this morning on "early today," regaining momentum. mitt romney scores a resounding win in puerto rico's republican primary. brink of disaster. newly released surveillance video captures the sheer terror of an ef-4 tornado. and india's iron man. a former mr. universe celebrates a big milestone. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with an overwhelming win.

mitt romney raked in all of puerto rico's 20 delegates on sunday after walking away with more than 50% of the island's republican primary vote, and now the spotlight is on tomorrow's race in illinois. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on this. tracie, good morning. >> lynn, good morning. illinois will be a little different than we've seen because it's called a loophole primary. it essentially means that people going to the ballot box will get two votes, who they want to see for president on the republican side, and separately, which delegates they want to represent their district, and that popular vote does not determine who gets those delegates. illinois is the next big prize, president obama's home state. tomorrow's republican primary will decide most of the state's 69 delegates. >> if we're able to come out of illinois with a huge surprise win, i guarantee you, i guarantee you that we will win this combination. >> reporter: it's an uphill battle for santorum. he's not on the ballot in all illinois districts, plus mitt

romney's got a clear lead in the latest polls by as much as nine points. plus, romney's coming in with momentum. he won puerto rico's 20 delegates sunday. >> those people who don't think that latinos will vote for republican need to take a look in puerto rico. >> reporter: the democrats question whether romney can seal the deal. >> every time it looks like mr. romney has some momentum, he gets set back. he hasn't been able to make the sale to his own party. >> reporter: republican leaders say it's early in the game. >> we're only at halftime. i think that this process is going to play itself out. we will have a nominee, i think fairly soon, one, two months away. >> reporter: so, what about newt gingrich? what about ron paul? they are on the ballot tomorrow in illinois, but not with as much support. in fact, it was gingrich himself who said this one's going to be between santorum and romney. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. tracie, thank you.

well, at least two powerful tornadoes touched down in nebraska last night. the twisters hit near north platte in lincoln county in the southwest part of the state. at least two people were injured as the tornados tore roofs off buildings, knocked down trees and downed power lines. but spring doesn't officially arrive until early tuesday morning. a lot of the country is actually starting to feel like it's summer, not even spring. in many places, the warm spell has been smashing record highs, and nbc's frances kuo reports. >> reporter: before daybreak sunday, the typically cool late-winter georgia marathon heated up. temperatures in atlanta soared into the 70s. runners elsewhere experiencing the same surprise. in new york, temperatures more typical of june than mid-march. the windy city better described as balmy, five 80-degree days in a row, all records. 35 degrees above average.

>> it's pretty unusual to have to debate whether or not you're going to turn on the air conditioning in march in chicago. >> reporter: the cause of that debate, the jet stream that's been pushing way north into canada, keeping cold air in the arctic and ushering warm gulf air through most of the country. in the nation's capital, the 100-year-old cherry blossom festival got off to an early start. >> it is a surprise that everything has bloomed so early. it's beautiful. >> reporter: the blossoms were predicted to peak between march 24th and 31st. st. louis, missouri, is seeing budding blooms, too, as spring descends on the gateway to the west. >> finally, there's some snow up in this place. >> reporter: further west, though, in northern california, winter is hanging on. >> there's no bad timing for snow for us here in the mountains. we love it, we crave it, and we're stoked it's here. >> reporter: snow in wrightwood, california, and skiers hoping to hit the slopes through april. frances kuo, nbc news. >> one of the few places you can

well, now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. newly released video shows the fury of a tornado's direct hit on an indiana school earlier this month. classes had just let out for the day, but 80 high school students and teachers hunkered down as the ef-4 twister ripped away the roof of the gym along with other parts of the campus. nearly half of the school was destroyed, but thankfully no one was hurt. in los angeles, a light rail train crashed into a car, sending the driver and five passengers to the hospital. firefighters had to use the jaws of life to free the victims. witnesses say the driver had run a stoplight just before crossing onto the tracks. there were no passengers aboard the train, and the conductor wasn't injured. and, finally, an extreme st. patrick's day party in north carolina. for the second year in a row, rafters and kayakers rode out what's billed as the world's only whitewater river to be turned green.

12 million gallons of water got a dye job at the u.s. national whitewater center in charlotte. now for a look at your national and regional weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has the forecast. bill, folks out west, only people seeing some of this cold weath weather. >> march is cruel. march is very cruel. it's up and down. you know, you're hot, you're cold, you're snowing, you're raining. and unfortunately it was a lot of snow in the west. flagstaff, arizona, you're one of the big winners, if you want to call it that. you had the snowball up there, almost got 32 inches of snow, downtown got about 20 inches. pretty crazy stuff. as far as what we're dealing with right now,e w still have snow showers around, so still snowing occasionally, the w moderate, you know, heavy snow showers, but it's not the steady snows like we saw yesterday, but definitely around sedona, prescott northwards, you got into the snow, even the prescott/sedona area picked up four to six inches. and the reason why, just this incredible, deep trough in the west. what we mean by that is you see how the jet stream dipped all the way down into baja, california. the cold air was all the way

down here in northern mexico. then it goes back to the north. the cold air just well-entrench'd. 32 degrees is the average temperature in many areas of the northwest. we're at 44 in san francisco. even l.a. is chilly today. look at phoenix at 46 and vegas at 41. it's going to be kind of a cool, raw day. we are going to see late today a new frontal system coming into the northwest and the snow elevations will be pretty low with that. the cities themselves may even see some snowflakes, but mostly elevations up in the hills. th cold as it's going to get, hopefully, until next winter. l.a., which was very chilly and wet this weekend, should be back in the 70s by mid to end of the week, so silver lining. >> all right, bill, thanks so much. coming up, a big announcement from apple, getting your news on the go, and batman is on duty in brazil. your early-morning business headlines are straight ahead.

plus, could it be hollywood's new formula? a remake of a tv series that in no way resembles the tv series? march madness upsets and a buzzer beater on the ice. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm lynn berry and here are some of your top headlines this morning. at least four people were killed, including a father, his two sons and another child when a gunman opened fire outside a jewish school in southwest france. authorities are looking into whether this morning's attack is connected to two similar ones last week that left three soldiers dead. intense fighting broke out today in syria's capital of damascus between government troops and opposition forces. machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades were used in the battle in one of the most heavily guarded areas of the city. a motorcycle-riding gunman believed to be linked to al qaeda killed an american teacher yesterday in yemen for allegedly

promoting the christian religion. the gunman escaped. an unexploded one-ton bomb from world war ii reportedly buried by retreating nazis who had planned to blow it up was unearthed in southern france. bomb crews were able to remove it and detonate it safely. in india, a famed mr. universe from 1952 is now 100 years old. only 4'11" tall and known as the pocket hercules, he says exercise, a healthy diet and being happy are the keys to long life. and now, here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,232 after losing 20 points on friday. the s&p was up a point, but the nasdaq was down one. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei added 12 points, but in hong kong the hang seng tumbled 202. it could be a big day for investors in the world's most valuable company. in a surprise announcement last night, apple scheduled a 9:00

a.m. conference call today to unveil plans for its $98 billion cash balance. apple investors have been clamoring for a dividend, hoping the company would share some of its mountain of cash with shareholders. elsewhere, u.p.s. is reportedly ready to announce it's buying dutch rival tnt express for nearly $6.5 billion. overseas this morning, asian stocks were mostly higher, ahead of what's expected to be improving u.s. economic data due out this week. most of that data will focus on the beaten-down housing market, with reports on new home construction, sales of new and existing homes and home-builder sentiment. there are a few notable earnings reports on deck this week, including oracle, general mills and tiffany's. aaa says the national average price for regular gas is up 7 cents in the last week to $3.83 a gallon.

that's 31 cents higher than a month ago, 28 cents shy of an all-time record. 17 chevron and transocean employees are being detained in brazil as authorities prepare to file criminal charges regarding an oil spill that began last fall. according to a new study, mobile technology is boosting the public's appetite for information with some 27% of americans now using tablets or smartphones to get their news. and, finally, is batman in brazil? apparently. a retired cop has donned the iconic crime-fighter's black rubber suit to help kids in san paolo learn the difference between good and evil, and they're having some fun while doing it, apparently. well, the flyers light the lamp before the buzzer, a new number one in golf, and down to the sweet 16? march madness continues for the jayhawks as kansas dunks purdue. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. and as all the cold air on the west coast heads into the record highs in the midwest,

we're getting thunderstorms, and that's going to continue. your forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports, if you love nonstop do-or-die college basketball, this was your big weekend. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines.

good morning. if your bracket wasn't already busted, it might be now. we'll start in the midwest where 11th-seed north carolina state pulls off a huge upset. had a three-point lead at the half against georgetown. held onto it all the way through the second. jason clark with one last chance for the hoyas. put three on the mark. nc state is on to the sweet 16 with a 66-63 win. a finish between purdue and kansas. the boilermakers had to lead the entire game until the final minutes. elijah johnson gives the jayhawks the lead for good with the layup. purdue has a shot at the buzzer, but the bank is closed on sundays. kansas rallies to win it 62-60. they'll play nc state. north carolina had no problem taking care of creighton, but the win was not without a loss. starting guard kendall marshall broke a bone in his wrist. he played the rest of the game, but is questionable for friday against ohio. north carolina moves on, 87-73. florida state at cincinnati, where back and forth the entire

game until the end. a costly turnover by the seminoles was the difference. cincy wins it 62-56. to the west bracket. michigan state's mr. everything, draymond green doing it all, even mopping the floor. the spartans cleaned up against st. louis. final minutes, keith appling shot off the rim a few times and in. st. louis hangs around, but top seed michigan state just too much. they win this one, 65-61. they'll play louisville in the sweet 16. there's a new number one in golf. lou donald won a playoff with three other golfers to take the transition's championship. and, finally, in the spirit of march madness, the flyers pulled off a last-second shot fit for the tourney. time winding down in overtime against the penguins, scott hartnell scores with less than a second remaining. flyers snap the pen's 11-game winning streak with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. >> announcer: "early today sports" is brought to you by touch of gray.

get rid of some gray, never all. a report makes it appear as if lindsay lohan is actually listening to reason. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, seems like births these days are scheduled like clockwork. well, every once in a while, a baby comes along when it feels like coming along. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." hope you had a wonderful weekend, despite the weather conditions. they were less than ideal in many areas, especially with the chilly temperatures. it only gets better from here. that's the way we have to look at it. later today, another front approaches the northwest and with it, wet weather in the lower elevations and snow at the high elevations. and the cold, chilly air definitely remains, especially over arizona and up to las vegas. now, as we look towards tomorrow, we are going to see a continuation of a chance of showers in the west, but we start to warm things up, especially in areas of the southwest. if you're watching on ktr 3, sacramento, california, see the famous vehicles in hollywood's most notable movies, shows and celebrities. that's "cars of the stars." herbie the love bug will be there. at the california automobile museum. that's your "pacific event of the day." >> bill, thanks so much. and now here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. this weekend's box office proved sometimes in hollywood when you make a remake, it pays not to really make a remake. "21 jump street" is based on the '80s tv drama, but it was

retooled as a comedy cop farce. powered by young audiences it jumped to number one, taking in $31 million. former two-time champ "the lorax," finished second with just under $23 million. "john carter" dropped sharply in its second weekend to just $13.5 million for third. but while the $250 million dud flops like an albatross here, it's flying like an eagle overseas. its worldwide overall take is $180 million. and one other box office note. will ferrell's spanish language spoof "casa de me padre," -- playing in limited release in over 400 theaters, opens strongly in ninth with $2.2 million. it's all in spanish, the entire thing. >> it's funny. and, finally, after last week's hit-and-run accusations, tmz reports that lindsay lohan has given in to pleading friends and placing herself under house arrest until probation is over

in two weeks. she would make that decision herself. i'm just going to keep myself indoors. >> in other words, please behave yourself for two more weeks. we know if you're on your own, it would be bad news. >> that's right. and this comes to us from ksl 5 news in salt lake city, utah, where in nearby american fork, one mom-to-be took matters into her own hands. expecting to give birth on april fool's day, it was no joke when the baby decided to make an early arrival on st. patrick's day. the expectant parents raced to the hospital, but moments after her husband ran inside to get help, the woman ended up delivering her newborn herself inside the car. dad came out to find the new mom cradling their little one. wow is right. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

clear skies in mexico made for a spectacular view of down below. flight enthusiasts gathered outside of mexico city for the eighth annual hot air balloon festival. thousands of spectators stood by as the giant inflatables soared over the historic pyramids. some visitors were even lucky to be invited for a ride, receiving a bird's-eye view of some impressive scenery. in japan, hundreds turned out to put their wheels to the test. even the pouring rain didn't stop 50 teams from competing in this year's box car race. contestants got creative with their entries. decorations varied from traditional japanese designs to a custom batmobile-inspired ride.

the prize for braving the slick roads, a $12,000 cash prize. and, finally, this weekend in colombia, they held their own election for the leader of the free world. 18 men traveled from all over the country to compete in the barack obama look-alike contest. the winner, a 32-year-old banker who said that his co-workers actually pushed him to join the competition. the obama doppelganger hopes to meet the real president when he visits colombia for a summit in april. i don't know, bill. what do you think? >> no. >> me neither. >> if i was on the street -- >> i do have to say, out of the other contestants, he probably was the closest, but no. >> our president's very distinct. it's tough. even on "saturday night live," it's kind of iffy. >> good point. it's time now for an early look at the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. general motors will suspend production of its chevrolet volt electric car for five weeks due to lower-than-expected demand. a spokesman for the automaker announced the move friday,

saying the production would cease until april 23rd. on this day 59 years ago in 1953, the academy awards were first televised right here on nbc with the legendary actor and comedian bob hope serving as master of ceremonies. "the greatest show on earth" was named best picture, and gary cooper won the oscar for best actor for "high noon." and happy birthday to bruce willis, who turns 57. all day long you can stay on top of the latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. the mother of an unarmed teen who was killed by a member of his neighborhood watch speaks out live. and actresses kristen stewart and charlize theron will be live in studio with a preview of their latest film, "snow white and the huntsmen." and now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports, and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day, today on your nbc station. have a good one.

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