. >>> the verdict in the trial of michelle troconis, the woman charged with helping her boyfriend cover up the murder of connecticut mom jennifer dulos >>> and before she goes pro, caitlin clark taking another shot at history this weekend. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening as we join you tonight, we are monitoring an exceptionally powerful blizzard rolling into the mountains of northern california and nevada bringing conditions likely to make travel impossible perhaps for days and potentially stranding people who have not heeded urgent warnings five to ten feet of snow forecasted to fall across the sierra nevada mountains over the next few days driven by 50 to 100-mile-per-hour wind gusts. snowfall rates up to four inches an hour. the national weather service tonight warning whiteout conditions are expected making travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening, and in this volatile season of extremes, 1,400 miles away in texas, a jarring contrast tonight wildfires taking their own brutal toll, but let's start with that monster winter blast

. >>> the verdict in the trial of michelle troconis, the woman charged with helping her boyfriend cover up the murder of connecticut mom jennifer dulos. >>> caitlin clark taking another shot this weekend. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> as we join you, we are monitoring a powerful blizzard rolling into the mountains of northern california and nevada bringing conditions likely to make travel impossible, perhaps for days, and potentially stranding people who have not heeded urgent warnings. five to ten feet of snow forecasted to fall across the sierra nevada mountains over the next few days driven by 50 to 100-mile-per-hour wind gusts. snowfall rates up to four inches an hour. the national weather service tonight warning whiteout conditions are expected, making travel treacherous, and potentially life-threatening, and in this volatile season of extremes, 1,400 miles away in texas, a jarring contrast tonight, wildfires taking their own brutal toll. but let's start with that monster winter blast in the west. steve patterson is there for us. steve, what are you

michelle troconis is due back in court on may 31st for sentencing. up to 50 years in prison. janai? >> janai: all right. morgan, thank you. >>> now, to gas prices on the rise as the spring break travel season gets under way. abc's alexis christoforous is here with how much more you'll be paying at the pump. alexis, two words, summer blend. >> it's all about that summer blend. you got it, guys. all right, well, gas prices typically do rise this time of year as warmer weather gets more americans out onto the open road. it's also the time of year when refineries switch over to the more expensive summer fuel. according to aaa, the national average for a gallon of regular now 3.33. that is roughly 6 cents higher than a week ago but still about 3 cents less than a year ago. drivers in california, hawaii, and washington are paying the most to fill up, over $4 a gallon, while gas is still under 3 bucks a gallon in about a dozen states including colorado, texas, and arkansas. now, experts warn prices at the pump will likely keep rising as drivers hit the road