classic inspiring america. announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening it is happening. the dreaded winter storm putting holiday plans literally on ice for millions is under way. a stunning 105 million people under some kind of winter weather alert right now from blizzards to rain and floods, fierce winds to life-threatening cold the storm system has it all weather service forecasters in buffalo bracing for what they re calling a once in a generation event. as we come on the air, wind-driven snow has moved from the plains into the midwest, and temperatures are falling through the floor. in denver, the thermometer plunging 37 degrees in 1 hour the most dramatic drop there ever 37 states including those in the deep south are under windchill alerts as real feel temperatures fall below zero in many places and as feared christmas travel plans for millions in jeopardy right now. well over 2,000 flights in and out of u.s. airports canceled with more expe
windchills of 32 below in minneapolis, just 10 degrees at houston, texas. this denver it went from 42 to 5 in an hour. the latest on the massive storm, the cold and how it s making a mess of people s holiday plans. it was really chaos. it was back is and forth and one minute there s a flight at 6:45 and then a minute it s gone. and finally ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy is back in kyiv following his trip to washington. he left with a promise of billions more in aid, but with republicans taking control of the house in just a couple weeks, that maybe a lot tougher to get going forward. i want to begin with this treacherous winter storm causing disruption across the country. this is in iowa. wow. it s not just there. in erie county, new york, it s so dangerous they just issued a driving ban. i want to bring in shaq brewster. katie beck from reagan national. and also with us is meteorologist bill karins. shaq, let me just get started with you. it feels like you re in
let anyone know that if they have a boat, get people. our coverage of hurricane ian continues now with anderson cooper 360. the sheriff here in lee county told reporters about the afternoon destruction that is everywhere tonight. no words to describe what we saw and are seeing in the present tense, which is important to note, because this is an ongoing disaster in florida and potentially in coastal carolina. hurricane in yes, it is a hurricane again taste is taking ada. this is what it did to fort myers beach. is the most impressive storm ever to hit this part of florida. here is our first look at the area from above. it is far from the only look at the destruction that can be revealed from the air. in struct the barrier islands hard severing the bridge to pine island, as you can see here, along with the santa bell causeway which is impassable tonight. it also did considerable damage to marinas up and down the coast, pushing even larger boat around like toys. florida
cnn tonight. listen, one of the most catastrophic storms in florida s history, possibly the deadliest, regained strength to become a category 1 hurricane tonight. south carolina is now bracing for ian s wrath sometime happening tomorrow. and the very latest on its track in just a moment. we have yet to learn the full scope of the destruction caused by hurricane ian in florida. but what has certainly come into focus today truly is hard to find words for. at least 17 people have died so far, and that is linked to hurricane ian. president biden warns there could be substantial loss of life, perhaps more killed by a storm in florida than ever before. but it s really too soon to know more. and also too soon to say that the danger has now passed. i mean, there is debris everywhere. there s water everywhere. power lines are down. trees have been shredded. boats thrown on top of one another. countless homes destroyed, entire buildings washed away. fort myers beach took the brunt of
ohio talking, right? so, they clearly there is no love lost between these two. this has been a testy campaign throughout. this is the second debate. the first debate was no less contentious. you know, one of the things that i think is important to see here is what they re each doing is trying to paint the other as extreme as possible. tim ryan was just trying to say jd vance equals marjorie taylor greene. that s his approach here as they re both trying to court the vast middle of ohio, which is how you would win an ohio election. and, of course, on the other side, vance does the same and tries to portray ryan as completely left wing extremism from his party. part of what the dynamic you re seeing here, you noted or john noted at the top, this is a state donald trump won twice by eight or nine points. pretty red place. keeps trending red, no doubt about it, a pretty red state. and there is such a spending disadvantage on the airwaves right now. since labor day, jd vance