been cutting the mustard for four generations. this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. good evening. half the country tonight staring down some of winter s worst in all its forms as we head into the weekend. from close to a foot of snow predicted in the northern plains and the midwest, these pictures from iowa where several inches are already on the ground with more to come the carolinas bracing for ice and even high wind and fire warnings across texas to eastern new mexico in all 64 million of us are under winter alerts from a system spreading from the middle of the country into the southeast and then up the i95 corridor where big cities like washington and philadelphia could also get snowed on while the northeast and new england face another round of brutal cold. our dasha burns has the very latest. reporter: tonight the monster winter storm already hitting north dakota drivers battling near white-out conditions in minnesota, cars getting off icy roads. the cedar
Rain windchills as low as 40 below zero. states of emergency in the carolinas and virginia we re tracking it all. also tonight the cdc s new mask guidance. which ones provide the most protection and which give the least it comes amid the omicron surge. cvs and walgreens temporarily closing some stores due to staffing shortages and when you could order free tests from the government s new website. tennis star novak djokovic detained in australia after his visa is canceled again. will he be deported? the u.s. accusing russia of a false flag operation with acts of sabotage to justify invading ukraine how the kremlin is responding dramatic new body cam from the worst wild fire in colorado history. authorities evacuating a costco going door to door, even saving horses. the investigation into pop-up testing sites. new warnings and consumer alerts in several states and the windy city s oldest hot dog stand, where they have
Drivers battling near white-out conditions in minnesota, cars getting off icy roads. the cedar river now frozen over. 64 million americans now under winter weather alerts across 26 states. the storm set to get even more intense with up to 10 inches of snow across the plains and sections of the midwest. in new england, windchills could plummet to a frigid minus 40. heavy snow tonight moves south into missouri not a lot of snow saturday morning, but watch out saturday afternoon, especially through areas like memphis and tennessee. then on sunday a big, huge snowstorm moves into west virginia and the appalachians an ice storm for the carolinas. and then monday morning, high gusty winds could knock out power. and a coastal flood threat for new york city reporter: in north carolina crews prepping to handle ice buildup on power lines with fears of worker shortages because of covid. we re doing everything humanly possible based on our limited resources of trust. reporter: after