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Blizzard Warnings Bring Northeast to Standstill; Trip Abroad Turns Deadly; New Tech Gadgets for 2011

Aired December 26, 2010 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good afternoon. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. This day after Christmas is bringing big headaches for travelers trying to return home. Blizzard warnings have brought the northeast to a near standstill. Live pictures right now from New York and Washington where the snow is already falling. And here's a quick rundown of what we know about the airlines if you are trying to get from point A to point B.

American Airlines has canceled the majority of its flights in and out of D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and Boston through tomorrow. Continental more than 250 flights from the Carolinas to the northeast canceled and Delta has canceled more than 800 flights. So be sure to check with your airline before heading to the airport especially if it pertains to the mid-Atlantic and northeast travel.

But air travel isn't the only mode of transit disrupted. The roads in some parts are potentially dangerous as well. In New York, an army of salt trucks have already hit the streets and there are similar scenes up and down the east coast. Those of you planning to go to the Eagles-Viking game today in Philly tonight, you can sit tight. That game has been postponed now until Tuesday.

A white Christmas across much of the south is turning into an icy mess today, the day after. This is what travelers saw just outside of Atlanta. Freezing temperatures overnight just added to the trouble of getting around. It's like a postcard, however, Knoxville, Tennessee, until you try to drive in it. The snow there is likely to hang around for a while as well. Bonnie will tell us more on that.

And then, here's a view from Huntsville, Alabama. A slushy mess. People throughout the south are having to take it a little easier today because of this weather. So we're watching all of the angles of the weather and what it's doing to your holiday travel, your plans.

Our Allan Chernoff is standing by at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Kate Bolduan is watching the situation at Reagan National Airport in Washington and Bonnie Schneider is keeping an eye on all of it from our "Severe Weather Center." Let's begin with you, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: All right. Fredricka, we are still looking at a huge winter storm that the wraparound effect is actually bringing some more snow showers and snow flurries back into the south just when we thought it was over. We're still looking at a white day after Christmas. And it really was historical the first time we had a white Christmas meaning more than a trace of snow accumulated and fell on Christmas Day, for example, here in Atlanta since 1882 and that's around when weather records started to be kept. So incredible numbers, a history-making Christmas.

So now the big picture shows some of the heaviest snow bands bearing down on New Jersey at this hour. That's where we're seeing some really heavy snow and we're also seeing snow across eastern sections of North Carolina. The snowfall rates are very intense. The wind is fierce and with that wicked wind will come very low visibility. So if you don't have to travel today, obviously this would be a great day to just stay inside. The problem is it's the day after Christmas and so many people need to get back to where they're going.

Let's zoom in on the map now. If we get a tight shot here on some of the temperatures in this area. What we're looking at are temperatures that are definitely teetering right around the freezing mark. So it is really cold out there. And that has to do with that wraparound effect of the cold air coming in behind the storm. We're also looking at temperatures that are teetering around the freezing mark in Virginia Beach and especially in coastal areas you will see that snow combined with slush and sleet at times making travel even more treacherous.

All right. Well, here is where it's just about the worst across New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, into the Baltimore/D.C. area and certainly into New York City. See these brighter white snow bands? This is where we're getting the most intense snowfall. Some of the rates are one to two inches per hour making travel almost impossible when you have the wind conditions and that's why the blizzard warnings straight until the evening hours because of the travel hazard. In order to get a blizzard warning, you really have to have about three hours of consecutive snow and poor visibility. So that's what we're seeing here.

I expanded it northward just to show you the snow is just starting to get very heavy from south to north especially here in southern Boston. So you're getting it right now in Plymouth. You're getting a mix in the cape and the islands where the temperature is warmer. But it's still going to be very difficult there.

North of Boston towards Manchester, New Hampshire, things will go from bad to worse. So again, I can't advise enough if you could just stay home and keep it tuned to CNN we'll keep you up to date on this very dangerous situation with blizzard warnings across the northeast.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Bonnie. We'll check back with you throughout the hour.

In the meantime, ahead of this snowstorm, airlines, Delta, American, as well as Continental, all of them are canceling a lot of flights in and out of the northeast and mid-Atlantic. More than 800 by Delta today alone.

Let's bring in our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff who's at LaGuardia. So I understand the lines are very long there at LaGuardia. What are people being told about whether their flights will be a go or not?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a lot of disappointed people here at LaGuardia Airport. As you said, many airlines have been canceling. In fact, they started canceling yesterday so many travelers knew not to come but not everybody. I just spoke to a couple heading down to Brazil or at least hoping to return home to brazil through Miami. Their flight to Miami canceled.

I just spoke to another man from France. He's trying to get to Dallas for work. That flight also canceled. American Airlines is saying that pretty much after 3:00 virtually its entire schedule in the northeast is going to be shut down. There are two flights I saw after 3:00 that they do have leaving from LaGuardia here, one to Atlanta, one to Charlotte. After that, forget about it. And in terms of arrivals to new

After that forget about it. And in terms of arrivals to New York, well that pretty much is not going to be happening in about an hour or so because the airlines want to be sure that planes are not over here. They want to position their planes away from where the snow is and then as soon as the storm is over, begin getting the planes back in position. So they are hoping to have operations back to normal by Tuesday -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Allan, I see the flurries in the shot just outside the departure drop-off area. What's it look like on the runways? Is it just slick and wet or is there any accumulation on the tarmac?

CHERNOFF: There is quite an accumulation over there. Over here behind me you see the cars are driving through. So it's just like much of New York. You never really get all of that much snow. It's pretty much slush unless these are roads that are not well traveled. But out on the runway area and I was just taking a look through the windows a little while ago, you do already have a significant amount of accumulation and some of those poor guys working out there trying to de-ice, trying to load the bags, it's tough work in this weather.

WHITFIELD: OK. Allan Chernoff, thanks so much at LaGuardia Airport there in New York. We'll check back with you.

Let's head a bit south now to the mid-Atlantic to what is usually a very busy Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. There we find our Kate Bolduan. Usually very busy but oh you look a little lonely there and not a whole lot happening behind you. So what are passengers being told, those who perhaps didn't get the word and are showing up at the airport?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as you can see probably behind me, Fredricka, it's relatively quiet here. This is usually, as we've been talking about yesterday, today, and we will be continuing to talk about, this is one of the busier travel days of the holiday season and it would normally be a little bit busier you would expect.

But relatively quiet here. You take a quick look at the monitors and you get kind of a picture of why we are seeing cancellations it seems. Well, D.C. is not seeing any precipitation yet, seems maybe Ronald Reagan National Airport and the area airports are kind of the victim of a trickle-down effect. Take a look at the monitors. You see cancellations to and from Boston, Atlanta, New York, Newark, Providence, Raleigh among other cities that are being affected obviously by much of the weather.

Many of the passengers that we haven't been able to talk to because it seems many people have gotten the memo, so to speak, heard from their airlines early and have not come to the airport because of their flights either canceled or delayed. But some of the people that we did speak with that were here were all really taking it in stride. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was going to be a total disaster. That it was going to be such a long wait and crazy lines which is why I'm here five hours in advance with three children. There's nobody here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My first flight got to D.C. OK. But then my second one to JFK was canceled and I learned from the United representatives that everything was being canceled to New York. So I tried to find some other ways out of there and my next thought was go on the train.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That was one of the few people that was able to get some of the few unclaimed seats on the trains in the northeast. Amtrak we're hearing, they've had many of their trains have been sold out for days. Of course, this is a busy travel season in terms of this region. We're hearing from Amtrak that they are canceling some trains south of D.C. into parts of Virginia where they fear there's going to be more effect from some of the weather when it begins.

What we are hearing that both governors of Virginia and Maryland have kind of preemptively declared states of emergency which really kind of gives them the flexibility, Fredricka, if we do get some severe weather. They will be able to move quickly, mobilize the National Guard and get resources in place if need be. But as you can see right now at the moment, many passengers -- maybe seasoned passengers are kind of getting the story and have heard from the airlines because we're kind of lonely here at Reagan at the moment.

WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder on your way even to the airport, Kate, you know, were there a lot of sand trucks? Could you see that D.C., parts of Virginia, getting ready for what could be a big storm?

BOLDUAN: At the moment, you really don't see anyone on the road in terms of kind of emergency vehicles or the sand trucks or anything. But you can be assured that they are ready when need be. But at the moment there's really no precipitation on the ground. Maybe overnight they maybe treated the ground early in order to kind of keep it from getting slick if the snow starts to fall.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan, thanks so much at Ronald Reagan National Airport there in Washington.

So, all of this begs the question now. What do you do if your flights do indeed get canceled or how do you accurately get the word from your airline carrier? Travel expert Peter Greenberg joins us now on the phone from Los Angeles to talk about all of the options. Glad you could be with us.

This is a real headache for a lot of folks. But what do you do besides you're calling the airline, listening to the television or radio to find out if your flight might be among the many that have been canceled but then you're put on hold for upwards of an hour. What are your options?

PETER GREENBERG, TRAVEL EXPERT: Well, the first thing you have to do is understand that the departure boards at the airports don't tell the truth. They haven't told the truth in years. They only reflect what's scheduled to leave on time. The real key here is where your plane, your actual aircraft is. It has nothing to do with weather where you are. It has to do with the weather where the airplane is that's coming to get you. If you don't have that understanding, then you're never going to leave the airport. You might as well never leave home.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Now, I have a flight, you know, for tomorrow. It's to the northeast. And so, I already called today to find out are those flights scheduled to be canceled tomorrow. I had to wait an hour and 20 minutes in order to get an answer. It really does depend on whether you're going to get a refund or whether you can try and schedule for another flight. Peter, what's your best advice on how people try to plan ahead?

GREENBERG: Well, the airlines have done a pretty good job in giving people refunds and letting them rebook without penalty or fee. The real problem here is you talk about being on hold for that period of time. Remember, we don't live in the world of airlines anymore. We live in the world of alliances. There's a one rule of alliance which is American airlines. People know that with a number of partners. We have a big alliance called Star Alliance that United and US Air are a part of.

So if you're getting on the phone and getting put on hold at your primary carrier, my advice is to call the other carriers that are part of that alliance because they are co-chaired on the same flight number you are on and they will give you the best information.

WHITFIELD: And then, what do you mean by multitasking. What does that involve?

GREENBERG: Very simple. If you want to stay on hold on one line, then you stay on hold because you don't want to drop off there because you'll lose your place in line. Get on another phone and call the other partner carrier that has the same flight listed under a different number and they will give you the information you need.

WHITFIELD: Good, it looks like I did some of the right things this morning. I had to put myself on hold on two different lines because you don't hear anything while you are being put on hold. No music, no nothing. I wasn't sure if I got disconnected. In the end, an hour and 20 minutes before I finally got some answers.

All right. Peter Goldberg, thank you so much.

GREENBERG: It's Peter Greenberg and you're very welcome.

WHITFIELD: Peter, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right. Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter has declared a snow emergency ahead of this storm. That region could get more than a foot of snow. A live interview with the mayor in a half an hour.

And to make it easier for you to find out about the travel delays where you are, go to CNN.com/travel. Click on the link "airport delays." You'll find a status update on the busiest U.S. airports, the average delay time and what's causing it.

A trip abroad takes a deadly turn for a group of American tourists. Next, details on the crash that killed them in a country where thousands die on the road each year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. While the snow is beautiful, it's causing a lot of problems up and down the eastern corridor, mid-Atlantic states as well as the northeast. Lots of flight cancellations. We're going to keep you abreast of all that's taking place. Live pictures right now at LaGuardia. You see the snow flurries there. Well, a number of flights are being canceled after 3:00. You heard our Allan Chernoff talk about that at the top of the hour.

And now take a look at Boston here. Boy, looks like whiteout conditions. The snow has hit certain cities in the northeast in a very big way. It's causing a lot of havoc both from the airways as well as on the ground. And then here, just take a look at this stadium. There will be no football game involving the Eagles and the Vikings today thanks to this live shot coming from our affiliate WPVI. Oh, and then there's -- this is Lincoln Financial Field, that's the official name of that so you know.

All right. We'll keep you posted on the snowstorm and all of the impending weather that continues to cause getting from point A to point B to be a real nightmare.

All right. Now to a developing story out of Egypt. Eight American tourists have been killed in a tour bus crash. It happened near Aswan as the bus was carrying them to a popular attraction. The country's interior ministry says the Americans died when their bus crashed into a parked dump truck.

Christine Theodorou is a CNN producer who actually was vacationing in that area and she joins us now by phone. Christine, what more are you learning about how this crash happened?

CHRISTINE THEODOROU, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): The eight Americans that were killed were part of a bus tour carrying 37 -- specifically on their bus there were 37 tourists from the United States. They crashed into the parked dump truck. What we do know is that -- we're hearing reports that excessive speed may have caused the crash. That is not something we've independently been able to confirm.

This specific group was part of a three-bus tour group. One hundred nineteen Americans were traveling in total to a remote southern location from Aswan to visit the Abu Simbel Temple which is in this remote location near the Egypt-Sudan border.

WHITFIELD: Yes, go ahead.

THEODOROU: I was just going to say that 19 Americans out of this group have been injured including two Egyptians, the bus driver and tour guide. And the U.S. Embassy in Cairo has released a statement saying they are deeply saddened by the traffic accident. The embassy has confirmed that the injured are being moved by military transport to Cairo. They haven't been able to estimate an arrival time, but they have mobilized staff to identify and to assist those Americans involved and also provided a phone number both on Facebook and on their Web site that people with questions or concerns can reach out to U.S. Embassy staff.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's quite significant. There's a lot of assistance that those American tourists are getting. That may reassure a lot of Americans back at home who are wondering how their loved ones might be doing. So if anyone needs to get a status report here stateside about how their loved one may be doing if they happen to be one of the 19 Americans injured and being transported to Cairo, how do they go about doing that?

THEODOROU: The phone number is provided on both the U.S. -- Facebook.com/usembassycairo and there's a phone number on the front page.

WHITFIELD: OK. And give me an idea what they believe actually caused this accident.

THEODOROU: Well, excessive speed is a daily occurrence that causes accidents here in Egypt. There's been a marked increase in the number of tourists killed in car and bus-related accidents in Egypt. Now, the country has its share of bad roads. You see a lot of high speeds like we're talking about, low traffic enforcement in a very remote location. Inner city roads are generally in good condition but one could only imagine that in such a remote area of the country the roads might not have been good. You add in, again I'm assuming here, you add excessive speed and it could create a bad accident.

WHITFIELD: All right, Christine Theodorou, thanks so much, a CNN producer who happened to be vacationing there in the general vicinity there in Egypt and this accident taking place tragically involving a number of American tourists. Thanks so much.

And this out of India. A rocket carrying communications equipment into space exploded shortly after takeoff yesterday. It was unmanned and strayed from its path before breaking into pieces. It's not known what caused the failure but it is being called a setback to India's space program.

And a look at technology on the horizon. You won't believe what's in store for 2011.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: If you're a tech geek, you'll be thrilled about some of the new gadgets on the horizon in the new year. We'll check them out in less than a minute from now. But, first, a look at the top stories.

Blizzard warnings are in place for parts of the East Coast as a big winter storm heads that way. New York could get up to a foot of snow. Holiday travelers are feeling the impact with hundreds of flights already canceled.

And in the Netherlands, 12 men of Somali origin are in custody on suspicion of terrorism. They were arrested in Rotterdam on Friday. No weapons or explosives were found but Dutch authorities say they believe an attack was imminent.

And firefighters in south central Oklahoma are busy with a massive blaze at an oil refinery in Wynnewood. Nearby residents say an explosion at the plane rocked their windows and so far there are no reports of injuries. One reason the fire is so difficult apparently to fight is the products produced there include gasoline, propane, fuel oils and solvents.

So, if you like iPads and smartphones, well wait until you see and hear about what could be in your grips next year. Syndicated technology writer Marc Saltzman joins us via Skype from Toronto as he does every lovely Sunday. Marc, good to see you.

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: Likewise.

WHITFIELD: So, what's in store for us in terms of tablets? How does it get any better than what we've got?

SALTZMAN: Yes, so we're -- iPad may be the current leader but definitely in 2011 we're going to see a lot more competition beginning with the Blackberry Playbook coming at some point in February. We've got the iPad 2, of course, from apple. Dozens of Android powered tablets using Google's mobile platform. We'll see Windows based ones. Nokia.

So it will be the product category that sees the most growth. And for good reason. They're relatively inexpensive. They're easy to use. You download apps and you use them with your fingertip. You can read eBooks and play games on them, read your e-mail, surf the Web.

So this is a product category that's going to be huge in a week and a half from now at the Consumer Electronics Show. We'll see everybody and their brother launching a new tablet or two in 2011.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. That's incredible. Then smartphones getting even smarter than they already are.

SALTZMAN: Yes, we're going to see a lot of evolutionary advances here. Things like faster speeds. We've already seen the rollout of 4g in parts of the U.S. through Sprint. We're going to see a lot more smartphones and more networks that take advantage of these broadband- like speeds but out of your cell phone. And this is used primarily for data for online access.

We're also going to see things like dime-size projectors in smartphones that can beam a video to a nearby wall or a table top. So you're going to be able to use virtual keyboards to type and maybe watch a movie on a 12-inch projected screen instead of smartphones 3- inch screen.

WHITFIELD: Where are these brilliant minds coming up with this stuff. And then what about apps? How might that be changing or evolving?

SALTZMAN: Well, we're certainly seeing an explosion in applications or downloadable apps for smartphones. We'll see them also, by the way, on computers and tablets as well. But we're going to see really amazing new apps in 2011 including a few big trends like augmented reality. You're going to be able to hold up your smartphone and point it say at the Eifel Tower and you're going to see real time information augmented on top of what the camera on your smartphone is seeing. Pointing at the tip and telling you how tall it is or who was the architect.

And even people, you'll be able to hold it up and see a face and it will know who it is, how many kids they have. I mean, it's a pretty amazing this technology. And also location-based apps, Fredricka. We're going to see a lot more tailored information based on where you are and what you're interested in. You'll be alerted on your smartphone, for example, that there's a sale at your favorite retailer when you walk by it. You'll get an alert on your smartphone. Expect a lot more of that in 2011.

WHITFIELD: Unbelievable. I know a lot of people were very excited about thinking about buying 3-D televisions this holiday season. But 3-Ds are, I guess, going to the next level in this new year. In what way?

SALTZMAN: So, a lot is happening in this space. And there's still some confusion in the marketplace about what you need for a 3-D TV. Do I need glasses? It will take a while for it to shake out. But at the Consumers Electronics Show next week we'll see a lot more 3-D technologies, active glasses that are battery-powered, passive glasses like the ones we wear at movie theaters. No glasses, even though they don't work quite as well. And we'll see an explosion in 3-D content. We're going to see more 3-D channels including the first 24-hour 3-D channel in the U.S, a joint effort between Sony, Discovery and Imax. We'll see 3-D YouTube channel and the Nintendo 3DS portable gaming system in March that does not require any glasses at all.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And now fewer people will actually be watching television because there are more options of watching stuff on the Internet. In what way?

SALTZMAN: Yes, it's already starting to happen in the U.S. For example, Comcast says that more than 275,000 -- sorry 150,000 subscribers have dropped since the summer. Even more so with Time Warner. People are dropping cable and satellite in favor of more options. There's Netflix. There's Hulu. We're going to see a lot more of this convergence between your TV and the Internet as well as your PC being able to access content on your television - sorry on your computer in another room through your TV.

So because of that, we're going to see a shift. I don't predict that these streaming video services are going to replace traditional cable and satellite TV any time soon but it's certainly going to supplement it in a much bigger way.

WHITFIELD: Boy, lots of transformations in how we all live coming in 2011.

Marc Saltzman, thanks so much. Good to see you. Hope you had a great holiday.

SALTZMAN: You too. Happy holidays.

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Marc.

A snow emergency is in place in Philadelphia as that big winter storm heads that way. We'll speak live with Philadelphia's mayor after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So blizzard warnings are in place in parts of northeast as snow and ice and brutal winds head that way. Some areas are expecting more than a foot of snow. Holiday travel is already feeling the impact with hundreds of flights canceled or delayed.

So all along the expected storm track people are getting prepared and feeling inconvenienced in a lot of ways too. Watches and warnings cover pretty extensive area from the mid-Atlantic into New England.

The storm gave a lot of southerners a rare treat. A white Christmas, that's not happened in Atlanta since 1882. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is tracking all of this. It was kind of exciting to have some snow on Christmas day here.

SCHNEIDER: And you doubted it, remember?

WHITFIELD: I sure did. I was a nonbeliever.

SCHNEIDER: It's coming, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: I'm a believer now. It was so warm early in the day.

SCHNEIDER: It was and all of a sudden that snow came and it stuck. This was a measurable event about 2 inches in Atlanta, several inches north of the city so quite a spectacular White Christmas, but now it's time to clean up the wrapping paper and head back home.

For those of you that are flying hundreds of flights have been canceled, but we still have about 5,000 planes in the air. This is flight explorer that shows activity happening coast to coast. Except for blizzard right here the rest of the country is enjoying nice weather. We don't have delays elsewhere but we are still tracking this huge storm. Let's get right to it.

Lots of snow. Some of the brighter white bands coming on the Jersey shore at this time. It is going to get a whole lot worse in the next few hours. Look for even more delays out there and problems as we can see the advisory has remained posted straight into the evening hours.

The red are blizzard warnings covering most of New Jersey. I want to show you Philadelphia. Still under a winter storm warning for heavy snow and blustery wind, but to the north where the center of low pressure is a little bit closer, we'll see a fierce wind that will whipping in possibly as strong as gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour.

You may hear that sound of thunder when you have the real intense snow bands almost like you have in the summer thunderstorm you can have thundersnow, which is when you see that explosive burst of snow. We'll see it from Boston to New York through the evening.

It's going to be the type of night you want to stay inside and let the storm pass, but it's going to take a while because a lot of these advisories will continue until the early hours of tomorrow, Fredricka. So unfortunately this blizzard will get worse before it gets better, but we're right here and we'll keep you posted throughout the evening.

WHITFIELD: And we appreciate that, Bonnie, thanks so much.

Ahead of the storm, Philadelphia has declared a snow emergency. Tonight's football game between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings is one casualty of this storm already. It is postponed until Tuesday.

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is with us now by phone. Mr. Mayor, how bad is it? What's it look like from your vantage point right now?

MICHAEL NUTTER, PHILADELPHIA MAYOR: Well, Fredricka, thank you. It is -- the storm has certainly started. We're certainly very concerned about it. Our troops are out. We've been gearing up for the storm for a while. It's a little volatile, but we've got snow coming down. Nothing really sticking on the streets so far.

A little bit of sidewalk activity, but it will intensify later on this afternoon and will get to be upwards of 1 to 2 inches an hour with the greatest amount of intensity into this evening and tonight. You mentioned the game. The NFL working with the Philadelphia Eagles made the decision earlier today to postpone the game until Tuesday.

And you have to think about this, Fredricka, that 8:00 tonight you would be looking at possibly 3 to 6 inches coming down in that three-hour period right on the field with winds of upwards of 35 miles an hour. It's very, very challenging conditions for both the players and certainly the fans during and after the game.

So I think the NFL and the Eagles made the right call. We were prepared to deal with whatever, but ultimately that was their call. We're concerned about getting things together for tonight and into tomorrow's rush. Our troops are geared up and ready to go. We fought these kinds of storms before. We have some experience and we're going to rock and roll.

WHITFIELD: And so Mr. Mayor, as you're talking and you're talking about the decision the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles made not to have that game today, we're looking at live pictures of the field and it appears as though even though that's being canceled we're seeing the tractor kind in the background clearing the field of that snow.

Even with possible postponement until Tuesday, any concerns given the size or expected size of this storm that even Tuesday may be a little ambitious?

NUTTER: No. I think certainly by Tuesday we'll be almost completely operational here in the city. Obviously if we get 10 to 14 inches of snow you'll see lingering activity, but certainly between now and Tuesday almost all of our roadways will be clear.

Obviously, we still encourage folks to take mass transit. If the storm is what we've been told it will be, as challenges as it is on Sunday, certainly we'll be good to go on Tuesday and of course go Eagles.

WHITFIELD: Yes, of course, go Eagles. That would be your perspective. So I'm wondering what are your concerns about those who would be, I guess, most difficult to get to in a time of need? The elderly or folks who have hit hard times and maybe they don't have the proper heating going on in their homes, et cetera. How do you stay abreast of where they are and how you can get to the most vulnerable in a storm like this?

NUTTER: A couple things. One, in every broadcast we certainly talk about our frail or vulnerable and certainly many of our senior citizens so we're asking our fellow Philadelphians and certainly our city government agencies to stay in touch with those populations.

But for instance, if someone is shoveling their steps and sidewalk and you know you have an elderly or frail neighbor, take care of theirs as well. Knock on their door as you're about to go to the supermarket, of course, folks will be out trying to get the requisite bread and milk and other items, do the same and knock on your neighbor's door and check on them.

So we care very greatly about that particular part of the population combination of citizens and city government agencies. We have a code blue on right now dealing with issues for our homeless population. We are the city of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection and we look out for all of our neighbors in a Philadelphia kind of way.

WHITFIELD: All right. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, thanks so much for your time and all the best during this impending big storm.

NUTTER: Absolutely. Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

So to make it easier for you to find out about travel delays that are impacting the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, you are being encouraged to go to CNN.com/travel. We're trying to keep you abreast of the airport delays.

You can click on a link there specifically for airport delays and find out how you might be impacted in your travels over the holiday season. You also will find status update on the busiest U.S. airports in particular and the average delay time or even wait time and what might be causing it. All that information right there at your fingertips.

All right, for those who are not stopping because of the storm perhaps they're trying to hit the malls looking for those good after Christmas bargains, how good are those bargains? We'll find out next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On this day after Christmas, lots of folks are back at the malls returning gifts. They're cashing in those gift cards or perhaps they're looking for post-Christmas bargains.

Rachel Dodes is a staff reporter for "The Wall Street Journal" retail and luxury group and joins us not from the mall, but instead from our New York studios. Good to see you. Lots of good deals out there?

RACHEL DODES, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Hi, Fredricka. There are some great deals out there right now. I mean, I think the day after Christmas, retailers know that people are still in shopping mode. They have gone out and seen things they want to buy for themselves that they didn't get a chance to get and they're armed with their gift cards and ready to spend.

WHITFIELD: There are lots of incentives on sales just before Christmas. We saw 40 percent, 50 percent, so now after Christmas are people expecting to see 60 percent to 70 percent and particularly as it pertains to electronics, which has been the big gift of the year?

DODES: Yes. I mean, Best Buy is having a huge sale. They're doing free shipping online today and tomorrow. You know across categories. I think it's a different game the day after Christmas than it is on Black Friday where retailers plan far in advance.

Now it is kind of like what do we have leftover and let's mark it down because this inventory is not getting any better and now is great time to get deals, you know, selectively. WHITFIELD: So that's if you go to the mall or the store, what about online? Are there equally enticing deals online or do you really need to go in the store and have some face time to get the best deal?

DODES: Yes, I think online there are some great deals to be had right now. A lot of retailers have been integrating pricing online and in stores so that helps a lot. I think a lot of the sales because of the weather on the east coast will be shifted to online because people will be on the internet looking for deals and some of the deals online are the same exact things you can get in stores. Maybe the selection isn't as broad in some cases, but the deals are good.

WHITFIELD: OK. Folks are going to use those gift cards maybe they want to get some of those electronics. I know you have some specific bargains at hand in the category of electronics that people may want to use their gift cards for.

DODES: Absolutely. I mean, I think that there are $400 laptops out there. There are some great deals on TVs. There are, I mean, you know, video games that I've seen 50 percent off on some of the newer games.

So there are some great deals. Also, I mean, retailers they know that people are going to come in today with their gift cards so they are also going to have some new merchandise that's full price because people are more likely to spend when they have free money which helps margins.

WHITFIELD: We've heard in a very general term that a lot of retailers are celebrating some of the biggest profits and sales gains this year in quite a while. When might we know specifically what those numbers look like?

DODES: I think we'll have a better idea early next week, but it was a really good and potentially great season for retailers. I mean, the NRF once commerce department numbers came out for November.

They upgraded their forecast by a full percentage point to 3.3 percent over last year. You know, some of the consulting firms are predicting that sales may be up 6 percent or 7 percent, which would make it the best year since 1999.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rachel Dodes, thanks so much with "The Wall Street Journal" retail and luxury group. Appreciate your time. Happy shopping if you choose to do so. Choose to brave it out there. All right, thanks so much.

All right, following the president, well, that too can be a tough job just like getting out there and shopping. That's a tough job, but you know what? There's a lot of perks to following the president specifically like the food. Who knew? Coming up we'll hear from our senior White House correspondent who is eating his way through Hawaii right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Time for a CNN Equals Politics update. Here's what's crossing the Ticker right now. Former President Bill Clinton says he'll stop in Chicago next month to support Rahm Emanuel's run for mayor.

Emanuel, of course, is president Obama's former chief of staff. He left the post for the mayoral run. He also served as senior adviser in the Clinton White House. The president's promise, President Obama now has promise to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

It won't become reality any time soon. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says legal and legislative issues have contributed to the delay and by the way, President Obama may have finally kicked the habit.

Robert Gibbs told our Candy Crowley that it's been nine months since the president last smoked a cigarette. Gibbs says that's the longest that he's seen the president go without a puff. He credited the president's, quite, "stubborn will power."

You might expect there are a whole lot of perks to actually following the president as a White House correspondent, trips to Europe, Asia, and let's add now vacations in Hawaii to the list and there's a lot of food along the way too.

Some people travel with their stomach kind of leading them. That would include our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry who shows us what it's like to work on the beat that he loves, the White House and a beat that means he gets to eat as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This president is an adventurous diner despite the first lady's healthy eating initiative.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: And then you put French fries on top of it. We can't tell the first lady. That's a big piece of cake.

HENRY: But in fairness the president usually can't say no especially on the campaign trail unless he wants to offend the locals. Reporters have a choice. We could say no but often say yes whether it's a gourmet restaurant here in Honolulu like this one or a dive in Dubuque. Just ask veteran correspondent Bill Plante of CBS News so good at picking wine we call him our unofficial (inaudible).

BILL PLANTE, CBS NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Eating is important because you spend your whole day working and you need some kind of opportunity to relax. How do you relax? You relax over good food and good wine.

HENRY: So after a series of long days working, yes, that's it, working on the beach --

ALI VELSHI: You are working just to be clear, right?

TONY HARRIS: He is White House correspondent and not a fashion reporter, poor Ed Henry.

HENRY: It was time to take Bill Plante's advice and get a nice Christmas meal in Honolulu.

PLANTE: There a couple that are particularly nice where you can sit in the evening breeze open to the sky and the sea and sip a fine glass of wine and have wonderful food. Have Ed give me the call.

HENRY: The person to call in Honolulu is Alan Wong celebrity chef who hosted the president and first lady here many times, but is still in awe of the experience.

ALAN WONG, CHEF: In Hawaii we call it chicken skin moments.

HENRY (on camera): What does that mean?

WONG: Goose bumps.

HENRY: And you get that?

WONG: Yes, every time.

HENRY (voice-over): Contrary to some of the junk food the president and press enjoy on the road, this restaurant is known for local vegetables and fresh seafood like the tilapia the first lady prefers and that's why the first couple keeps coming back and so do we.

WONG: You're in Hawaii so you should be able to taste Hawaii, a little bit of east, a little bit of west. It's kind of natural.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That lucky dog, Ed Henry, he's joining us now beachside. You got the breeze blowing. You are sporting another great Hawaiian shirt. So I know you're eating well, but I also know that you are getting in some good shopping because every day you sport a great Hawaiian shirt. What did you eat today?

HENRY: I've done tons of shopping. It's Christmas season after all so you have to do shopping. There are a lot of sales after Christmas even here in Honolulu. So I'm going to get some of that later.

But, yes, the eating is good. Last night, we did go to Alan Wong's, the whole CNN crew. Among they offered, they had great fish, very healthy and what I found interesting is that Alan Wong told me a little tip that the president really loves the short ribs.

Sometimes he'll get a second helping. What's interesting about that is this guy is in phenomenal shape. He has short ribs still in great shape. So that's the problem on this beat when you have a skinny president. It reminds all of us we have to get cracking on those New Year's resolutions.

WHITFIELD: All right, sometimes you can't always keep up with him, right, except you are in Hawaii. You know, we know people there in Honolulu and any islands there are very fit. So if they eat well that means they also are getting up early in the morning taking a walk over Diamond Head or something like that. How about you? Did you get that in?

HENRY: I haven't been to Diamond Head yet. I did that last year we did a Christmas morning walk to the top of Diamond Head. We didn't do that this year maybe in the next couple days. It's really awesome when you get to the top as the sun is rising.

I got out there on the boogie board and people are out there surfing when you get up in the dark at 5:30 in the morning. They say the best time to get out there. Some are in great shape. It's part of that hang loose. You don't have a care in the world if you are out there on a surfboard at 5:30 in the morning.

WHITFIELD: Yes, you can wear that. I can see you hanging loose with a little surfing lesson. Work that in your schedule, too. It's still considered working.

HENRY: I'm going to try to do that in the next couple of days, a little surf lessons.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much. Enjoy.

All right, wrapping up Christmas with a blizzard now far, far away from Hawaii, but now northeast and mid-Atlantic. Much of the eastern seaboard is getting ready for major winter storms. That forecast straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Nasty weather northeast and mid-Atlantic. Nasty particularly if you're trying to get from point A to point B. Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center now.

SCHNEIDER: Fredricka, you are right. The best thing to do is do not travel. It is not advisable. Just maybe extend your Christmas holiday if you can because look at this. The blizzard warnings most of these are in effect straight into the evening hours and then when they're gone later tonight and tomorrow, we'll have wind advisories in place.

So any snow that's accumulated and we'll be measuring it by the foot, it will be blowing and drifting and we'll see some real problems with visibility. Speaking of which, I want to point out temperatures right now are in the mid 30s, upper 30s, getting slush and sleet mixing in with snow, but now we're coming into later part of the afternoon.

The temperatures will fall. All that snow will get a little bit stronger and a little fluffier and it will be piling up higher and also watch out, Fredricka, because I think people might think the snow has stopped, but these will come as intermittent snow bands where visibility will be reduced to less than a quarter of a mile. So stay inside until the advisories are over, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, great advising. So much fun, appreciate that. All right, that's going to do for this hour. We'll see you again 4:00 Eastern time. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll keep a close watch on the weather for the northeast and the mid-Atlantic and how it's going to impact you.