rehberger. right now we're bracing for impact. a possible historic life-threatening blizzard set to nail the northeast. watches and warnings are up and ready. millions will face crippling snow and winds. we start with nbc meteorologist bill karins and the timing of this storm. bill. >> thanks milissa. this storm is going to live up to all the hype. it has all the yesterday yents that could cripple a region for 36 to 48 hours. they might not have power when all is said and done. coming out of the central appalachians.

once it reaches warm waters off the east coast of virginia it's going to explode into a powerful storm especially this evening. this time tomorrow morning the roads will be impassable and everyone will have to stay in their houses. 70-mile-per-hour winds churning along coastal areas, huge waves. we'll get storm surge flooding two to four foot in cape cod and eastern massachusetts, winds up to 70 miles an hour could knock down trees and power lines, especially coated in heavy wet snow on the coast. again, blizzard warnings 29 billion people all the way down from the "jersey shore" up the northeast. how much snow are we forecasting. my forecast calls for numerous areas, big city easily blow by a foot of snow heartland, portland hartford. jackpot wooster to central hills, connecticut. that's where you have a chance of getting that two feet of snow. there will i'm sure be an isolated spot or two, mountainous areas that will get higher than that. maybe even upwards three feet. really crazy snowfall totals.

snow all day tuesday. wednesday will be a cleanup. people may not be able to leave their houses until we get to thursday. here is how it's going to play out. here is the storm off the coast. european computer model which really paints heaviest snow all of eastern new england back down to central jersey. it spreads heavy snow back to central new york and pennsylvania, too, by the time we get to wednesday morning. the winds will be howling with the storm. it's not a very enjoyable cleanup with the storm either milissa. we are watching windchills in the single digits as people try to get out and shovel two feet of snow. >> thanks bill. from tracking the monster storm to preparing for it here is a live look at times square the calm before the blizzard if you will. new york city bracing for a possible paralyzing two feet of snow >> this literally could be one of the top two or three largest storms in the history of this city. message to all new yorkers is prepare for something worse than we have seen before.

>> on the roads 2100 plows are ready to roll out. the concern, the roads can turn treacherous and very quickly. city schools, they are open today. after-school activities, though, are canceled. at grocery stores, lines were long. nbc's al roker tweeting out this photo. new yorkers grabbing up what they can. in boston, though, grocery store shelves, they were cleared off in just hours. 18 to 22 inches of snow is forecast on the roads. the state is ready. more than 4,000 plows and 300,000 tons of salt. >> and they're talking about historical, monstrous, so from that perspective, yeah, we are preparing for the worst. >> in philadelphia, more than a foot of snow could fall. the storm jitters are closing schools early. students will be sent home by noon today. and at airports, the monster storm is already affecting travel. more than 3,000 flights are canceled for monday and tuesday,

but it might get worse. it could take days to get stranded flyers back on flights. the united nations security council will hold an emergency meeting later today concerning both yemen and ukraine. in southeast ukraine, a shelling was caught on camera over the weekend. at least 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured from rocket fire just like this. the attacks came a day after pro-russian separatists rejected a peace deal. and right now, president obama is in india. the president says he and the indian prime minister have reached a new level of trust and are making progress on a number of issues. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie what's the latest on the president's trip overseas. >> reporter: milissa, one of the big issues they will talk about is trade. the president is get ready to open a business forum from the united states how they can work together. the president is getting a pretty warm welcome there. this is new video overnight of

president and mrs. obama greeted by tens of thousands. at india's republic day parade. marking the day india became a democracy. mr. obama is the honored guest on day two of his three-day trip. india's prime minister is rolling out the red carpet. >> what he's saying is that he wants this relationship to go to the next level. >> our relationship stands at a new level today. >> reporter: india's cultural flair was on full display at last night's state dinner. >> to the great partnership between our nations and the friendship between our peoples. >> reporter: today mr. obama meets indian lawmakers. there have been serious discussions about climate change. india has some of the world's most polluted cities. about terror and trade. the white house brought in american ceos for a roundtable and business summit later today. >> in the last few years, trade between our two countries has increased by some 60% toward a record $100 billion, we want to

trade even more. >> reporter: there were protests ahead of the president's visit. security is tight. 40,000 officers are in place, plus extra security near the border with pakistan. but the india trip had to be cut short because the white house says president obama is going to make a stop on the way home in saudi arabia where he'll pay his respects to king abdullah who passed away yesterday. he was one of our biggest allies in the region on the arabian peninsula. we learned this morning, milissa, he's going to get a chance to sit down and meet king salmaan. >> thank you. overnight, four very likely people were rescued after crash landing in the waters between two hawaiian islands. the coast guard says their single-engine cessna sent a distress call before running out of fuel. the three adults and child on board are now safe after the rescue but they did suffer injuries from exposure. and just hours earlier, another rescue near hawaii. this time it was for a pilot

flying one of these, a cirrus cr 22. that pilot also ran out of fuel coming from california. he is reportedly in good condition. then now to midair scares for passengers on board three separate commercial flights. first up, a delta flight traveling from los angeles to orlando was diverted to dallas-ft. worth after an unspecified security concern. an airline passenger tells nbc that the pilot at one point said there was a bomb threat made on twitter. the fbi is investigating and confirms that delta received an internet-based threat. and then at seattle's airport, a sky west and a jetblue flight were both delayed as a result of bomb threats. thankfully all three flights were cleared and continued their trips. nbc's bill karins is back with the national forecast. >> well milissa, for our friends on the west coast, dust off those umbrellas in areas of california. that's a good thing, haven't used them in a while. we do have a little bit on the radar here. not sure how much of that is hitting the ground there on the interstate 8. but over the next couple of

days a little storm system spinning in this region bringing up moisture from the south. that's why we do have showers in the forecast l.a. san diego, going to keep temperatures down too. hopefully an overachieving storm, more rain than we expect. dry in other areas, san francisco, all the way from seattle to portland. as we get into tuesday, looks like the system will move a little further to the north. hopefully get some rain in the san francisco area by the way, hasn't had a drop of rain this month to date. heat in some areas of the west especially central and southern california. a little cooler today. milissa, we'll take another peek at that storm coming up. >> thank you. less than a week before

super bowl xlix, we go inside the science behind deflategate. plus, a narrow escape by some as this massive billboard comes crashing down around them. "early today" is back in two. thanks for the ride around norfolk! and i just wanted to say geico is proud to have served the military for over 75 years! roger that. captain's waiting to give you a tour of the wisconsin now. could've parked a little bit closer... it's gonna be dark by the time i get there. geico. proudly serving the military for over 75 years. when the game's on the line. hit him with a hard count, see if they'll tip their hand. the nfl trusts duracell quantum to their game day communication. they're blitzing up the gut! get out of the pocket! hut! duracell quantum. lasts up to 35% longer than the competition. i found out the hard way... not all washes take care of intimate odor. vagisil odor block wash stops odor from happening for all

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breaking news overnight. >> there is a device that has been recovered by the secret service at the white house. the early indications are that it does not pose any sort of ongoing threat right now to anybody at the white house. but as the secret service has more information about their investigation, what they have been able to learn about this they will share more information on this. >> we just learned that the secret service is investigating a device found on the white house ground. we expect to learn more about that soon. big changes are in store for greece. thousands poured into the streets of athens to celebrate the left wing party's rise to power in national elections.

greece's newly elected leader vows to overturn the country's austerity measures which left its economy in the tank. and now the historic election is sending ripple effects throughout europe. the euro sank to an 11-year low upon news of the outcome. caught on tape, keep an eye on the car in the middle. it just barely escapes as a billboard came crashing down. this happened in southern california apparently during a heavy windstorm. as you can see, the two other cars were just crushed, but thankfully no one was hurt. and a shout-out to miss usa. she came so close to winning the miss universe pageant. the crown went to miss colombia. other finalists miss jamaica, ukraine and netherlands. less than a week to super bowl. over the weekend coach bill belichick defend his team over underinflated footballs but this time with his own scientific explanation. one famous scientist isn't buying this at all. richard lui has details. >> over an extended period of time -- >> reporter: this was the reason. >> climatic conditions. >> reporter: but after this play --

>> intercepted by d'qwell jackson. >> reporter: the nfl found 11 patriots football below proper pressure. so argued the never effusive coach belichick. here's another bill who is a scientist. >> to really change the pressure, you need one of these, the inflation needle. >> but maybe bill of the belichicks has an argument here. his unspoken logic hinting to a more detailed hypothetical life of a patriots football one week ago. so let's back up. belichick says their tests started indoors with a football. he says there it's the texture and condition tom brady likes. that includes rubbing with hands. those hands with an average temperature of 98.6 degrees. potentially heat transfers raising the ball temperature to the 90s. next they add air to reach regulation, 12.5 psi. after which the ball goes outside where temperatures averaged in the mid-30s. that causes the balls temperature to drop 60 degrees. >> the true equilibrium of the

ball -- >> reporter: tire companies after all tell customers for every 10 degrees, expect a 2% tire pressure change. coincidence or not, that equals his 1.5 psi drop in his footballs. explaining away the nfl allegation. the problem is it's the patriots that did the study, leaving us on this monday before the super bowl with at least six ways to sunday. richard lui, nbc news, new york. just ahead, which movies won big at the s.a.g. awards. plus, did you see it? the ridiculous spinning hockey goal gone viral. introducing preferred rewards from bank of america the new banking rewards program that rewards our customers, every day. you'll get things like rewards bonuses on credit cards.... extra interest on a savings account... preferred pricing on merrill edge online trades and more... across your banking and investing get used to getting more. that's the power of more rewarding connections that's preferred rewards from bank of america.

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convicted sex offenders and the lottery. jeff rossen reports on a new controversy over some big winners with notorious pasts. why some say they shouldn't be allowed to play at all. now to sports and college hoops. coach k is mr. 1,000. the blue devils came from a 10-point deficit to beat staun. coach k became the first division 1 coach in basketball history with 1,000 victim rice. who came first, women's coach pat summitt. she reached that back in 2009. and second ranked virginia continues its hot streak, taking down in-state rival virginia tech, 50-47. the cavaliers improve to a perfect 19-0. at the australian open, top ranked serena williams had a nice comeback victory to advance

to the quarterfinals. she will face dominika cibulcova. she defeated two-time champion azarenka. a ridiculous 29 goals were scored in the all-star game in columbus. islanders center john tavares tied the league all-star record with four goals helping them and team toews beat team paulino. but the best goal of the night was in russia's khl competition. did you see that? nikita goes between the legs to make the goal and we cannot stop watching that. this year's pro bowl played at the university of phoenix, same place as next week's super bowl, captained by nfl hall of famers cris carter and michael irvin. just over three minutes to go, matt's pass steals the win for 32-28. seahawks' cornerback richard sherman spoke to the media from the team's hotel in arizona and

he as usual, did not hold back on the patriots deflategate controversy. >> the past is what the past is. the prentice what the prentice. will they be punished? probably not. you know, not as long as robert kraft and roger goodell are still taking pictures at their respective homes, you know. i think it was just at kraft's house last week for the afc championship. talk about conflict of interest. well, browns wide receiver josh gordon failed another drug test. reports say that gordon is in line for a one-year ban. gordon has been suspended twice before for substance abuse violations. and the u.s. figure skating championship, 23-year-old ashley wagner took home her third title, breaking the record for women's free skate. and total score. on the men's side, 21-year-old jason brown won his first u.s. skating title. just ahead, big news at the pump. when those falling gas prices could stop. >> across the country we have two storms we're watching. one is a pretty weak one in the

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weather can be fascinating. this is one of those times going from a nice easy morning to very little breeze in areas of new england to 24 hours from now dealing with 70-mile-per-hour winds and the storm that just explodes off the coast and will be south of cape cod this time

tomorrow morning. that's why we're going to dump two, three feet of snow in some cases and deal with 70-mile-per-hour winds. pretty crazy stuff. we'll have a lot of implications and problems because of that storm. talking about trying to get people rescued, all the medical emergencies. >> right. >> it's going to be a nightmare. >> you are a very busy man the next couple of days and thank you very much. now for you entertainment news. "american sniper," second grossing film ever following private ryan. that's not what's making headlines. first governor sarah palin was pictured with this sign against michael moore, the always outspoken moore took to twitter asking quote, what would jesus do? oh i know what he'd do hide on a rooftop and shoot people in the back. then bill mayer used his talk to to express his feelings comparing to 2008 ""hurt

locker."" >> "hurt locker" made $17 million because it was ambiguous and thoughtful. this one is just american hero. he's a psychopath patriot and we love him. >> at the screen actors guild award "birdman" soared away with big prize, best cast award. julianne moore, best actress for "still alice." eddie redmayne best aktder for the "theory of everything." tom "snl" showed tom brady in the infamous deflategate conference. >> i'm not worried about air pressure in the ball. that's nerd stuff. that's obviously above my pay grade. >> you make $26.5 million a year. >> is that a lot? i don't know things. >> i'm milissa rehberger. we hope this is your first stop of the day on nbc. a convenient way to moisturize every day. new nivea in-shower body lotion. first i wash... then i apply it to my wet skin.

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leading the news from nbc affiliate wdsu, some residents worried about violent crime as mardi gras nears in new orleans. the big easy is dealing with a shrunken police force. the city has about 500 fewer officers than when hurricane katrina struck in 2005. that's quite a huge difference from the 1,600 that officials would like. and in "the washington post," lincoln items including lock of his hair sold at auction in dallas for $800,000. the hair which was removed shortly after lincoln was assassinated sold for $25,000. well, some other stories we're following for you today, georgia police are hunting for a man they believe is involved in the disappearance of a couple in their 60s. the two were on a day trip to buy a '66 mustang listed on

craigslist. now, they haven't been seen since thursday. 28-year-old ronnie jay townes is wanted on suspicion of making false statements to investigators and criminal intent to commit theft by deception. gas prices keep dropping. according to the lundberg survey, it went down to $2.07, but they say prices seem to be bottoming out. and balloons were released into the skies over the vatican yesterday as a gesture of peace. up until last year, this tradition has been featuring doves but that changed after a crow and seagull swept down and attacked the doves. that was ready sad. protests came from animal rights groups, so they changed balloons. >> balloons go up in the air and pop and then look at those. take a look at these bouncing bunnies. especially trained swedish jumping rabbits got air time over the weekend.

get it? >> hare time. >> get that? look at those things go. these little guys have been working all their lives just for this occasion and can get up to three feet in the air. >> usually they lay down and don't do anything. >> this little lady there, sherrie took the top prize over everyone a 12-second run. >> did they drug test her? >> northwest bracing for blizzard. high winds in the forecast. some spots will see two to three feet yes, feet of snow. people are preparing by stocking up on food and water as well. at airports more than 3,000 flights have already been canceled. stay with nbc news because al roker will have more on the storm's timing coming up today. you can also get updates on weather.com. want to say happy birthday to ellen degeneres who is 57.

i'm milissa rehberger, thanks for watching "early today."

early this morning, the secret service moved in to remove a suspicious device found on the lawn of the white house. what they think it is, still ahead. an a warning right now for people who shop to two big box stores in the south bay, who may have come into contact with someone infected with measles. plus law enforcement around the country going after google. details coming up. and a live look outside this morning of san francisco, blackened from night but of course a nice day coming up in the works. it's 4:30 right now, monday january the 26th. you are watching "today in the bay." >> and a good monday morning. it's had:30. thank you f