on our broadcast tonight, high flying, a spectacular start to these winter olympic games. a surprise finish for an american who delivers the performance of a lifetime. going to extremes, another massive storm out west, heavy rain and snow, but even still is it enough to help with the drought? is it safe to drink? increasing anger tonight in west virginia where families are still worried about what is coming out of the tap. and rocket science, the amazing new weapon team usa is using to their advantage here in russia. "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. reporting tonight from the olympic winter games in sochi, russia. good evening, well, it took

some doing and it has been a difficult journey to get here, but the flame burning bright right behind our anchor location here tonight, invisible by the way for upwards of 20 miles around in the cold and clear night sky sends a bright and indelible message that these winter games are indeed under way. it is a monumental under taking considering little this was -- of this was even here in the last seven years, and $50 billion ago. millions of americans already woke up to the news this morning, it was hard to avoid, hearing of the first u.s. gold medal in snow boarding, american figure skaters and hockey players have already been in action on the ice, as well on this full day. anne thompson is up where the mountain events are being held, to start us off, hey, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian, you know one of the best things about the olympic games are their unpredictability, and today nobody was more unpredictable than a snowboarder from idaho.

>> here he goes -- sage kotsenable. 20-year-old sage kotsenburg is a high flier. telling lester holt he is always thinking about tricks to push the envelope. >> so there is definitely a point where it is like man, is this even possible? kotsenburg puts down an amazing trick today, spinning four and a half times in the air and grabbing his snowboard on the slope style course, snatching a surprise gold medal for the united states, the first of the game. >> just found out about that three minutes ago. everyone was like "you got the first gold medal of the olympics." and i was like, "what?" >> reporter: with the cauldron burning bright, red, white and blue are everywhere. the colors of russia, everywhere. >> the people be open hearted and lovely, the more you learn about the culture, the more wonderful things become. >> reporter: people are still buzzing about the spectacular opening ceremony which drew

44,000 fans to the park. it looked perfect on russian tv because they cut away to the rehearsal image, when the infamous fifth snowflake failed to turn into an olympic ring. america saw the mistake. the preshow performance of the choir singing daft punk singing "got lucky." especially from this couple from san francisco. >> just like seeing the russian police officers dancing was i don't know really -- >> unexpected. >> unexpected. >> reporter: and the controversial choice of russian figure skater legend irina rodnina, to help light the olympic flame. last year she tweeted a photo shopped picture of president obama many kid racist. today the game ceo defended the role of the three-time gold medal winner. >> i want to stress that olympics is not about politics, and any political talks and discussions is inappropriate for the olympic games.

>> reporter: and more bad news for russia since 1998, for the for the first time the host country failed to take home a medal of any come lore on the opening day of the games. brian? anne thompson high above us as day one is history. ann, thanks. and topping the second straight day now, the pacific northwest is getting slammed by a powerful storm bringing torrential rain and record-setting snow. on the upside, however, is the need for precipitation of course during the history-making drought all the way to the south in california. we get our report tonight from nbc's joe fryer. >> reporter: thirsty for any hint of water, the west coast is finally getting what it needs. but in oregon, the winter weather comes with a price, 600 crashes statewide and a ten-mile interstate backup near salem that stranded hundreds of motorists for hours. >> i have never seen anything like this. >> reporter: in portland, a city that rarely sees snow, five

inches is already enough to make this the most snowy february in 21 years, other parts of the state have seen a foot or more. in drought-stricken california, rain is hitting much needed snow falls on the sierra nevada mountains, prompting major traffic jams as skiers flee to higher elevations for the weekend. all of this precipitation carried by something known as the pineapple express, an atmospheric river of moisture that starts east of hawaii and hits the west coast. >> the pineapple express will with the drought, but keep in mind california has only about 25% of normal rainfall. so we need several of these weather patterns to develop to really help out california. >> reporter: right now two thirds of the united states is covering with snow, but for much of the west the drought is not going away. in arizona some ranchers are selling off 20% or more of their herds. >> we can't feed our cattle year round hay, it is too expensive and cost prohibitive. we have to sell the cows. >> reporter: in california, some

restaurants are only serving water by request. >> we have to double up our commitment to conservation. and wine makers are being frugal with what is in their wells. >> we'll never catch up. but anything will help right now. >> reporter: more rain and snow are expected this weekend and that could mean more trouble on the roads. it is a welcome sight for many coping with record dry conditions. here in southern california we've seen some rain the last few days, the ground here still wet from the latest rainfall this morning but it will take months of record rain just to get things back to normal. president obama is scheduled to visit california next week to discuss federal drought relief. brian? joe fryer, california. for us tonight. joe, thanks. now to the east, as of this evening, 113,000 customers still without power in southeast pennsylvania after this week's ice storm. that is down from the 850,000 who were without power after the height of the storm wednesday. power company there, pico energy

says that while crews will work through the weekend about 50,000 customers will remain without power into at least monday, that is a couple more cold days and nights of continued hardship until the relief arrives. one more note on the effects of this cold weather. satellite photography now shows almost 80% of the great lakes have been frozen over. they're the largest grouping of fresh water lakes in the world. that is the highest percentage of ice covering that group of lakes in close to a decade. any worse and it could come close to 1977, the worst year for ice in the modern era. now to the ongoing environmental disaster in west virginia where a lot of people still don't know who to believe about the safety of the water. now almost a month after that chemical spill. even as officials insist there is no danger schools were temporarily closed this week and so many people are getting

understandably increasingly anxious for some concrete answers. we get an update on this story tonight from nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: angry residents rallied outside west virginia american water company today. demanding clean water and payment for their bills. >> i don't trust what they say, that the water is safe. >> reporter: this after the chemical mchm, a chemical used in coal production, leaked from a water supply owned by freedom industries in january. >> people are afraid, concerned, anxious. >> reporter: today, west virginia american water underscored that it is not responsible for the leak and said it is evaluating the availability of federal and state assistance to address customer concerns, freedom industries has not responded to nbc's repeated requests for comment. >> there is a new level of normal for those families in west virginia right now. >> reporter: melissa sutton said

even though the state insists the water is safe she and her family are not convinced and continue to drink and cook with bottled water. >> it just seems like every three or four days another story comes out. and that is when you sort of just don't know where you stand sometimes with it. sometimes you feel really good about the water and good about moving on. and then you know three days later you may sort of question yourself again. >> reporter: her concerns heightened this past week after five charleston area schools, including her children's, temporarily closed because the water smelled like licorice, a smell associated with mchm. >> i am afraid to give my own kids a bath at home because of the water. >> you have the conversation that not only changes schools but maybe changes zip codes. >> reporter: state officials say ultimately only one test at a school found evidence of a chemical and on retesting the sample was clean. earlier this week officials tried to calm fears. >> you can drink it, bathe in it, and use it how you like. >> reporter: consumer advocate erin brockovich says there still could be health risks. >> they are putting a band aid

over the problem. and they're not fixing the problem. >> it's our water i's our responsibility. we need to hold people accountable. and we are going to do that. >> a community determined to make sure their water is safe once again. kristen welker, washington. and elsewhere around the world tonight, efforts to bring relief to a syrian city that has seen some of the worst suffering in that almost three-year-old civil war had to be halted today, sadly, that's after a cease-fire collapsed and a convoy delivering aid came under heavy fire. we get the latest on the situation in the besieged city of homs tonight from nbc's bill neely. >> reporter: they have come with food for the starving. they were met with mortar fire and gunshots. u.n. officials and aid workers running for their lives in the back streets of homs, the city and its people have been under

siege for two years, and today those who came to help them came under fire. several were injured. this was meant to be the day thousands of trapped civilians finally got food and medicine. but the trucks carrying the aid pulled back. there was meant to be a cease fire. it did not sound that way. it all started well, dozens of old and sick people finally allowed to leave the besieged old city, after a deal struck to help the warring sides. many were too ill to walk. once safe, their faces told the story of their suffering, some in anguish, others relieved to be free. all malnourished. they told u.n. workers they had not eaten bread in five months. they survived, they said, by eating plants, weeds and olives. reunions were emotional.

this man and his son had not seen each other for 18 months. old friends could not believe they were still alive. and no wonder, tens of thousands have died in the war in homs. just 83 people were led to safety, clinging to each other under the cover of armored vehicles. hundreds more left behind, the deal up in smoke. syria's war is deadlocked and unending, air strikes on homs and aleppo killing more today. peace talks were meant to resume two days from now after a humanitarian success story in homs. they don't have one tonight. >> well, those aid workers and u.n. officials who were pinned down for most of the day under fire have now escaped from the old city of homs, but there is no escape and no emergency food or medicine yet for the two and a half thousand civilians still trapped there. brian? bill neely who has covered

this conflict from the start reporting from our london bureau. bill, thanks. and when we continue on this saturday night, a new weapon for the american athletes at these games. since they go so fast anyway, why wouldn't guided missile technology be a good idea? and later, the figure skater trying to prove her coveted spot on the roster for team usa.

we're back now from sochi where earlier today the veteran u.s. skier bode miller hit a forward speed of 90 miles an hour in what was a practice run on what is a very fast mountain. so it sort of makes sense when you learn that team usa is using the science of rocket science and aviation to build better athletes and improve the odds of winning at these games. our report from kevin tibbles in sochi. >> reporter: can they fly any faster? that is what the u.s. ski team was hoping this real-life rocket science would help them do. one of the items was this. >> basically it is a missile guidance system brought down to the size of a quarter. >> reporter: the alpine skier is wearing the device today, capturing millions of data points and speed and force and g force, all for his coaches to analyze. >> this takes it to an entirely different level.

>> reporter: when the difference between first, second and third can be just a hundredth of a second, the u.s. olympians hope their investment in technology will place them at the top of the podium. if you want to hit top speed, who better to ask than the people who make fighter jets. the u.s. speed skating team has partnered with lockheed martin and under armor to design the mach 39. a suit more aerodynamic than anything seen in the sport before. in order to fly farther, u.s. ski jumpers practice their form in specially designed wind tunnels. but the real secrets may be held deep inside the snowboard and skier center of excellence in park city, utah. >> this is a little bit like mission control. >> this is where the united states works to stay ahead in the sports technology arms race. >> everything is feeding into this data base automatically,

test results, training programs are submitted. diaries come in, or even medical alerts. >> reporter: from these data bases, these are designed for athletes like mogul skier hannah kearney, no matter where she is in the world. >> there are multiple people watching me, saying you're getting my diary? >> reporter: because in today's high-tech olympics, no detail is too small in the race to be faster, higher, stronger. kevin tibbles, nbc news, copper mountain, colorado. and we'll look at other news today, the legendary public figure responding to the allegations against him.

woody allen has personally responded to the renewed allegation that he sexually abused a child, two decades ago, a claim for which he was never charged and which he was consistent enltly and -- consistently and vehemently denied. the child in question here is dylan farrow, now 28 years old, the daughter he adopted with his then partner, mia farrow, dylan renewed the allegation a week ago in an open letter published on "the new york times" website. today, the newspaper published a letter from allen, saying, when mia farrow first made the allegation 21 years ago, he found the idea so ludicrous he didn't give it a second time. in his letter to "the new york times," allen renewed it saying, "i loved her and hope one day she will understand how she was cheated out of having a loving father and a mother more interested in her own festering anger than her daughter's well being. nbc news asked dylan farrow her

reaction to allen's letter. she said, nothing he says or writes can change the truth. today's published letter from woody allen is the first he has spoken on the subject. he says it will be his last public comment on it as well. and services were held for in minneapolis, for joan mondale, the wife of former vice president walter mondale, mourners including president carter and vice president joe biden. she was remembered as a huge champion of the arts in this country, survived by her husband and two sons and four grandchildren, joan mondale died at the age of 83. much has been made of some of the glitches on the way to the beginning of these winter games here in russia. while not quite an international incident this photograph got a lot of attention on social media today when johnny quinn of the u.s. bobsled team got stuck in a

john. one thing bobsledders do real well its upper body strength, and so much for the locked door. that one will have to go on our tab. still ahead for us tonight, the american skater with something to prove after she got picked over someone else to represent the u.s. here in russia.

finally tonight, what long ago became known as a staple of olympics coverage, an up close and personal look at one of the members of team usa without giving away the story you will see unfold tonight. nbc's chris jansing is here with us tonight to talk about a figure skater who has had a somewhat difficult road to get here, chris? >> reporter: she has, brian, she is ashley wagner and finished fourth at the national competition and came to sochi determined to show she deserves to be here. well, it all could not be more dramatic. her skate in the new team

competition will decide whether or not the usa makes the finals. in skating and in life, nothing has come easily to ashley wagner. last month, she fell twice at nationals, mouthing i'm sorry for her mother and making the team on a controversial decision. >> i'm at a loss for words right now. excuse me. >> reporter: she was back in familiar territory. the comeback trail. ashley was just five when she first laced up. the daughter of an army officer who was always moving from germany to alaska and beyond. >> nine times in ten years, moving around was really tough on me. i was painfully, painfully shy as a kid. >> reporter: so wherever she went, skating became her sanctuary. >> she loved the ice the moment she stepped on it. i think it has been her passion and consistent best friend. >> reporter: after 13 years of training ashley was favored to make the 2010 olympic team only to have it all slip away on a

missed jump. she wanted to quit. >> to come so close to your dreams coming true and not really achieving it is devastating. >> reporter: but the survivor in her kicked in so ashley decided to take a huge risk and move across the country to california to train with the legendary coach john nix, even though there was no guarantee he would take her on. at 19 she gave herself a year to become a national champion, and nix saw in her that fight. >> get. get it. get it! >> people who come back from defeat because they always lose come back stronger because of it. >> reporter: at first she was juggling her training with college classes and a job selling jeans at the local mall to pay the bills. >> i was scraping by and honestly was living off pbj's. >> reporter: but with friends she started cross training on the beach and calmed the demons of self doubt. then, the hard work on the ice

started to pay off. winning back-to-back national championships. endorsement deals followed from cover girl to hilton. >> be a weekender like ashley wagner. >> reporter: and although the old demons returned last month in boston, she's got one more chance for a comeback. >> i have cried and screamed and laughed, i'm so spent right now. just because -- i am an olympian. >> reporter: an olympian with something to prove to fans and to herself. besides the team skate, ashley is one of three american women competing for the singles title. and in a gutsy and virtually unprecedented move she scrapped the routine that gave her so much trouble in boston and will debut a revised long program here. brian? we will be watching for it all. chris jansing with us. chris, thanks. that is our broadcast on a saturday night, thank you for joining us, i'm brian williams reporting from the olympic winter games here in sochi, russia. and a reminder our prime time coverage begins tonight at 8, 7 central, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow night.

good night.

good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm diane dwyer. a storm has left parts of the bay area flooded. let's take a look at the conditions right now. the north bay took the brunt of the storm, this is san rafael, and nearby in sonoma county there's a flash flood warning in effect right now. in oakland you can see it's raining. that rain has cause the traffic problems throughout the area. we have live team coverage tonight. we want to begin with meteorologist rob mayeda. >> the rain totals, very impressive now. thursday through current time, you can see mt. tam, a foot of rain. santa rosa closing in on 6 inches ofn