tonight on "nightline." snowtomic blast. they're calling it the storm of the century. thousands of miles wide with 100 million people in its sights. a blizzard of historic magnitude. plus, the deep freeze. dangerous, life-threatening conditions across a dozen states. are you among the millions right in the middle of it? and, revolution. as an ocean of protesters flood cairo, the u.s. intervones. and the egyptian president makes a shocking announcement. but no one's going home yet. christiane amanpour takes to the streets with egypt on the brink.

good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with a storm so big, it's difficult to grasp. forecasters say 100 million people could be hit. that's one-third of country's population. in dallas, it closed schools. in chicago, it closed major traffic arteries like lakeshore drive. in oklahoma, "the tulsa world newspaper" posted a notice on its website saying, due to extreme weather conditions today's paper was delivered but it's buried by several inches of snow. to dig out our news, here's chris bury in chicago. >> reporter: the great blizzard has begun. its 2,000-mile march of misery. the storm is one for the ages. so big, you can see it from space. a true monster, stretching from the southwest across the middle of the country and up in new england.

blizzard warnings are up in nine states. what gives you the best sense of the scope of this? >> i think just the size of it. when you see it from space, satellite images show it's huge. just the tail of the clouds and that beautiful comma shape. when you see it from above, gorgeous. when you're below it, it's like this, a real problem. >> reporter: the storm hit first in texas and oklahoma. smashing the all-time record for snowfall in oklahoma city. it fell so fast, more than two inches an hour, plows couldn't keep up. ferocious winds made it worse. according to abc's ryan owens. >> across so much of the country it's not just the snow but the howling winds. here in oklahoma city, winds have gusted in excess of 60 miles an hour. creating near whiteout conditions and a miserable windchill of up to 30 degrees below zero. >> reporter: in tulsa, the heaviest snowfall in history. more than 13 inches. so bad, the local newspaper,

"the tulsa world," announced for the first time ever it would not print tomorrow. by tonight, the monster had roared into the midwest, challenging even the hardy souls of chicago. >> when you live up north you have to expect weather like this on occasion. good and bad. it's kind of a fun challenge, don't you think? >> right now it's really biting. it's kind of making me numb. i kind of have a hard time talking right now. my lips route now are numb. >> reporter: the leading edge of the blizzard arrived just in time for the evening rush hour. late tonight traffic was inching along lakeshore drive. stranding commuters for hours. >> every chicago resident should brace for a storm that will be remembered for a long time. >> reporter: a storm expected to drop at least 20 inches of snow on the city by the time it ends tomorrow. wind gusts could top 60 miles an hour. with 3 to 4 inches of snow falling every hour, chicago deployed its entire

snow-fighting team. 400 plows and trucks. >> washington park, got a stalled motorist. >> reporter: at this command center, officials from every city department tracked the storm live, from more than 1,000 cameras, sensors in the streets, and gps devices on every single snowplow. >> if we find a trouble spot or they take a call of an accident on lakeshore drive and there's a camera near there, we can pop on that camera, view the accident, tell the tow truck driver we need two tow trucks, not one. we need an ambulance and police aren't there yet. we can get a visual look at that. >> reporter: snowmobiles were dispatched to help with rescues. 500 illinois national guardsmen stood by to retrieve stranded motori motorists. chicago's airports all but deserted. look at air traffic compared to a normal night. airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights. 20% of all operations. another 3,000 have already been

called off tomorrow. a flight trying to get in from washington, american airlines 1825 got this bad news from the o'hare control tower. >> good luck getting back out tonight. i doubt it, though. >> we're done, we're here for two days. >> reporter: to the south and east the culprit is ice. it's building in a huge stretch of the country's midsection. in indianapolis, the ice was one-quarter inch thick, accompanied by freezing rain, blowing snow and gusting winds. as abc's barbara pinto reports. >> here in indianapolis the storm is in full swing. you can hear the sleet coming down. and it's covering something even more treacherous. this is a layer of ice thick enough to skate on. >> reporter: in indiana the weather service warned of potentially catastrophic conditions, as that ice weighs on trees and power lines. >> we'd rather have 15 inches of snow as compared to 2 inches of ice.

>> reporter: and the nasty mix is headed for, where else, new england. a new one-two punch will dump a combined 20 inches of snow along with freezing rain and sleet. abc's linsey davis is in massachusetts. >> there is so much snow in the boston area that they are literally running out of space for all of it. in waltham they continue to bring more snow to the snow farm where they're stacking it five stories high. at logan airport they've gotten permission to and may resort to blowing some of their snow into the boston harbor. >> reporter: if there is any silver lining to the storm clouds it may be several weeks away. according to accuweather's joe bastardi. >> don't be surprised if the middle part of february relevant turns warm. it wouldn't shock me if it hits 70 in d.c. and 80 in dallas before february's over. they should look forward to it but the fact is the next week to ten days it's going to be very cold. >> reporter: at least we have something to look forward to. as hard as that seems tonight. here in the thick of this

historic and hellish storm. i'm chris bury for "nightline" in chicago. >> our thanks to chris and an intrepid team of abc news reporters. not everybody is being swept up in the blizzard. forecasts for our friends in miami tomorrow, a beautiful 82 degrees. up next we turn to another historical storm, this one the political storm rolling through egypt. protesters there react to a shocking announcement by their deeply unpopular president. as a kid, i couldn't wait to skate on that ice. what was i thinking? but i was still skating on thin ice with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop.

lipitor is a cholesterol-lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. lipitor is backed by over 18 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. let's go! [ laughs ] if you have high cholesterol you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor. talk to your doctor about your risk [music playing] confidence available in color. depend® colors for women. looks and fits like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning. great day.

i see you're flatulent in three languages. graduated op of your gas. [ male announcer ] got gas on your mind?

your son rip is on line toot. [ male announcer ] try gas-x. powerful relief # from pressure and bloating in a fast-acting chewable. gas-x. pressure's off.

on the eighth day of protest in egypt, president obama had a talk with president mubarak. president obama told the egyptian leader that an orderly transition cannot be prolonged. it must begin now. that was after mubarak announced he would not seek re-election. christiane amanpour is on the ground. >> reporter: very few people thought a week ago that president mubarak would offer these con sengss, professions to lift the state of emergency and reform the election law.

but is it enough for the people? they can see the end in sight. it's very unclear whether they will let him finish his term. this was the scene on cairo's square after president mubarak announced after 30 years after one-man rule, he was ready to leave office. i never asked to be a dictator, he said, and i will not be dominating myself for a new term for i have served egypt long enough though, the crowd became defiant again when mubarak said he was going stay on for a few more months to ensure law and order, to reform the constitution and the election

process. president obama had this to see. >> the people of egypt, the young people of egypt, i want to be clear, we hear your voices. i have an unyielding belief that you will determine your own destiny. >> reporter: it was the close of another extraordinary day in egypt. here was a crowd of 150 people demonstrating for mubarak. these are the regime supporters, afraid of losing everything, the president they have known for 30 years, afraid their country would descend into chaos. i was caught up and practically pin to the all as they supported

the president. tell me why are you hear today? >> we want him to be the president forever. >> reporter: it's a strange mix of emotions today. >> i am happy. >> reporter: here, mubarak's people embrace the soldiers. and down the road, the entrance to liberation square, mubarak works with the military as well. volunteers help with security. they check i.d.s for what organizer organizered what would be a million person march. >> why are the separating? >> the women and men check. like the airport. >> reporter: what you are checking for? >> bombing. >> reporter: this has been

nonstop all day. it's certainly the biggest protest this city has seen since they began a week ago. this is more like a block party than angry demonstration. people holding signs. people who wanted to talk to tell us their hopes and dreams. do you think he did anything good for egypt? >> yes, he did. he is a tragic figure. he started out honorable, good and well. and then at the end, his concentration of power, his grip on power, it's bringing this country down. >> reporter: and of course the looming question for everyone in egypt, when mubarak leaves what comes next? >> it's very confusing and it's also -- we really want to see someone from the opposition come out and take an opportunity to show the people. the people want a voice now.

>> reporter: as darkness fell, groups were singing songs and venders were selling balloons. a sign of celebration here. the mood is hopeful but cautiously so. we found so many people that are jubilant and are confused and asked us what we thought is going to happen. what do you want to see? >> corruption is everywhere in egypt. he would like new government, free parliament. >> reporter: television cameras show the biggest crowds we have seen in a week of protest. it was impossible to count how many there were, but the protesters wants us to tell people outside egypt how real it is, how big a crowd. what is your worry?

>> that the government is not takes it seriously. they are not aware of the situation. they are pretending they are wash it away and hook up a story. >> reporter: they were angry with the state television were under playing the size of the crowd. >> the media is telling people there are only 20,000 when there are not less than 1 million. >> reporter: it's packed here. it's really tough to get out of the crowd. and every time we try to take a picture there are people shouting. people who want to talk to you. they are shouting, "leave, leave." and tonight, they got what they are asking for. mubarak said he will leave. and in this ancient place there

is a sense the future will be made not in washington or in the president palace but by the people of egypt. >> christiane amanpour joins us tonight. i know they have blocked the internet for days but viewers have been anxious to ask you questions. one viewer poses a question, what has changed so much in this part of the world recently? why here, why now? >> listen, we have all been wondering what the tipping point would be in this part of the world. the arab muslim world is the last block in the world that has not gone democratic and many people wonder when and why. it took people to shake up fear in tunisia a week ago to start this domino effect now.

and that is what we see. fear shaken off in tunisia and it's working. they are forcing concessions. >> a second question coming from carol in omaha, nebraska. she is asking about the tactics of the protesters. why harm people and buildings? why not call for a special election? >> reporter: that is a good question. there were pitch battles on the street. the police and the security forces charged the protesters with batons and rifles. some 300 people have been killed and some 3,000 wounded. that was a time when the protesters and others reacted with burning and looting. as soon as the government pulled back the police and put the military on the street, the

atmosphere has changed. there is no violence. the relationship is peaceful and friendly. >> thank you. viewers with questions are invited to visit our website, abcnews.com/night line. when we come back, we go back in the blizzard to bring you the most hair raising videos from across the country from today's storm. [ female announcer ] women move the world. move our families forward. move us all to a better place. and caltrate moves us. caltrate knows 80% of us don't get the calcium we need. and when we don't, our bodies steal it from our bones. caltrate helps put it back. with 1200 mg of calcium and 800 iu of vitamin d. women need caltrate. caltrate helps women keep moving

because women move the world. by giving me ginormous discounts with these: how can expedia saven me even more on my hotel? unpublished rates. which means i get an even more rockin' hotel, for less. where you book matters. expedia. affect wheat output in the u.s., the shipping industry in norway, and the rubber industry, in south america? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex global economy. it's just one reason over 80% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses, and other information to read and consider carefully before investing. and other information to read and consider carefully [music playing] confidence available in color. depend® colors for men. looks and fits like underwear. protects like nothing else. depend®. good morning.

great day. it's french's crunchy onion chicken! (announcer) for a quick and easy dinner crush french fried onions. dip chicken in egg. coat with onion crumbs and bake. when dinner's made with french's french fried onions, everyone's happy. french's. happy starts here. look for it in the canned vegetable aisle.

weather now. say what you will about the snow. and there is plenty of bad things to say about it. tonight, it can generate fun from skiing to no angels and landscapes of pure white. we wanted to show some of the zanyest with you. it's a sign of the times. >> i don't know if you guys see this [ bleep ]. look at this [ bleep ]. >> reporter: admit it. he is saying what you are thinking. >> i hate new england. i hate it. >> reporter: but this youtube user's sentiment summed it up. and we use social media to vent or show up.

we grabbed the family will and flipped out out of the bad weather. maybe they can dive into a four-foot oklahoma snow drift. but if it has it burning mad like this, you throwdown matches and friction from the shovel, you have a flame. >> this is hot water. >> it brought out the scientists. >> that is how cold it is. make it snow. >> amateur weather man. >> the snow rates are going to increase a lot more than that. >> the amateur builder. these guys made a two-story igloo with a spiral staircase. >> it's fun. >> let's go inside and record in the house.

>> and the amateur frapranksterd fear of the snow gave the nickname snoklahomaphobia. and jet blew was naming it s know stra dam must. and overs slippery sidewalk. it had to hurt and perhaps sharing our misery, the boredom, our creativity. online with the rest of the country, we are help people deal with the snowmaggedon.

>> look at that [ bleep ]. >> for this storm. i'm jeremy hubbard. >> the snow may be coming down but the dow is going up. . first, jimmy kimmel with what sup next. >> on the snow tonight, jamie foxx. and sarah shahi. "jimmy kimmel live" is next. cbc.

take the right leg up, cbc. holding the inner arch of the foot... introducing instant action alerts, only from chase. left arm up... manage your account and help avoid overdrafts with a click of a button. just reply to the alert with how much you want to transfer. inhale, all the way up... so you always stay in balance. ...to crescent pose.