sunny skies. upper 60s to about 70 degrees. >> see you at 6:00. >> good night, folks. on the broadcast tonight, states of emergency with a ferocious system on the move, the coldest temperatures north-to-south in years. tonight, relentless snow and ice and a new disaster on the tracks. targeting christians. mass executions and new threats tonight as a new front opens in the war with isis. also, a sea of humanity fighting back tonight. a powerful message as europe reels from new terror attacks. pain relief. with a procedure now skyrocketing in popularity among 40-somethings. and, live from new york, an anniversary party for the ages. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight, lester holt.

good evening and welcome on this president's day. the misery of this exceptionally brutal winter is being felt across a much wider section of the country tonight including the south. while boston desperately looks for somewhere to put the remains of its fourth major snowstorm in two weeks, another storm is dumping snow and crippling travel across a huge area from kentucky to washington, d.c., with tennessee facing dangerous ice. right now 20 states are under winter weather warnings or advisories. on top of it all arctic cold extending well into the south with sub zero lows in some parts. once again our team is in place. miguel almaguer is along the icy waters on boston tonight, miguel. >> reporter: lester, good evening. we're on a coast guard cutter tonight. a 65-foot battering ram used to clear ice from critical shipping lanes. the eight men that work on this vessel do so in frigid conditions. but tonight so much of this region feels like an icebox.

today when millions woke up across new england, the view wasn't pretty. a region buried in snow is now crippled in ice. >> it's unbearable right now. >> reporter: the windchill dipping double digits below zero across much of the northeast. the arctic blast setting record lows from maine to new york. in boston where it felt like negative 26. >> it's incredibly cold. you can barely see over the mountains of snow. >> reporter: insult to injury. nearly 100 inches of snow in just three weeks. residents digging out any way they can as fast as they can. >> dug a tunnel to get the snow blower out and worked our way out. >> reporter: mass transit is crippled. trains running on limited service. what isn't moving is frozen solid. >> as boston digs out, i ask everyone please still continue to remain patient and calm. >> reporter: wind-whipped waves battered the coast of massachusetts. ice and water everywhere. in plymouth, rare thunder snow. >> oh, yes! yes!

we got it -- >> reporter: the weather channel's jim cantore in the middle of it all. >> oh, again! >> reporter: 150 miles offshore a life or death rescue for the coast guard. a father and son plucked to safety. this afternoon we were aboard the pendant, a coast guard ice breaker plowing through the boston harbor. >> this is unprecedented back here. this ice is so thick it's actually stopping the ship. >> reporter: thick ice and heavy snow causing roofs to buckle. this one gave way at an apartment complex in new hampshire. in philly, firefighters battled fire and ice dousing flames as they dodged icicles. on the roads black ice was deadly. at least six killed over the weekend. today, more spinouts and wipeouts.

now with the cold settling in, even more snow is on the way. >> enough. no more. surrender the snow. >> reporter: tomorrow, another blast. another frigid day. more snow means more ice on these waterways. believe it or not the guys that work this vessel say after they clear a shipping lane like this, within an hour it freezes right back over. they call this one of the coldest places to be in all of massachusetts. and, lester, tonight it certainly feels like it. lester. >> all right, miguel, thank you. >> 73 million americans understand some sort of winter weather advisory or warning let's go back to boston where we find dylan dreyer. >> the arctic air will surge in. we had snow back through kentucky and nashville, the worse ice storm they've seen in 20 years. that will move into the carolinas overnight. to the north all snow. it's a quick mover and should exit the coast by the time we go into late morning and early morning tuesday. snow as much as a foot of snow

down near richmond virginia and further north we're looking at the biggest snowstorm washington, d.c. has seen this season, we could end up with nine inches of snow and as far north as boston a couple more inches. ice is a major concern through raleigh. half an inch of ice crippling the roads and power lines and after that it's all about the arctic cold. by thursday morning in raleigh, they will bottom out at 1 tree. add that to the ice and that will make some problems. >> dylan dreyer tonight, thank you. >> a disaster is unfolding in snow bound west virginia. a train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil derailed and caused a massive explosion leaking into a river and prompting evacuations. tom costello has late details for us from washington. >> reporter: this happened about 1:30 this afternoon when a single csx train car went off the tracks in fayette county causing a massive explosion that destroyed a nearby home.

one person was injured, nobody killed. tonight about 200 people have been evacuated. the biggest concern is that tanker car is leaking oil into the river. water treatment facilities downstream have shut their intake valves and residents are being told don't drink the water for now. heavy snow tonight is slowing response but, again, one injured, nobody dead. the concern is the water quality. >> amazing sight. there's word tonight of a massive computer hacking attack on banks around the world including the united states. it's possible the hackers made off with a billion dollars. we get details from our justice correspondent pete williams. >> reporter: cyber experts call it the biggest bank job ever. total haul so far 300 million. but a security firm said it could be three times that nearly $1 billion. >> these are some of the most

clever folks we've seen. certainly in cyber criminal operations this very well could be unparalleled. >> reporter: here's how it worked. the criminals set banks they wanted to rob innocent looking emails when a bank employee clicked on the attachment it launched malware snooping on for the administrator. the criminals took a random account say one with $1,000 in it changed the balance to 10,000 then took 9,000 out doing it all by remote control like a scene in a hollywood movie. they would remotely instruct it to dispense the big pile of money. some banks targeted were in the u.s., the company won't name names. most were overseas.

individual bank customers aren't out any money. their accounts are insured. as for the cyber robber so far they have gotten away with it. pete williams, nbc news washington. >> turning office where isis has spread its wave of terror to a new front libya. releasing a chilling video of christians executed in a mass beheading. now isis is threatening to go even further. we get more from our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. >> reporter: 21 coptic christians marched along the waterfront before being beheaded. among thousands of egyptian migrants unable to find houses. egypt scrambled f-16s to retaliate. the first time it's taken military action against the terror group. back home in their impoverished village, calling isis bumpers,

monsters. and the horror galvanized protesters in cairo as italy, the last western power in tripoli evacuated its citizens. and pope francis mourned the latest victims. he said their only words were jesus, help me. they were killed simply for the fact they were christians. but in libya now gripped by civil war, isis is taking root. >> there's only one message that comes from them, which is convert to our ways, do things our ways or we're going to kill you. >> reporter: the threat has been growing rapidly. three weeks ago isis attacked a tripoli hotel killing ten including an american contractor. last summer the u.s. evacuated the american embassy. militants quickly took over the ambassador's residence. and 2012 benghazi attack killing four americans including ambassador chris stevens. a rapid dissent from the nato victory after deposing moammar gadhafi in 2011.

tonight, experts warn isis will continue to thrive in countries like libya and syria, torn by civil wars. and that air strikes alone will not root them out. lester. >> andrea mitchell, thank you. in denmark tonight two men are under arrest suspected of aiding the gunmen in a pair of deadly terrorist shootings over the weekend. we're learning more about that man who carried out the worst terrorist violence in that country in decades. nbc's keir simmons has our report tonight from copenhagen. >> reporter: thousands rallied in copenhagen tonight. coming together after a weekend of violence. the city's mayor was embraced by the mayor of paris, where attacks last month killed 17. the u.s. ambassador, a boston native, visited the cafe where supporters of free speech had gathered saturday. an audio recording captures the moment of the attack. [ gunfire ] more than 30 shots leaving one man dead.

>> i could hear arabic and the shout. >> reporter: hours later the gunmen attacked a synagogue killing a security guard before being gunned down by police early sunday. >> denmark was hit by terrorism. >> reporter: the shooter is said to be this man, abdel el hussein, 22, reportedly released from prison two weeks ago. tonight, the jewish community here is defiant. >> we wanted to change our way of life, and we will not give them that triumph. >> reporter: but anti-semitism in europe is on the rise. this weekend a jewish cemetery in france was desecrated. israel's prime minister netanyahu has pulled on european jews to immigrate to israel. european leaders oppose that. and in copenhagen grief and anger are tempered by tolerance. >> we have to not to be mad at every muslim because that's very important. >> reporter: and, lester, those two alleged accomplices appeared

in court today charged with helping the gunmen hide the weapon after the attacks. officials here will be investigating whether the gunmen had links to jihadi groups. and with reports of pledged allegiance to isis before the attack. lester. >> keir simmons in copenhagen. thanks. trial resumed for the man accused of killing american sniper chris kyle. the jury has listened to witnesses describe the confession from the stand. today they heard it in his own words. here's jacob rascon in stephenville, texas. >> reporter: for several minutes eddie ray routh doesn't move. the jury hears the nearly hour-long recording the media ordered not to broadcast to media. when the question begins routh doesn't answer directly. rambling about flying pigs and people feeding on his soul. but then he confesses he shot chris kyle first saying "i knew if i did not take out his soul, he was coming to take mine next."

routh describes the guns he used, admits to stealing kyle's truck and trying to escape. at least three times the investigator asks routh as he understands that what he did was wrong. right, routh answers. yes, sir, he says later. at one point routh interrupts the interview to ask about his parents saying "i'd like to see them, at least hug my mom one last time, you know." and finally, routh apologizes saying "i'm just sorry for what i've done, you know. and we can work this out." and "i guess i need to be doing more thinking in this town than hurting people." during cross-examination the defense establishes the texas raininger who conducted the interview did not know routh had been diagnosed as psychotic and released from a medical center only eight days before the crime. routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. we expect to hear from medical

health experts later in the week. lester. >> all right, jacob, thank you. still ahead here tonight, seeking pain relief. the procedure more and more americans are choosing to undergo, many of them at a younger age than ever expected. also, a night of a thousand stars, or at least it felt that way. we'll take you on a visit to where all the "snl" magic happens.

the procedure is a costly

one, both in terms of money and how long it takes to recover, but for many people there is no other option besides a hip replacement. increasingly younger people who thought the ordeal would be years in their future are facing it right now. anne thompson tells us more. >> reporter: on a bitterly cold day outside cleveland, 48-year-old janet mizzola is playing paddle tennis, something hip pain made impossible just a year ago. >> i was having a hard time walking around without a limp and difficult time sleeping. >> reporter: the active mother of three underwent a total hip replacement. once a surgery for seniors, it's increasingly common for middle-aged americans. in a new report, the centers for disease control says total hip replacements for those 45 and over more than doubled in a decade jumping from 138,000 to almost 311,000. the biggest increase came in the 55 to 64 group where the number nearly tripled.

how long can a patient expect an implant to last? >> what i generally tell patients to expect is that there's a 90% chance that the hip we put in today is still going to be functioning well for them in 20 years. >> reporter: the average cost for this procedure is just over $30,000, according to blue cross blue shield. but prices can vary widely, from as little as $11,000 in birmingham, alabama, to almost $74,000 in boston. yet there's more to this decision than price. experts suggest two other numbers to keep in mind. you want a doctor who does more than 50 hip replacements a year and a hospital that performs more than 200 joint replacements annually. so you too can get back in the game. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. we're back in a moment with a surprise announcement tonight about an iconic american landmark.

♪ it's my party and i'll cry if i want to ♪ ♪ cry if i want to ♪ ♪ you would cry too if it happened to you ♪ >> she topped the chart with that massive hit about teenage angst in the spring of '83. lesley gore has died. she died of cancer here in new york. lesley gore was 68 years old. it's true that adults tend to lose a bit of height as we get older. seems that goes for our landmarks as well. surveyors announced a new measurement today for the washington monument. it's nearly ten inches shorter than when the monument was completed in 1984. but it probably hasn't shrunk. standards have changed from what point they measure from on the ground. would you be this excited? four rehabilitated sea lions were released back into the ocean sunday at california's laguna beach. they made a break for the water

as fast as their flippers would carry them. flippers don't fail me now. when we come back, 40 years of history in the cathedral of comedy. the best moments from "snl"'s landmark anniversary.

welcome back. we thought before we go tonight we'd bring you up to the eighth floor here at 30 rock where an estimated 20 million people witnessed television history last night. beyond those doors the legendary studio 8h home to "saturday night live." last night they celebrated their 40th anniversary. along this hallway pictures of the various casts throughout the years. from among these folks would emerge some of the biggest names in comedy. last night they came home along with a star-studded list of celebrity guest hosts to celebrate a show that has spanned the generations and kept us laughing. >> live from new york it's saturday night! >> it was an unprecedented night. >> from comedians to actors to alec. >> giants from every corner of the entertainment world on stage and in the audience. >> larry davis. hey! how you doing?

>> good evening. i'm jane curtain. >> i'm tina fey. >> and i'm amy poehler. >> dear rosanee. ♪ how'd you get so funky ♪ >> it created stars of unknowns. >> here's the one and only, eddie murphy. >> so happy to be back here in just a magical feeling. >> and made established performers want a piece of it. ♪ >> and for 40 years "saturday night live" is still bringing down the house.

>> good night and have a pleasant tomorrow. >> good night. and have a pleasant tomorrow. ♪ >> "saturday night live" at 40, land shark and all. our congratulations to all our friends at "snl" on a television milestone. that's going to do it for us on a monday night. i'm lester holt. thanks for watching. for all of us at nbc news, good night.

it's not something that any parent should have to ever endure. ever. >> right now a hero is mourned after being gunned down over cheap cigars. tonight, a mother tells us he was protecting her son. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> we have new information tonight about the final moments of a san jose security guard. a witness says he jumped in the line of fire to save a friend's life. nbc bay area's michelle roberts is at the growing memorial for

the guard with an emotional tribute from the mother of the man he saved. michelle? >> reporter: that's right. he's being called a hero. manuel zuniga was working here on saturday. he got involved in a robbery, tried to put a stop to it and that's when he was shot and killed. tonight, the memorial is growing, people paying tribute. meanwhile, police are still looking for the people responsible. >> and it's not something that any parent should have to ever endure. ever. >> sandra morales says she will be forever grateful to manuel zuniga. >> in my eyes he will always be a hero. >> reporter: she says manny died while saving her son. they were working the front door security at b boss nightclub when they noticed a robbery at the liquor store just a few feet away. the owner of liquor for less says a man barged in on saturday night and stole a cigar display