it's going to make for a commute. this morning we're on the roads. plus, shot in the line of duty. two nypd officers are in the hospital. a suspect is dead. what police tell us happened. a jail smuggling bust. who police say was trying to sneak this into riker's island. "today in new york" starts now. 5:00 a.m. on this friday. it's february 5th. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. storm team 4's chris cimino here with the forecast. good morning. >> good morning, guys. temperature keeps dropping because the snow continues to fall and the atmosphere is cooling down now. that will allow more and more of a chance of accumulating snow in the area. i think we're hitting that point from now in central new jersey up through 7:00 or 8:00. heavier bands of snow pushing in our direction. you can see the brighter white showing up in here. that's heading into portions union, essex county. eventually sliding towards the

county as well. al o seeing the brighter white in suffolk county before all is said and done. temperatures still flirting with being above the feezing mark. 33 in the city. at freezing in white plains. still freezing across a good portion of new jersey and the hudson valley. probably get below freezing in the next couple of hours. city, a good chunk of new jersey, southwest connecticut, it's a winter storm warning in suffolk county because conditions there could be worse. with as much as 5 to 8 inches of snow accumulating. moderate to heavy snowfall and the road conditions probably going to be worse out here. especially mid to late morning. elsewhere, look for wet to slushy road conditions as we go on through. again, accumulations around 3 to 35 just to the east of the city. the city around 3. 1 to 3 west of the city. the higher amounts in eastern suffolk county. one of the storms that you have to keep watching hour by hour, minute by minute. she's watching of the commute for us. lauren?

expressway, inbound all lanes shut down between 7th avenue and third avenue. the delay is heading westbound. as we get more information on the accident, of course, we'll get it out to you. a live look outside at the roads to show you the conditions. here's the belt parkway. this is what it looks like out by jfk airport. you can see slick roads out there. speaking of jfk, no reports of any disruptions at the airports. of course, we recommend that you check in with your carrier. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> the winter storm warning is in effect for suffolk county. >> katherine creag is in huntington. kat, looking at what it's like where you are. it's like a totally different world in midtown manhattan. >> reporter: we're in a snow globe. right in a spot where the snow is blowing toward us. at one point it was snowing sideways. but now it's kind of coming down at an angle. we're seeing more of the commuters here. you might be able to see a train pulling up any minute now. we're at the long island railroad train station.

that we shot around here. the snow has really started to accumulate. it was a little after 3:30 this morning that the slushy snow, rain mix kind of started to turn into more of the snowflakes. big snowflakes started to come down. drivers, it's kind of a mixed reaction from what we've been told in huntington. a few of them told us that the roads are manageable. they are slippery. others telling us it's treacherous. imagine what it's like for the taxi drivers. we've been talking with them and regular are people trying to get to the train station. here's what some of them had to say. >> does the town seem like it treated the roads? >> not much. nothing i can really tell. but it's only about a half inch or snow. >> a slick ride now. but just have to be careful. keep your distance. slow down and keep your distance. >> we want to show you a live picture of this parking lot. we've been seeing the snow

looks like 2 inches now. also a plow operator trying to clear this parking lot. it's kind of a secondary parking lot of the long island railroad station. also, just one more thing, darlene and michael, the train, it just pulled up here. at least the good thing, even though the roads are pretty slick, not the greatest day to drive. but at least the trains, as you can see are on time. we'll show you the shot of people getting on the train. >> probably happy to get out of the snow. >> i bet they are. the storm is arriving at the worst possible time. this is just as the rush hour begins. >> this morning we're out on the roads and monitoring the conditions and "today in new york's"er a grow is in the passenger seat. >> michael and darlene, right now we're on the garden state parkway northbound. we spun things around. conditions have deteriorated and the roads are getting colder. we're starting to see that snow stick. in fact, you can see it out our camera right now.

the snow sticking just as we head over toward the white lines on the side of the road. cars are still moving along at a pretty good pace, though. we do have reduced speed limits of 45 miles per hour on the garden state parkway. we're able to do that speed pretty comfortably, but you want to give yourself extra travel time as you head out early this morning. for now, we're just seeing that heavy snow continue to fall. a light coating on the sides and ond the guardrails, but we are starting to see snow sticking on the garden state parkway. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, erica grow. where kat is in in huntington, it's totally different. that's where the heavier bands have been in suffolk county. that's going to be the trend with this storm. it's going to keep piling up out there. that's why, with the snow on the ground, looks like 1 to 2 inches outs there.

it accumulated faster. the roads might be wetter or slushier. nonetheless, more to come in that area. that's why they're under a winter storm warning in sufficient owning suffolk county. the entire state into the hudson valley and southwest connecticut for snow. but slightly lesser amounts there. nonetheless, now the process of things going downhill from about this point up until noontime or so. this is where we'll see the greatest amount of snow accumulate. the area of bright white showing up. this is erica, where she is on the garden state. this is one of the storms, in order to get the snow to stib on ck on the ground, it's heavy. we're getting heavier bands of snow showing up. we're getting a warm broad area of light snow coverage in middlesex county. it's starting to ramp up a little bit. here's the lightest radar. eastern long island, that rain/snow line will push

there too. breaking it down, wet snow this morning. 33 right now. it will be heavy at times through the morning commute. tapers off by noon in the city. takes longer out east. then we start to remelt what's out there. temperatures go back above the freezing mark to near 40 by late this afternoon. 5:07 straight up. it's let's get the latest on the slush. >> the gowanus expressway by third avenue, that has cleared and all lanes reopened. good news for the commute. we have a couple of detours out there on the buses. new york city buses. b 24 and bx 32 and nj transit buses, 196 and 197. we just heard erica grow talk about a speed restriction on the garden state parkway, one as well on the turnpike. here's what it looks like north of interchange 12. you can see it's quite wet. people on the roads. it's going to be one of those mornings where you need to be careful. on the trains, all of them look good.

alternate side of the street parking rules suspended. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thanks very much. it's 5:07. two nypd officers are in the hospital shot on routine patrol in the bronx. the man police say shot them then took his own life. tracie strahan is at lincoln hospital where of the officers are recovering. this is in confined spaces once again of a city housing project. >> reporter: absolutely michael. they were conducting vertical patrols where police officers go stairwell by stairwell sweeping apartment buildings. this time in the melrose houses. let's show you what it looked like after shots rang out on east 156th street. the two police officers were with another officer when they came face to face with a gunman identified as malik chavis. he then pulled out a gun and opened fire and ran inside an apartment in the floor above.

saw a swarm of police officers afterwards but heard five or six shots. >> everything was quiet and then all of a sudden it's boom, boom, all over the place. then that's when i came outside to find out what's going on. >> started running over here. all the cops came over here right away. >> reporter: the female police officer underwent surgery overnight for a gunshot wound to the torso. the male police officer grazed by a bullet to his face. both have been with the force for two years. they are expected to make a full recovery. michael, police still questioning several people this morning in connection with what back to you. >> okay. tracie, thank you very much. the nypd officer accused of fatally shooting a man in a stairwell is expected to testify on monday. before resting yesterday, the prosecution presented the bullet fired from officer liang's gun. then the defense put officers who responded to the shooting on

they said that liang was crying and distraught after the incidents. police say they found -- dog found it hidden on a correction's officer. the officer tried to sneak synthetic marijuana in his socks. a drug sniffing dog picked up the scent at the gate of the jail. they found more drugs intended for the jail at the man's home on wednesday. investigators save he took the money to deliver the drugs. happening today, the new york city city council does something everyone dreams of doing. voting on their own pay raise. councilmembers earn a little over $112,000 a year. if the vote pass, they get a 32% bump in pay. that means they'd make more than $138,000. but outside income would be restricted. city council members have not had a raise since 2006. meanwhile, the city council will not be voting today on a deal to

it fell through yesterday when the teamsters union backed out. the mayor is disappointed. the mayor making no mention of that horse and carriage issue during his state of the city address last night. his speech included many topics already known or previously announced. such as a new police unit targeting illegal firearms and then a streetcar. and then improvements to three neighborhoods in the south bronx, far rockaway and brownsville brooklyn. >> i'm proud to announce the city of new york is investing $91 million to transform downtown far rockaway. the kind of investment this neighborhood has not seen in years. >> the mayor also talked about a free wi-fi program. we've told but this before. it's called link nyc. some free wi-fi stations are up and running right now. you'll find them on third avenue. free wi-fi is a big deal. >> it is. >> people will go out of their way to get that free wi-fi.

>> i don't mean illegally. i mean go to a place that's offering it. it's 5:11. just ahead, the candidate who became emotional on the campaign trail. plus, it was a direct hit. this morning, what we know about the drone that crashed into the empire state building. here's a live look at huntington long island. you see the snow is sticking. your weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up. you're watching "today in new

you like being picture perfect. you should want your banking to be too. stop into td bank and we'll help set you up with picture perfect banking. new customers, open a checking and savings account and you can get a polaroid cube+

live look from the live view camera. this is on the garden state parkway in home dell. they're behind one of the salt trucks trying to keep our roads safe as they can be. let's check in now with chris cimino look ago the weather picture for us on this friday. >> the temperature is working in our favor. the last couple of days in the 50s. the roadbeds are relatively warm. eventually the surface will cool down. slushy spots expected, very slushy, sloppy commute. especially as you go further east through the morning hours. the heaviest snow is really going to occur from now until 10:00 a.m. this morning in the city. may linger longer across eastern long island.

looking weekend. temperatures back in the 40s and the return of sunshine on saturday and sunday. we have winter weather advisories in effect. out in suffolk county, a winter storm warning. there the snow will last longer and pile up in some cases over 6 inches. 34 middle village. valley stream and floral park. each central park just above it at 33. going to new jersey, notice the temperatures still above the freezing mark. most locations same thing across long island. the snow really only starts to accumulate when it falls heavily. it either mixes with rain again from time to time. you're going to see that happening on the storm tracker here. mainly store covering the area. most of the rain is offshore. from time to time watch what happens. a little mixing going on. that's what the pink means. when the snow gets lighter, even green mixing in and portions of nassau county, that means a little rain mixes in with the snow. we go down along the jersey

this is along the guard ep state parkway. you can see heavier bands of snow south of middletown. this is filling in. we're starting to see accumulating snow across new jersey and across suffolk county, what happened the last few frames, the snow has lightened up and moves over to a mix with rain from time to time. that will hold down the a kuhle lags -- i don't think you'll see the totals on the ground at one time. that's how it will add up through the process of the storm. through the morning commute, this is 9:00 a.m. snowing everywhere. moderate to brief bursts of heavier snow. by 1:00, it's out of city. pretty much out of the five boroughs. still snowing in suffolk county. things clear on out to the east of us as well. accumulations, totaling them up 2rks to 3, maybe 4 in some spots in central new jersey. western sections of monmouth

i would lean to 2 or 3 in most locations. leaning towards 3 in the city. not going to see probably 3 inches at any one time on the ground. suffolk county, that's where it picks up 5 to 8 inches or more. here, the snow could be heaviest and last longest. that's where the greatest threat of a significant accumulation is. the heavy snow does fall. couple of tree limbs or a power line here too. once the snow is gone by midday, it clears up. refreeze action. saturday, sunday looking good. in the 40s with sunshine and another system as it turns colder. it's winter. we escaped it for a long time, lauren. it's here with us. >> yes. road conditions are not great this morning. we have quite a few problems out there. we will start with 78. liberty corner road, we have an overturned tractor-trailer on the left shoulder. now we have an accident on the garden state parkway heading southbound before exit 136. that blocks the right lane. you can see minor delays

over on the degree an now in the bronx, southbound by east 233rd street, an accident shuts down two lanes there. we also have two different ones on the l.i.e. nassau county westbound by exit 43, out in suffolk, you have an accident westbound on the l.i.e. by 62. nichols road. delays are minor. you can see it's a slow ride as everyone is taking it easy this morning. drive slowly, leave space between you and the car in front of you. alternate side of the street parking is suspended. but meter rules still apply. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> we want to remind everybody. we have school closings and delays. keep you on the screen throughout our broadcast this morning. it's 5:19. a new jersey man is expected in court. they flew the drone that slammed into the empire state building. police officers say it crashed into the 40s floor of the building and fell down to the landing.

scene. he's expected to face criminal charges. police say he was flying that drone in and attempt to take pictures. he lost control of it. >> now to decision 2016 and the head to head showdown between the remaining democratic candidates. "today in new york's" kerry barrett is in the newsroom with the highlights of the msnbc debate. >> we knew it would be gloves off. hillary clinton and bernie sanders did not disappoint. sanders is a huge 20-point lead in the new hampshire polls. he was just as fiery as clinton in the first one-on-one debate since martin o'malley dropped out. although the debate strategies differed a bit, clinton was emphasizing her similarities to sanders. sanders talking about his belief that the country needs massive change, universal health care, getting rid of the influence of big money. >> i'm fighting for people who cannot wait for those changes. i'm not making promises that i cannot keep.

candidate up here who does not have a super pac. >> if you've got something to say, say it directly. but you will not find that i ever changed a view or a vote because of any donation that i ever received. >> and a rigged economy, create an economy that works for all. >> senator sanders and i share big progressive goals. >> it became what has become a common theme really on both sides of the aisle this campaign season. the inside kind of establishment candidate versus the outsider, the rebel. a lot of the attacks last night centered around wall street and who would more effectively police the financial system. clinton defending her paid speeches as you heard, the ones she gave to various groups after leaving the state department and whether she would release the full transcripts of those speeches. in the end, though, the two had a bit of a moment of solidarity in which they said either one of

than a republican. thank you, kerry barrett. jeb bush had an emotional moment as he was campaigning with his mom. she joined him at a rally. his mom's appearance seemed to make his story about his daughter's recovery from drug addiction more personal. it wasn't his only emotional moment. >> i'm proud -- i'm proud of my dad, i'm proud of my brother, i'm proud of being a bush. >> jeb bush also got choked up and called his dad, george h.w. bush, the greatest man alive. just ahead, a first at the national zoo. a baby panda drawing crowds. it goes on a little adventure. >> all right. different scene here. you're waking up to a winter storm. this is a live look from huntington, long island, our kat creag is there. we're going to have an update ahead in weather and traffic on the 4s. you're watching "today in new

5:25. it's friday morning. we're wearing red this morning. heart health for women. go red for women day. all women encouraged to wear their red dress and men wearing red in support. >> we were saying, the women take care of other people than themselves. >> heart disease one of the top killers of women in this country and around the world. >> something to pay attention to. >> we're paying attention today.

>> it's unfortunate, but to end the workweek on a sloppy note. we've got snow out there. a wet snow. nothing like what we had during the blizzard. slippery spots throughout the morning commute. the timing is bad. it's during the commute. the snow is picking up in intensity in different spots. across long island as well. a mix in the hudson valley and extreme eastern long island a mix. final accumulations, i've been trying to emphasize. you see the numbers, that probably won't be the final number on the ground at any one given time. when you total it up through the course of the midday hours, 3 to 5 and 5 to 8 and 2 to 4 across new jersey. just slushy and messy. that's the bottom line. lauren, school delays and closings because of concern about the roads. >> we have something not delayed. that's the trains. good news for once. metro-north, lirr, nj transit path and subways, no reported delays out there. if you're experiencing them, feel free to let me know.

a live look at the roads. here's the l.i.e., this is out road. shoulder. it's not affecting the main roadways. but another accident on the l.i.e. in suffolk county westbound by exit 62. be careful. more and more popping up as time goes on this morning. >> lauren, thanks very much. it's 5:27. america's favorite toddler just reached another milestone. the panda cub bay bay. stuck close to mom but wasn't long before he was climbing and hanging around on his way. >> he's represented by the -- >> call for bookings. it's 5:27. now a live look at the garden state parkway near south amboy. coming up, we'll get a live update on the road conditions from storm team 4's erica grow. have to be careful out there. do take us with you. keep watching "today in new

download it on your mobile device right now. we'll be right back. it's about time the taco...came out of its shell. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough.

remarkable things are happening at your local acme. we're making changes, and we're getting better every day. cleaner. friendlier. fresher. like fresher meat and seafood. and fresher produce and hundreds of organics. to top it off! we offer lower prices every day. right now, get dunkin' donuts coffee k-cups, 10-count packages for just $4.99. and thin-sliced boneless chicken breast or tenders, cut fresh in store. buy 1 get 2 free. low prices, great quality, and friendlier service.

a wintry mix of snow and rainmaking a mess for the commute. storm team 4 is checking conditions outside and what to expect the rest of the day. two of new york's finest

we're live at the hospital waiting for an update on their conditions. a rabies alert in new jersey. we'll tell you where. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. it's friday morning. it is february 5th. i'm darlene rodriguez. i'm michael gargiulo. already several school districts are either delaying their start or closed this morning. we have a list to keep up on the bottom of the screen. you can find it any time on nbcnewyork.com. >> we have a team of reporters tracking conditions for the morning commute. we start with chris cimino and what we can expect today. chris, good morning. >> good morning, guys. it's a nuisance type of a storm rather than a crippling storm. just in time for the commute. that's why things are getting treacherous. we'll have issues for a couple of hours. nassau county through the city, new jersey into the hudson valley, southwest connecticut and a winter storm warning in suffolk county. we're talking about moderate to heavy snow from time to time through the morning.

in some locations. road conditions, accumulation kos climb 5 to 8 inches in the city. still seeing mixing on through the hudson valley and extreme eastern long island. the brighter bands of snow indicating where the snow is falling heavily now in certain spots. you see that. central suffolk county, portions of new jersey. it's sliding towards the city too. the snow will get worse through the morning commute, unfortunately and then shut down by noontime in town. wet snow now, 33. could slip to or below the freezing mark at 8:00 a.m. by noon, leftover flurries. still snowing out east and gradual clearing. temperatures back to the upper 30s. more details on the snow accumulations in your neighborhood coming up. now over to lauren. we have delays and accidents out there. we'll head over to the bronx or westchester toint. the new york state true way after exit -- an accident blocking two lanes.

we got word of unon the thruway. co-op city. not sure how many lanes are blocked. delays haven't started. we have accidents all over the roads and speed restrictions in place. more weather and traffic on the 4s. as chris mentioneda winter storm warning in effect for suffolk county. >> kat creag has been there in huntington at the train station. it's been snowing all morning, kat. just amazing. we see cars trying to navigate right behind you. >> reporter: absolutely, michael, you know, you have the regular drivers here, the taxi drivers are all telling us that the roads are so slick. the next train that's leaving here bound for penn station at 5:41 in the morning. at least what we can tell you the trains are on time. 30 minutes ago, you saw that plow hitting this parking lot. now look, it's once again covered with snow. you can't see the parking lot lines and it looks like that plow truck will have to return and do another round of sweeping the snow away.

that we've been shooting this morning. as far as what we can see, the snow is accumulating. it started after 3:30 this morning really. we're here at the long island railroad station. what workers have been doing, putting salt and the ice melt on the walkways and the staircases. also on the platforms. it gets so slippery. it's a really thick snow. it's slushy. we've been talking with taxi drivers. regular drivers who are making their way here to the lirr station. they tell us the snowfall is not even falling i guess -- falling down. it's blowing sideways. it's impeding visibility. the driving is not so great and here's what one taxi driver had to say. >> the roads are getting a bit slippery. some areas it has the hills. you got to be extra cautious. all i can recommend is drive slow and be very, very cautious out here. . >> reporter: when we got out

on the l.i.e., got out here about 3:30 this morning, it was raining. but it was still slick. we saw on the highway signs it said poor visibility. the roads are wet. winter conditions and also the -- again, the taxi drivers here, some of the regular drivers saying, darlene and michael, it doesn't seem like the town did all that much to treat the roads. be careful out there driving. back to you, darlene and michael. >> kat, thank you very much. the snow and rain could make the commute tricky even worse on the ride home. meteorologist erica grow is on the garden state parkway. a view from the live drive camera. erica, what's going on? >> reporter: we're here on the garden state parkway northbound approaching exit 131. we're approaching the area here. multiple hazards. first of all, just the snow falling reducing visibility, making it tough to see more than three or four car lengths in front of us at times.

to stick to the roadways and causing slick conditions, making it difficult to change lanes. and then along with the changing of lanes, you hit these slushy pockets and we've had a couple instances where a car in front of us splashed up a big pile of slush on to the hood and on to the windshield of the car. we did see further south on the garden state parkway a car had been runoff the road or slipped off of the roadway into the center median because of these slick conditions. so it's a rough go out here. the speed limit is down to 45 on the garden state parkway. you might need to go slower than that at times because of these poor driving conditions. back to you in the studio. >> erica grow, thank you. 5:36. we do want to check weather and traffic on the 4s. you see what people are encountering and they may start driving in one set of conditions and come upon something totally different. >> wet roads to start.

that's where the roads get slushy and snow covered. right now in new jersey shore and at the city, we're looking low to moderate impact for the overall storm coverage. at the height of the bands of heavier snow, slushy conditions out there. 495, the merritt parkway, long island connecticut, the impact from the storm. further north and west, lower impact. wet roads and a little snow on top of that are always more of a hazardous condition to drive. these bands of heavier snow, watching right here, it's a pretty significant one stretching from southern new jersey. notice the bright white in here stretching into central new jersey. that's the one that's aimed towards the city. the snow probably picking up in a little while. we'll be in that from about 6:00 a.m., probably up to 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. that's where we pick up the significant accumulation in the city. across long island, we've seen the snow pick up in varying intensity and that's the case through the early afternoon for suffolk county.

slushy accumulation. 5 to 8 eastern sections of suffolk county and 2 to 4 in new jersey. we'll fine tune the forecast and show you the weekend outlook. there's optimism. we'll tell you about that in a little bit. now let's check on the commute with lauren. >> i'll walk you through what we have out there. detours on two bus routes for new york city. b 24 and bx 32. nj transit, routes 196 and 197 are seeing detours as well because of the weather. the commuter checklist, trains today all doing great. metro-north, nj transit, lirr, all without reported delays or service changes. alternate side of the street parking is suspended. we'll take a look at the roads on the 4s again. remember, you can track storm conditions at any time on our app. download it now to get all the weather and commuter alerts. you may need no know about them.

hospital shot while on routine patrol inside a public housing complex in the bronx. tracie strahan is at lincoln hospital where the officers are being treated. tracie, what's the latest. >> reporter: darlene, not only recovering now but both officers on the force for two years are expected to make a full recovery. the nypd is questioning several people in connection with what's described as a wild shootout in a stairwell. let's show you the scene from last night at 8:00 at the melrose houses at east 156th street. three officers were actually conducting what's called vertical patrols going up and down the stairwells of the houses when they came face to face with two men in a 6th floor stairwell. one man identified as malik chavis pulled out a gun and opened fire and took off to an apartment on the floor above. he yelled i shot a cop. i can't go back to jail. then he took his own life.

access to the apartment and discovered several individuals, as well as the suspect found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> reporter: now, the female torso. she underwent surgery overnight. her partner, well, he was grazed in the face by a bullet. a full recovery. there was a second person inside of the stairwell with the alleged shooter in this incident, darlene, and police confirm that he's been questioned overnight but so far not charged. back to you. >> tracie strahan in the bronx. thank you. new this morning, a man may have poked a woman with a needle in midtown. we're going to show you on video from two days ago. police say he bumped into a woman at the subway station, 7th avenue and 49th street. right here in town. she felt pain, went to the hospital. doctors say a puncture wound may have been caused by a needle. that suspect still on the run.

people in aberdeen tested positive for rabies. it had not been vaccinated. a fourth person exposed to the dog. the pit bull has since died. the monmouth department -- are asking anyone to contact them immediately. one victim told us she will need rabies shots for weeks. up next, a new parking plan under fire. why it could leave some long island commuters without a place to park. plus, super bowl security. we'll show you what's being done to keep this sunday's big game safe. we'll have weather and traffic on the 4s as we look at the lincoln tunnel. it's a different situation in many different areas. you're watching "today in new york." i've been a turkey farmer my whole life... and i raise turkey for shady brook farms

growth-promoting antibiotics, that's just the way things should be done. that's important to me. my name is glenn, and i'm an independent turkey farmer. (female announcer) shady brook farms . no growth-promoting antibiotics,

garden state parkway in clark, new jersey. erica grow and crew are there and showing us what the roads are like outside. 5:44. we'll check weather and traffic on the 4s. chris cimino looking at this weather for us on this friday morning and see what we expect. the morning commute looks like a mess. >> it's sloppy out there. it depends where you are. if you're in one of these bands of heavier snow, that's when the roads get covered and slushy.

it is right now in the city, it's just starting to pick up, the roads are mainly wet. the roadbeds are pretty mild. we're starting to see the heavy snow band move into the city. we're likely to start to see slush a cumulation out there. light snow, 33 degrees. i wouldn't say the wind is calm. i'm not sure why it came in like that. slushy commute. whether it's wet or snow covered or something in between from time to time. the heaviest snow -- the east, it will linger longer. the weekend looks great. once we're past today, there is optimism for a couple of days. winter storm warning, eastern connecticut, that's where the heaviest snow falls. it's in effect until 3:00. up until noon, we have a winter weather advisory in all areas in purple. that includes the city. several inches of wet snow accumulating. not as ach much as out east. >> 34 east port. it's this area in particular

inches of snow before all is said and done. temperatures are starting to drop to the freezing mark in some areas. 32 in white plains. morristown, bridgewater. the city above freezing. the burst of heavier snow moving in. you can see the brighter band. the leading edge towards the city. the transition to snow is pretty much done. extreme eastern long island. maybe over extreme south fork a little bit of a mix. also portions of long island, a bright band of white indicating heavy snow offshore. that's moving in your direction shortly. along the garden state, erica is working northward towards aberdeen aberdeen, heavier snow falling and all sliding from south to north. out east, the transition went from snow to rain. but it's back to snow again. that's the tricky part of this forecast in terms of putting the

future tracker shows 9:00 this morning, looks like a good band of snow around the five boroughs. quickly that moves eastward. past noontime, we're done. by 1:00, most of the area across central long island is tapered to flurries. it's eastern long island there's snow lingering and that's gone by 4:00, 5:00 in the afternoon. the skies clear by the end of the day. snowfall accumulations, you see the 3 to 5. doesn't mean at any one particular time it's on the ground. the way we measure snow, a total of 3 to 5. 3 in the city, 5 in nassau county. higher amounts in suffolk county. new jersey, 2 to 4 inches. eastern half of suffolk county, you could see the numbers of 6, 7, 8-plus before it winds down by mid to late afternoon. impact along the city, low to moderate on the roads at times. it's snowing now. heavier bands of snow and the worst time through the morning commute. for connecticut and long island, again a little better impact or

making it difficult for the commute. snow should end by 3:00. slushy roadways and the worst time this morning until midday or so. things get better by tomorrow. 43 with sun. high clouds. 47 for sunday. this is long melted by that point. then it's colder next week. another coastal storm perhaps late monday into tuesday with more snow heading our way. busy, busy, busy. let's find out the latest from lauren. >> problems out there. let's get to it. we will start on long island by exit 62. another one westbound by exit 43. so that one is causing more of a delay. reports of an accident on the northern state parkway westbound just before routes 106 and 107. in that same area, roads on long island are slippery. we have one southbound on 95 just before you get to exit 11. but the bigger problem hoo is on

we have reports of accidents blocking two lanes. >> definitely be very careful this morning. long island, accident by -- some delays here. garden state parkway southbound before exit 136. we'll have more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. lauren, jersey city preparing to test its water supply. it is in response to the lead contamination in flint, michigan,'s water supply. they're planning to hire a consultant to test the water soon. it will cost $50,000. the city says it's an extra level of security. on long island, the railroad riders are caught in the middle of a parking spot war. hempstead officials want to ban nonresidents from parking in commuter lot spaces. it would impact five hempstead train lots. officials are blaming tight parking on drivers in suffolk county who come to hempstead for cheaper train tickets. >> that's absolutely a great idea. >> each morning i would get

who said there simply isn't enough parking. >> 4 investigates found the long island railroad has 107 parking lots but they're at 90% capacity every day. they're planning to ease the parking problem by adding more garages. pregnant women can get tested for zika virus for free in new york regardless if you're showing symptoms or not. right now the wait time for test results is up to four weeks. zika is linked to birth defects. so far there are 11 reported cases in new york. brazil is spraying for mosquitoes that spread the virus, the zika virus. the olympics are six months away. a test run for the olympics which would come up in august. now, this of course, in august will be winter in the southern hemisphere in brazil.

will be less active then. the "today" show will have more on the countdown to rio, including the women's world championship gymnastics team. that's ahead at 7:00 a.m. final preparations now under way in san francisco for super bowl 50 and dozens of law enforcement agencies are gearing up to keep the bay area safe. the fbi is leading 60 agencies on the ground, in the air and at sea. the bay area will be filled with x-ray machines, bomb sniffing dogs, police helicopters and sharp shooters on rooftops. surveillance cameras are recording images. they're keeping a close eye on the bridges, the coast guard. >> notice when things may not be 100% what they should be. >> more than a million people are expected to pour into the bay area this weekend. jimmy fallon unleashed his super bowl predictors. he used a pack of prognosticating puppies to

>> let's release the puppies. the puppies went for the broncos to win the super bowl. >> we'll have to see if that holds up. last thing we should point out, the puppies accurately predicted american pharoah would win the kentucky derby. look at that. >> adorable. it was there was one in the back, he couldn't get into a bowl. he was hopping back and forth. it's 5:52. coming up next, got a pothole problem. find out what a local community is doing to solve the problem areas on the roads. don't forget. we have our school closings and delays up. don't forget to follow us on facebook, twitter and instagram. michaelg4ny and darlene4ny. you're watching "today in new

welcome back. 5:55. it is friday morning. a wet friday morning. so we're going to try to get through these couple of commutes. >> the picture shows we have snowflakes and water droplets on the windows. that's how it is today, slushy and wet. this is a wet snow. this is nothing like the blizzard we had. however, it's making for treacherous travel in the morning commute. the timing is off. it's coming smack-dab in the

it's picking up with intensity. portions of long island as well. it will do so into connecticut and the hudson valley. we've seen a mixed bag up there. as you go south and east of 287, the snow will not be as heavy or last as long. wet snow, heavy at times through the morning commute. it tapers off by midday and ends in the stai city. upper 30s by the end of the day. the snow will melt and it refreezes with a clearing sky. brisk. upper 20s. closer to 20 in suburbs. the weekend evan better. sun and clouds 43 saturday. 47 by super bowl sunday with a good deal of sun. be careful this morning. i'd say for the he is next six to seven hours. things do improve considerably and a much nicer weekend. >> all right. >> lauren, in between now and then, we have to watch them be careful. >> there's a lot of problems on the roads. most minor accidents which is good. we will go through new problems we're having. a disabled vehicle on the brooklyn bridge in the right lane. there are delays there.

an accident on the staten island expressway eastbound by highland avenue. that cleared. but now we have one on the west shore expressway northbound by the staten island expressway much that's in the left lane. today all of them running on or close to schedule. subways are in good shape. >> lauren, on the roads in fact. mt. vernon asking residents to go on pothole patrol. mayor richard thomas wants pictures to be posted online with the #pothole mv, mt. vernon. thomas says this will help the city find the potholes needing repair. do it safely. not while you're driving. safely take that picture. as we go to break, more live pictures from the garden state parkway. you can see snow on the roadways. please take it slow this morning. if you're about to head out the door, keep watching. download the "news 4 new york" now. york." in and hit play. this is a flip phone.

it's called a compact disc. oh. looks like we're getting a facsimile. what year is it to you? it's old. you'd rather use newer technology? definitely. well, i've got something to show you. this is the 2016 chevy volt. it uses extended range electric technology. the prius hybrid uses battery technology developed 15 years ago. chevy expects volt drivers to get over a thousand miles between fill ups. it's got every technology there is. the prius actually belongs on the table. i do everything on the internet. but it's kind of slow. my friends say i should get fios because it's the fastest. i just downloaded 600 photos in 60 seconds. that's seriously better. we're out of 2%! i wonder what else could be better around here? i heard that. switching to better internet is now easier than ever. only fios has the fastest internet available, with uploads up to 5x faster than cable. get 100 meg upload and download speeds plus tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online with no annual contract. switch to better. switch to fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v remarkable things are happening at your local acme. we're making changes, and we're getting better every day.

fresher. like fresher meat and seafood. and fresher produce and hundreds of organics. to top it off! we offer lower prices every day. right now, get dunkin' donuts coffee k-cups, 10-count packages for just $4.99. and thin-sliced boneless chicken breast or tenders, cut fresh in store. buy 1 get 2 free. low prices, great quality, and friendlier service.

a winter storm warning in effect for suffolk county. live pictures from hunting ton. storm team 4 is tracking conditions across our area. shot in the line of duty. two nypd officers in the hospital and an alleged gunman is dead. plus, a drone slams into the empire state building. "today in new york" starts now. good morning everyone. it's friday morning. it is february 5th. 6:00 a.m. i'm darlene rodriguez. i'm michael gargiulo. several school districts are closed or delaying their starts this morning. we have a list at the bottom of the screen. you can find it any time on nbcnewyork.com. we have a team of reporters tracking conditions for your morning commute. we begin with storm team 4's chris cimino and what we're expecting today. hey, chris. >> good morning, guys. a messy one. this is not a snowstorm that's a heavy hitter. across suffolk county, the potential is there for several storms. there's a winter storm warning in that area. the city on west, hudson valley, good chunk of new jersey, a winter weather advisory meaning

noontime. we'll get the bands of snow that pick up from time to time. when they do, the main roads can get slushy coating. once the snow gets lighter, they become mainly wet. you can see bands of heavier snow showing up across new jersey. this is where the brighter white has lit up in the last few hours. that's where we think we're going to see it. from 9:00 or 10:00 in the city, in across new jersey and long island, working into connecticut and the hudson valley, things about will get worse before they get better. final snow accumulations. closer to 3 in and around the city. 5 to 8 or more eastern suffolk county and 2 to 4 in portions of new jersey. a lot of that on grassy areas and colder surfaces. we'll take a closer look at the conditions on different roadways in the area. she's got the latest on those conditions and how things are moving along. lauren? >> thanks, chris. expect a slow ride to work today no matter where you're commuting from. we have a bunch of problems on the roads. one is causing the most

accident southbound on the new york state thruway. two lanes closed here. it's quite a slow ride. heading up to westchester county, here's the cross westchester expressway by the sprain brook parkway. you can see the white on the grass like chris was talking about. it is slippery and icy. getting reports of poor road conditions on the sawmill. everyone leave yourself extra time, drive slowly. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thanks very much. as lauren and chris are showing us, there's a thin layer of snow already accumulating across our area. >> storm team 4 katherine creag is at the long island railroad station in huntington. how is it looking, kat? >> reporter: darlene and michael, as soon as we walked out of the news van minutes ago, the wind started to pick up more. as you can see, it's snowing sideways. the wind is really blowing. you can see how the snow has accumulated here on the ground. this was plowed about 30 minutes ago but you can see how the taxicabs, they have snow on them. we want to show you this video.

say are the trains. the getting here, the driving here, if you are driving here to the lirr station, that's what's treacherous. taxi drivers, veteran taxi drivers tell us that the roads are slick and some residents telling us that perhaps a town didn't treat the roads because they are slippery. we wants you to take a listen to a couple people we talked with. >> does the town seem like it treated the roads? >> not much. nothing i can really tell. there's only about a half inch of snow. >> pretty slick ride now. just have to be careful. keep your distance. slow down and keep your distance. sniemts today might be one much those days it is better to take the train than to drive. it also -- workers are here at the huntington station. they've been treating the platforms, the staircases. so people don't -- they want to show you again this parking lot that we are standing next to. there was a plow that tried to

michael an hour ago. we haven't seen that plow yet. you can see it needs to be -- the snow needs to be removed yet again because the snow is accumulating. maybe you can see better the snow blowing sideways as well. back to you. >> we see it blowing sideways, kat. we appreciate it. kat and the crew working so hard this morning. the snow could make things treacherous for commuters. erica grow has been driving on the garden state parkway with a view from a live drive camera. >> reporter: all right, guys. we're passing the bloomfield exits of the garden state parkway northbound. you can see the speed limit sign reduced speed 45 miles per hour. the snow has definitely lightened up as we've gone farther north. further south on the garden state parkway we had the big chunky snowflakes falling and as chris has been telling us, when you have the snow falling faster, of course, that allows it to accumulate more heavily. the road conditions have improved on this portion of the garden state parkway.

snow, i saw approaching on the radar. you can get that radar app and check this as i have been checking it this morning. the roads are still a little bit slick. you want to follow the reduced speed limit signs and stay safe as you head to and from work early this morning. that's it from the garden state parkway. back to you in the studio. >> erica grow, thank you. we want to check in with chris and look at what we're seeing all over, chris. we can see the white behind you. i guess that's the story. >> clearly, depends on the length of your commute. you'll go through varying conditions. unless you go about a block. these bands of snow when they pick up in intensity cover the roadbed quickly. as the layer of snow moves in, it tends to melt. the roads are fairly warm and the temperatures are just around the freezing mark if not just above it. as erica has gone further north, she's not quite into that heavy snow band. across long island, katherine creag is out there. bands of heavier snow continue to move across suffolk county

in new jersey, a good portion of monmouth, middlesex county seeing heavier snow. exit 8a through -- the further north to union, essex, not as heavy yet. but it's moving into the city. the areas of bright white. 84 and 87 north and west of the city, the impact at thesest but slick spots. long island across connecticut, moderate there. l.i.e. and the merritt will be slippery and slushy at times. complete forecast, weekend outlook just ahead. latest on the commute, it's going to be a rough one, lauren. >> we got reports of a spinout taking out the right lane on the palisades parkway before exit 2. there are some delays out there. the entire traffic flow on the palisades are eerts yellow or orange meaning it's a slow ride. heading over to the garden state

before exit 136, an accident blocking the right lane. then maybe you should get on the trains today. good advice. everything on or close to schedule. that includes the major commuter lines and subways and alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended today. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thank you. 6:07 on this friday morning. you can track storm conditions on the "news 4 new york" app. download the app now to get all the weather and commuter alerts you need to know about. >> right now, two nypd officers are in the hospital. they were shot while on a routine patrol inside a public housing complex in the bronx. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is at lincoln hospital where the officers are being treated. tracie, they were doing a job that many officers have to do these vertical patrols in city housing builds. >> reporter: right. they do the sweeps from floor to floor in these housing projects, michael. that's when all of this happened at 8:00 last night. the officers are said to be in stable condition this morning.

let's show you video from last night at the melrose housing projects around 8:00 on east 156th street. there were three police officers on patrol had they came face to face with two men in a sixth floor stairwell. one of the men has been identified. he is the one who pulled out a gun and opened fire. then he ran inside of an apartment on the floor above. the officers were able to then return fire -- it seemed like chavis died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. mayor de blasio when all this happened was delivering the state of the city address when it happened. he came to the hospital moments afterwards. >> thank god so far in both cases their condition is good. we have more that has to play out this evening. pleased to say both officers have been alert and communicating. so we are praying for the best here and of course our hearts and prayers are with their families.

said to make a full recovery. the female police officer underwent surgery overnight. the male police officer was grazed in the face. but, again, michael, both expected to make a full recovery. several people are being questioned in connection to that shooting. back to you. >> tracie, thank you. a new jersey man is expected in court today. he flew the drone that slammed into the empire state building. officers say it crashed into the 40th floor of the building then fell to a 35th floor landing last night. sean nivin riddle was arrested at the scene and is expected to face criminal charges. he was flying the drone in an attempt to take pictures and lost control of the aircraft. solar energy for city buildings. paying for parking with smartphones and automatic enrollment in a retirement plan, some of the topics mayor de blasio hit on his state of the city speech. he spoke about a special police task force to target illegal guns and plans for a new

queens. the south bronx, in far rockaway and brownsville brooklyn -- >> with the right support and a strong faith in the neighborhood, brownsville can and will rise. >> mayor also announced a free wi-fi program. the website shows it's already up and running. happening today, the new york city councilmembers vote on their own pay raise. councilmembers earn a little over $112,000 a year. they're voting for a 32% bump in pay. this the bill puts restrictions on outside income. city council members have not had a raise since 2006. it is 6:10 right now. as we go to break, we wants to show you more live pictures from the garden state parkway near nutley, new jersey now. the roadway is wet and slick. we'll show you it. your weather and traffic on the 4s is coming up next.

closings and delays running along the bottom of your screen. you're watching "today in new york." we'll be back. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech. and on long island, where great universities are creating next generation technologies. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov thank you. imagine if the things you bought every day... ...earned you miles to get to the places you really want to go. with the united mileageplus explorer card, you'll get a free checked bag,

priority boarding, th and 30,000 bonus miles. everything you need for an unforgettable vacation. r the united mileageplus explorer card.

live look from huntington long island. our own kat creag is looking at the commute as they're having snow. 6:14. time for weather and traffic together. that's one of the snowier scenes out there this morning. other areas, it's slushy and wet. depends where you are. the heaviest snow until about 10:00 a.m. it will linger longer out east into portions of connecticut and long island. probably shutting down by early afternoon hours. it dries out by afternoon. certainly in the city maybe with clearing and sun breaking out. there will be icy spots if you're traveling overnight as well. even though things clear out. winter weather advisory. it's a winter storm warning in

hardest hit with the heaviest of the snow and it will last longer there. the mid and upper hudson valley, 36. not too much in terms of snow up there. rockaway and westchester county, reports of snow-covered roadways. white plains is below the freezing mark after the 31 degrees. 33 in the city. same thing at islip. 34 morristown. everybody flirting with that freezing mark. that's why the intensity of the snow will be the main issue in tirms terms of whether the ground or roadways gets covered. we've seen this with erica traveling along the garden state. the heavier snow bands off to the south. ocean, monmouth county, middlesex county working into union and essex county, into the city. you can see that brighter white showing up. staten island, the five boroughs as well. brighter white bands here. especially east of midtown manhattan. into portions of connecticut, we're seeing the brighter white bands working their way in along

watch for slippery goes there. things will go downhill for the next couple of hours. future tracker, you can see the snow locked in at 9:00 this morning. this is probably about the heaviest point for the entire area except northwestern areas. by noon, east of the city. still snowing long island connecticut. by 3:00, it's east of eastern long island as well. things improve and we'll start to see a clearing sky. accumulations, again, dealing with slushy wet snow it's hard to measure exactly. 3 to 5 east of the city and around 3 in town. that might be a bush to get there. 2 to 4 portions of new jersey. mainly on grassy areas. out east, 5 to 8 inches a possibility in suffolk county. eastern sections of connecticut as well. locally higher amounts for the heavier snow bands set up later on this morning. it's a messy morning commute. close to 40 this afternoon. we'll melt some of that. but it refreezes tonight. as it clears up, we drop into the upper 20s. good looking start to the weekend. temperature 43 degrees.

the rest of the week, highs near 50 in some spots. then it turns colder. week. we've got a snow chance again, later monday night into tuesday. it's busy. weekend. nice. then back to the snow chance again late monday night into tuesday. it looks to be cold and dry as it stands for wednesday and thursday of next week. here's the latest from lauren. thanks, chris. lots of wet roads, slushy roads and lots of problems. we have a disabled vehicle heading to manhattan on the brooklyn bridge on the span there. that takes out the lanes. in addition to that, we have flooding on the bqe eastbound by cadman plaza. that takes out the right lane. delays now back on to the gowanus because of that. heading over to the whitestone bridge, we have reports of an accident heading to queens. there is a slow ride through here. over on 95, there's the new england thruway northbound before playland parkway. an accident there.

45 mile per hour speed restriction in place. also one on the turnpike. and on the garden state parkway. take it easy this morning. alternate side of the street parking rules suspended. more weather and traffic ahead on the 4s. lauren, thank you. 6:17. now to the heated head to head between the remaining democratic candidates. hillary clinton and bernie sanders. "today in new york's" kerr ki is y barrett is in the newsroom with more. >> hillary clinton is way behind in the polls in new hampshire. the primary is tuesday. she came out swinging. so did bernie sanders. clinton arguing she is the true progressive. defending against the idea that she is the establishment candidate, that she's the one that's influenced by big banks. pushing back, of course, on the idea that she's not able to be tough on wall street. clinton and sanders debated paying for campaigns and paying for free college and free health care. >> i do not accept the belief

america can't do that. >> the numbers just don't add up from what senator sanders has been proposing. >> what we need to do is to stand up to the big money interests. >> also talked about foreign policy. the two candidates disagreeing on how quickly to move with wh it comes to our relationship with iran. their principles are similar. what they showed last night were differences in their beliefs on how to get things done. the next debate is next thursday. it's after the primary, of course. it's in wisconsin. darlene? >> kerry barrett in the newsroom. thank you. coming up on the "today" show, an in-depth analysis of the debate last night and what's next for the candidates. that's at 7:00 a.m. after "today in new york." it is 6:19 right now. new jersey democrats are ramping up efforts to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. lawmakers, labor and anti-poverty activists gathered at the statehouse yesterday calling for policies to a --

garden state, $8.38 an hour. lawmakers say they can increase it without making it a ballot question. 6:19. still ahead, there's a rabies alert in new jersey. we're going to tell you where. don't forget. follow us on facebook and twitter and instagram. darlene4ny. michaelg4ny. we have our delays and school cancellations up as well. you're watching "today in new york." you can't predict the market. but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe price... ...we've helped our investors stay confident for over 75 years. call us or your advisor.

i do everything on the internet. but it's kind of slow. my friends say i should get fios because it's the fastest. i just downloaded 600 photos in 60 seconds. that's seriously better. we're out of 2%! i wonder what else could be better around here? i heard that. switching to better internet is now easier than ever. only fios has the fastest internet available, with uploads up to 5x faster than cable. get 100 meg upload and download speeds plus tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online with no annual contract. switch to better. switch to fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at

your path to retirement may not always be clear. but at t. rowe price, we can help guide your retirement savings. so wherever your retirement journey takes you, we can help you reach your goals. call us or your advisor t. rowe price. invest with confidence. a live look there.

lens. it's coming down as snow in some places, especially in long island. 6:23 on this friday. look at this. >> first steps outside. bay bay spent an hour trying to climb a tree. he's 5 1/2 months old. his first steps outside the national zoo's panda habitat. so cute, right. >> not a care in the world. >> it's 5 1/2 months. but wearing a 2t. >> exactly right. >> i could watch that video. it's soothing to watch the panda. >> very happy. >> seems to be. i don't know if he'd be happy in this weather. >> if you had your own enclosure, you'd be happy. >> he does have his own enclosure. it's called the weather center. the varying intensity of the snowfall.

about 3/4 islip and white plains. that's where the snow is picking up in intensity. heading into connecticut, rock land, westchester county. heavy snow at times. probably heaviest up to 10:00 or so in the morning. then it ends by noon. it will last longer out east. upper 30s. upper 20s to near 30s in town. the final accumulations, again at any one time, will this be on the ground? probably not. about 3 inches in the city should do it. 5 in long island. 8 or more extreme eastern suffolk county and slushy 2 to 4 in portions of new jersey. just a sloppy storm. take it easy. the next few hours when it picks up, the roads are most treacherous. >> treacherous roads, right, lauren? >> we're already seeing problems. let's talk about the trains, good news. metro-north, lirr, nj transit and path running on or close to schedule. no delays or service changes. we'll look live outside. we were talking about long

here is the long island expressway. here's route 110. on the county border, things are still moving along okay. a couple of accidents on the l.i.e. and the northern state. most on the shoulder. they're minor accidents. you can see the conditions not great. this is what the roads look like in most of the areas. definitely take it easy today. leave yourself plenty of extra time. it's 6:26. now to a live look at route 17 in paramus, new jersey. we'll get a live update on road conditions from storm team 4's erica grow. >> reporter: and another violent night for the nypd. i'm tracie strahan live at lincoln hospital where two nypd officers are recovering after being shot in the line of duty. coming up. if you're about to head out the door, take us with you. york." download the "news 4 new york" now.

are you happy with your bathroom? i wasn't. but for years, i didn't do anything about it. i thought i didn't have the money, until i learned about bath fitter. bath fitter puts a new bathtub right over your old one. isn't that amazing? bath fitter will measure and make you a new custom bathtub that they install right over your existing one, with beautiful matching walls. that means you don't have to rip out your old tub. so there's no demolition or ridiculous costs. and they do it all

that's my favourite part. plus, you get to choose everything here's a before and after photo. this is a gorgeous acrylic tub that fit right over the old one. and only bath fitter has seamless walls, which guarantee a watertight fit. when you change your tub, you change your bathroom. and that can change your life. i know because i did it. right now. wintry mix of snow and rainmaking a mess for the morning commute. checking the conditions for us outside and what to expect

two of new york's finest shot in the line of duty. we're waiting for an update on the officers' conditions. "today in new york" start now. good morning everybody. 6:30 a.m. on this friday. it's february 5th. i'm michael gargiulo. i'm darlene rodriguez. dozens of school districts are closed or delaying starts this morning. we do have a list at the bottom of your screen. check that out. also, on nbcnewyork.com. we have a team of reporters tracking conditions for your morning commute. you begin with storm team 4's chris cimino and what we're expecting today. >> in and around the city not a big deal. mainly wet to slushy. that will be the case across northern new jersey too. between now and 10:00 a.m., it will wind down towards noon. it lingers longer out east. it's those areas east and to the northeast where we'll see the heaviest a couple lace. a refreeze -- temperatures head back into the 20s. storm tracker radar, we continue to follow the system. the areas of bright white

heavier. we've been in and out of a few bands this morning. it was working in our favor. the fact that the temperatures were so warm. the ground is relatively warm. it's taking a lot of energy from the snow to cool the ground down at that lou it to accumulate. it's doing so in some places. you can see the brighter bands in long island to connecticut. just to the west of midtown and the city. out across new jersey. the snow will pick up in inens at this through time. forecast, wet snow right now. 33 degrees. expect the snow through the commute. by noon, winding down to flurries. after noon, it clears out and close to the 40-degree mark. a close look at the commute from lauren right now. plenty of speed restrictions. some things that get in the way. flooding on the bqe into the brooklyn bridge. cadman plaza, the right lane taken outs for that. it's heavily delayed there. not the queensboro bridge, the

we have an accident that blocks the lane. a look at the westchester expressway,ment you can see the conditions at the sprain brook parkway. there's a car stuck to on elmsford near the sawmill. more weather and traffic on the 4s. as chris mentioned, a winter storm warning in effect for suffolk county. >> katherine creag is in hunting ton. you are in the snowiest part. >> reporter: i think this is the bull's-eye, darlene and michael. i think i need ski goggles. it's snowing at us. we want to start up there. when you look at the light and see how the snow is blowing sideways. a few people just told us here at the long island railroad station, this took them by surprise. it snowed in a small amount of time. it's going to keep snowing. looking at this video. when we arrived at 3:30, it was a little bit of rain and then it

it's been accumulating. at least the trains have been on time. where we are, the mta workers have been treating, putting ice melt on the platforms and the staircases so people don't slip and side. road conditions being very slippery, drivers are telling us it's a bad day to drive. here's what one gentleman had to say. >> it's not what i expected. i went to bed, it was supposed to be 1 to 3 inches and now i woke up, it's 4 to 8. it's crazy. the roads are bad. i had no problem at all with the jeep. it goes great in the snow. i didn't have far to go. >> reporter: yes, the road conditions around here in huntington, they're not the greatest. drivers are telling us the highways, they're not good either. at least when we came out here, around we love manhattan early in the morning. 2:30 in the morning i think. it was a little slippery.

back to you. >> kat, you can see right there on the roadway. thank you so much. a messy commute this morning. it's only going to get worse throughout the day. >> meteorologist erica grow is on route 17 in new jersey with our live drive camera. erica? >> guys, we're on route 17 now. northbound. we're just passing by the franklin turnpike heading towards mahwah new jersey and heading toward the new york state line and you can see the snow has picked up. if you've been with us all morning, in our last live hit, the snow wasn't fall that intensity. but the big heavy flakes starting to happen and just as chris cimino has been telling us all morning, it's when you get the heavier snowflakes that you get the accumulations forming on the roadways. we haven't seen any accidents since the garden state parkway where we did actually encounter one car that went off the road into the median. another rear end accident, but the roads are definitely slick.

their time on the roadways. i would definitely advise adding extra travel time. the snowflakes are adding reduced visibility to what is already a tough commute because of the wet or slick roadways depending on how fast that snow is falling at the moment. seeing just light accumulations, though, with the wet, hetch i snowflakes. the trees are looking beautiful. but the roads are definitely getting a little bit slick at times because of that snow accumulating on them. back to you. >> erica, thank you very much. finding the bright spot, right? >> trees look nice. >> the wet snow is sticking to everything. by the light of day, it will look very pretty. the road still wet to slushy at times. there's going to be an impact again. low to moderate in most lee indications. interstate 84 and 87 occasionally where the snow picks up. it will get slushy. 495 merit, long island, connecticut, a moderate impact there. the snow picks up in intensity. down the jersey show f show in

low impact in the snow to a moderate impact. depends how -- a lot of the time, the main roads, especially those treated will be wet more than snow covered. especially when the heavier bands come through. the system progressive meaning it's moving in and out in a short order. for the most part by noon it shuts down. it may take longer out east. between now and then, a few hours to get to these moderate to heavy bands. the big flakes of snow will make for slushy conditions on the road. >> close to 3 in and around the city. probably won't have three inches there. 5 to 8 eastern long island. 2 to 4 again slushy inches across portions of new jersey. >> rest of the noerk including the weekend, we'll get to that. lauren scala? >> thanks, chris. good morning. very few accidents. they're minor on the roads. no road closures now.

along exit 49. by route 110, more congestion. that's the way traffic moves at this hour. you can see the conditions. a couple of reports of accidents one by exit 62. that's on the shoulder. another one just came in. this one is westbound by wicks road. that blocks a lane there. it's a slow ride as you make your way westbound on the l.i.e. from suffolk into nassau anyway. might want to get on the lirr if you have that option. it is running on or close to schedule. we're not seeing any train problems, which is perfect for a day like today. alternate side of the street parking rules are suspended. more weather and traffic on the 4s. >> lauren, thanks very much. strong conditions on our "news 4 new york" app, download it to get the weather and commuter alerts. >> right now, two nypd officers are in the hospital shot while on routine patrol inside a public housing complex in the bronx. "today in new york's" tracie strahan is at lincoln hospital

tracie? >> darlene, we want to tell you that both of officers are said to be alert and expected to make a full recovery after that encounter in the stairwell with a gunman who loudly proclaimed that he didn't want to go back to jail. we want to show you where all of this happened around 8:00 last night. the melrose housing projects on east 156th street. they were going through stairwells when they came face to face with two men on a sixth floor stairwell. one of the men identified by police sources as malik chavis pulled out a gun and opened fire then ran inside of an apartment on the floor above. >> responding officers gained access to the apartment where they discovered several individuals as well as the suspect who was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> female police officer was shot in the abdomen. she underwent surgery overnight and is said to be in stable condition.

was grazed in the face. he is expected to make a full recovery as well, darlene. a semiautomatic weapon and shotgun were recovered. they are questioning several people in connection with what happened last night. back to you. >> tracie strahan in the bronx. tracie, thank you. new this morning, we're just getting word that pope francis will make an historic stop next week in cuba once again. that's where he'll meet with the leader of the russian orthodox church. this is a huge step towards healing a thousand year long rift between the western and the eastern branches of the church. it's going to happen in cuba next week. this will be before the holy father goes on to mexico. new this morning, we have to show you video of a man who police believe poked a woman with a needle in midtown. here he is two days ago. he bumped into a wochl at 7th avenue and 49th street. she felt pain and later went to the hospital.

on her arm that was maybe caused by a needle. he's still on the run this morning. a serious health alert in one new jersey town. state officials say the pit bull that bit three people in aberdeen did test positive for rabies. a fourth person was exposed to that dog. the monmouth county health department is asking anyone who may have been bitten by that dog to contact them and do it immediately. new york is expanding zika virus tessing for pregnant women. free testing open to women who are not showing symptoms. doctors say mild symptoms include red eyes, voint -- there is concern that labs can't handle the increase in testing. so far there are 11 cases in new york. the zika virus a major concern in brazil. the olympics kick off there in six months. millions of tourists will alive for carnivale. mosquitoes carry the zika virus and officials are spraying

the upcoming olympics. they're hoping the mosquitoes won't be as much of a problem in august since where brazil is, it will be winter. the "today" show will have much more on the countdown to rio, including the women's world championship gymnastics team ahead at 7:00 a.m. 6:41 right now as we go to break. a live look at the long island railroad station in huntington. our katherine creag is there. you can see the snow really coming down. we'll have weather and traffic on the 4s from all around coming up next. you're watching "today in new

i always heard fios was a lot faster. but i thought it would be a hassle to switch. turns out it wasn't. they showed up when i asked and they set up wi-fi on my laptop, my tablet and stuff. it's true. it is better. i'm here to mow the lawn. it's february curtis. pmaybe i should change some otherr

only fios has the fastest internet available with uploads up to 5x faster than cable. get 100 meg upload and download speeds. plus, tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online with no annual contract. switch to better. switch to fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v time for weather and traffic on the 4s. it's friday morning.

>> it is messy and sloppy. ugly, gloppy went snowflakes falling. some areas slushy. it depends where you are. looks like the heaviest snow will be to the east and northeast of us. it's a slushy, sloppy commute. heaviest snow from now until 10:00 a.m. then it should wind down by or at noontime. clearing in the afternoon. the weekend still looks great though. good news. we'll have melting of the snow that does fall. hardest hit areas east of us in suffolk county. the rest of the area -- shaded in purple. winter storm warning in suffolk county. we could see as much as 5 to 8 inches of snow. it will persist through the morning through midday or so. winding down from west to east. isolated pockets with 8 inches of snow a possibility. a heavy, wet snow at that. 32 x, just about in central park. sheepshead bay at 32. as the snow picks up in

newburgh is 32. a little more of a possibility of getting accumulating snow and this thing sticking on the walkways and roadways. heaviest bands of snow, brighter white, look for that. that's coming up from new jersey. we'll see the back edge of this snow just outside of philly. it's shutting down. it's not going to last that long. but we have to get through this chunk of heavy to moderate snow at times. it's going to move on through the city, in through new jersey and into long island over the next few hours. be aware of that. in and around the city, we're starting to see the flakes pick up in intensity. across 95 and the merritt in connecticut, we've seen occasional moderate pockets of snow. slushy roadways, when the snow comes down heavily, be careful. overpasses, secondary roads, ramps, tricky for mid to late morning. still snowing in the city. along the jersey shore as well, it shuts down in northwest new jersey. that back line is through us by 1:00. city is quiet on west. we'll start clearing.

long island and connecticut. even there it's gone by 4:00 in the afternoon. final accumulations, throws to 3 in the city. on grassy areas primarily. maybe 5 in eastern queens and nassau county. a slushy 2 to 4. mainly grassy areas portions of new jersey. hardest hit in suffolk county. could see 5 to 8 inches. especially along president southeastern shoreline. you'll probably sit in the snow bands longer. if it shifts quicker east, it will cut down the numbers. wet snow, heavy at times this morning. tapers by midday and ends. partial clearing in the afternoon. up close to 40. upper 20s to near 30 in town. a refreeze and icy spots expected overnight. a mild weekend in the 40s to near 50. we'll watch another system offshore. not necessarily a classic nor'easter. snow possible late monday into tuesday with temperatures back into the 30s. after a nice weekend, right back to winter next week. wednesday and thursday dry. temperatures in the 30s.

let's find out the latest issues. we have delays on 8th avenue bound l trains. on the subways or the major commuter lines, they're a great option this morning. if you're hitting the roads, a couple of problems on the merritt connecticut. exit 31 north street in greenwich. a spinout blocks the left lane. lots of reports of snow on the roadway here. then heading over to the new england thruway northbound before playland parkway, an accident out there. what's really jamming things up right now is a truck on the ramp to the eastbound cross county parkway to the hutch. really heavy delays on the cross county because of that. that ramp is shut down at the moment. heading over to the whitestone bridge, an accident in queens causing delays. if you're going towards the hudson river crossings, we'll get to parking in a second. a live look at the inbound side of the lincoln tunnel. a 30-minute wait into the tums there. ten minutes inbound at the george washington bridge. 20 minutes inbound at the holland. not awful for a day like today.

parking rules remains suspended but meter rules apply. back to you, darlene and michael. thanks very much. as we go to break, this is live pictures of route 17 right now in new jersey. quite a bit of snow has already accumulated as we see our live view camera. >> you're watching "today in new

music: "thunder clatter" by wild cub

couple of days. some last a lifetime. hampton. we go together. always get the lowest price, only when you book direct at hampton.com the new caramel macchiato from dunkin' donuts. uplift your mood with hand-crafted layers of espresso, milk, and a caramel-flavored swirl. dd perks members, indulge in a medium hot or iced latte or macchiato for $1.99.

welcome back. 33 degrees out. we're looking at connecticut, andover connecticut. some snow has been gathering on the green areas as well. we've been covering this area a around the region. >> the "today" show in a few minutes. we want to check in with matt and savannah. got to be careful this morning. >> even in the plaza here. a lot of people slipping as they're waiting for the show to start. >> little slushy, guys. that's our top story. al has his eye on this quick hitting storm. it's dumping snow on millions as you know from washington to maine. hillary clinton hitting hard

rubio surges in our new poll. could he pull off a stunning upset in new hampshire. the summer olympics six months away. we're catching up with the women's gymnastics team on the road to rio. i'll go one-on-one with sir elton john and get the music ledge end to reveal the greatest decision he ever made when we get started on a friday morning here on "today." darlene and michael back to you. >> i told you guys, good buy yellow brick road, my first album i bought as a teenager. >> i think that would probably be mine also. i played that thing until it had grooves from front to back. >> my first elton john? >> your first any record. >> my first record was dancing machine by the jackson 5. >> that's a cool one. >> the other one that i got at the same time was rock the boat. remember that? >> no. >> rock the boat, don't rock the boat baby >> we're all 20-something years

>> surprised i had any friends at all. >> no. >> up next, we're going to check in with chris. you see the snow behind us in the window. we'll find out how much will pile up today. that's rock center. >> you're watching "today in new york." i always heard fios was a lot faster. but i thought it would be a hassle to switch. turns out it wasn't. they showed up when i asked and

my tablet and stuff. it's true. it is better. i'm here to mow the lawn. it's february curtis. pmaybe i should change some otherr things around here. only fios has the fastest internet available with uploads up to 5x faster than cable. get 100 meg upload and download speeds. plus, tv and phone for just $69.99 a month online with no annual contract. switch to better. switch to fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at

right now two nypd sfrers in the hospital shot while on routine patrol inside a public housing complex in the bronx. >> tracie strahan is at lincoln hospital where the officers are being treated. tracie?

on the force for two years are said to be in stable condition. they encountered a gunman in the stairwell at the melrose houses around 8:00 last night. he opened fire and then fled. he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. the female officer underwent surgery overnight and the male officer grazed in the face. a winter storm warning in effect for suffolk county. >> katherine creag has spent the morning in huntington at the train station. it's coming down. >> reporter: it certainly is. it's been a thick snow coming down since 3:30 this morning. there's a taxi driver there. i think he's in the front of his cab now. he's been clearing his car as one driver put it, he said, at least the trains are on time. we're at the lirr station. he says getting here, awful. he said the roads are bad. the side streets terrible. he worries about the highways as well. back to you, darlene and michael. >> kat, thank you so much.

route 17 in new jersey. erica? >> reporter:. we're on route 17 southbound through new jersey. the roads have not been as bad as on long island. we have encountered pretty tough road conditions, especially when the snowflakes are coming down very heavily. a light coating of snow on all the tree branches and side road. they're getting slick as well. every once in a while, even on the major roads, snow is covering them. you want to give yourself extra travel time. thank you. >> thank you, erica. looking at the roads, lauren, we've seen varying conditions depending where you are. >> right. we're celebrating the trains. subway commuters, we have a suspension on the l train in both directions between bushwick and graham avenues. in addition to that, delays on 34th street-bound 7 trains. major commuter lines look good. that's the way to go. the ramp closed from the cross county because of an unauthorized tractor-trailer there.

on the whitestone bridge to queens still in the mix. just a quick look at the roads on long island. exit 149, you can see the conditions out there. a few minor accidents on the l.i.e. but nothing major. that's good news. lauren, thank you. one more check of the weather from chris. >> it will fall heavily across portions of central and eastern new jersey into the city and in through long island. the next few hours into connecticut as well. north and west, not as heavy. i think the roads stay mainly wet. slush covered at times. the bands of brighter white is indicative where the heavier snow is. that's the way it is. it will vary in intensity. the heaviest between now and 10:00 in the city. 3 inches expected in town, 5 in nassau county, 5 to 8 or more in suffolk county. 2 or 4 in new jersey. you won't have that much on the ground at any one time. mostly grassy areas picking up the higher numbers. nonetheless, it clears out this afternoon.

be careful friday night if