this morning on "early today," super soaker. a slow-moving nor'easter dumps rain and even heavy, wet snow on parts of the east. free on bond. the man accused of murder in the trayvon martin shooting case is released from a florida jail. and man on a wire. an american daredevil performs a death-defying stunt in china. 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. today we begin with spring snow. winter is making a comeback as a powerful nor'easter, bringing snow to parts of the country as well as heavy rain and the danger of flooding. nbc meteorologist bill karins is

here with the bee tails on this latest historic weather. bill, good morning. now we know where summer went -- or where winter went. i thought summer was coming. >> the crazy thing some of these areas saw snow in october, near halloween. they are now dealing with a snowstorm after being 80 to 90 degrees in the month of march. the storm located over northern new jersey. we have the much-needed rain the east coast desperately need because of drought conditions. the snow is the big story, the leaves are on the trees. we're concerned about power outages and maybe potentially this knocking down significant trees in areas from buffalo to pittsburgh. those cities themselves will probably only get a couple inches, buffalo 3 to 6, pittsburgh 1 to 3. the heavier snow totals south of buffalo from erie through the border area. that's where we could get 6 to 12 inches of snow. lynn, that's unheard of. that's historical for this time of year. a lot of these places have put the plows away, the shovels are

gone. yes, they have to dig everything out. >> thanks so much. george zimmerman was released from a florida county jail around midnight eastern time. nbc's jay gray is in stanford, florida, with the very latest. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. yes, that waiting game ended overnight as you talk about george zimmerman posting $150,000 bond. 57 days after trayvon martin was killed. he spent 11 nights behind bars before walking out of the jail. he carried with him a brown paper bag. we also know that he was fitted with a gps monitoring bracelet and officials with the jail system and probation system here tell us that that gps bracelet will work anywhere in the country. so there has been speculation that he will leave the state of florida.

trayvon martin's parents not excited about this at all. very emotional we are told by their attorney. frustrated that he is leaving jail. they are ready for this legal process to continue though both sides say a trial likely won't come until sometime next queer. that's the latest from here in sanford, i'm jay gray. back to you now. >> thanks so much. nbc news learned that investigators have found possible bits of forensic evidence in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old etan patz. dozens of items including strands of hair, a piece of paper and other possible evidence was found by investigators searching a new york city basement. the material is being sent to a virginia lab. the boy's family has been told no human remains were found. the basement which was along the boy's route at the time of his disappearance was used as a workshop and storage space. and now here's a look at some other stories making news early today in america. in ohio police used tear gas to break up a crowd near kent state

university. officers say an annual block party had gotten out of hand with students fighting and throwing beer bottles. some 3,000 people were on hand. more than 30 were arrested. in the nation's capital, a frightening attack was all captured on video. a pair of dogs, possibly pit bulls, began terrorizing two teenagers who climbed on top of a car for safety. one of the dogs then leapt onto the car, forcing one of the kids to jump off. a man who came to their rescue was attacked by the animals while trying to stop them. police are looking for the dog and their owner. in new mexico, a bizarre incident involving a man who opened fire on a police van set up to record video speeding drivers. the gunman, who appeared to be wearing a nightgown, hit the unmanned vehicle at least three times, but the camera did survive. the shooter is still on the loose. and, finally, it is not your typical late-night snack.

>> not for you. >> kansas university set a guinness world record for the biggest plate of nachos. 80 feet long and 10 inches deep. it looks a little soggy. the 4,689 pounds of chips, cheese, and other fillings helped raise money for a local charity. and now for a look at your national and regional weather, here once again is nbc meteorologist bill karins. i'm not as much of a health nut as you think. i do indulge in the nachos, tacos, burgers. >> when's the last time you had a doughnut, lynn berry. >> let's keep it going. how's the weather? good morning, everyone. yesterday was incredibly warm in the west. i brief you on the snow that will hit areas towards the great lakes. the heat was on, air conditioners on full blast from arizona to vegas. it's too bad vegas we didn't hit 100. eve never hit 100 in april before. we were 1 degree away at 99 officially at the airport. 99 in phoenix, boise 91.

we had 50 record highs throughout the west. you get the picture. incredibly warm. it went to spokane, even seattle at 74 was by far the most beautiful, warmest weather you've had this spring season. not much has changed today. the warm air ever so slowly is nudging its way towards the four corner region. we have the onshore flow along the coast. that's why we're not seeing the record highs, san francisco, l.a. or san diego. that will be the same story today. that warm air continues interior sections of the west, still a mild morning. 63 at boise, 75 in vegas. once again, a warm day in the four corner region. few showers late in the day in areas shot of rain comes in wednesday.

a nice run while the west has had it. it looks like rainy, cooler weather toward the end of week. coming up, will apple drop even further? big buck company buys. if you thought long distance air travel couldn't get faster, think again. your early morning business headlines is straight ahead. plus, bigger than expected, one film topples the "hunger games" champion perch. the flyers ice the penguins and a vicious elbow that could change the face of the nba playoffs. 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. the u.s. has agreed to a deal critical to the exit strategy in afghanistan. it ensures that americans will

provide military and financial support for afghanistan for at least a decade beyond the withdrawal deadline of 2014. the government accountability office wants the obama administration to cancel an $8 billion medicare bonus program. the gao says most of the money would go to medicare advantage insurance plans that are only rated average and would offset many of the initial cost cuts achieved by the new health care law. the trial of former presidential candidate john edwards starts today. opening arguments are expected in the case, accusing edwards of illegal use of campaign funds to hide an affair during the 2008 campaign. the u.s. supreme court today hears arguments on the federal government's challenge to arizona's controversial immigration law, which has sparked nationwide protests. and in china, american daredevil dean potter made a death-defying barefoot walk yesterday on a ropeline almost 6,000 feet high over a canyon

with no safety equipment. potter made the 131-foot crossing and then celebrated. i would imagine he did. well, now here's an early look at one of your top health headlines on msnbc.com. scientists are learning more about that so-called brain freeze, that almost universal experience of a near instantaneous headache brought on by ice cold ice cream or liquid hitting the upper palate. well, it appears to be set off by intense cold increasing blood flow to an artery in the middle of the brain. further research could lead to new treatments for a variety of headache types. and for more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13,029 after adding 65 points on friday. the s&p was up a point, but the nasdaq was down 7. taking a look at overseas

trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei was down 19 points, while in hong kong the hang seng dropped 386. another crush of corporate earnings will be sure to grab investors' attention this week. apple will be most closely watched after suffering a 10% correction in the past ten trading days. apple reports tomorrow. traders will also be tuned in to data on new home sales and prices, factory orders for big-ticket items, and the first estimate on first quarter economic growth. interest rates will be in focus after the federal reserve's two-day meeting. the big changes are expected, but the central bank will update its take on the economy's health. walmart could be a prime short-selling target in the wake of a "new york times" report of widespread bribery and an alleged cover-up at its mexico unit. this morning asian markets were lowered, despite china's upbeat manufacturing data and successful imf fund-raising. markets were rattled by

financial instability in denmark and first round elections in france, favoring president sarkozy's socialist rival. on the deal front, swiss food group nestle is buying u.s. drugmaker pfizer's infant nutrition business for under $12 billion. beam incorporated is buying pinnacle vodka for about $600 million. gas prices dropped for the first time since december, falling 5 cents over the past two weeks to an average $3.91 for a gallon of regular. and some good news for globetrotters. the first-ever nonstop flight between asia and boston arrived sunday at boston's logan airport. japan airlines expects round trip flights on its brand-new boeing 787 dreamliner will save passengers six hours of travel time. would be nice. well, coming up, the penguins bite the dust, the bruins stay alive, and the knicks ground the hawks. plus, after a sudden act of violence you might expect to see

in a hockey game, a los angeles laker faces a very long suspension. ouch. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. that's kind of the knockout punch we're dealing with today in western pennsylvania and western new york. your historic snowfall update coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this is "early today." and in sports last night in the nhl, the l.a. kings knocked out vancouver's top seeded canucks to move on to round two of the stanley cup playoffs. here's nbc's mario solis with an early look at all your sports headlines. hi, there, good morning. before the stanley cup playoffs began, the canucks and penguins were the odds-on favorites to meet in the finals, and today both teams are done. we'll start in vancouver where the eighth seed kings needed overtime to take out the best team in the nhl. the canucks with a costly turnover, and jarret stoll makes them pay. fires a rocket past cory schneider. kings send the canucks packing with a 2-1 win in o.t. l.a. advances to play the st. louis blues in the second round of the playoffs. to philly where the flyers make quick work of the penguins, grabbing the early lead and never looking back. claude giroux scores just 32 seconds into the game. flyers up 2-0 after one. they go on to win 5-1 and eliminate the penguins in six games. capitals also had a chance to move on, but the defending champs weren't having it.

tyler seguin scores a game-winner early in overtime. bruins live to play another day. they win 4-3 in overtime. a decisive game seven is wednesday night. nba carmelo anthony had 39 points against the hawks, and the knicks needed every single one of them. new york down one in the final minutes. melo for the lead, gets it. knicks win, 113-112. they have a half-game lead on philly for the seventh place in the east. and, finally, to los angeles for a game that had a little bit of everything. lakers and thunder. metta world peace with a dunk. then he slams james harden, elbows him in the face. mwp said he was just celebrating, but if that's a celebration, i'd hate to see him mad. harden left the game with a concussion. metta was ejected. he will likely be suspended. harden wasn't the only one who hit the deck. kobe bryant takes out an entire row of seats. thankfully everyone was okay. this one goes to double overtime where kobe goes from knocking down fans to knocking down shots. 8 of his 26 coming in the extra periods.

lakers win a wild one, 114-106 in double o.t. and that's your look at sports on "early today." i'm mario solis. well, everything girl taylor swift has big plans for the silver screen. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus, cats. they come in all shapes and sizes, but coming up we're going to show you the ultimate extreme feline. you're watching "early today."

welcome back to "early today." another warm day in the west. we'll set record highs today but not the 50 plus we had yesterday. warm from vegas to phoenix. a slight chance of afternoon storms in the heat. that's like summertime variety of storms in areas of oregon, northern california. we stay relatively cool in coastal areas, even tomorrow. slight chance of showers late in the day, seattle and portland. significant rain doesn't come in to the west coast until wednesday. if you're watching us on kntv, kids can use natural materials in the art studio to make paper, recycled sculptures and more, celebrating earth day week. it's a habitot children's museum. >> habitot, i like that, cute. >> just think of the think sessions to come up with that. here's a look at the early morning headlines and entertainment. this weekend two date movies

performing way above expectations finally put an end to "the hunger games'" rule over the box office. "think like a man" based on steve harvey's dating advice best-seller debuted on top with $33 million. produced for $313 million, it took in that much on friday alone. "the lucky one" starring zac efron in an adaptation of nicholas sparks' romance novel opened second with almost $23 million. and after four weekends at number one, "the hunger games" took in $14.5 million. it slipped to third. the nature documentary "chimpanzee" opened impressively in fourth with over $10 million. on the other box office note, "battleship," which opens here may 18th, ruled overseas for the second straight weekend, earning $58 million, making it virtually certain that the film will take in over $200 million, even before opening in a single american theater. i suppose it's good. and, finally, "variety" reports

taylor smith may be getting her first big dramatic role, playing singer joni mitchell. very interesting. in nearby santa fe, they would like you to help a real fat cat. his name is meow and he may have had one too many meals. the plus size pet weighs 39 pounds, more than three times heavier than a normal 2-year-old. an animal shelter is looking to give meow a new home but only after they trim down the big guy. they are going to put him on a diet and plan to update his progress on social media. he can't even move. i'm lynn berry, this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

it's not exactly what comes to mind for a speed-eating competition, but caviar was the cuisine of choice at the moscow chow contest. 12 contestants dug in with their silver spoons to see who could ingest over a pound of the fine fare. gross. the winner finished in just over a minute, which was impressive and expensive. >> what if it was a woman? >> the caviar was valued at $1,300. well, one larger-than-life puppet show took center stage in liverpool. thousands of people turned out to watch "sea odyssey," a production by french marionette experts that tell the story of a 30-foot-tall little girl searching for her father, a missing crewman on the sunken titanic. the production involved hundreds of people in its execution and was inspired by a real letter. and, finally, one ritual in india gets pretty heated. to pay respect to a hindu

goddess, residents light torches and then just throw them at each other. why not? followers believe the act honors the godess who fought off demons, according to mythology. after that, burns are treated with holy water, and, amazingly -- i don't know if i believe this -- but participants say no one has ever been seriously injured in this ceremony, which is hard to believe. >> it's holy water. >> during the ceremony, throwing, you know, torches at other people. i don't know. >> the crowd was right there too. no one obviously cared. it's time now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day on nbc. in washington, opening statements are expected to begin in the retrial of retired baseball pitching legend roger clemens. clemens is accused of perjury after denying he took performance-enhancing drugs while under oath before congress. thousands of cities across the country and around the world are taking part in the second annual world book night where 2.5 million books will be donated to a variety of locations, including military bases and shelters. this is the first year the u.s.

will participate. and legendary child actress turned diplomat shirley temple black turns 84. all day long you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with "nbc nightly news." finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. in a "today" exclusive, tv host and reality star giuliana rancic and her husband will be live in studio with a big announcement, and two hollywood favorites, hugh grant and jack black open up live about their latest movie roles. 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. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com