>> you probably noticed something a little different when you woke up this morning. sunshine. folks used the break from winter weather to take in a job or a stroll through the park. or strollr -- jog through the park. maine is once again covered in a blanket of snow. about 6" on the ground.

forecasters expect another 4" by the end of the day. it could cause power outages. more than 1000 outages already reported in new sure. -- new hampshire. >> now your forecast with john collins. >> it is still snowing in new england. over cape cod, a wintry mix. moisture coming in off the atlantic ocean. snow in the coastal areas, but it does extend into the hudson river valley. there is lake-effect snow in pennsylvania. not everybody got sun today. we were lucky in baltimore, maryland. we had some clouds this morning. some really good weather to the west of us. if the was the high today. the sunshine certainly helped -- 50 was the high today. the sunshine certainly helped. the morning low was 39 degrees. by midnight, we could be a

little chillier than that. right now, 39 is the reading at the airport. 41 at cambridge. 40 five in ocean city. 35 at parkton. in oceanderick -- 45 city. 35 at parkton. 37 at frederick. the windchill is making it seem a little chillier here the winds are gusting through the 20's -- chillier. the winds are gusting through the 20's. this drifted down from pennsylvania. here is the weather up in parts of new england. this area of high pressure is coming in. weather.s whether -- this has to pass over us tomorrow. my back here? a new storm developing, coming out of the southern plains, right into the great lakes. a piece of it will swing our direction. this is the same did -- same

behavior as the last storm we are just getting rid of, parts of which are over the great lakes and the atlantic ocean. it is déjà vu. this thing will produce a lot of snow in the plains states, the same places that got hammered last week. a little colder tonight than last night. mostly clear skies. those of you who do have some clouds, they will tend to clear out. there will be less wind overnight. that will diminish sometime after midnight or so. tomorrow, still a lot of sunshine. temperatures are just about normal for this time of year. the light northwest breezes will continue. five knots the 10 knots on the open waters -- five knots to 10 knots on the open waters of the day. we begin to see some crowds creep in tomorrow. by early tuesday morning, clouds and -- some clouds creep in

tomorrow. by early tuesday morning, clouds. pretty good, generous rain on tuesday, extending possibly to a few showers wednesday morning. there is a winter storm watch in effect out in the mountains to the west for tuesday for some significant snow. seven-day forecast. tomorrow, good. 48 the high. tuesday.cloudy on on-again, off-again rain. wednesday, a morning shower. then the son tries to break through. temperatures back off the rest of the week. going into the weekend, we look dry. >> lacrosse continues to gain popularity across the region. today, a group of girls got a first an introduction. the parks and people foundation launched a new afterschool program today for baltimore city girls aged 11 to 14. some players were presented with brand-new equipment, and a lot

of it. in addition to providing positive alternatives to crime, organizers say the new league helps young ladies control major issues in their lives. >> i was a college athlete. i understand the tremendous power that sports can have on young women. particularly with issues around obesity, self image. this is a great way for girls to build their self-esteem and to build community. >> members of the baltimore police department are also closely involved with the league, serving as mentors to the players. >> the nfl combine. this is one of those events, a chance for prospects to shine. a local player is the talk of indianapolis after the speed he posted today in the 40. that story is coming up in sports.

>> this is 11 sports. nascar was holding its collective breath during >> nascar was-- holding its collective breath during today's daytona 500. luckily, the incident did not turn tragic. the fans are expected to recover. danica patrick was on the pole during the driver introduction -- on the pole. drain the driver introduction, she got a huge ovation -- during the driver introduction, she got a huge ovation. she led five laps on the day. brad keselowski caused a huge rack. carl edwards also involved. we go to the final lap and a familiar face is leading the pack. jimmie johnson takes the checkered flag for his second daytona 500 victory. taylor and her, junior, second. danica patrick -- dale

earnhardt, junior, second. danica patrick faded and came in eighth. the prospects trying to raise their data -- draft stock. the fastest way is to post a great time in the 40-yard dash. that's what tavon austin did today. he was flying, posting an official speed of 4.34 seconds, just behind the fastest time of chrisme, recorded by johnson at 4.24 seconds. tavon is one of the top receivers in the draft. his speed today could cemented his status as a first-round pick in the draft. the maryland women have won 22 games this season, but none would match the feeling of beating rival duke today. they beat the turks earlier this -- the terps earlier this season.

brenda was not a happy camper. peter drives. no one is there. duke up by 17. the terrapins battled back. they cut the lead down to 11. on the next possession, she hits a three. terps within 8, that is as close as they would get. duke dominated. nook beats maryland 75-69, beatsng ash -- duke maryland 75-69. this was a physical game. strong move. going top shelf. the tigers lead by three. fourth quarter, three goals in two minutes. he finds the back of the net. the game is tied at 8-8. in the overtime, he finds -- fourth goal of the game, the biggest. they won the thriller, 9-8,

their first win of the season. to baseball, the orioles beat the blue jays 5-4. , the was a two-run homer orioles' third-round pick in 20078 hoping to make the roster. a lot of eyes will be on third baseman manny machado. he did not disappoint when he was called up last season. in just 51 homesrs games. he is enjoying his or her spring training as a major leaguer -- his first spring training as a major leaguer. >> enjoying my first big league camp. i'm having lots of fun out here. >> good for manny. talk about a bad start to spring training, yankees versus blue jays. curtis granderson getting hit in the forearm. it turns out to be a broken

forearm. he hit 43 homers last season. he could be out 10 weeks. he could be out amongst during the regular season, and huge blow to the yankees, who will be without alex rodriguez until at least the all-star break.

>> another good day tomorrow. near 50 for the high. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute

--www.ncicap.org-- >> see you back here tonight at 11:00. 11:00. my bad. tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan.

it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything. it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no, we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?

a day after a . injured more than two dozen spectators. jim ji johnson won today's race while danica patrick chalked up a first for the sport. it was yesterday's crash that was on everybody's mind. janet shamliyan has more. >> reporter: there was no shopping the daytona 500. it went on as planned a a after a p nightmarish crash on the same track. 28 fans were hurt, 12 admitted to local hospitals. some were seated 40 rows up when a car on the last lap of a race crashed into the fence and split apart sending chunks of metal and a tire high into the grandstands. >> we were really shook up. i mean, just because we thought this really happened, and we were, you know, so close. >> reporter: heather came back tore today's 500, but was glad her seats weren't too close. officials promised a careful review. >> i think the key is we sit

down and review everything in terms of what happened. >> reporter: the fence separating the track from the crowd is 22 feet high, but some questions are whether it's high enough and are the grand stands too close. it's always been part of nascar's culture. >> fans want to be close to the action at daytona, and if you were to walk by the fence here, you'll feel it. your hair will literally be sucked sideways because you're so close to the action. that's what fans want. >> reporter: it was 12 years ago that seven-time champ dale earnhardt died in an accident on the last lap of the daytona 500. his death prompted a safety overhaul for both drivers and fans. >> they do the best they can for the drivers and fans, of course, but when i come to these races, i do feel very safe as a fan. >> reporter: the other headline of the day, the historic poll position start for danika patrick who also led a lap in a nascar race. >> it's like only the only girl

in a guy's sport spshgs she's holding her own, so it kind of gives hope for other girls to, like, do what they can and push for their dreams. >> reporter: her own dreams weren't fulfilled here. an eighth place finish for a young woman who says she's just getting started. >> jimie johnson's win was his second. michael waltrip who drove a car number 26 in honor of the 26 sandy hook victims finished 22nd. lester. >> thank you. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday, new tensions between the u.s. and afghanistan. less for us. more for you.

nexi um, the purple pill, um, helps provide many with day and night relief of heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. there is risk of bone fracture, and low magnesium levels. side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. call your doctor right away if you have persistent diarrhea. other serious stomach conditions may exist. don't take nexium if you take clopidogrel. ask your doctor if nexium is right for you. find out how you may be able to get nexium for just $18 a month at purplepill.com because vitamin d3 helps bones absorb calcium, caltrate's double the d. it now has more than any other brand to help maximize calcium absorption. so caltrate women can move the world.

tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything. it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no, we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?

the president of afghanistan ordered all u.s. special operation forces to leave an embattled area of that country within two weeks because of torture and other allegations against afghans working with the americans. the area is the province not far from kabul. for more we turn to pentagon correspondent jim miklaciewski. >> this order today shocked u.s. defense and military officials. they were taken totally by surprise. military officials also have strongly denied u.s. commandos condone or in any way took part in kidnapping, torture, or murders of afghan civilians or suspects. president karzai has occasionally in the past taken the u.s. military to task and, in part, to show the afghan people that he is in charge, but this province is a taliban stronghold, one of the hottest combat areas in afghanistan, so

if karzai is playing politics here, it's an extremely dangerous game. now, president obama has already announced that 34,000 american troops, half the total american -- from afghanistan by the end of this year, but if u.s. forces are prevent from executing their mission, you may start to hear calls from washington to bring home all american forces sooner than planned. lester. >> thank you. up next here tonight, the pope and his last sunday appearance. but we can still help you see your big picture. with the fidelity guided portfolio summary, you choose which accounts to track and use fidelity's analytics to spot trends, gain insights, and figure out what you want to do next. all in one place. i'm meredith stoddard and i helped create the fidelity guided portfolio summary. it's one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account.

this was a bittersweet day

at the vatican as pope benedict xvi made his final sunday appearance and the church faced new allegations of wrong doing. nbc's ann thompson is at the vatican for us tonight. ann, good evening. >> good evening, lester. people packed st. peters square today to say good-bye to pope benedict. he told the crowd that by retiring he was not abandoning the church, but, rather, that god had called him to a life of more prayer and meditation. the crowd, in turn, in song and with signs and in many different languages said thank you to the 85-year-old pontiff. as that was happening, there were new charges. there were charges being brought against a scottish cardinal, one of the men that will vote for the new pope, three priests and one young priest accused him of inappropriate behavior. lester. >> ann thompson in rome tonight. thank you. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. i'll see you short loyel