A section of the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles is closed Monday morning due to potentially dangerous travel conditions caused by ice, wind and snow.

The major north-south route through California's Central Valley was closed early Monday after weather conditions continued to case problems overnight. The southbound side of the road was closed at Grapevine Road. The northbound side of the road reopened at Parker Road as California Highway Patrol officers escorted drivers through the area, about 200 at a time.

The snow level is expected to descend to between 2,000 and 2,500 feet this morning, with moderate snowfall expected on north slopes in the San Gabriels and in the northwestern corner of the Antelope Valley. Up to eight inches could accumulate in the northwest foothills in the Antelope Valley, and between three and seven inches could pile up on the 5 Freeway near Gorman and The Grapevine amid icy conditions and winds blowing at between 25 and 40 miles per hour and gusting at 60 mph.

There was no estimate when the freeway would be reopened

A winter storm warning denoting dangerous travel conditions was scheduled to be in effect in the San Gabriels and the Antelope Valley until noon.

A wind advisory also will be in effect until noon in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys. In both areas, winds of 15-25 mph were expected, along with 35 mph gusts. Also in force was a high surf advisory, which will be in effect in Los Angeles County until 2 a.m. Tuesday and in Orange County until 3 a.m.

Dangerous driving conditions are also expected in the Antelope Valley, including on Pearblossom (SR 138) Highway, amid snowfall and winds of between 30 and 45 mph, gusting to 65 mph, it said.

In the San Gabriels above the 6,000-foot level, between one and two feet of snow are expected, with six to 12 inches expected on north slopes between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, and two to four inches at 3,000 feet, the NWS statement said.

The storm began generating rain Saturday night. This morning, 21,000 customers served by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were without power, while 70,000 Southern California Edison customers were reported to be on the dark. The numbers had been even higher earlier.

Off the coast, "very strong" west-to-northwest winds were blowing this morning, with the NWS reporting winds of between 30 and 46 knots, gusting to 45 kph through this morning. Seas of up to 19 feet were expected in the outer waters, it said. A gale warning will be in force until 2 p.m. Tuesday.

In these conditions, "it is highly recommended that mariners without the proper experience seek safe harbor before the onset of gale conditions," a statement said.

An employee of the Ross in Chula Vista was stabbed repeatedly late Sunday and investigators say he was targeted in the attack.

The attack occurred just before 9:30 p.m. at the store on Palomar Street near Broadway, east of Interstate 5.

Chula Vista Police found a store employee stabbed multiple times in his chest and face.

The man, who police have not identified, was taken to UCSD with what police described as serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Police say witnesses saw a man walk into the store and begin stabbing the victim.

No arrest was made and no suspect information was released.

Investigators say they do believe the employee was targeted but they have not revealed why.

Anyone with information can call Chula Vista Police Department at (619) 691-5151.

Alabama police on Monday were hunting for two "armed and dangerous" suspects who allegedly committed a string of armed robberies and abductions on Sunday morning, NBC News reported. 

Brian Fitzgerald and Brittany Harper — both 31 — were wanted on one count of first-degree kidnapping and one count of theft, The Vestavia Hills Police Department said. Fitzgerald is also wanted on a count of burglary in connection with the incident and there should be "similar charges and warrants" from other jurisdictions soon, the police department added in a statement.

The duo kidnapped a woman from her Vestavia Hills home and abducted a male inn manager in Tuscaloosa. They are also believed to be linked to at least three other robberies on Sunday, according to police in Hoover, Alabama. 

"The two suspects are armed and dangerous and should not be confronted by anyone except law enforcement," the Vestavia Hills Police Department said in a statement.

The final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines was suspended due to extreme weather conditions. That’s what happens when the day turns in to a scene from Caddyshack.

Wind gusts up to 50 mile per hour and heavy rains had the South Course on the San Diego coast looking a lot more like something you’d see in Scotland.

“This is like a British Open. This is not like California weather,” said Brandt Snedeker, the 2012 champion of this event. “The British last year at St. Andrews got pretty bad, kind of like this. There were guys hitting 5-irons from 120 yards today. It’s crazy stuff you can’t practice for. You just have to get lucky and hopefully get the right wind gusts.”

You might recall last year heavy rain and 40 mile per hour winds forced the Open Championship to finish on a Monday for only the second time in its 144 year history. To compare sunny San Diego to that is nothing short of astonishing.

“You don’t think about anything out there,” said Snedeker. “Throw the swing thoughts out. You’re just trying to play golf and get the ball in the hole as fast as possible.”

The leader when play stopped was Jimmy Walker, who’s 7-under par after 10 holes. K.J. Choi, who also played 10 holes, is one shot back. Snedeker is tied with Choi, one shot off the lead, but he’s in a unique position.

Snedeker is one of just a handful of golfers who actually finished their round on Sunday, making him the clubhouse leader. He’s also the only one to go under par for the day, shooting a phenomenal 3-under 69 that gets a spot on the short list of his best days on a golf course.

“This is one of my best rounds on tour by far,” said Snedeker. “It’s better than shooting 61 here my rookie year. I’ve shot some 63’s to win tournaments before but under these conditions to shoot anything under par or even around par is a good round. To shoot 69 when you need to is really special. It’ll go down as one of the best rounds I’ve played because of how awful it is out there right now.”

Snedeker was speaking with the media when the final warning horn of the day sounded, pulling golfers once again off the course.

“I don’t want to hear that,” he said. Snedeker knows a Monday finish means the course is going be much more playable.

“I want them out there playing because that’s what I had to play through all day. I want them out there going through the misery that I had to go through,” Snedeker said with a smile. “If they come back tomorrow it’s not going to help my cause if it’s nice, not windy and fine.”

Snedeker is also in the interesting position of having to stick around for another day. He was planning on going to Arizona on Sunday night to get ready for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Now he has to wait around in San Diego to see if he’s needed for a playoff … or perhaps to hoist a trophy on Monday.

Play will resume at 9:00 a.m. Monday on the South Course. Due to safety concerns spectators will not be allowed to watch the conclusion of the event.

Propane cylinders and combustible storage items fueled a large fire Monday morning at an industrial building in the Glassell Park area north of downtown Los Angeles.

A passer-by called 911 to report the fire at about 5 a.m. in the 3000 block of North Fierro Street. More than 140 firefighters responded to the fire, which burned for about two hours and sent thick smoke over the industrial business area.

A sign on the building identified it as Diamond Straw Inc. Firefighters said they are attempting to determine what kind of business is operating out of the metal building.

No injuries were reported. Firefighters protected neighboring buildings and no homes were threatened by the fire.

By about 6:30 a.m., white smoke began to drift from the building, but fire crews remained at the scene. San Fernando Road is closed between Los Feliz Boulevard and Fletcher Drive during the morning drive.

"There is going to be a significant impact to traffic," said spokesman Brian Humphrey, of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters declared a knockdown at about 7 a.m. Details regarding the cause were not immediately avaialble.

Refresh this page for updates.

Three teens driving around Rancho Santa Fe found themselves in a dangerous situation Sunday when the truck they were driving was swept away by the strong current of a creek.

“We just kind of floated down river, like just kind of took us down and we kind of flipped over,” Ben Ripley and Ricky Heidt told NBC 7. “Our friend drove through that this morning and he thought he could make it a little after and we just took off and lost control of the water, flipping back and forth, on top of each other the car hit something.”

The teens had decided to drive through the creek for fun. The incident happened around 6:44 p.m. in the Elfin Forest. The rescue was complicated because of the tall trees around where the truck had gone in.

“He went through it this morning very easily,” Ripley and Heidt explained of the driver. “We came back because he thought it was fun and right when we hit it and we tipped over and started flowing down river, no control.”

Fire fighters worked for two hours to rescue the boys. Swift water teams came in as the teens hung on, sitting on top of the truck as the current passed underneath them.

“I didn't know how we were going to get out, the water was coming so fast around the car and it felt like it was going to keep moving,” one of the teens explained.

“They could have easily been hurt or killed tonight in this high water,” RSFFPD Battalion Chief Bret Davidson told NBC 7. “So we don't want anybody driving through...The water was only two to four feet deep at the time, but two to four feet of moving water is all it takes" 

The boys said they’re very thankful to the dozens of fire fighters and rescuers who saved them, and they say they won’t be driving through any creeks again.

A baby and her older sister escaped injury when a large tree fell on their family's minivan in Santee Sunday, crushing the driver's side roof. 

Powerful winds have downed dozens of trees and utility poles throughout San Diego County as the result of a winter storm that arrived just before noon.

One couple was in the Wal-Mart parking lot at Town Center Parkway in Santee around 3 p.m. when a tree fell on the family's van. 

A family member told NBC 7 the children's mother called asking for help.

“She said a tree had just hit her car and I was scared to death,” family member Robert McKechnie told NBC 7.

McKechnie rushed to the parking lot to help.

The couple suffered minor injuries but their three-year-old daughter and their baby in the back seat were both unharmed. Both parents were transported to the hospital.

People in the parking lot, and WalMart managers, also rushed to help the family. 

A fast-moving and powerful winter storm swept San Diego County, with winds powerful enough to down trees and utility poles and make the Monday morning commute potentially dangerous.

Downtown San Diego, Coronado, Del Mar and Mission Beach residents experienced gusts around 40 mph.

Several boats in the San Diego Bay broke loose from their moorings overnight, turned over or crashed into the rocks, according to Harbor Police.

A wind advisory was in effect until 6 p.m. for the coast and valleys in San Diego County.

The El Nino-fueled storm that arrived around noon Sunday caused damage to many neighborhoods from Oceanside to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Winds pushed a tree at Coral Bay Apartments on Clairemont Drive and with it a gas meter was pulled from the complex. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials evacuated several units while utility crews fixed the leak. No one was injured.

San Diego Gas and Electric crews worked overnight trying to restore power to thousands of customers.

At one point Sunday, 60,000 customers lost service according to SDG&E officials.

While many people are talking about the powerful winds, there is a 20 percent chance of rain Monday morning.

“Our coastline didn’t receive as much rain as some of our inland valleys,” said NBC 7 Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh.

Fallbrook and Poway recorded more than an inch of rain, Kodesh said.

Several school districts canceled class due to snow and wind. They include Julian Union Elementary School District, Julian Union High School District, Mountain Empire School District and Spencer Valley School District.
 

A 48-year-old woman in a passing car died after a giant tree fell onto the car and three others in Pacific Beach, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department told NBC 7 San Diego. 

Powerful winds have downed dozens of trees and utility poles throughout San Diego County as the result of a winter storm that arrived just before noon.

The large oak tree, eight feet in diameter, fell across Ingraham Street, south of Grand Avenue. The massive tree crushed four cars. Three of those cars were parked and a third was driving by at the time.

Chris Travis was driving behind the woman who was hit.

“It happened within seconds,” Travis said. “I'd say a minute of us pulling up. It was really emotional, it was rough. because you just felt helpless, it could have been us.”

Travis jumped out of his car to try and help but says there was no response from the driver. He called 911 only to find the phone lines were busy.

The tree completely blocked off the road crushing three other parked cars and even getting into neighbors' yards across the street.

It took firefighters several hours to cut through the branches and trunk and recover the victim's body.

“You just never know what's going to happen,” Travis said. “Just love your family and friends.”

 All four lanes of the street are blocked as officials investigate. The area is expected to be blocked late into Sunday night. 

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin spoke with Today anchors Savannah Guthrie and Matt Lauer about supporting Donald Trump and the controversial comments she made about PTSD and President Obama.

"I am so glad that Donald Trump is on our side when it comes to the political spectrum. We should celebrate that he has come over on the right side," said Palin.

Palin said supporting Trump "wasn't [a] tough" choice.

She also addressed her comment at a Trump rally on Jan. 20 in which she said the arrest of her son was due to post traumatic stress disorder. Track Palin was taken into custody for a domestic violence charge earlier in January. 

During those remarks, she spoke of President Obama, allegedly suggesting that Obama's lack of "respect" and "honor" for vets had affected her son's condition.

"I never blamed President Obama,'' Palin said on Today. "What I have blamed President Obama in doing, though, is this level of disrespect for the United States military that is made manifest in getting budgets, in not trying to beef it up and let our military do the job that they are trained to do."

"What did I say that's offensive. I don't regret any comment I made because I didn't lay PTSD at the foot of the president,'' said Palin.

For most of the students at Pioneer Day School the thieves who stole their iPads took more than iPads – they stole their voices.

The majority of kids at the Ocean Beach school are autistic and, for them, the iPads are a way of communicating.

Students and teachers arrived at the school on Santa Monica Avenue Monday morning to find the school broken into. Doors had bee en kicked in, cupboards and locks were tampered with, and worst of all the iPads had been taken.

“Imagine you have duct tape over your mouth and you're not allowed to take your words out in the community with you today,” Sabrina Avants explained.

Avants is a behavioral analyst at the school. She said many of the children at the school struggle to speak and the i{ads make it possible for the students to communicate. She said when she saw the devices had been stolen her initial thought was how would the students communicate.

“This is our main thing,” she said. “This is our mode of communication with our kids.”

Classes continued without the iPads, but for students like Raven it wasn’t easy.

Like many other students her iPad was customized to her specific needs with apps that can cost a couple hundred dollars by themselves.

“We have kids who in the past have had severe aggression, have injured themselves, have injured others,” Avants explained. “And most of that is because they are trying to communicate something to us and we don't what it is they're trying to communicate.

Jim Leiner founded the school for students with special needs 13 years ago.

“It's heartbreaking,” he said. “This isn't just stealing our technology. This is stealing a child's voice box. This is how our students communicate.

Unfortunately this break-in is only the most recent. Three years ago someone did the same thing – stealing from students these invaluable tools for learning and communication.

“Get a life,” Leiner said of the thieves. “Our students would represent the most vulnerable people in our society, and they’re kids.”

Please bring it back,” Avants implored. “You can leave it in the front door or the step. But we really, really need them.”

News of the break-in has gotten a big response from the community and many people have already reached out to help.

The Caruso Family Foundation in LA just offered to donate $15,000 to cover the cost of the iPads according to Leiner.
 

A popular wedding spot in San Diego was destroyed when two historic trees fell in a powerful El Nino-fueled storm Sunday.

High winds topped two trees in the San Diego Botanic Garden. One crashed into the Waterfall Deck, a popular place for couples to marry at the garden. A second tree fell in the rainforest area of the garden.

The trees were Torrey Pines planted by the original owners, the Larabees.

A spokesperson for the garden said that any weddings scheduled for the Waterfall Deck will take place in another venue on the property.

Hamilton Children’s Garden was not damaged. All other areas of the garden remain open.

An 85-year-old man crossing the street in Carlsbad was hit and killed by a passing truck early Monday morning.

Carlsbad police said the collision happened in the northbound lanes of El Camino Real, north of Marron Road, just before 6:30 a.m.

Police said the 54-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Colorado struck the pedestrian as he was crossing the street. The man wasn’t crossing at a crosswalk, police said.

Drugs or alcohol were not believed to be a factor.

Northbound El Camino Real at Marron Road was closed as police investigated and cleared debris from the site.

The roadway was expected to reopen after several hours.

Sunday’s night of wild weather left hotel guests in Mission Bay without electricity, heat and water.

Strong winds toppled over a tree near Mission Bay Drive and Quivira Road, knocking out power to the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay.

Kim Miller and her family were returning from dinner when they realized something was wrong.

"The hotel was completely pitch black. There was no emergency lights on, the room was totally dark, and it was actually kind of scary,” said Miller.

A gas line and main water line were also affected, so even when power was restored at about midnight, guests did not have water or heat.

On Monday morning, Miller learned water had been restored to a limited number of rooms, but hers was dry. She still had not heard anything by way of explanation from the hotel, she said.

"It's been a struggle. We're disappointed because we came to visit and obviously have a good time here in the hotel, and it's been very disappointing,” said Miller.

She and her two children, a 2-year-old and a 7-month-old, decided to check with the desk about the situation and were told much of the hotel did not have access to restrooms or hot meals.

Portable toilets were brought in, and employees were serving cold food in the hotel’s restaurant. Miller said that brought up concerns about sanitation.

"If the employees can't wash their hands with hot water, I certainly don't want them feeding my 2-year-old fruit. It's like camping at this point," she said.

When she was in the hotel’s business center, she finally found a letter of explanation – which she said was not distributed to each room.

In it, the hotel manager said they are doing everything they can to work with the city and get water and heat restored to the whole property.

“While we understand how frustrating this situation has been to you as our guest, please understand that our primary focus has been on the safety of our guests,” the letter reads.

NBC 7 has reached out to the hotel manager, but we have not heard back.

Miller said the hotel could remedy the situation by compensating them for Sunday night’s stay.
 

 Jaime Lutts loved her career in the U.S. Navy.

She deployed with USS Carl Vinson to the Persian Gulf and spent years working in air traffic control.
But after six years, Lutts said she was ready for a change. But after her transition to civilian life, Lutts found herself on the brink of homelessness.

Lutts was a part of a growing group of people experiencing homelessness: female veterans. Interfaith Community Services Executive Director Greg Anglea said a growing group of people they welcome to their Escondido center is female veterans.

“We serve more female veterans now than we ever have before,” Anglea said. He said 20 percent to 30 percent of the veterans they now serve now are women.

The Regional Homeless Task Force, an organization which tracks the number of homeless people in the county, reports a 22 percent increase in veterans experiencing homelessness from 2014 to 2015. That 22 percent equates to 500 to 600 more veterans. However, over the past five years, there has been a general decrease from a 2010 peak.

Lutts, who spent her days in the Navy working in air traffic control, was honored for her achievements. Shortly after leaving the Navy, the new mother’s marriage fell apart. She found herself using her last dime for a room at a local hotel.

“You don’t think the way civilians do,” Lutts said. “You’re thinking combat zone you’re thinking fighting, you’re thinking standing by your brothers and sisters and when you get into the civilian world you think it is a little easier, but it is not.”

Out of resources, Lutts heard about an organization in the North County whose mission it was to help veterans like her: Interfaith Community Services.

“When I called Interfaith, I was kind of at the bottom and I had nowhere else to go,” said Lutts. Interfaith in Escondido served more than 1,000 homeless veterans in 2015.

The non-profit believes that, in order to serve veterans like Lutts, the best approach is a comprehensive one, which includes vouchers for apartments.

“Someone is so much more able to be successful when they are in their own home and not in a shelter,” said Anglea.

The non-profit additionally offers support services, career counseling and jobs programs for veterans, where veterans can get their civilian life together for the long term.

“Interfaith gave me more than they will ever know,” Lutts said. She is now working and growing at her new job. She told NBC 7 San Diego she loves her new life as a working mom who is proud to say she served her country.

The NBC News Entrance Poll shows age, issues and ideological differences strongly influenced which groups of Democrats supported Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the Democratic caucus in Iowa.

Clinton was the solid choice among 88% of Democrats who valued experience over other candidate qualities, and among 68% of those who want the next president to continue Obama's policies.  

Meanwhile young voters went for Sanders overwhelmingly. 

A blizzard threatened to dump more than a foot of new snow and snarl traffic for millions of people across eight states in the midwest on Tuesday. 

NBC News reported that the storm is likely to span from Nebraska and Wyoming to southeastern Wisconsin after moving out overnight from Colorado. 

As forecasts on the storm came in, more than 525 arrivals and departures were canceled Monday at Denver International Airport as the city was forecast to get up to 14 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

"This storm has the potential to affect thousands of people," said Rachelle Lipker, executive director of the Red Cross in central and western Nebraska.

Two new legal marijuana dispensaries opened last month in Mira Mesa and Barrio Logan, upping the total in San Diego to five.

Eight more dispensaries have been approved and are expected to open in the next few months.

The manager of the Harbor Collective in Barrio Logan told NBC 7 they were able to open due to a change in zoning rules. He said he has spent over two years trying to open. They carry a lot of CBD products and other kinds of medical marijuana.

Both the Harbor Collective and the Mankind Cooperative in Mira Mesa opened in mid-January.

The Harbor Collective is planning a grand opening for February 13.
 

With 99 percent of precincts in, TedCruz led with 28 percent of the vote versus 24 percent for Trump and 23 percent for Rubio.

The caucus was the first fight in a bitter conflict in the Republican Party over rival ideologies. 

Cruz ran on a pledge to faithfully represent the grassroots right, who he argued would respond by turning out in greater numbers in the general election. Rubio, solidly conservative himself, argued he could bring voters who had backed Democrats in the past into the GOP field with a more universal message that emphasized his son-of-immigrants biography.

Trump took a completely different path, ignoring GOP tradition in favor of a swaggering populist appeal that targeted independents and loose partisans who are disillusioned with politics entirely.