING!

THE TRUCK JUST PULLED IN TO JETBLUE STADIUM.

A TRAILER FULL OF BATS -- MITTS AND UNIFORMS JUST CAME INTO TOWN.

PLAYERS CAN'T PRACTICE WITHOUT ALL THEIR GEAR.

SPRING TRAINING STARTS NEXT WEEK -- PITCHERS AND CATCHERS WILL HAVE THEIR FIRST WORKOUT ON TUESDAY.

DAYPLANNER FORECAST-OMNI

FINAL TRAFFIC-TRAFFICCAM

GOODBYE-4-SHOT

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