ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 5am - December 22, 2025

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

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Right now, live coverage from your local newsleader, breaking stories from overnight and this morning, and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. 5 a.m. on your first full day of winter. Good morning, Carolina. Welcome on this Monday. It's December 22nd. I'm Joel Brown. And I'm Anna Rivera. Thanks so much for joining us today. It is a chilly morning, but we are expecting a big warm up just before the holidays. Yeah, this is going to be our chilliest day of the week. After that, that high pressure takes over. We're talking near record highs by the end of the week. I'll have more on that my forecast.

And right now, the holiday travel rush underway. What you can expect if you're traveling in the skies or on the roads. And WakeMed issuing new restrictions on visitors starting today. We're going to break down the new policy and why the hospital says the move is necessary. Five o'clock. Time for a first check of weather and traffic together. Meteorologist Quaylin Murphy is here. Cold start to what will end up being a warm week.

Yeah, it's going to be a great week. As far as the holiday goes, it's not going to feel like Christmas around here. That's for sure. Temperatures climbing above average. Today's not going to be a bad day. Temperatures will be close to average this afternoon, but this will be our chilliest day of the week. The high temperature right around 52 degrees. We'll have a lot of sun early. Clouds will gradually increase later today.

So enjoy the clear skies while they last. We have chilly high pressure to our north. You can see some clouds out to the west. That's the periphery of that high pressure, that upper ridge. It's going to start building it for us later in the week. So we're watching those clouds start to approach. Right now, clear skies across the area. Here's a live look, downtown Raleigh.

We're at 35 degrees, dew points way down into the teens at this point. So we're looking at some really dry air in place. And this is the temperature we were at yesterday. It's also seasonably cool for us. Winds coming in from the north at six miles per hour. We do have some colder pockets, of course, Sanford 25. We're at 25 in Oxford, 23 in Lewisburg. So many spots sitting below freezing.

27 in South Hill, right above freezing in Fayetteville, 33, 37, Clinton. Southern Pines are at 33, too. Light winds overall today, a little breeze at times later this afternoon. If you're heading to Lantern Fest this evening, we're going to turn a bit chillier as we head towards 8 o'clock tonight with temps in the upper 30s, but we actually reached our low right around midnight tonight and then temperatures will gradually start to climb for us. Spotty shower chance tomorrow morning, your first alert. High temperature around 60 though on Tuesday, so that's the beginning of a warm up. Warming up into Christmas was high's mid to upper 60s close to 70 degrees for some of you. And then by the end of the week, near record

in the 70s. We'll get into all that in a few minutes. Right now is a good time to download the ABC app. It's free and it's a great way to stay up to date on current weather conditions. Plus, you can always check First Alert, Dauponet, and the 7-A forecast anytime. Weather and traffic together, back to you. Well, Kuelan, right now, things looking really good on the roads. If you are getting ready to leave for that holiday travel, our crash count sitting at zero. Also not seeing any congestion. Let's take a live look outside. This is the 4440 interchange. You can see traffic is light and moving nicely. And right now, we are just three days away from Christmas. And of Americans are on the move during what's already shaping up to be a record-breaking holiday travel rush. According to AAA, 3.7 million North Carolinians are expected to travel through January 1st. That's a 2.9% raise from last year, and more than 200,000 of those people are flying. Meanwhile, 89% of travelers are expecting to drive this year. If you're leaving today, the worst time to hit the road is from 1 o'clock to 7 p.m., and the best time to drive is before 10 a.m. Wake Med is now issuing new restrictions on visitors. Starting today, children younger than 12, will not be allowed to visit patients in wake med hospital units,

patient care areas, and waiting rooms. This comes as we enter the peak of respiratory illness season. Jamice Price live at Wake Med in Raleigh this morning with more on those new rules. James, good morning. Good morning, Joel. Those new rules are in place due to those new numbers coming in from the state, which shows 10% of visitors. in the emergency department had symptoms of a respiratory illness, and that is up from just last week. So starting today, those new restrictions are rolling out here at WakeMed. So children age 11 years old and younger are not allowed in those inpatient areas. The emergency department in waiting rooms is also applies to the main location here in Raleigh,

WakeMed's mental health facility and health-plex emergency departments. The restrictions are due to due to the increase in respiratory. illnesses here in the triangle. And as we prepare to gather for the holidays, state doctors encourage you to take those everyday preventative measures to lessen the spread of any virus. Those tips include washing your hands or using an alcohol-based sanitizer if you are not near a sink. Make sure you're disinfecting those high-touch surfaces and cough or sneeze inside a tissue and throw that tissue away. And of course, stay home if you are sick. We can't stress that one enough. If you're not feeling your best, maybe you should just stay home.

We're live here in Raleigh, Jemis Price, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Okay, Jemise, thank you. Overnight, a rapidly unfolding situation. The U.S. in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel escaping the Caribbean. A U.S. official says the Coast Guard is attempting to intercept an oil tanker that's part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. That official says the ship is, quote, flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order. President Trump has threatened to impose what he called a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. It's a move that could devastate the Venezuelan economy. Now to your voice, your vote, and another Republican entering the race for North

Carolina's first congressional district, Lori Buckeout posting this photo on social media Friday as she filed the official paperwork, possibly setting up a rematch with Democratic incumbent Don Davis. In 2024, Bukhout, a military veteran in Davis competed for the seat, with Davis barely winning with 49% of the vote. This time around North Carolina's Republican-controlled General Assembly has redrawn the congressional map, shifting more Republican-leaning counties to District 1. That could give the GOP another seat next year. Poor other Republicans have also filed a run for the District 1 seat.

Meanwhile, just weeks after losing her bid for a third term on the Durham City Council, Deidreana Freeman is vying for a new role in the State General Assembly. Freeman, who represented War I for eight years, has officially filed to run for State Senate District 22. Her entry into the race sets up a Democratic primary challenge against freshman incumbent Senator Sophia Chitlick. In March, in a press release, Freeman said she's running for the Senate seat to focus on supporting things like economic justice, health, and safety, and creating policies that improve housing, transportation, and the environment. The family of former governor, Jim Hunt, inviting the public to attend his funeral this week. Hunt's daughter and current lieutenant governor, Rachel Hunt, announcing funeral services are set for Friday afternoon at 1st Presbyterian Church in Wilson.

Jim Hunt served for 16 years, the longest serving governor in North Carolina history. He died at the age of 88. It's 507 and people in Wake County gathering to remember dozens of people who died this year while experiencing homelessness. We'll take a look at this special ceremony. And overnight, at least one person killed after dangerous rain brings major flooding to Northern California, when more rounds of severe weather are expected to hit the area. And clear skies this morning, seasonably cool right now, the triangle mid 30s, 20s for a few spots. North and West, a nice warm-up of the overall across the state, 40s and 50s, even warmer starting Tuesday.

I'll have more on that in my forecast. Right now the road's really quiet. Our crash count still sitting at zero. Now let's take look at the traffic hotspots brought to by the first alert weather team. the first alert weather team your first alert that we could have some low visibility warmer air working in more clouds around tomorrow the next chance of rain that we're watching always tracking always alerting wind gust will be up around 30 miles an hour your first alert forecast team ABC 11 eyewitness news 510 welcome back on this Monday

morning we are tracking increasing daylight hours gradually of course yesterday marking the start of winter with the solstice at 1003. Today we'll have about nine hours and 43 minutes of daylight. By the end of January, we'll have over 10 hours of daylight and by end of February we'll have closer to 11 hours and 30 minutes of daylight. So we're on our way up as we get closer to the spring. A live look from the skyline and around the rink this morning and Raleigh, we have clear skies all around for you today. High pressure to the north of us going to keep us on the chilly side, but seasonably cool. So mid-50s in the sandhills, low 50s in the triangle upper 40s north with that

warming trend starting tomorrow. More on that and a few. Joel, back to you. Thank you. Now to the solemn ceremony in downtown Raleigh last night, honoring the dozens who died in homelessness this year. Eyewitness news at last night's 2025 Homeless Memorial at the Wilmington Street Center in downtown Raleigh. The annual ceremony aligns with the winter solstifts the longest night of the year. Way County officials say 54 people died over the past year who were homeless or recently experienced homelessness, though they believe the true figure is likely higher. We have a lot of caring people in the community that want to, remember those who have lost their lives and not only just remember but also

want to help and prevent this from happening in the future. I mean ideally you know nobody would be homeless when they died and we want people to know that these are these are your neighbors and your friends that have died and their lives were worth something. Sunday's night Sunday night's event included a reading of the names of those who have passed in a prayer. Way County is currently seeing a 27% increase in homelessness over last year. Officials believe this might comes in part because of enhanced efforts in counting and outreach. The Durham Rescue Mission gets a big donation just before Christmas.

Sunday, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall delivered dozens of bicycles that were collected during a drive by staffers at the Secretary's office. A total of 55 bikes will be given to children in need during the mission's annual Christmas event scheduled for tomorrow. 512 now and make sure you stick around for Good Morning America. Ahead at 7, the latest flu numbers, what you should know with cases rising across the country. And so many of us get together with family and friends. Revolutionizing sports medicine, how three former Duke University football players are using 3D printing technology to help athletes recover from injuries and return to the game faster. Full story straight ahead at 7 a.m. on our streaming show. Watch Amber Rupenta. Today on ABC 11, I Witness News.

Back at 515. And now to the day. Deadly flooding in Northern California amid other problems. Officials say the victim was found during water rescues being carried out by fire and police crews. Now there's more rain on the way as holiday travel ramps up and San Francisco recovers from a weekend blackout. ABC Sophie Flay has the latest. Overnight, major flooding in Northern California turning deadly. One person was killed in Reading after an intense storm brought heavy rain, swapping the area. Across the region, severe weather triggering flash floods, washing out roads, stranding drivers and prompting numerous water rescues.

A family of nine in Placer County was forced to evacuate this home as the rising river closed in. All other residences in the area remain under an evacuation morning. And the threat is not over. More rounds of heavy rain and mountain snow are expected to hit California through Christmas Day. Also this morning, thousands in San Francisco are still without power after a fire at an electrical. substation plunged parts of the city into darkness. This is crazy. We've never seen it like this before. At its peak on Saturday, the outage left about 130,000 PG&E customers in the dark. The blackout causing widespread disruptions. People were trapped in stalled elevators and major

events canceled. Self-driving Waymo vehicles came to a halt in the middle of intersections, causing major traffic jams in the area. The cars are peering confused by the loss of traffic lights. Waymo later temporarily suspending rides due to safety concerns. All this happening during the holiday travel crush. Highways have been packed and the skies too. The FAA planning on using limited military airspace if needed. Sophie Flae. ABC News, New York. Back to that outage in San Francisco.

Utility officials say power should be fully restored for remaining customers by this afternoon. Crews are still investigating what sparked the fire at the substation. Homeowners still dealing with damage from Hurricane Helene are getting an extension to apply for help through the single-family housing program. Renew and C. North Carolina's long-term disaster recovery effort announced the deadline has been extended to January 31st. Western North Carolina homeowners can submit applications for help with repairing, reconstructing, and replacing homes damaged during the deadly storm. Since the program launched in June, the Renew NC Single Family Housing Program received more

than 65,000, 6,500 applications. Repairs and reconstruction begin this far. All right, 518. Let's take a live look outside this morning. If you have downtown Raleigh from our Pendo Sky Cam. And look, it's holiday week. We're three days away from Christmas. And if the weather is a roller coaster, this is the bottom. It only goes up from here. That's right. Yeah. And I think people, that's right. You got your seatbelt on? Buckle in. You knew there would be a sound effect. Not just one, but two. Thank you, Anna. 518 is the time. Yeah, today's going to be the chilliest day of the week. 52. The high. the average 53 and then we climb into the 60s tomorrow we're going to be near 70 degrees on Christmas Day Friday 72 which is near record high and then Saturday's still hanging on to some warm conditions near 70 degrees so 69 degrees by three in the afternoon on Christmas Day this Thursday mixture of sunshine and clouds dry conditions for you this will be one of the warmest Christmases over the last three to four years but in 2021 we're at 72 74 and 2015 which was the second warmest on record 75 was the warmest set in 1915.

Tracking some rain potential over the next seven days. It's not much. Tomorrow morning, we'll see some spotty rain. Then we'll get rid of that by lunchtime. And then this weekend, tracking for the next front, which could bring us some spotty rain models still diverging at this point. We have clear skies for now, but some clouds starting to enter the mountains, and those clouds will increase for us later today. As that ridge of high pressure starts to build in from the west and the warm front lifts overhead. Here's a live look downtown, downtown Raleigh, 35 degrees, same temperature as this time yesterday morning, which is seasonably cool for us this time of the year. dry air in place, though, do points down into the teens and single digits for some of us.

Now across the triangle in general, we're seeing a spread of temperatures. Mid-30s in Durham, Chapel Hill 34 at the airport 35 degrees, 20s for Knightdale, Zebulon, 26, 26, Rollsville, 25, you're at 32 in Garner and Fuqua, you're at 33 degrees. Mid to upper 20s, though, to the north, so definitely some colder air locking in north of the triangle, 36 and Clinton, 33 degrees in Fayville. We'll have sunshine through the early part of the day, 47 at noon today, 52 at 3. So as you're finishing up maybe that last minute shopping or hitting the road today, some nice conditions locally. We'll see more clouds by the evening and temperatures will drop into the 30s by 9 o'clock tonight.

We'll actually reach our low temperature around midnight and then temperatures will start to climb after that. So the ridge of high pressure is still west of us, still developing, and it's going to be moving east expanding into our region. This afternoon, upper 40s, low 50s with those clouds building in. And then tomorrow morning we settled down with some rain showers early. It's going to be really light, scatter in nature. 40s at 5 o'clock in the morning. Done with the rain before noon. We'll still have some clouds around lunchtime,

but skies will be clearing out. So you'll have sun in the afternoon tomorrow. Hyes will be in the low to mid-60s. Here's that first alert, 70 forecast power about ACUweather, 61 tomorrow. In the 40s, Tuesday night into Christmas Eve day, 607 degrees are high on Wednesday. 40s Wednesday night into Christmas morning.

69 the highs, so very nice. Friday, near the record high of 75 will be at 72 degrees for the first day of Kwanza. Saturday, mainly sunny skies, highs up, or 60s. And for now, I'm keeping the forecast on the mild side for Sunday, but ultimately it's going to depend on the front and the timing of that front. If it comes through a bit sooner, I may have to knock that second half of the weekend temperature down just a smidge. That's your forecast. Weather and traffic together. Anna, back to you.

Well, Coelan, now is definitely a good time to hit the roads because look at this. Our crash count's still sitting at zero. We're also not seeing any slowdowns that you would need to worry about if you are getting ready to head out. Here's a live look right now at the DOT cameras where things are also looking nice. If we can just pull that up. There we go. This is 40 in Harrison Avenue. You can see traffic is definitely starting to fill in,

but I have not seen any brake lights. So far so good. 521 is the time this morning why two of the world's largest tech companies are warning their employees that are on visas not to leave the U.S. Plus several new movies top the weekend box office. We'll break down the early estimates for the top five films in theaters. Watch Don Schwinnaker tonight on ABC 11 Eye Witness News. WAMO resumed service in San Francisco after its robo-taxies stalled during the blackout.

Here's ABC Sophie Fly with this morning's TechBites. In today's TechBites, Waymos are rolling again in San Francisco. Some of the self-driving taxis came to a halt during San Francisco's weekend blackout, due mostly to traffic lights being out. Waymo suspended service from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. The company says it is learning from the experience. A warning from major tech companies, Apple and Google telling their workers on visas to avoid leaving the U.S. As the Trump administration cracks down on immigration with new rules, foreign workers could face long delays for visa appointments and risk be barred from returning to the country.

Finally, Sony and Honda's new electric car will let PlayStation owners stream their favorite games right to the backseat display. Users will just need their home console connected to a stable internet connection. The EV called the Aphila is due out next year. Those are your Techbytes. I'm Sophie Fleigh. Have a great day. Sad news from the entertainment world this morning. Actor James Ransone has died.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said Ransone died last Friday in an apparent suicide. The 46-year-old was best known for his roles in the hit HBO series The Wire in the movie It Chapter 2. Ransone's career began more than 20 years ago when he starred in the teen series, Ken Park. He made other TV and movie appearances over the years on Sunday, HBO Shader tribute to Ransone on social media. Zootopia 2 fell from first to fifth place, taking in $14.5 million. The SpongeBob movie Search for SquarePants opened in fourth place with $16 million. The House Maid starring Sidney and Amanda Seafreed made $19 million to start out in third place, and the animated biblical adventure David debuted in second place, grossing $20 million.

Avatar Fire and Ash, the third film in the franchise opened with $88 million. Far below 2022 is The Way of Water, which debuted with $134 million, but easily enough to chop top the chart. Okay, 527. I thought you were going to say something about it. Like you wanted to see it. I was waiting for you. I did not see Avatar. I thought you'd add a little commentary there. Okay, 527 now. It's chilly outside this morning, but fortunately that won't last for long. We are expecting a big warm up ahead of the holidays.

meteorologist quailin murphy has that and whatever movie she saw over the weekend coming up next half hour and the trump administration is facing bipartisan criticism releasing only a portion of the geoffrey epstein file straight ahead reaction from lawmakers