That would be it throughout the morning. Once you get towards noontime intensity. The heaviest from about 2 00 to 6 00. Temperatures climb into the upper 50s again as we continue our abovenormal trend. Its an umbrella day ahead. Emily west is here. First check on the commute. That Early Morning construction at the George Washington bridge. You can see with the red shading hoe slow it is. Lets take a look where that upperlevel ib bound road work is in the clearing stages but is still pretty slow. Outbound out of the apartments, two lanes blocked with road work. The taconic, a closure due to construction southbound. Well have more weather and traffic coming up. Emily, thank you. New this morning, an nypd officer is facing charges for allegedly molesting a child. He was arrested yesterday. Police have not released many details except to say he had been assigned to the 72nd precinct. Attacked by a man with a hatch et is back now on the job. Officer Kenneth Healey returned to his old station house this week. Hes on desk duty. He was on patrol last year when he was struck in the head with that hatch et. 4 32. Right now police are looking for a man who slashed an Exchange Student in queens. It happened while she was walking to school in whitestone. Today in new yorks jen maxfield is at the school. You just spoa with police, correct . Reporter yes, kerry. Thats correct. We are here outside the Whitestone Academy in the whitestone section of queens. Police say they still have not made an arrest in this case. The victim here is a 16yearold foreign Exchange Student who came here from china just eight months ago. She was walking to school yesterday morning when just around 8 15 police say that she was slashed in the face from behind in a completely random police say that the attacker was wearing a surgical mask and surgical gloves. The young woman was slashed in the face in one case from her throat to her ear. So some serious injuries, though theyre not considered to be life threatening. Neighbors here in the whitestone section of queens say this random, unprovoked, and fightening attack is very scary. Its sickening. Its really im sad, and i feel bad for her. Something needs to be done. Are you worried about the of course. Im worried for all of our children here. Reporter and many parents wondering the same thing this morning as their children are waking up and getting ready to walk to school, like this young woman was yesterday morning. Again, police have not made an arrest in this case. Thats the latest from the whitestone section of queens. Thank you. Westchester town may shut down a Metro North Crossing that was the scene of a deadly crash. At closing the commerce street crossing. This comes as the ntsb released these new pictures and details of the crash. Much of it is from testimony from the passengers that were on board the train when it happened. Five people died when the train slammed into an suv last february. Governor cuomo ordering an investigation into westchesters Indian Point Energy center as its seen a serious of recent problems. The latest was monday. Thats when one of the reactors unexpectedly shut down. The governor wants the investigation completed by midfebruary. A lot more on that to come. It is 4 34. That means it is time for weather and traffic on the 4s. Another warm one but some rain on the way. Yeah, looks like we need the umbrellas. Dealing with just a little drizzle early on this morning. You need the umbrella really for the afternoon hours. Temperatures starting out close to 50. Suburbs to the north and west, not much colder this morning. 48 in sussex. 46 poughkeepsie. Again, rain will pick up in intensity through time today. Just spotty morning drizzle. Steadier rain for the afternoon. The rain will taper off late evening, probably after 7 00 or 8 00 in the evening, a little longer out east. Another mild day ahead. Temperatures once again into the mid and upper 50s. Any early troubles with the commute this morning, emily . A few detours for new york city buses this morning. The m9, m103, q32 detoured. Commuter checklist starts off okay. Bring that umbrella for the platform as you wait. Overnight track work, still a few lines dealing with that this morning. And gridlock alert day. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, gridlock alert day in effect. More weather and traffic coming up on the 4s. 4 35. An nypd officer acquitted in the killing of an unarmed bronx man nearly 17 years ago is according to the daily news, officer kenneth boss will become a sergeant later today. He was one of four officers acquitted in the shooting death of amadou diallo. Theres a protest planned for outside police headquarters. Today in baltimore, prosecutors and the defense team for the first Police Officer put on trial in the death of freddie gray will discuss a possible retrial. A mistrial was declared in the trial of William Porter. Demonstrations were mostly calm. Later in the day, freddie grays family called for peace. We are confident there will be another trial with a different jury. We are calm, you should be calm too. Gray died in the back of a police van after suffering a broken neck. Prosecutors alleging William Porter ignored grays pleas for medical help. And the Chicago Police down a teenager now faces more charges. Jason van dyke was indicted. The hes due back in court tomorrow. Neighbors questioning the safety of the intersection where a mother and two kids were hit by a cement truck in queens. Theyre recovering from the crash this morning, but police say this mom and her kids had the rightofway when they were hit on 55th avenue near ps13. It happened yesterday. It all happened just as kids were walking home from school. Actually, i have personally never seen a crossing goord here. I think theres one crossing goord for that entire school up there. When i got here, i didnt even look directly at the bodies. Out of the corner of my eye, i saw two bodies laying on the street and thats all. The children have only minor injuries. The mother has a severe leg injury. Police are now releasing photos of two men wanted in a shooting outside a club in the meat packing district. Police say this man backed his minivan into another vehicle filled with people last week. Everyone got out, started arguing. Thats when police say the minivan driver pulled out a gun and shot one of the men. That gunman and another man ran off. The victim is expected to recover. On long island right now, three schools will close. This morning teachers and parents would like the school board to reconsider that decision. Last night, the board voted to close tecumseh and gatelot elementary schools. Final action will be taken after a public hearing on january 6th. 4 38 now. Star wars fans have had today marked on their calendars for a very long time. The force awakens hits theaters. Because of the times we live in, youre heading out to see it. Today in new yorks Natalie Pasquarella is in times square. Thats where the movie premieres tonight. You have your official star wars jacket on, nats lee alie, which is fantastic. Reporter you gave me the official title. I like that. Its quiet right now, but inside theres a marathon going on. Highly anticipated premiere. As all the excitement is building, there are some rules. When it comes to costumes, thats the big issue here. Amcs policy says while guests are welcome to come dressed up, no masks or face faint and no blasters. Movie goers are permitted to bring light sabers to the amc theaters, but they have to turn them off during the movie. Costumes are also welcome at regal movies, but weaponlike props and masks are not permitted. Theyre getting serious about this. The force Awakens Premieres advanced ticket sales. Expected to rake in between 150 million and 200 million in the u. S. By this monday. So again, michael, as i said, pretty quiet right now. As the excitement builds, as we get closer to tonight, well see so many fans outside here today. Should get interesting as the morning moves on. For now, back to you. So now every other movie in america, the usher is saying please take your feet off the seat. Here theyre like, please turn off your light saber. In that voice. Reporter i like it. Pretty good impression. All right, natalie. Thank you very much. I saw your light saber at your desk. I did the light saber express thing. I saw that. Quite interesting. Its 4 40 right now. Straight ahead this morning, theres a new email controversy. Whats new brewing in washington. This time, though, it does not involve hillary clinton. Plus, call it a little too much pop. The soda thats being recalled and the umbrella is definitely a must today. Storm team 4 tracking some rain this morning. Your weather and traffic on the 4 43 right now. Four things to know this morning. Police are looking for the man who slashed a teenage girl in whitestone queens as she walked to school. Overnight police tell us it doesnt appear to be connected to a similar crime that happened in brooklyn, but theyre still investigating. Also today, president obama visiting the National Counterterrorism center in virginia. Hell be briefed by intelligence and security agencies on threat assessments. After the briefing, hes expected to speak. Well, it wasnt fumes that made students and staff sick at it turned out it was mace. Now two students are facing disciplinary action. Youll remember that school was evacuated. 34 people had to go to the hospital. And trader joes recalling its triple ginger brew soda because some unopened bottles have apparently burst. Theyve been taken off the shelves, but if you have any at home, dispose of them carefully in an outside container and contact your store for a refund. 4 44, were anticipating rain heading our way probably for the afternoon hours. This morning, mainly just a little spotty drizzle. Another mild day. This month is just incredible when you look at the numbers. The average temperature so far since december 1st for this year, 51. 8 degrees. Thats over a dozen degrees above the normal. Precipitation below normal. Well put a dent in that today. More than likely after the warmest november, were probably december on record. Ill explain why in the long range. 53 in central park. 51, city island. Most folks low 50s in and around the city. Were seeing a few 40s to the north and west. These are all relatively mild temperatures for this hour of the morning. The rain is getting closer, but we have a piece of real estate between us and the leading edge of it here moving into central virginia. As we zoom in a little closer, were socked in with clouds this morning. Were seeing a little bit of light rain and drizzle activity, especially east of the area. There could be spotty drizzle or a brief shower. I think its from noon on where the rain starts to pick up in intensity. You can see on future tracker, a little bit of light rain early. By 1 00, were in it. Notice the areas of yellow indicating where the rain starts to get moderate. Could get heavy at times in the areas where its orange and red. That area pushes over the city between about 3 00, 4 00, and 5 00 in the afternoon. Then into the evening hours, it moves across long island. Down to a few sprinkles. The sky should begin to clear towards tomorrow. Well start out with clouds tomorrow, end up with sun in the afternoon. For today that, onshore breeze picks up. Heavier rain for the afternoon into the early evening commute. Dries out overnight tonight. We go to a west to northwest wind tomorrow. Still not bad. Temperatures will hold steady tomorrow, close to 50. Looks like as we get toward the weekend, the chilly stuff will move in. In terms of the rainfall potential, we can get close to an inch if we get that heavier band. We do need the rain. Shouldnt lead to any significant flooding issues. The rain ends overnight tonight. 51 tomorrow. Clouds giving way to sun. Cold day on saturday and 42. Lots of sun, 46 sundays. Look at the temperatures next week. Winter officially arrives next week. 56 for tuesday. Highs in the 60s. Thats christmas eve, kids. Santas coming in on, i guess, water skis. Sorry. Lets get over to find out about well just have to adjust. The inbound george, the construction cleared. The outbound ride, thats still there. The Alexander Hamilton bridge, you can see the outbound commute is a little slow. It is in the clearing stages. Also, a check in queens at the l. I. E. At the Grand Central parkway. You can see the construction is still there. Right now traffic is moving along okay. As more people get on the roads, you start to see it get a little more heavy. Back tothe maps where the goethals construction has a right lane blocked Staten Island bound. Thats going to be there a few more moments. Also u construction at the covered roadway. Both ways between jersey avenue to tonnelle circle. An accident with a downed pole, route 82 westbound. Alternate side, meter rules in up. Thank you. It is 4 47 right now. Five servicemen killed during a shooting at two Navy Facilities in chattanooga, tennessee, will now be awarded purple hearts. Its not clear exactly when theyre getting these medals, but purple hearts are given to military members killed or injured in action. Investigators say the gun michigan opened fire on the men. You may remember, this was back in july. He was shot and killed. Another marine who survived is also getting a purple heart. Meanwhile, workers are expected to return to the site of the deadly San Bernardino terror attack next month. The Inland Regional Center says itll allow some employees back into two of its buildings on january 4th. 14 people were killed when a radicalized married couple opened fire inside a Company Holiday party back on december 2nd. President obama is expected to meet with victims families tomorrow. A new controversy could be brewing over the use of personal emails in washington. A report in the New York Times claims defense secretary ash account for some government business after taking office in february. Now, the report says its unclear when the secretary stopped using that account. A Spokesman Says the defense secretary realizes it was a mistake. And the former postal worker who landed a gyrocopter on Capitol Grounds in april is now planning to run for congress. 62yearold Douglas Hughes asking the court for permission to travel in order to campaign. Hughes pleaded guilty to flying that gyrocopter without a license. He said he did it to protest Campaign Finance laws. 4 49. In duchess county, a store clerk fought off an armed robber. Look at that gun. He wore a mask, armed with that shotgun, demanded money. The clerk filled a plastic bag with cash, but instead of handing it over, he chased this guy out of the store. State police say the thief fired a shot before getting away, but nobody was hit. Convictions of three men charged with setting a deadly fire in brooklyn. It happened more than three decades deck decks deck decades ago. They had all been found guilty of arson and murder in 1985. Prosecutors say a new investigation found no evidence that the fire was intentionally set. My name has finally been cleared and justice has been done. They were both paroled back in 2012. A third man convicted died of a heart attack in prison in 1989. Some of new yorks finest rushing to rescue a man who fell on to the subway tracks at times square. This was just as a train was approaching. Police say that officer richard ai fon today saw this last night. He immediately shined his flashlight toward the train, signaling the conductor to stop. Ta fa know pulled that man to safety. A yonkers man who gave his life to save a little boy is being given a heros honor. Coleman drowned back in september of 2014 while saving a 5yearold boy who was in the hudson river. The carnegie award was inspired during a coal mine disaster. Tuition going up a the university of connecticut. The universitys board of trustees voted to raise tuition by more than 30 over four years. Instate students will pay nearly 14,000 a year by 2019. Currently, theyre paying 10,500. Tuition for the outofstate students will go from 32,000 to 36,000 a year. So expensive. In news for your health this morning, a diagnosis of appendicitis doesnt always mean surgery. Theres a small study that finds about 95 of kids can be treated for appendicitis with just the new study found that about one in four cases in young patients were mild enough to avoid surgery. In europe, a recent study found the same was true for adults, which means less Recovery Time and lower health costs. However, this particular treatment is usually reserved only for mild cases. In order to meet that criteria, you have to have your pain for less than two days, and the inflammation has been contained within the appendix, so theres no sign its about to rupture. And in most of these cases, the appendicitis didnt come back. More than 70,000 kids are hospitalized with appendicitis each year just in the united states. 4 52 now. Still to come, why consumers should be really happy about the new budget deal in washington. Plus, airline fees, they are adding up. How much they raked in, in just a couple months. Tough here, theyre calling this is the sucker punch around the world. Well tell you who was on the receiving end of this. Time for a check of weather and traffic on the 4s. Chris, i hope the weather is not going to spoil the premiere of the force awakens. People dressed as boba fett. Chewbacca. It stinks. I dont want to sit next to chewbacca in the theater for a lot of reasons. If youre waiting for a movie later this afternoon or this evening, you probably will need the rain gear. Through the Early Morning, not a probable. That goes over to periods of rain this afternoon. Some could be heavy at times. Another mild day. Temperatures back into the upper 50s. Tonight, the rain tapers off in the evening hours. Just remains cloudy overnight. Will get chillier by the weekend. Thats of short duration. Mild again by next week. Its crazy. All right. Hey, emily. We have some overnight track work still going on. If youre traveling out, just keep that in mind. Also, for your commuter checklist this morning, everything looks great. A pretty good go there. Today is another gridlock al