the other big story today. it is hot and it is only going to get hotter. high temperatures and humidity making it feel downright nasty. these workers here along pratt street are taking their time. so they are not overcome by the heat. and a woman in annapolis, trying to stay school with an ice cream cone. really, any cold will bring relief on days like today. and a live look outside right now, when will we get a break from this extreme heat. that looks oppressive out there. meteorologist bernadette woods, tracking the soaring temperatures in the first warning weather center for us. bernadette? >> mary, i think that ice cream cone is a good idea. the temperatures are on the rise again. we're already at 96 degrees in baltimore. the record on the date is 97. so we're pretty close to that record. 94 in d.c. and 94 in easton. 101 in easton. 99 in baltimore, when you factor in the humidity. we have one thunderstorm which has fopped up this afternoon. not much to it at all. but this is all we've seen so far. and it just beginning to form. it will head toward la plata. and there is a potential for a thunderstorm or two as we head through the late-day hours. we'll continue to track this. at this hour, people across parts of the state are still cleaning up, following powerful storms, particularly in anne arundel county. first warning weather coverage continues with alex demetrick, who reports from cepher with the-- severn with the damage. >> reporter: what roared through parts of severn last night, hit hard and fast. following an intense thunderstorm yesterday evening. >> it was an unbelievable storm. we thought there was going to be a full-blown tornado. the way the trees were blowing. rain was blowing sideways. limbs were coming down everywhere. we're lucky this tree stood. >> whether it was a powerful down draft, causing a wind sheer or the funnel rotation cloud cloud is unclear. but the path of destruction left a traceable wind shear. >> three cars. one was a tenant. and the other two was a friend that was visiting. and looks like all three of them might be totaled. >> reporter: although fences and sheds took a hit, there does not appear to be any structural damage to homes. >> i'm 67. never went like that before. >> the damage to these two cars was caused by one immense tree. that wind was very powerful. whether it was from a small tornado, or wind shear, however, is up to the national weather service to determine. back to you on tv hill. thank you, alex. wjz is always on. check in for first warning coverage. check in for live doppler radar any time, log onto wjz.com. hot weather, also being linked to recent problems plaguing marc train service in our area. now, the government wants something done about it. vic is in the newsroom with an update here for us. >> reporter: it is still unclear what marc officials plan to do after several break down, leaving passengers without air conditions. power lines fell, causing delays. another train headed to baltimore, lost power, leaving hundreds of passengers, stranded in the heat. a similar incident occurred on monday. the governor is pressing the mta to look into stopping the problem from happening again. and just a short time ago, wjz learned he got a call of apology from the head of amtrak, which owns the tracks, tawtion the problems. back to you -- causing the problems. the exact cause of the power outages still being investigated at this hour. a new man, now in charge of the war in afghanistan. just hours ago, president obama accepted the resignation of general stanley mcchrystal. kathryn brown reports from wjz, with more on the new man in charge and what it all means. >> reporter: general stanley mcchrystal is out of a job. >> as difficult as it is to lose general mcchrystal, i believe it is the right decision for our national security. >> reporter: president obama yanked the four-star general from the battlefield to the white house. during a 30-minute meeting at the oval office, the president accepted general mcchrystal's resignation. he quickly picked general petraeus to replace him. >> he has worked closely with congress, worked closely with the afghan and pakistan governments. >> reporter: there was an article in "rolling stone" magazine that got officials buzzing. >> reporter: mcchrystal is seen as repeatedly bucking authority. he and his staff are seen bucking everyone from the vice president. >> the conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. >> reporter: general mcchrystal issued a written statement, saying he had resigned because of his commitment to see the mission in afghanistan succeed. the change in command comes at a pivotal time in the war effort. the military is in the final stages of adding 30,000 additional troops into the battle zone. general petraeus was credited with using a surge strategy to turn the war around in iraq. now he'll face what could be an even tougher mission. at the white house, kathryn brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> the "rolling stone" issue with general mcchrystal's controversial comments will hit news stands tomorrow. a dramatic rescue. a barn in silver spring collapsed onto several. the urban serp and -- search and rescue was seen. one horse was not harmed. a vet was called called. >> a major setback in the gulf of mexico. crews had to remove the containment cap after a venting system was bumped. a live at the ocean now. thousands of gallons of crude, flowing into the water. crews are working around the clock. frustrated orange beach residents want bp to hear their outrage. >> we're going to start protesting. and we're going to start getting loud if you guys don't start doing what you're saying you're going to do. and that's all i got to say. >> dozens pack this town hall meeting to tell a company representative, they're not happy with the claims process. and they're worried about the cleanup plan. >> im am beyond anger because too much has happened now. all of the powers that be have to get in there and take care of it. >> reporter: on the day bob dudley officially took the reigns as bp's point man for the spill, the company had a spill below the surface. >> over an abundance of caution, they elected to remove the cap and remove the riser cap in the pipe away. crews hope to begin recapturing the oil. >> until that well is finally shut off, these gulf coast beaches are fighting fresh battles, with more oil washing ashore almost daily. wednesday, crews tackled brown stained sand on the edge. alabama residents hope the cleanup works. >> i don't want it to be ruined. i want it to last forever. for my grandchildren. >> reporter: but right now, red flags signal the water isn't safe. making the beautiful waters of this vacation hot spot off limits to swimmers. joel brown, wjz eyewitness news. and if things weren't bad enough along the gulf coast, a tropical system could make things worse. meteorologist bernadette woods is tracking it in first warning weather for us. bernadette? we have been talking about how the tropical season started june 1st. and the first area we're really watching with a lot of potential is this one, just around cuba and jamaica at this point. you can see, it's not very well formed at this point. but over the next day or so, it's going to drift off to the northwest. and as it does, it's going to enter an area, which is much better for formation. there's not a whole lot of wind shear. that means there's a lot of different winds going in different directions. there's not a lot going on that allows this to start building. there's very warm, warm gulf temperatures going on. and all of that goes on for the potential formation for this storm. and we will keep you updated on this. mary? >> okay, bernadette. thank you. time for our commute home. how are the roads shaping up? >> overall, it's not that bad. we have a few issues as usual. but it is the afternoon rush hour time. one of the problems is going to be on the beltway. a vehicle fire on the inner loop. just approaching 83. doesn't seem to be slowing things down. watch for a wreck on meadow ridge road. and another involving a pedestrian. one in the city on eastern avenue at south washington street. and in pikesville. a downed pole. stevenson. there's a look at your drive times and your speeds, in the mid- to upper 40s and 50s on the top and west sides. so no major delays. there's a look at the west side at baltimore national pike. and there's a look at the top side, at york road. this traffic report is brought to you by bob evans. new farm fresh wraps. visit. stop by bob evans and discover farm fresh goodness. the u.s. soccer team is moving on at the world cup after a heartstopping victory over algeria this morning. the game was scoreless until the 90th minute. here's landon donovan past the breakaway. the shot is stopped. but donovan is there for the rebound and the score. they win their group in advance to round 16. next game is saturday afternoon. the mosh pit of happiness. still ahead on wjz eyewitness news at 4:00. a link between cell phone towers and childhood cancer. the results of an extensive new study coming up. more bizarre twists. murder suspect joran van der sloot continues to make downright bizarre statements as he remains behind bars. indicted, some new developments in the rape allegation against hall of fame football player lawrence taylor. and when will we get some relief from this heat? don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast. subway now has breakfast! your... better breakfast. however you want it! [ male announcer ] spread the word -- subway now has breakfast! get the deliciousness just the way you want it, like the subway western egg white muffin melt. build your better breakfast at subway. pro football hall of fameir lawrence taylor is formally indicted on charges of rape. he was arrested back in may at a hotel in new york, where prosecutors say he paid a 16- year-old girl $300 to have sex with him. in addition to third-degree rape, he was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and patronizing a prostitute. british research papers say they have reassuring news for expecting parents. they just finished the world's largest study with the links between possible cell phone towers and cancer. >> they're everywhere. the towers for cell phones. people have long feared that living near them could lead to cancer, especially for kids. >> with the radiation. it's not good for them. >> reporter: but now, british scientists say there is no link to childhood cancer. >> there was no increased risk. >> researchers looked at 7,000 children and how close their pregnant moms lived to cell phone towers. they found those who developed cancer before the age of 5 were no more likely because of exposure to cell phone signals. >> reporter: the study found you can spend an entire day near a cell phone tower and face less exposure to potentially harmful signals than having a 30-minute chat on your cell phone. >> researchers say their findings should reassure people living near cell towers that there's no reason to move. but some mothers are still skeptical. >> you can never say never. >> reporter: the report analyzed data from 1999 to 2001. it's just the beginning of a cell phone study that will run for 20 to 30 years, following the health of 250,000 europeans. >> reporter: charlie d'agata, wjz eyewitness news. >> doctors say it might be more important to study cancer in adults. because any health effects are likely to appear only after years of exposure to cell phones and their base powers. a back-and-forth on wall street today. a report from the federal reserve did not affect the markets that much. the dow was up 5. s&p off 3. nasdaq down 8. let's go to new york right now, where alexis christoforous had tonight's cbs money watch update. the federal reserve left interest rates at record lows. the economy has shown signs of life, as manufacturing activity picks up. and businesses spend more. but the feds said europe's debt crisis, high unemployment and a high market will keep rates low for a time. new home sales collapsed last month. they sank 33% to the lowest level on record. experts say potential buyers stop shopping for homes. once federal tax credits of up to $8,000 expired at the end of april. and mortgage applications dropped 6% last week, even as mortgage rates decreased. the five states hit hardest by the housing crisis are about to get some help from the obama administration. it will be rolled out in florida, california, michigan and nevada. the white house says the programs will help borrowers who have lost jobs make mortgage payments, cancel second mortgages that have blocked loan modifications, and assist with the payments of piled-up mortgage bills. that's your money watch. for more, stay with cbs money watch.com. in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. and coming up on wjz's eyewitness news at 4:00, lighting up. the tobacco business now under the oversight of the fda. the changes coming for smokers. volunteering is this guy's mission. he is driving across the country and volunteering in 48 different states. this week, he's in maryland. i'm andrea fujii. i'll have his story coming up on wjz eyewitness news. hot night ahead. don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast. wjz 13 is always on. for the top stories on wjz.com. for instant updates and first warning weather all the time, click on wjz.com. ♪ [ female announcer ] mix it. match it. make it yours. the new mcbistro chicken sandwich. choose a juicy, all white meat chicken breast... crispy or grilled. choose a sauce. feeling adventurous? try the new spicy jalapeno salsa. add crispy bacon for a bit more. all on a bakery style wheat roll with white cheddar cheese. the new mcbistro chicken sandwich at mcdonald's. the simple joy of choice. and welcome back, everybody. over the last couple of days, we were talking about dew points with bernadette. but how about sweat factor? >> the dew point can be the sweat factor. it goes hand and hand. anyone here who knows me knows this is one of my biggest points. but it's the biggest forecaster. in the summertime, it really helps you determine what you're going to feel like when you walk outside. when the dew points start to get into the 60s, you're going to sweat. and when they get closer to 70, like they were the past 24 hours, you're really feeling the thickness of the air outside. other r other thing going on, temperatures in the mid-90s w. that, you're definitely going to sweat. right now, we're sitting at 96. the dew point is at 64 degrees. it was closer to 70 degrees earlier today. so it's dropped slightly. but feels like almost 100 in baltimore right now. 101 in easton. and sniff in-- 95 in d.c. and believe it or not, these numbers are going up tomorrow. they turn back around to the south tomorrow. we step it up from here once again tomorrow. and we're looking at a high again of 98 degrees. if that happens, that will match our record high on the day and be the hottest on this entire stretch. we have a storm out there. there's an isolated storm or two out there. and here's the next front coming our way for tomorrow. giving us a slightly better chance. and anything that does get going in this pattern tomorrow could be strong to severe. there's going to be a lot of juice out there. then the front comes in, sort of gives us a little east heat. that's temporary. we're going to top out so slows to 90 degrees on friday. then we go right back up into the mid90s on sunday, as another storm comes our way. with that going on, there's another thing we need to watch. and it's the tropics. we talked about this at the top of the show. but we're watching an area just around cuba. and this area could develop over the next day or so, into a more organized tropical system and make its way into the gulf. winds picking up tomorrow after. small craft advisory will go into effect. and tonight, the forecast. any thunderstorm that forms will die down. we're only going down to 72 degrees. tomorrow, up to 98 for our high. so that's definitely a sweat factor when you see that. the humidity on top of that is going to make it feel more like 100 to 105 tomorrow afternoon. the worst of the stretch of days. so if you do have problems with breathing or if you're going to spend a long period of time outside. this sounds simple. and we've said it a lot. but just be smart this go- around. temperatures going right back up. >> i'm going to beg them not to send me on a story tomorrow. it's not going to work. cbs evening anchor news, katie couric has more on what's coming up. katie, i know you'll have so much more on the resignation of general mcchrystal. >> that's right. we'll have much more on the resignation, the fact that general petraeus is taking over the command in afghanistan. and of course the fallout from that transition. so you're right, mary, we'll have the latest on that. and david martin will revisit the battle that occurred almost two years ago in eastern afghanistan. nine u.s. troops were killed, the most of any battle, since the invasion in 2001. central command conducted the investigation, recommended that three superiors be penalized or actually punished for what happened. because many people say these men were left unprotected when the taliban surrounded them. so david martin will have the very latest on that. the nancy mason has more on a fun story. it's adding 25 historic sound recordings to their national recording registry. and if you'd like to know a few of them, it's the 1935 radio broadcast of the mets, terroristan and isold. also, little richard's tutey frighty. loretta lynn's rendering of coal miner's daughter, not sissy spacek, by the way. but that's anthony mason's story for tonight. we'll have that and more coming up on the cbs evening news. >> katie, thank you. and tupac is from baltimore. >> tell everyone in baltimore, i'm not familiar with that particular tupac song. are you, mary? >> a little bit. only because we're here in baltimore. but thank you, katie. i appreciate it. don't miss the cbs evening news. coming up here at 6:00. and still ahead tonight. on wjz's eyewitness news. >> hundreds of airline passengers stranded on an international flight for hours. what's the matter, ma'am? >> hello. my boyfriend is -- psychotic, i don't know what. he's done it before. but he's got my kids locked in the apartment with him. and he's going crazy. >> missed warning signs, disturbing 911 calls about a man who later went on to kill two people, including a police officer. dramatic testimony in the trial of a baltimore county woman, accused of killing her estranged husband. eyewitness news continues at 4:00,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, it is just after 4:30, 96 degrees and humid. hello, thanks for staying with eyewitness news. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking about. >> more twists and turns in the jor an van der sloot -- joran van der sloot case. it gets more and more bizarre. . >> reporter: charged with the murder of stephany flores in peru, joran van der sloot is still not talking to the judge. but in an interview, he said, it's my own quote that i'm here, adding that he has received a handful of marriage proposals. >> the more he talks, the more evidence the prosecution has against him. he has to stop talking, from a defense point of view. >> reporter: from the infamous castro castro prison. this is his prison cell, with only a thin mattress to sleep on. by recanting his confession, he could end up waiting in this room for two years before going to trial. he is being held in a segregated block away from the general prison population. but behind these walls, van der sloot's notoriety may actually protect him. >> these people are criminals. >> reporter: in a prison that is plagued by overcrowding, it may only be a matter of time before he moves to the general population, a move that could last for 35 years. >> just relax. and not to worry. and let things cool off. [ inaudible ] >> van der sloot was arrested twice in connection with the disappearance of american teenager natalee holloway, but was never charged because of lack of evidence. dramatic testimony in the trial of a baltimore woman accused in the accused killing of her husband. kelsey koontz was on the stand when prosecutors played the nearly 15-minute call she made, as she hid in her closet, lessening to the attack on -- listening to the attack on her father. koontz faces several charges, including first-degree murder and first-degree assault. the prosecution intends to seek a life in prison without parole. the defense intends to seek an insanity defense for pairy koontz. >> we'll have the latest tonight at 6:00. natural resources police are investigating the cause of a fatal boating accident that happened last night in the chester river near chesters county. 56-year-old steven cooler has been reported missing, after he didn't return from a fishing trip. his body was found this morning. an autopsy is being conducted to determine a cause of death. did police in texas miss warning signs regarding a man who later went on to kill a young father and a police officer? investigators released disturbing calls to 911 that were made in the days before the violence. jd miles has more on what the calls reveal. >> just gotta make sure everyone is okay. nobody is hurt. >> you can't see him on this patrol car video. but you can hear david brown, jr., speaking to the police department from his apartment door, after his girlfriend made this 911 call. >> what's the matter, ma'am? >> hello, my boyfriend. i don't know what it's called, psychotic or what, he's done it before. but he's got my kids locked in the apartment with him. and he's going crazy. >> when police arrived, they found a much calmer scene, and questioned brown's girlfriend, who had no injuries and denied any abuse. but the woman said brown could not control his jealousy. she said he was bipolar and may have been using drugs. >> all religious. kind of like if you see someone who is on pcp. >> officers decided to leave without making an arrest. >> we'll get out of here. hopefully that will be last you see of us today. >> they searched the apartment, but they didn't find the assault rifle or handgun that they say brown would use to shoot others before taking it on himself. >> the officers felt comfortable with him staying there. they didn't feel that he was a danger. >> reporter: but the most revealing part of the tape may be when officers are told brown is the son of the dallas police chief. >> his dad is chief brown of dallas. >> chief brown? >> officers decide to make a courtesy call to chief brown. and lancaster chief humphrey said he left a message on brown's phone, which was not returned. >> i did make that phone call. i made a courtesy call to chief brown. >> david brown, jr., the son of the police of chief of dallas, texas, was killed by other police officers responding to the shooting scene. it is still unclear why he went on his rampage. police in nearby delaware arrest suspects in a assault of two women in the stanton area. there was a sketch made of the suspect after the attacks. police used a nationwide dna database to identify the suspect as 40-year-old alfred hubbard. he is charged with sexually assaulting two women at gunpoint. another disturbing incident of airline. passengers are forced to wait on a plane without food or water. >> reporter: sund -- sounds miserable. here you can see some of the passengers when they were finally off this virgin atlantic flight. they were stuck on board, in the heat, for more than four hours. they didn't have any food or water during that. it all started when the flight from london to newark, engine think in, -- new jersey, was diverted. finally, the passengers were bused to newark this morning. denise? >> reporter: thank you, adam. the flight was carrying more than 300 passengers. a tough new set of rules is in effect for cigarette companies. the food and drug administration now oversees how they were being sold. as dean reynolds reports, the new restriction means marketing labels will never be the same. >> reporter: opponents of smoking hailed the changes. >> the most stringent of restrictions that this nation has ever seen. >> reporter: already having ended flavored smoabs like midnight berry or mandarin mintz. the food and drug administration will now end mislabeled things. >> smokers were lured into thinking they were doing something that was not as harmful for them. >> reporter: light cigarettes cause heavy damage. >> they think they've had a healthier option. and in fact, they end up being exosed -- exposed to more harmful effects. >> starting next week, it will be against the law to ship tobacco products through the postal service. stopping a tax-free service for children who buy them online. >> i like the way it looks. it's just fun to do. >> reporter: and the tobacco industry is nothing if not flexible. benson and hedges simply switched from a new word, "light" to a new word, "deluxe. >> we made the decision we were going to go with colors. we felt that was effective. >> reporter: and business is why marlboro says the label is different but your cigarette stays the same. ask for marlboro in the gold pack, something the new york city health department strongly advises against. >> don't be fooled. all cigarettes contain the same poisons that make you sick and kill you. >> and that's not just blowing smoke. >> tobacco use is the number 1 cause of preventable death. another brutally hot and humid early summer day, across the region. a live look outside right now. how much longer will we suffer under these conditions? i'm afraid to ask. wjz has weather and traffic together. meteorologist bernadette woods has the updated numbers from first warning weather. it's getting old. but it is going to continue, believe it or not. want to show you the numbers out there. we are in the 90s for most of us. 96 degrees right at this point in baltimore. 90 in d.c. and when you factor in that humidity that you definitely feel outside, it feels even hotter. closer to 100 in baltimore. 101 in easton. and now, the record for today is 97 degrees. at this point, we're one degree shy of that. but tomorrow, we have a chance at that record. 98 degrees is what we're going with. and that is the record. not one people really want. but there is that chance. we'll have that forecast coming up. let's check in on the roads with sharon gibala. >> reporter: the biggest issue right now is on the freeway. it is in the clearing stages. there was an accident on york road. at this point, the accident is in the clearing stages. but you are looking at a backup to the jfx. now, on the inner loop, also in the area of 83, there is a vehicle fire there off to the shoulder, approaching 83, with a backup behind that as well. meanwhile, wreck on 100. johnny cake road. that one at adams view road. and in the city, an accident on eastern avenue, at south washington street. in pikesville, there's a downed pole. between 695 and hillside road. take stevenson road instead. there is a look at your drive times and your speeds, going down definitely on the top side of the beltway, between the inner loop, 83 and 95 again. that's because of that accident that was at york road. again, it is in the clearing stages. hopefully they'll get out of there as well. there's a look at 50. and if you are headed on 50 eastbound, toward severn bridge, this is where you face a delay. there's a look at the top side at york road, and a look at the west side at baltimore national pike. this traffic report is brought to you by hh greg. new to the area. hh greg browses through the selection. back over to you. >> thank you, sharon. helping others across the u.s. that is what an idaho man is doing as he drives across the country, volunteering in every state. this week, he's in maryland. andrea fujii spoke with him about his project, which is called 48-by-48. 31-year-old drew johnson doesn't mind if you call him homeless. >> and everything i own is in my car. got rid of it all to go travel and help people. >> reporter: his car has been his residence for the last eight months. >> i spend a week in each state, doing volunteer service and charity work in each of those. >> his project is called 48 by 48. volunteering across the 48 continuous states in 48 weeks. meals on wheels in maryland is his 34th stop. >> hot ones are all the same. >> it's nice to see somebody at that age, taking the time, ready to give back to the community. >> reporter: drew was a successful web designer in boise when he dropped it all. he said helping others while traveling is a dream come true. >> all i'm doing is working with people who really care about their communities who really care about the people that they're serving. >> reporter: through his travels, like in ohio and virginia, drew says he's seen only the good in people. >> this is so great. you know, there is actually change going on in this world. and people are seeing needs and going and meeting them. >> reporter: people around the world are following what drew is doing. so far, on facebook and twitter, he has 1,000 followers and counting. >> and he can expect even more fans as he heads off to feed baltimore county seniors. andrea fujii, wjz eyewitness news. and drew's next stop is delaware. if you'd like to follow him on his journey, did to wjz.com. well, good luck to drew. i hope he doesn't have car problems or weather problems or anything. straight ahead on eyewitness news at 4:00. animal abuse, hundred its of black cats found inside one how. hot and sticky wednesday. don't miss the updated first warning weather forecast. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, now i can stop pain from any angle-- with no mess. (announcer) new icy hot spray. relief that's icy to dull pain, hot to relax it away. and no mess. new icy hot spray. don't mess around with pain. there is a happy ending in the seven for missing two hikers. >> we got back to miller camp last night. we both broke down and just cried. because we were just happy to be somewhere where we knew where we were and that we stay. >> the couple said they wandered around for three days, before they followed a river to a well-traveled trail on tuesday. after that, it didn't take long for helicopters and rescue crews to find them. besides some frayed nerves and a couple of mosquito bites, the couple says they are okay. more than 1 husband ,000 evacuated residents are back home. >> the crews say they are now confidence enough in their lines of containmenttainment. but they also say the residents should be ready to evacuate again. no injuries or structural damage reported so far. but there is still a lot in this. investigators believe an abandoned tent -- camp fire sparked the blaze. if you thought crossing paths with one black cat was enough, you'll probably want to steer clear of this. more than 140 black cats living in his home. even veteran animal workers say they were shocked. they started out with three black kittens, five years ago. and from there, it spiraled out of control. >> i was just astounded. i couldn't believe there were this many black cats in one house. i have never seen this many cats in a house to begin with. >> officials say the first cats were not spayed or neutered. and the owners just let them multiply. a canine is back in care thanks to a plumber. turns out one of the pups actually fell into arn open bath drain. a plumber immediately came up and freed the puppy, who they now call drano. the workers say they are now keeping a closer eye on the escape artist. catching up with music superstar usher. coming up tonight, the man who discovered justin bieber is ready to focus on his own career. but first, he's sitting down with me. after a two-year break, usher is back. omg, number 1 on the radio. the album, raymond versus raymond out now. >> i know there were a lot of people who would doubt us. friends, family. it didn't matter. because we were able to do what we do. ♪ [ music ] >> usher told him that they add to his life. >> availability is a great thing. you know? and i think a lot of what you're hearing is a product of this new place. >> are you available now? >> yeah, man. [ laughter ] >> reporter: now, usher joins justin bieber in the video, "somebody to love." usher helped someone get a recording deal after someone saw him on you tube. >> the moment that i met justin, i saw that and then some. the "then some" is what i'm continuing to nurture. also tonight, sandra bullock's big on-stage surprise. plus, the bachelor breakup. that and so much more coming up later on entertainment tonight. >> i want to know what happened to jake. don't miss entertainment tonight on wjz 13 at 7:30. is a break from the heat around the corner? >> meteorologist bernadette woods has your answer coming up after this commercial break. get our hands a little busier. our dollars a little stronger. and our thinking a little greener. let's grab all the bags and all the plants and all the latest tools out there. so we can turn all these savings into more colorful shades of doing. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. right now scotts naturescapes mulch or miracle-gro garden soil is just $3.44. yeah, but... what.. happened to the back there? well, here's the thing: this was the only "sporty two-seater" they had on my budget. uh-huh. and the seats go all the way back. (announcer) settling for less is not smart. what is smart is getting more car for your money at carmax. for the money you'd spend on a stripped down new car, you could get a fully loaded, guaranteed-quality used car at carmax. now more than ever, the smart choice is carmax. the way car buying should be. here's a look outside. is that sky eye chopper 13? yes, it is. and a little haze out there in some places. >> and there's that heat. you can't always really see it in the pictures. but that haze gives you the idea that it's feeling it outside. temperature-wise, we have warmed up once into the 90s today. so far, topping out at 96 degrees for our high. the thing is, that is almost a record. the record is 97. and tomorrow, believe it or not, we are actually stepping it up even more, so it's at 98 degrees. and tomorrow's record is 98. we're coming in at 96 right now. when you factor in that dew point of 64 degrees. it feels even hotter out there. like 99 in baltimore. 101 in easton. and 95 degrees in d.c. so the heat is on. it is going to finish. there's a little bit of a break coming our way, friday into saturday. and we'll get to that in a moment. but it's not a huge break. winds are out of the northwest. and normally, that could be a cool wind for us. and tomorrow, they turn back around to the south. and that brings even more heat our direction. here's the next storm coming through. this is going to give us a little bit of a break, friday into saturday. and it comes our way more so tomorrow. there is a chance for more showers and thunderstorms as we head through the late day hours tomorrow. as that happens, in this kind of atmosphere, anything probably going to become strong to possibly even severe. that's something we'll be watching. now, there is the isolated chance for a thunderstorm this evening. pretty small chance. tomorrow, a better chance with that front. then on friday, with the front pushing off to our south, it temporarily pushes some of that heat away. but notice, you never really fully get in on the cooler air up there to the north. so our humidity takes a bit of a break. and temperatures go down maybe a couple of degrees. but we're still talking about a high close to 90 degrees out there. the other thing going on in the tropics. we're going to be tracking this for the next few days. it's this area right in here. it's not that well formed quite yet. but it's moving into a region where it could become well formed. if it does, this could become our first tropical depression of the season. obviously, something will keep you updated on. it's not expected to strengthen that much in the next 24 hours. but maybe after that. our waters, we do see small craft advisories going into effect tomorrow. now, tonight, going down to 72. that's the only relief we're getting. then tomorrow, right back up. and this time, to 98 degrees. it is going to be steamy out there, making it feel closer to 100 to 105. and that's probably going to be our worst of this stretch. before we knock it down a little bit here. temperatures go up over the weekend again. but tomorrow, probably the worst. just be smart. take it easy out there tomorrow, if you can. >> yes, berb det. bernadette. >> it's not show. still to come on eyewitness news tonight. the nightmare commute on train 538. i'm mike hellgren, at penn station. what went wrong, to leave nearly 1,000 passengers trapped without air conditioning? amtrak's ceo is issuing apology. ,,,,,,,,,, coming up next on eyewitness news at 5:00. hot and gray. the investigation into what left passengers trapped with no air conditioning. i'm alex demetrick. and coming up, mother nature hits hard in anne arundel county. that story as eyewitness news continues. earthquake tremors in maryland. i'm weijia jiang in towson. next on wjz eyewitness news. hear firsthand accounts of what many people felt. stoirk r. check in for more on these and all the day's breaking news. >> eyewitness news at 5:00 starts right now. severe weather, extreme heat, strong storms storms and power outages across maryland. >> is there any relief in sight? the very latest in first warning weather. hi, everybody. i'm mary bubala. >> i'm adam may. the heat and humidi