NBC Connecticut meteorologists are tracking two storms that could create issues here in Connecticut.

SATURDAY'S STORM

The first storm will arrive during the early morning hours on Saturday.

Expect rain to develop after midnight with moderate showers continuing throughout much of the day.

It does appear that there could be a lull in the rain shower activity by the afternoon.

We expect rainfall totals between 0.5"-1" with isolated higher totals.

We're not expecting major flooding however higher rainfall totals could lead to minor river/street flooding.

MONDAY NIGHT/TUESDAY STORM

We're tracking a second storm that could create more impacts as we head into Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

This storm will have a wintry side to it.

We expect snow to develop for most of the state Monday night before transitioning over to sleet, freezing rain, and plain rain.

Right now it does not appear that this storm will stay all snow. 

With that being said a wintry mix could create big issues as we head into Tuesday mornings commute. 

We will keep a very close eye on this going forward and provide updates as new information arrives. 

After a video went viral on Twitter showing a college-age Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dancing on a Boston University rooftop, the new House representative defended herself from her would-be ridiculers by breaking out a new set of moves.

In the original video, Ocasio-Cortez is seen dancing exuberantly alongside other students and wearing a Boston University T-shirt with her hair flowing in the wind. The 2010 clip was part of a larger music video showing BU students dancing on the College of Arts and Sciences building to the song "Lisztomania" by the band Phoenix, according to the school's BU Today website.

The clip surfaced when an anonymous Twitter account shared it to try to insult the New York Democrat, calling her a nitwit. The video went viral Thursday, the day Ocasio-Cortez was sworn into office. Some attempted to mock the politician with the video, the original poster later deleted the account, and others rallied to Ocasio-Cortez's defense.

Comedian Ike Barinholtz wrote that Ocasio-Cortez was "being fun and cool," and actor George Takei said he wants her to "give me dance lessons."

Ocasio-Cortez fired back Friday with a smile and twirl, tweeting a video of herself cutting the rug in front of her new Capitol Hill office. This time, she sported a dark pantsuit, red lipstick and pulled-back hair.

"I hear the GOP thinks women dancing are scandalous. Wait till they find out Congresswomen dance too! Have a great weekend everyone :)" she wrote on the post.

Fellow Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) supported Ocasio-Cortez's groove, tweeting, "If we can't dance it's not our revolution."

The 2010 clip even received its own tribute Twitter account: @aoc_dances. The user posts the video with various songs playing in the background, including One Direction's "Best Song Ever" and Toto's "Africa."

A man stabbed a pregnant woman in the neck in front of her children while trying to steal her car as the family was returning to a Hamden home after a New Year’s Eve party, according to police. 

Police said officers responded to a home on a Fairview Avenue after the 31-year-old New Jersey woman called police around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday and told them she was pregnant and severely injured. 

The woman, who is six-months pregnant, was bleeding profusely from the carotid artery when officers arrived and she was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital with life-threatening injuries. 

Police said they determined that the woman, her two children, nephew and fiancé had been returning to a relative’s home after a New Year’s Eve celebration and a man “ambushed” the victim after she parked her vehicle in the driveway and stabbed her several times in the neck as her children looked on. 

Police identified the suspect as 18-year-old Naji Deneutte, of Hamden, and said he was trying to steal the victim’s car. 

The woman was able to fend Deneutte off and he ran from the area, police said. 

Investigators quickly identified Deneutte as a suspect and went to his home with a warrant on Thursday, recovered evidence and found a stolen loaded firearm under his mattress, according to police. 

Deneutte was arrested and charged with assault in the first degree on a pregnant person, criminal attempt to commit carjacking, theft of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm and possession of marijuana. 

He was held on a $550,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Jan. 17.

There has been a fourth death from the flu in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Health. 

The department released new statistics Friday that say the flu remains widespread and there have been three flu deaths associated with influenza A and one with influenza B. Three were people 65 years old and over. The other is between 50 and 64.

There have been a total of 787 positive influenza laboratory tests for the season, between Aug. 26 and Dec. 29 and a total of 268 patients hospitalized. Of the positive reports, 662 were influenza A (subtype unspecified), 64 influenza A (2009 H1N1), 11 were influenza A (H3N2), and 50 were influenza B, according to the Department of Health.

Health officials said there is still time to get a flu vaccine.

Dozens of puppies are doing well after they were rescued from a Danbury pet store following a fire in a neighboring building Thursday night.

The store’s owner is crediting their survival to witnesses who rushed in to help.

”All the puppies are doing excellent. Everybody is absolutely fine,” said Puppy Love owner Sean Silverman.

The 86 puppies are resting up after they were temporarily relocated to another nearby business that opened its doors when they saw the animals outside in the cold.

The Danbury Fire Department said the fire started in a storage facility belonging to Danbury Powersports around 9 p.m. Thursday. That building is just feet from the pet store.

"We didn’t really sustain a ton of damage. There was actually no fire in the store. It was the building behind us, so right now, hopefully, to be back in there by tomorrow,” Silverman, who has owned the business for more than 20 years, said.

Because of the quick action of firefights and good Samaritans, all the puppies made it out.

”You just do whatever it takes to get in, so I took the wrench and wherever it was hanging on, I just bashed it down. As soon as it folded over this door like this, I climbed up, went through,” explained Dan Cook, who was the first in the building when he saw the flames and realized there were animals in danger.

”It was just a human chain and people were just pulling them out. We had them all in the street. Like the street was closed and then we just brought them right here. We just wheeled them right to here and in,” Silverman said.

The owner of Stanziato’s, a neighboring restaurant, opened their doors to the dogs.

”We have a space that we’re expanding into that’s empty right now, so we had it available. The pups were cold outside, so we brought them inside. We counted them. All 86. It was a great experience. It was unreal,” Mauro Tropeano said.

Silverman said he and his staff will not forget the generous gesture, nor the bravery of those involved in the rescue.

“Everybody came together. It was absolutely incredible. Really. You couldn’t thank the people enough,” Silverman said.

Bridgeport police have made an arrest in what they described as a deadly hit and run Friday morning.

Police said a male victim was hit by a car near Boston Avenue and Kent Avenue around 11 a.m. He was rushed to Bridgeport Hospital where he was pronounced dead. He has not been publicly identified.

Police confirmed they have made an arrest in the case, but offered no other details.

The case remains under investigation.

A Hartford teen is accused of bringing marijuana gummy worms to school and sharing them with other students, making them feel sick.

Police said a 14-year-old student brought the edible marijuana gummy worms to the R. J. Kinsella Magnet High School of Performing Arts Friday and shared them with seven other students. The students reported feeling sick and were examined by the school nurse, who determined they were suffering minor effects from the drug.

One student was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center as a precaution and was later released. The other students were released to their parents.

The student who brought the gummy worms was issued a summons for risk of injury to a minor. She was also suspended from school and faces disciplinary action.

The investigation is ongoing and other charges are possible.

Congressional leaders met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to work on a deal to end a partial government shutdown. Negotiations were expected to continue through the weekend.

Police in Arizona are investigating a long-term care facility after a report, based on a single anonymous source, that a woman who has been in a vegetative state for at least a decade gave birth.

Phoenix police would only say that "the matter is currently under investigation," when asked about the report of a patient in a vegetative state at Hacienda HealthCare facility giving birth to a baby boy on Dec. 29. 

A unidentified source told local station KTVK that caretakers weren't aware the woman was pregnant until shortly before she gave birth, and a nurse only realized that the patient was in labor when she started to moan. The source, said by KTVK to be someone "familiar with the situation," said the baby is healthy.

The source also said the patient has been in a vegetative state and at the facility for about 10 years after a near-drowning incident.

Many people have been feeling sneezy or sick to their stomach this winter and they’re not alone.

Illnesses are spreading fast in Connecticut, including the flu.

In the most recent data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health released Friday, there were more than 200 newly confirmed flu cases for the week ended Dec. 29, 2018.

The new report shows that another person has died from flu-related illness, too, bringing the total to four reported flu-related deaths. Three occurred in people over the age of 65; one was in a person between 50 to 64 years old.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Oliver Mayorga at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital said his staff is seeing the spike.

“I’m about to start my shift in the emergency room and I’m going to go see some patients who probably have the flu,” Mayorga said.

At L+M facilities in New London and Groton, staff reported three confirmed flu cases from Dec. 2 to Dec. 10; nine confirmed flu cases the week of Dec. 18 to Dec. 24; and from Christmas to New Years Eve, the number more than doubled to 23 confirmed flu cases.

Mayorga said this is typical for this time of year. Plus, people can have the flu and possibly not know it.

“The flu test is not 100 percent sensitive so you can certainly have the flu and your test could be negative,” Mayorga said.

“I had a fever for about five days, runny nose, my eyes watered so much they got swollen, I threw up constantly, I could barely eat,” said Selena Baker of Waterford.

The college student battled the flu last year. This year, she hasn’t been immune to other viruses.

“I caught a few cold viruses. You know, just regular stuff, the coughing, the sniffling, the chills, not feeling good, fever,” Baker said.

“In the winter we begin to see a lot of things circulate,” said Ledge Light Health District Epidemiologist Russell Melmed.

Flu activity is elevated across the state and in New London County, Melmed said.

“Roughly 10 to 10.5 percent of all the cases coming into the emergency room in our area are for flu-like symptoms. So that tells us there’s a lot of flu going around right now,” according to Melmed.

Statistics from the Connecticut Department of Public Health through the week ending Dec. 29 show that flu activity remains widespread and has rapidly increased the last two weeks of 2018. Emergency Department visits were up 2.3 percent from the previous week, according to those statistics.

And between Aug. 26 and Dec. 29, 268 patients have been hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza.

It’s not too late to get a flu shot. Last year, around late February/early March there were “tremendous” numbers of flu cases, according to Melmed.

There are many other illnesses going around this winter, too. A common cold and norovirus are both prevalent.

“Norovirus makes people very, very sick when they get it,” Melmed said. “Nauseous, vomiting, diarrhea, it comes on very suddenly.”

Theresa Grimm has had family members come down with norovirus this season.

“It’s awful because it’s just 24 hours where they can’t eat and you’re trying to keep fluids in them,” Grimm said.

To keep others in the house healthy, she took extra steps to try to keep the house clean.

“It’s bleach and then everybody washes their hands and washing the sheets and the pillows and the pillow cases,” Grimm said.

Doctor’s orders: if you get the flu or any other winter illness, rest, hydration and symptom control are key.

For the first time in U.S. Marine Corps history, women will be training alongside men during boot camp, NBC News reported.

A platoon of about 50 female recruits began training Friday at a boot camp with five male platoons in what is traditionally an all-male battalion at the corps' facility at Parris Island, South Carolina, according to a statement.

The integration of women and men at boot camp is "a first in the history of Marine Corps recruit training," the corps said.

Connecticut State Police are responding to a serious crash on New London Road in Colchester.

Police confirmed a crash near the Tractor Supply Co. at 150 new London Road. Multiple injuries have been reported.

No other details were immediately available.

Check back for updates.

With tax season fast approaching, filers seeking money back on their 2018 income taxes could see delayed refunds if the federal government shutdown continues.

According to an Internal Revenue Service operational plan for the shutdown, issuing refunds is listed under "non-excepted" activities that would be furloughed during the stalemate.  The agency is operating with just 12 percent of its workforce, mainly focused on technology and security.

Jenny Brown, head of the union representing IRS employees in Ogden, Utah, told The Standard-Examiner that Ogden serves as a support center for income tax inquiries from the general public. 

Brown, who's president of Local 67 of the National Treasury Employees Union, said with minimal IRS staffing, those with questions are "not going to get through" on IRS phone lines or they're going to have much longer waits than usual.

Tax season normally kicks off toward the end of January. Last year, the IRS began accepting returns on Jan. 29, CNBC reported.  Within days, the IRS has received more than 18 million returns and processed over 6.1 million refunds averaging $2,899 each, according to CNBC.

The IRS plan only outlines how it would handle a shutdown in the first five days, but with Congress and President Donald Trump at an impasse over funding for wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, the agency may have to revise their procedures and force employees to report to work without pay. 

Additionally, taxpayers are about to file for the first time under the new tax code, which took effect in 2017. Implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act "requires creating or revising hundreds of tax products including worksheets and tax forms, form instructions and publications as well as changes to current IRS policies and procedures." That work is likely to be stalled by the shutdown.

Taxpayers tend to receive many of the forms they need to file, including the W-2 and 1099 in January. For those still wanting to file as soon as possible, tax prep service providers say they are ready to receive early returns.

"Filers can prepare their tax returns now and beginning Jan. 4, TurboTax will securely store completed returns for transmission to the IRS and states once they begin accepting e-file," TurboTax said in a statement. 

The company, along with others, also offers refund advances – short-term loans that you can receive within days of the IRS accepting your return. You would then use your tax refund proceeds to pay off the loan.

Interstate 84 eastbound is closed in East Hartford after a truck rollover, according to the state Department of Transportation.

CTDOT said the highway is closed between exits 55 and 56 in East Hartford. Expect delays in the area.

More information was not immediately available.

Check back for updates.

Three men died and four were injured in a shooting at a bowling alley in Torrance, California.

Police responded to calls of shots fired at Gable House Bowl on Hawthorne Boulevard around midnight on Saturday and found multiple people injured with gunshot wounds. Two men were transported to a local hospital.

One of the dead men was identified as 28-year-old Astin Edwards, who was at the bowling alley with his cousin and some friends when things escalated.

"He was trying to break up the fight. Girls and this guy came out of nowhere and started shooting," his father, Dwayne Edwards said.

Another victim was identified as 28-year-old Robert Meekins, who leaves behind a 5-year-old son.

"When I go home and tell him that his daddy's not coming back, it's going to break his heart because he's a daddy's boy, always has been," Meekins' mother Anglean Hubbard said. "And I wonder the person that sat up here and took all of these people's lives, how is he sleeping? How is he dealing with that? He done took somebody's father. Somebody's son. I just want justice for my son and all the people that was in there."

The third victim, 20-year-old Michael Radford, was also a father. He leaves behind an 8-month-old daughter, according to his sister.

Wes Hamad, a 29-year-old Torrance resident, said he was at the bowling alley with his 13-year-old niece and cousin when he saw a "huge fight" break out. Hamad said the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, blocked the entrance of Gable House Bowl and devolved into "complete chaos."

"I grabbed my niece and started running towards the far end of the bowling alley," he said. "As we were running, we heard 15 shots."

As he was leaving, Hamad said, he saw a woman weeping over a man who was riddled with multiple gunshot wounds in his head and neck.

The victims have yet to be identified and police continue to investigate what led to the shooting.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Hartford Yard Goats are holding auditions for the 2019 Dance Team on Saturday.

The auditions, conducted by Studio8Sixty, begin at 9 a.m. and youth dancers ages 10-18 are welcome to try out. No registration is necessary. Dancers are asked to come in sweatpants and sneakers.

Participants are asked to enter Dunkin' Donuts Park through the Yard Goats Entrance, which is on the corner of Main Street and Pleasant Street. The dance team auditions will take place inside of the YG Club on the second level of the park.

The dancers selected to be on the dance team will perform at selected Yard Goats games.

NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut are proud to be the official television partners of the Hartford Yard Goats.

Families are calling for justice on Saturday after five New Britain Police officers were cleared of any wrongdoing after shooting a 20-year-old man to death.

They gathered at the very spot where the shooting occurred.

On Thursday, the Fairfield State's Attorney's Office released its report regarding the incident that happened on December 14, 2017. It said the five New Britain Police officers had reason to fear for their lives.

According to the report, in 10 seconds, the officers fired 28 shots at a car with three men. They hit and killed the driver, 20-year-old Zoe Dowdell. An 18-year-old was also injured and a 15-year-old in the car was not hurt.

The two teens were both charged in connection with the incident.

The report said police were following the vehicle for its alleged involvement in several carjackings and robberies in the city.

Video showed the seconds when police fired into the car after it didn't stop.

Dowdell was shot four times in the head, neck and legs.

New Britain Police said the five officers are still employed, but are on restricted duty while the department conducts and internal investigation.

The Connecticut ACLU, which represents Dowdell's father, claims all the evidence hasn't been released.

Three men died and four were injured in a shooting at a bowling alley in Torrance, California. 

Police responded to calls of shots fired at Gable House Bowl on Hawthorne Boulevard around midnight on Saturday and found multiple people injured with gunshot wounds. Two men were transported to a local hospital.

Police say they haven’t identified the suspect or suspects and are looking through surveillance footage. No arrests have been made.

One of the dead men was identified as 28-year-old Astin Edwards, who was at the bowling alley with his cousin and some friends when things escalated.

"He was trying to break up the fight. Girls and this guy came out of nowhere and started shooting," his father, Dwayne Edwards said.

Another victim was identified as 28-year-old Robert Meekins, who leaves behind a 5-year-old son.

"When I go home and tell him that his daddy's not coming back, it's going to break his heart because he's a daddy's boy, always has been," Meekins' mother Anglean Hubbard said. "And I wonder the person that sat up here and took all of these people's lives, how is he sleeping? How is he dealing with that? He done took somebody's father. Somebody's son. I just want justice for my son and all the people that was in there."

The third victim, 20-year-old Michael Radford, was also a father. He leaves behind an 8-month-old daughter, according to his sister.

Wes Hamad, a 29-year-old Torrance resident, said he was at the bowling alley with his 13-year-old niece and cousin when he saw a "huge fight" break out. Hamad said the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, blocked the entrance of Gable House Bowl and devolved into "complete chaos."

"I grabbed my niece and started running towards the far end of the bowling alley," he said. "As we were running, we heard 15 shots."

As he was leaving, Hamad said, he saw a woman weeping over a man who was riddled with multiple gunshot wounds in his head and neck.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

An Uber driver in Baltimore did what Uber drivers tend to do when talking to passengers: Hype the local sports team while bashing their upcoming opponent. He had no idea that while he was lauding the Baltimore Ravens and ripping the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the teams' playoff matchup, he was talking to one of the Chargers' star players.

Running back Melvin Gordon shared video he secretly recorded of a good-natured debate with Uber driver in Baltimore on Saturday, a day before the Chargers face the Ravens in an AFC Wild Card playoff game.

"You see the enthusiasm and motivation," the driver said, expressing confidence that the Ravens would not only beat the Charges, but reach the Super Bowl.

Gordon countered by praising the skills of LA's quarterback Philip Rivers, tight end Antonio Gates and, of course, himself.

"I think the Chargers got a good running game too," he said. "I like that Melvin Gordon too."

The conversation remained amicable until the end of the ride, when Gordon revealed his identity to the driver.

"Well I'm Melvin Gordon man. I'm the running back for the Chargers," Gordon said as he stepped out of the car.

The driver, in disbelief, asked Gordon for his autograph and a selfie to which Gordon happily agreed.

Millions of Americans could face going without the benefit that allows them to purchase food if the government shutdown continues into February, NBC News reported. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, costs an average of around $4.8 billion per month, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But because of the government shutdown, the program has only $3 billion in emergency reserves for February.

More than 19 million households in the United States receive food stamps, accounting for nearly 39 million people. Each household receives on average $245.28 per month. 

But because of the shutdown, USDA has no money to pay for the program in the ensuing months. The agency also had to furlough approximately 95 percent of Food and Nutrition Services, the office that oversees the SNAP program.

The White House and the USDA did not respond to requests for comment about their plans to address the shortfall, but experts say there is cause for concern for the millions potentially impacted.