senior meteorologist rob marciano leading us off tonight. he's in dallas. >> reporter: tonight, a severe weather outbreak slamming the south central u.s. more than 25 million on alert from texas to missouri. torrential rain causing treacherous travel conditions for the evening commute in plano, texas. dangerous and destructive winds already whipping through dallas, measured to 63 miles per hour, with possible tornadoes through the night as the storm moves east. >> this is my concern for east texas. you're a level 4. we don't see that very often in the fall. >> reporter: this same system wreaking havoc in denver. >> i was just like, oh, man, please don't let me get hurt. please don't let me hurt anybody. >> reporter: a flash freeze being blamed for this 100-car pileup on an icy overpass overnight. temperatures plunging from the 70s thursday to the low 20s, catching drivers off guard. >> i tried my best to stop, but it wasn't working out. slid into a dump truck, got hit like four more times. >> reporter: dozens injured. cars left stranded. >>

rob marciano standing by with the timing and track. he is in florida. >>> speaker nancy pelosi for the first time describing the police at her door, breaking the news of that brutal attack on her husband. >>> tonight, speaker pelosi asked how the assault could affect her future in congress and how she answered that question is making news tonight. >>> the war in ukraine. our team with extraordinary access to the iranian drones being used by the russians to attack ukraine. and the other major headline tonight, one of putin's key allies says he did meddle in u.s. elections and that he will do so again. james longman inside ukraine tonight. >>> back here at home massive explosions and a fire at a chemical plant in georgia. communities evacuated fearing more explosions. >>> tonight the question, who wants to be a billionaire? tonight's powerball jackpot the largest in history. what the jackpot is now at tonight and we're live in line with americans coast to coast. >>> good evening, tonight from abc news, election headquarters in new york c

rob marciano live in dallas. thank you, rob. >>> tonight, house speaker nancy pelosi speaking on camera for the first time since the attack on her husband paul pelosi about his condition. she thanked people for their well wishes, support. amid these growing threats she said, quote, there's no question that our democracy is on the ballot. abc's mola lenghi in san francisco tonight. >> reporter: tonight, speaker of the house nancy pelosi addressing that vicious attack on her husband one week ago, on camera for the first time. >> it's going to be a long haul, but he will be well. and it's just so tragic how it happened. but nonetheless, we have to be optimistic. >> reporter: paul pelosi now recuperating at home after being released from the hospital. this as lawyers for the suspect, david depape, and state prosecutors appeared in court today. >> what is clear is that he was targeting the speaker, that he did not find her in her home. instead he found her husband and that he enacted violence on her husband. >> report

>> rob marciano back with us tonight. thank you, rob. >>> in the meantime tonight, the battle for control of the house and for control of the senate still undecided tonight. and in those critical senate races, we already know georgia, of course, headed to a runoff. so, tonight here, we turn to arizona and nevada. how many votes still left to be counted, and where are they from? rick klein is standing by at the big board, and terry moran on the ground in arizona tonight. >> reporter: here in maricopa county, they're counting the votes. and they've still got a long way to go. more than 400,000 ballots are left. the republican chairman of the county board tells us that in arizona, where 90% of voters vote by mail, this is how elections work. >> there's nothing wrong with what's going on. this is the process. it's been like this for years. >> reporter: each ballot must be signature checked, scanned, and verified by a bipartisan board, by law. candidates in the tight senate race reassuring their supporters. democrat incumbent

rob marciano live in florida. rob, thank you. >>> we move on now and next tonight, house speaker nancy pelosi in her first interview on that brutal attack on her husband, and tonight speaker pelosi is asked how the assault could affect her future in congress. how she answered that question. matt gutman from california tonight. >> reporter: tonight on the eve of the election that will determine whether democrats keep control of the house, speaker nancy pelosi in her first interview since the brutal hammer attack on her husband paul acknowledging to cnn's anderson cooper the attack will impact her decision on her future in congress without saying what the decision will be if she's no longer speaker of the house. >> have you made the decision in your mind, whatever that decision might be? >> well, i have to say my decision would be affected about what happened the last week or two. >> will your decision be impacted by the attack in any way? >> yes. >> reporter: pelosi emotional recalling the moment police woke her up

rob marciano with the forecast in just a moment. stephanie ramos leads us off right here in new york. >> reporter: tonight, remnants of hurricane nicole now moving up the east coast. tornado sirens sounding in downtown richmond. >> oh, boy, look right here at the lightning strikes. those lightning strikes are really cycling up. >> reporter: heavy rain inundating drivers in boone, north carolina. hurricane nicole made landfall early thursday, south of daytona beach, as a rare november category 1 storm. and it absolutely eviscerated florida's coastline. dozens of homes and hotels, crumbling to pieces down below, or left teetering and uninhabitable. abc's victor oquendo in daytona beach shores. >> residents tell me they've never seen anything like this. authorities have declared 49 buildings unsafe, calling the structural damage unprecedented. and there is still danger. officials warning if you go anywhere near the beach, you're putting your life in jeopardy. >> reporter: climate scientists say rising seas are making coastal floods flo

>> rob marciano with us tonight. rob, thanks to you and matt rivers tonight. >>> we're going to turn now to the major turn in the killing of four college students in idaho. what the coroner reveals in this case. here's mola lenghi. >> reporter: tonight we are learning new details about that grisly attack on four college students near the university of idaho. the coroner telling newsnation the victims were found in beds and were possibly sleeping at the time. >> all of them have been ruled murders. it has to be somebody that's pretty angry in order to stab four people to death. >> reporter: she says the killer stabbed the victims with a large knife multiple times, with the fatal wounds to the chest or upper body. the coroner telling us they have yet o determine whether there were any defensive wounds. those new autopsy details have not been confirmed by police or prosecutors. for the first time we're seeing three of the four victims inside the home just weeks ago. >> did anybody do their chores today? in. >> reporter:

rob marciano tonight. rob, thank you. >>> in the meantime, we turn now to the war in ukraine, spilling ov saying, what the pentagon now believes about that missile, and russia's response. abc's tom soufi burridge near that blast site in poland tonight. >> reporter: tonight, as investigators scour the blast crater, u.s. military leaders agreeing with nato allies that the missile that killed two people within poland's borders was probably fired by ukraine to intercept incoming russian missiles. >> this explosion was most likely the result of a ukrainian air defense missile that unfortunately landed in poland. >> reporter: poland's president calling it an "unfortunate accident." the head of nato agreeing. >> this is not ukraine's fault. russia bears the responsibility for what happened in poland yesterday. >> reporter: but in a rare disagreement with his allies, president zelenskyy today saying, "i have no doubt that it was not our missile and not our missile strike." zelenskyy saying his assessment came from

let's get to senior meteorologist rob marciano. okay, rob. >> we're just past the halfway mark and you see how the snow totals are already and 59 inches now in orchard park and nearly five feet and that's why they moved it and inn elma, eight inches and that plume continues to pepper high 90 and it will shift a little bit more, i think this the downtown area of buffalo tonight off ontario and look at lake michigan and we don't want to check our friends inches of snow as the flow continues to come off the great lakes and we get a reinforcing shot of cold air and another one to two feet from erie to buffalo over the next two to six hours and that's where the heavy stuff is going to be and from everybody in the lower 48 continues to be cold below freezing windchill in places like atlanta, little rock and dallas tomorrow morning. david? >> rob marciano tonight with us, and our thanks to you and matt rivers. >> we'll turn to the murder of four college students from the university of idaho. what the coroner has now revealed in this case.

victor oquendo and rob marciano in the storm zone. >>> also tonight, the battle for control of the house and the senate still undecided tonight. the key senate races in arizona and in nevada, too close to call. 400,000 votes left to be counted in arizona. many of them early ballots, and we'll tell you where those votes were cast, and what it might say about where this race is headed. also, nevada tonight, where the votes are still being counted and what it could mean for both candidates there. terry moran in arizona, our political director rick klein back at the big board tonight. how close these races are and, of course, the runoff now in georgia. >>> the economy and tonight, encouraging news. signs ininflation is now slowing. the new number bores tonight and the stock market soaring on the news. >>> tonight, amid soaring cases of rsv in children across the u.s., you'll see the dramatic video here, showing police officers performing cpr to save a 1-month-old baby girl who had stopped breathing. the baby does survive. we'll hear from the mother tonight. and what authorities are now urgin

rob marciano and the team in place to cover this. and we thank you, rob. >>> in the meantime, we turn to the stunning images just coming in tonight, the world's largest active volcano in hawaii roaring back to life. and the urgent warnings at this hour for residents there. mauna loa on hawaii's big island erupting for the first time in 38 years. a thermal camera, look at this, capturing the moment it erupted. lava pooling in the crater right at the top. our chief national correspondent matt gutman with the pictures coming in now. >> reporter: tonight, new helicopter video capturing mauna loa's fiery awakening, erupting for the first time 38 years. the world's largest active volcano roaring back to life, after it's longest dormant period on record. >> you can clearly see that that's lava coming down mauna loa. it is nuts. >> reporter: thermal cameras showing the moment it erupted, spewing volcanic gas into the sky and sending lava gushing out from the summit crater. time-lapse video also capturing the blast of ash, debris, and molten

let's get straight to rob marciano. tell us what we can expect. >> well, it's been a mess all day long along the i-95 corridor. this is a big system, going to take all night i think the clear. let's show you the radar where the steadiest rains are entering through new england. the low is back over ohio and michigan. so heavy rains tonight will end from west to east, but hang around, northern new york and northern new england, it does clear by the morning. pacific northwest, next storm up, this one bringing in valley rain and mountain snow through the cascades to the rockies. could see one to two feet, certainly some cold air, and that energy dropping into the plains late monday. by tuesday afternoon and tuesday evening it looks to be a powerful severe weather setup. potential for seeing tornadoes from central louisiana up through memphis, tennessee, through the overnight hours of wednesday. looks to be a dangerous time for the south. > we know you'll keep an eye on it for us. thank you. >>> former president trump is und

rob marciano is live. >>> tonight, will the rail strike be averted here in the u.s.? congress taking action. tonight, house democrats and republicans voting to force workers to accept a tentative deal. so, what next from the senate? with questions still remaining over sick leave. rachel scott live on the hill for us. >>> the emotional plea tonight and you'll see it from a family urging parents across this country to know who your children are talking to. chilling new details tonight, the former virginia state trooper who allegedly posed as a teenager and drove across-country to pick up a .nge d rning the home, and what he allegedly did to that family. matt gutman reporting. >>> tonight, the new images coming in, the volcanic e run someone on the big island of hawaii, and now the real concern tonight over the main highway there. mola lenghi reporting. >>> the terrifying moments for police. their body camera video after a deadly shootout. the startliing moment he's foun hiding around mattress. >>> tonight, we have important news on alzheimer's. a new drug and results co

rob marciano standing by to time this out. >>> tonight, the new images just coming in, for the first time in 38 years, the world's largest active volcano erupting on the big island of hawaii. lava beginning to flow. the sky glowing red tonight. what residents there are being warned at this hour. and matt gutman with the pictures coming in now. >>> in buffalo, new york, tonight, the gunman accused of killing ten people at that top's super market, because they were black, pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder, and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. and what the judge did today in that courtroom. stephanie ramos in buffalo. >>> the extraordinary images coming in from china tonight. growing protests against extreme covid lockdowns. clashing with police. and why they're now holding up blank sheets of paper. the message they're trying to send to the world. and what this could mean for the global economy and right here at home. martha raddatz standing by tonight. >>> former president trump and the backlash, after having dinner with both kanye west, condemned for anti-semitic remark

but first, rob marciano with the preparations. he's in jensen beach, florida, tnight. >> reporter: tonight, angry atlantic waves from nicole, a massive storm crashing ashore. look at the white caps and wave action here on the indian river. this isn't even the ocean. and this isn't even high tide. this sea wall's taking a beaten. those houses in jeopardy. this road certainly going to be flooded tonight. in daytona beach shores, officials forced to evacuate families from multiple high rises. the properties already sustaining damage from hurricane ian. our ginger zee in daytona beach. >> the storm is still more than 250 miles away and the erosion has been epic. look out this window. the sliding glass door of a home. they lost 30 feet in just the last 24 hours. we had a backyard yesterday. we don't today. >> workers racing to try to save these homes. shoring up the land they sit on with boulders before the next high tide. airports and theme parks in the storm's path shutting down. nicole already making one landfall this afternoon in t

rob marciano times it all out for us. >>> the winter virus warning. hospitals are filling up as america battles three major viruses. we hear from a young mother as she describes her pain with her 7-month-old baby now on life support. >>> remembering aaron carter, the child star who died suddenly. his older brother nick from the backstreet boys speaks out for the first time tonight, writing that his heart is broken and his message about addiction and mental illness. >>> the biggest lotto jackpot ever and why tomorrow's powerball drawing will shatter all previous records. >>> and running with a message. her marathon journey to help women. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >>> good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this sunday. i'm linsey davis. as we come on the air tonight, the final countdown to the critical midterm elections is under way. across the country, democrats and republicans are making their final pitch to voters amid new concerns about election security. millions have

let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. hey, rob. >> reporter: hey, linsey. pretty quiet tonight, but that changes quickly tomorrow to where nearly everybody will get some weather problems at some point this weekend. look at the maps and we'll show you, pretty easy going on the interstates and airports tonight, but a winter storm up for parts of texas. that energy coming out of denver, might see some snow. but dallas to houston, thunder and lightning potentially across i-10 during the day tomorrow. that pushes into the east. most of the east seeing rain on friday. that second system, that one's a little bit stronger. that brings another round of rain and thunder for dallas along i-20, getting across the mississippi. that pushes into the northeast on sunday. looks to be mostly rain from chicago to new york, but all these interstates will have some slick spots, certainly, as we wrap up this holiday weekend. linsey? >> all right, rob, thank you so much. >>> the justice department's investigation of the january 6th attack on the capitol is now turning toward form

let's get right to rob marciano, live from jackson, mississippi. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. we got a late start to this severe weather upbreak, but things are ramping up. we have a lot of potential energy to work through tonight. they've expanded the tornado watch, it now goes into alabama and all those tornado warnings, there are several of them, that one near hattiesburg, that's a tornado on the ground. they are being pushed along at 55 miles an hour. this, as night falls, very dangerous. speaking of winter, we still have the snows going on in minnesota and wisconsin. the northeast will get it, too. but let's time it out across the south here. the next five to six hours will be most dangerous, in through mississippi and alabama, pushing into north georgia by around midnight. atlanta, you get it, too. these things do weaken somewhat tomorrow, but it will still be a dicey day. and look how quickly it gets into the northeast. wind and rain for a messy day and evening come mute for new york, d.c., and boss to be. by far the most life threatening weather is here in the south to

rob marciano timing this out. >>> the race tonight to avert a crippling rail strike in this country just before christmas. and, of course, the potential impact on the economy as a whole. president biden with top leaders from both parties at the white house. can congress force the workers to accept the deal reached several weeks back? mary bruce tonight. >>> the major new clues this evening in the murders of two teenage girls in delphi, indiana. for the first time, what an unsealed court document now reveals. >>> the new images coming in. the world's largest volcano in hawaii, tonight, the lava shooting 200 feet into the air. residents now being told to be prepared for the worst. mola lenghi and our team there. >>> team usa wins. the showdown between the u.s. and iran. and news tonight on the star player for the u.s. who scored that winning goal, now in the hospital. will reeve at the world cup. >>> actor will smith and the interview tonight. what he now reveals about that slap at the oscars. >>> and america strong tonight. a team we've been reporting on for months here. and what they've

rob marciano is tracking the bitter cold blast and a possible late week storm as millions travel for thank >>> twitter reinstates donald he plform? and new trouble to the former president as top republican presidential contenders turn on him. rachel scott on the race for 2024. >>> new details in the murder mystery of the university of idaho, including a flurry of phone calls from one of the victims in the hours right before the gruesome attack. authorities holding a press conference late today. >>> the close call as an asteroid whizzes through the night sky. where nasa scientists say the meteorite pieces landed. >>> and the winter heating crisis. a perfect storm of factors could add up to record fuel costs. the simple steps that could save you up to 20% on your bill. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight." >>> good evening, everyone. thanks so much for joining us on this busy sunday. i'm linsey davis. tonight, a colorado community is reeling after a massacre at a popular lgbtq plus club in colorado springs claimed at least five lives,

rob marciano is standing by to time it all out. >>> the new details from the walmart shooting. a survivor who had started working on the overnight shift just five days ago reveals what she says the gunman told her while pointing a gun directly at her. how she managed to get out alive. >>> president biden renewing his call for an assault weapons ban after the recent spate of violence from virginia to colorado springs. >>> the deepening mystery in mexico. an american dies under suspicious circumstances, now an arrest warrant is issued. what we're learning tonight. >>> the race to survive in ukraine, as russia steps up attacks. new strikes targeting a recently liberated city in the south. major cities plunged into darkness. millions now in survival mode. without electricity, many are searching for clean water. our marcus moore tonight from kyiv. >>> workers and chinese police clash over covid restrictions. and pay at apple's biggest iphone factory. what the dispute could mean for the international supply chain. >>> the dramatic rescue on a pond in illinois. officers race to save a

let's get to rob marciano. rob, we can see the messy conditions hitting the east coast. time this out. >> reporter: it's moving quickly, whit. it was in georgia this morning. the center in west virginia moving 47 miles an hour. here's what it looks like on the radar. in west virginia is where the center is. the warm side has the heavier rain into parts of new england. we're squeezing it in with a cold front and that's squeezing more rain out. it doesn't clear new england until late tomorrow. behind the front here comes the cold. temperatures dropping 30 degrees. saturday morning windchills looking bitterly cold. it gets to the northeast sunday and monday. whit? >> not looking forward to that. rob, thank you. >>> now to the midterm elections. in arizona and nevada the ballot counting continues with senate races too close to call. what election officials are saying about their efforts to count ballots. abc's senior national correspondent terry moran in phoenix. >> reporter: tonight, with votes still being counted in arizona, some voters here are angry and suspicious that t

let's go to abc's senior meteorologist, rob marciano. hey, rob. >> hey, linsey. much of the central u.s. has been dealing with this cold for a couple days now. and there will be places in the midwest that once again see temperatures that will feel like the single digits tomorrow morning. what's most impressive is it encompasses most of the lower 48 with below average temperatures. we have a little disturbance coming out of the rockies. some moisture coming out of the gulf. and winter weather advisories for parts of texas, oklahoma, and kansas tomorrow as this system makes its way to the great lakes and northeast. some rain headed to places like atlanta after their freeze warning this morning and by wednesday, potentially seeing heavy snow across northern new england. if this system came in january, it would be a whole other story. linsey. >> bundle up. rob, thank you. >>> still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday, including the search for a young mother who went missing. what has her family particularly concerned. >> and more than a dozen teenager

victor oquendo and rob marciano in the storm zone. >>> also tonight, the battle for control of the house and the senate still undecided tonight. the key senate races in arizona and in nevada, too close to call. 400,000 votes left to be counted in arizona. many of them early

rob marciano times it all out. >> also, chaos in china. massive demonstrations over covid lockdowns, unprecedented acts of defiance, even calls for president xi's ouster. protesters blame those strict zero covid policies for trapping residents inside a burning apartment building, killing ten. >> new fallout after trump's dinner with kanye west and a white nationalist. what the white house is saying

rob marciano timing this out. >>> the war in ukraine spilling over the border.

rob marciano standing by to time this out. >>> tonight, the new images just coming in. for the first time in 38 years, the world's largest active volcano erupting on the big island of hawaii. vainning to ow. whaten tre are being warned at thr. pictures coming in now. >>> in buffalo, new york, tonight, the gunman accused of killing ten people at that tops supermarket, because they were black, pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder, and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. and what t

rob marciano standing by to time this out. >>> tonight, the new images just coming in, for the first time in 38 years, the world's largest active volcano erupting on the big island of hawaii. lava beginning to flow. the sky glowing red tonight. what residents there are being warned at this hour. and matt gutman with the pictures coming in now. >>> in buffalo, new york, tonight, the gunman accused of killing ten people at that top's super market, because they were black, pleading guilty to murder, attempted murder, and domestic terrorism miv

rob marciano is live. >>> tonight, will the rail strike be averted here in the u.s.? congress taking action. tonight, house democrats and republicans voting to force workers to accept a tentative deal. so, what next from the senate? with questions still remaining over sick leave. rachel scott live on the hill for us. >>> the emotional plea tonight and you'll see it from a family urging parents

let's get straight to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano, keeping an eye on what's in store. what can we expect, rob? >> reporter: well, linsey, we have two systems that will be following each other across the eastern three-quarters of the country. today, southeast texas getting it the worst, with over five inches of rainfall south of houston. flash flood warnings there. the radar still active along i-10. that will push off towards the east during the day tomorrow. and the entire east coast will get some rain. on the heels of that storm is a more powerful one coming to the same spots. dallas, houston, oklahoma. maybe little rock getting a little more action. and that will get into the northeast for a rainy and difficult travel day, as we wrap up the holiday weekend. linsey? >> maybe slow going. rob, thank you. >>> we turn now to the deadly rampage at a walmart in chesapeake, virginia, where six families are spending the holiday without loved ones, after a gunman opened fire on night shift workers. and tonight, one of the survivors is speaking out about her harrowing escape, a

rob marciano is standing by to time it all out. >>> the new details from the walmart shooting. a survivor who had started working on the overnight shift just five days ago reveals what she says the gunman told her while pointing a gun directly at her. how she managed to get out alive. >>> president biden renewing his call for an assault weapons ban after the recent spate of violence from virginia to colorado springs. >>> the deepening mystery in mexico. an american dies under suspicious circumstances, now an arrest warrant is issued. what we're learning tonight. >>> the race to survive in ukraine, as russia steps up attacks. new strikes targeting a recently liberated city in the south. major cities plunged into

rob marciano standing by to time this out. >>> house speaker nancy pelosi's first public comments since the brutal attack on her husband. what she said today and what she revealed about paul pelosi's condition. mola lenghi in san francisco. >>> tonight, with elon musk in charge of twitter now, thousands of workers learning they have lost their jobs,ft

rob marciano standing by to time this out. >>> house speaker nancy pelosi's first comments since the brutal attack on her husband. what he said and what she revealed about paul pelosi's condition. >>> tonightonight, with elon mu charge of twitter,

rob marciano timing this out. >>> the war in ukraine spilling

rob marciano timing it all out. >>> also, battle for control of the house and senate. new numbers in the arizona senate race and what we're now seeing in that tight showdown in nevada. ballots in both states still being counted. how long before america sees the final resultsing? terry moran in phoenix.

victor oquendo and rob marciano in the storm zone. >>> also tonight, the battle for control of the house and the senate still undecided tonight. the key senate races in arizona and in nevada, too close to call. 400,000 votes left to be counted in arizona.

so let's get the latest on the storms now from rob marciano in texas. rob, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, janai. the past 18 hours in northeast texas has just been horrific. the roar of the tornadoes interrupted by these beeps. the piping, insulation all gone but a lot of this brick uilt ou brick. everyone went without serious injury and most of the street is nearly completely flattened in this devastating round of november twisters. overnight, a severe weather outbreak striking the south central u.s. 18 tornadoes ripping through 3 states. one person died in oklahoma, but texas getting the worst of it. about an hour east of dallas, this tornado tearing through the town of sulfur springs uprooting tree, debate flying everywhere, crushing cars. this funnel touching down near paris, texas, injuring several people there. >> i have one person missing in a house right now, and i've got multiple victims out here. >> completely destroyed my house on 3200. >> reporter: k9 search and rescue crews searching the rubble. in nearby powderly, tex

. >> rob marciano says, once the heavy rain clears, parts of the country will experience cold weather. >> heavy rain through western parts of pennsylvania and upstate new york. we could see more isolated flooding. behind this, once it does clear, we look for much colder air to ro ibehind nicole made landfall thursday south of daytona beach, florida, as a rare november category 1 hurricane. the storm destroyed coastlines. dozens of homes and hotels crumbling to pieces or left dangling and uninhabitable. climate scientists say rising seas are making floods further deeper inland, making once in a century incidents like this almost yearly. >> the structural damage along our coast line is unprecedented. we have never experienced anything like this. >> christine sloan, abc news, new york. >> the number of flu cases in the u.s. is bad and getting worse according to the cdc. the latest numbers show more than 3 million cases already across the country with 23,000 hospitalizations and 1300 deaths. those numbers are nearly double from a week ago. the hospitalization rate this early in the season

overnight more than two dozen tornadoes touched down in the south and that is where we find our rob marciano in jackson, mississippi. rob, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, t.j. the sun now coming up in jackson, mississippi. it's been a very difficult year here at the capital of this state on many levels. we're grateful we were spared the worst of the event. it was a terrorizing 12 hours or so in mississippi and across the south as the severe weather outbreak took place. overnight, tornadoes, torrential rain and damaging winds taking aim across the south. in mississippi, louisiana, and alabama, at least 21 tornadoes reported. that number expected to rise. the national weather service calling it a particularly dangerous situation. extreme winds made for perilous driving conditions with dangerous lightning illuminating in the sky as a tornado ripped the steeple off this church. in louisiana four people seriously injured after a twister tore through the caldwell parish area. two people had to be rescued from under debris. residents coming together with flashlights searching for anyo

our rob marciano is in memphis for us this morning watching out for those tornados. rob, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, t.j., you're right. a dangerous day ahead for the south. storm shelters like this one are opening up in anticipation of seeing strong, violent tornados that could be long track. this one was built not too long ago, 2016. it is stout and it can withstand winds of 250 miles per hour and that's the strength of an ef-5. it's missile impact resistant, so very safe. it can hold up to 2,000 people. truly a community safe room that will come in handy because today mississippi is the bull's-eye for the most intense storms that we expect later today. we have high humid, winds in different directions. that will make for powerful tornados that will move fast and some will come in the middle of the night. if it feels like this is late in the season, remember, just last year we had the devastating mayfield tornadoes where dozens of people were killed. that happened in december. we could have tornadoes like that today and that is why they're

. >>> our senior meteorologist rob marciano is in atlanta with the latest on the track of this storm. good morning to you, rob. >> reporter: hey, good morning, amy. the center of nicole is still over 100 miles away from atlanta but the rains here have started to arrive in atlanta, georgia. traffic ongoing in peachtree street. lot of school districts have closed in anticipation of this storm. it's kind of front-ready the northern part of where most of the action is. the tornado threat will be ongoing today, huge watch box from myrtle beach up to virginia beach into richmond until at least 3:00 today so that will make this storm dangerous as will the wind threat for georgia and the smokey mountains, some trees and power lines down. it will arrive in the mid-atlantic today. across the northeast a bit of a mess. >> all right, rob, we thank you, as always. >>> we want to turn to the alarming flu spike. the cdc says so far this season there have been nearly 3 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 1,300 deaths from the flu. those numbers nearly doubling from a week ago, our erielle

rob marciano is in jensen beach, florida, with the latest there. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're about 30 miles south of vero beach. we were in the eye, no doubt. we are on the back side. this is bayside flooding. a river and now with the wind we're getting all sorts of wave action. we're getting debris on this side too. 2x4s and other damage continues to work its way upshore. i want to show you some of the wind gusts. they're all north of here. thank you for participating, sir. 74-mile-an-hour wind gusts in port canaveral. that also happened to be where the biggest storm surge was of six feet getting fresh video out of st. augustine getting wind and waves there and look at the warnings up and down the east coast and on the west coast if you're tampa through the big bend where this storm is heading, storm surge there and into charleston, south carolina, as well. huge chunk of the southeast getting a piece now of hurricane nicole. t.j. >> incredible video we're seeing there. thank you so much. robin. >>> the dangerous weather is causi