Already states of emergency are and five other states. And the storm is freezing air travel this morning. Already, more than 2300 flights are canceled in the u. S. Thats expected to grow as the day American Airlines canceled all flights into and out of charlotte, North Carolina. Lets check in with meteorologist leigh spann us. Yes, we wont get snow but we will get as part of the system, the the strong storms on the Southern Side of it. And look what a mess affecting so many people from memphis to raleigh now and headed up toward the nations capitol. Atlanta getting strong storms into the panhandle where they have seen tornadoes overnight, pushing east now toward tallahassee. And in the last few minutes or so, we have started to see lighter rain onshore for us in hernando and Citrus County and around new port richey, light rain this morning. Watch later in the day with the gulf of mexico, we have a slight risk of Severe Weather for northern polk and pinellas and points to the north. The farther south you live, the less likely you are to see a strong or damaging wind gusts. Most of us will stay dry or light rain between now and 8 00 this morning. By 10 00, we start to see the stronger storms coming in, the line along the gulf of mexico at 10 00 a. M. , pinellas, pasco counties. By your lunch break, 11 30, to 12 30, thats when it may line up along i75. By 1 00 p. M. , look how quickly in Hillsborough County and polk county and then quickly clears out tonight. In weather and traffic on the 8s at 6 08, i will let you know about the weekend forecast and how the front affects us. We have some issues out just yet. Probably because traffic is really light. Here we government a fire truck that is now pulled up onscene. You can see the truck trying to ease around it here. And we have got a couple lanes truck due to the accident there. Its almost tying up the shoulder and. Then also the right lane as well. Where is the this located . Southbound 275. It is right as you approach the junction of i4. Again, traffic okay but could get busier if you doesnt clear out soon. I will look outing for with the crash. Thats a look at weather and traffic. Now back to gene and gayle. Thank you. Traffic not looking so great in the skies. Right now, dangerous Winter Weather causing stress at airports. Thousands of flights are canceled and thats changing by the second. News channel 8s Adrienne Pedersen is live at Tampa International airport this morning tracking travel today. So how are the boards this morning . Reporter good morning, gayle and gene. I will get to that in a second. First, lets take a look right here at the flight aware website. I am monitoring this all morning. You can see this number right here. Were up to 2,302 cancellations across the country. Throughout the morning. And now lets go aahead and pan up to the go ahead and pan up to the board here at Tampa International airport. Flights to charlotte are canceled. And it looks like baltimore, chicago, las vegas, and raleigh alsoed as well. I do know that a flight also as well. And i do know that a flight just left for jfk. According to the website, its going to be a tough weekend and its only going to get worse. Between today and tomorrow, we are talking more than 4,050 flights canceled. You are looking at video from other parts of the country. Charlotte, thats a big problem and that could throw off other flights, even if youre not headed in that direction today. So you do want to check with your airline because you might be able to avoid the mess altogether and get a waiver to fly another time if possible. And i actually just talked to a few students who did that. They decided to fly out early. We will have more from them in the next 30 minutes. It monitor it all day and let you know how it looks here at Tampa International airport. Yeah, the massive cancellations have a ripple effect. Thank you. Developing this morning, the search is on for the thief who stole from a bunch of Little League players. Not cool. 800 worth of equipment and personal information was swiped from a concession stand in town and country. 8 on your sides ryan hughs is live at northwest Little League ball field this morning. The long island legal says the season must go the Little League says the season must go on. Reporter theres no question that will happen. The players want to make it the best season yet after this building was broken into a couple days ago. On wednesday night, deputies tell 8 on your side that someone broke into the concession stand at the complex in town and country and swiped equipment like bats and balls and the bandit also got away with personal information on players and their families. The team is devastated but it wont deter them from the tomorrow. What do you tell your kid . Just tell them theres bad people out there. Reporter now i emailed the spokesman for the Hillsborough County office to see if theres been arrests and i havent heard back. The season gets underway tomorrow. The league is hoping for donations. So everything at this point will help them. Im happy that they learned a lesson, no matter what reporter exactly. Thank you. Today senator bill nelson will visit the university of south florida. He will be discussing the doziers school for boys. Anthropologist found the ring leader mains of 51 boys on the florida panhandle. A group of former inmates at explained they couldnt find anymore. There is a graveyard there that has more than 30 graves. And i ask that this does not stop. Every information that we had, we looked in those areas and havent found any additional burials. Researches identified seven of the remains using dna and 14 others were identified through school records. Happening today, we will find out the next member of the bucs ring of honor. Multiple sources indicate it will be john lynch. He would become the ninth member to have his name added to Raymond James stadium. The safety played 11 seasons with the bucs before finishing his career in denver. The team will reveal its choice at 3 00 in a news conference. We will stream it live on wfla. Com. And also, tune in beginning at 4 00 for a live reports. Lightning fan, yep, youre celebrating this morning after a big win at amalie arena. The lightning enacted a little revenge against the chicago blackhawks. Final rematch 21. He scored the gamewinning goal late in the 2nd period. It snaps the hawks franchise record 12game victory streak. Take that. And meanwhile, the lightnings winning streak is now a season long seven games. It was fun to be in the building tonight. And it obviously brought back memories of last year. And another 21 game. We beat a very good opponent. Its been red hot lately. Another than that, it was game 47 and got to look forward to game 48. Next they take on the Florida Panthers tomorrow. That game is happening not too far, just down in sunrise. Its 6 08. Leigh, youre wearing your lightning blue this morning and im going the take credit for the win because i saw the coach yesterday at lunch. Not going to reveal where. I heard. Im bringing the blue outfit to celebrate the big win. Right now, i am tracking some light rain mainly north of i4, citrus, hernando and pasco and northern portions of Pinellas County. I left in a 30 rain chance for the lighter showers this morning. After 10 00 a. M. , the rain chance goes up to 70 and the threat for strong storms is there through lunchtime and through the early afternoon. This is going to be a quick mover though. Its gone by 4 00. And it gets windy and cold. Heres the timing again. Citrus, hernando, pasco, northern pinellas, 7 00 a. M. To 10 00 a. M. For the best chance of rain. And Hillsborough County like tampa, brandon, your rain should start around 9 00 this morning and go until 1 00 p. M. And extends to lakeland. Sarasota, Manatee County, 9 00 a. M. The to 1 00 p. M. And Highlands County, eastern polk county, later. And thats when i expect the stronger storms between 10 00 a. M. And 3 00. We could see strong gusty wind, and behind the system, windy and chilly for saturday, and even light rain possible. But sunny, still cool for sunday. Lets check on traffic on the 8s. A few wet roads but the worst is still coming toward us. Yeah. Fortunately wont be during rush hour. Going to lunch, thats probably maybe stay in for lunch. Thats a good idea. Bring your lunch today. Well look at this, so much for no delays. Starting to see some delays southbound 275 at i4. I told you i would keep an eye on the crash as it drops. And look at this now. Whats going on here, theyre only letting one lane get through, maybe two now as i speak. And you can see that the right lanes are taken away. This is southbound 275, folk, and its right near i4 as you move into the junction. And theyve got part of this blocked off with cars here. At this point, only the left lane is getting by. And that is starting to back up. And now the backup isnt much beyond the camera shot here. And i will let you know as soon as it clears. Thats a look at weather and traffic. Its your chance to win disneys the lion king tickets. You could win right now. All you have to do is be our eighth caller. The number to call, 15855420 18554209352. Again, the number 1855420 9352. Good luck to you. Thousands of baby strollers are under recall. Ahead, Important Information for parents about the potential danger. And bill cosby wins in court. The decision a judge made in connection to accusations the comedian drugged and assaulted women. Then, love bugs are back. Still ahead, why the loving pests are returning earlier than normal. Its 6 11 and youre watching over intercom ann, are you coming in . Negative stay on target. What are you guys doing . R2, thrusters theyre closing in ill guard the base. For every family that lives star wars. This is the place where star wars lives. Where a galaxy far, far away. Is closer than ever before. Come join us. As star wars now at Walt Disney World resort. Experience the fun of all four theme parks with the florida resident new this morning, a victory cosby. A judge is throwing out one defamation lawsuit. A federal judge in pennsylvania is dismissing the lawsuit filed by renita hill. She is one of more than 50 sexual assault. Hill plans to appeal. Developing this morning, a officer will spend the rest of his life behind bars. A judge sentenced Daniel Holtzclaw to 263 years behind bars. Prosecutors claim the 29year old targeted black women while on patrol. A tragic discovery in tennessee. Crews found the body of a missing toddler. 2yearold noah chamberland dispapererred while hiking with his family. Disappeared while hiking with his family. Investigators do not believe foul play was involved in the death. This morning, a former pilot for Alaska Airlines is accused of flying under the influence of alcohol. The 60yearold was arrested, accused of piloting a plane with passengers after drinking. These charges stem from a random drug and alcohol test. The results show a blood alcohol content of. 134 and. 142. Alarming new data on the number of weapons found in carryons at airport check points the. Transportation Security Administration discovered a record 2,653 weapons in 2015. Thats a 20 increase from the previous year. And even scarier, more than 80 were loaded. It is illegal to pack weapons in carryon bags, however they are allowed in checked luggage. They must be unloaded and passengers must tell the airline. You have got to see this, sparks fly in a Million Dollar heist in texas. Take a look here. The lengths theyll go to get into the safe. What he wanted, prescription drugs. Yep, security cameras captured one thief using a saw and other tools to break into the safe. This all happened at a super value pharmacy in the dallas area. A second crook is seen going through the aisles, dumping prescriptions. Investigators reveal the in all, they made off with about a Million Dollars in drugs. In anight side consumer alert in an 8 on your side consumer alert this morning, another recall for parents. Britax is issuing recalls for the be ready strollers and replacement top seats the. The foam on the bar can come off posing a choking hazard. The company will provide a free replacement arm bar. Blue bell ice cream fans in the bay area will soon be able to get their hands on the desert. The Company Expects to bring the brand back to store shelves monday. They removed their ice cream from store shelves following a listeria contamination. Since then, the company cleaned its factories. Love bugs are in the air. Thats right, we are seeing them earlier than normal. Usually we dont have to deal with the mating pests until spring or summer but a few of insections. You guys . Due until may. Never too early for love. We reached out to debbie castle, an associate professor of bilodge al usf. She tells us of biology at usf. Warmer temperatures. Have you noticed, they dont really fly, they just hover. And sometimes right in your face, in your personal space. I act like a love bug sometimes. Im guilty of getting in peoples real close. Yeah, im a close talker. Its 6 18. Leigh, it is going to be rainy out there just for a little bit. Just for the next several hours. We are starting to see some light rain falling. Some heavier bouts through citrus, hernando and pasco counties. Its just that i expect stronger storms later today. Most of the storms still offshore at 8 00. By noon, thats when we could and then this is a fastmover. I mean, its clearing out west to east quickly at 3 00 p. M. Winds are going to get strong behind this front. Look how warm it is, 63 in tampa. 61 st. Pete. 61 bartow. My weather watcher betty in plant city, shes sitting at 58 degrees. So lets time it outing for. Basically some light rain between now and 10 00. At that point, the line thats in the gulf of mexico starts to comeon shore. And with these storms, wind gusts that could bring down some tree limbs and things like that, the possibility of damaging wind gusts and of course heavy downpours as well. This is the lunchtime hour. Thats when i expect the bulk of the system right along i75. And by 2 00 p. M. , this has pushed out of hillsborough into polk county and into Highlands County andst the gone. However, the strong winds that come in behind it are going to do a lot for forecast tomorrow. Much colder and windier and its going the pick up moisture off the gulf of mexico. Especially early in the day on saturday. Plus very high surf. Bundle those kids up if youre going to the pirates parade for kids on saturday. And then cooler and sunday for sunday. Thank you. Speaking of the pirates parade. I want to add to that. If you do plan on going out near bay shore today, some of the parking signs are already going to be put up this afternoon about no parking near bay shore where the parade route is, especially around desoto. Mainly those main road closures go in effect at about 2 00 a. M. Tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, southbound 275 at i 4, weve still got this accident out here. Heres the situation. Looks better. The last time i showed you this, only one lane was getting by and now two lanes are getting by. You can still see that you are pushed to the left and the right lanes are blocked. Thats a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. Back to gene and gayle. Thank you. A baby animal in trouble during severe storms in Manatee County. The way rescuerings were alerted to a rescuers were an orphaned otter pup is on mend in Manatee County this morning. The pups mother and sibling died during the storms last weekend but theres a brighter side to the story. Mom otter left her den under a house to escape flood waters with one pup in her mouth. She was killed crossing the street. The pup left under the home behind in the den did not survive. But now wildlife inc. Is focused on the one orphan with medication and they hope to release her in just a few months. But just to see her eating there and being taken care of and theres a shot with her little tail wagging. Very sweet. We wish her a speedy recovery. Yeah. Weather and traffic on the 8s is three minutes away. Plus, a laser light arrest. Ahead, what two brothers are that put lives in danger. Here. Whats in store this weekend for the little pirates and their families. Thats new in the next half hour. Youre watching news channel 8 get a Busch Gardens fun card now and let the fun begin. Pay for a day, dive all year, splash all year, thrill, get your fill, and celebrate all year. Climb, launch, roar, and soar all year. Pay for a day, play all year. And if you get the Busch Gardens fun card now, youll also get an Adventure Island fun card for free. P visit Busch Gardens tampa dottcom for details. Hurry up offer ends february here at 6 28, a strong line of thunderstorms in the general motors. Zooming in closer to home from pinellas and Hillsborough County north, theres light rain now but i want to time out when i think the stronger storms will be coming in. You can see the strong storms anywhere from 7 00 a. M. To 10 00 a. M. But farther inland from tampa to lakeland, thats about a 9 00 a. M. To 1 00 p. M. Farther polk and Highlands County later at 11 00. Traffic is looking better already. Southbound 275 at i4, things lets look at the map here. Look, theyve got everything pushed to the right. So thats great news. Definitely want to keep that in mind. And a new crash on dale mabry 6 30 on this friday morning. Good morning to you, welcome to news channel 8 today. Im gene ramirez. And im gayle guyardo. In our top stories, millions of americans along the east coast are bracing for a monster storm expected to dump as much as 2 feet of snow. This is a live picture of the situation in blacksburg, virginia on the campus of virginia tech. You can see snow i