hour during the overnight hours and will remain in effect for the entire wbtv viewing area until thursday and then a winter weather advisory up around avery and mitchell and yancy counties. that is in effect through friday morning, not tomorrow morning. we are looking anywhere from 2 to 4 or 3 to 5 inches on the backside. it's far from over in this storm and its calling card. much more coming up and the rest of your seven-day forecast. >> continuing coverage, inbound wilkinson boulevard remains closed for the next several hours. you can see the video as it remains stacked up during the busy rush hour. we will update you. at the peak of today's storm, wbtv had people out in

and gastonburg to alert you on the weather near your home. tonight a look back at the biggest moments of the story. prime time. >> seems like this played out across our area tonight. this tree fell across interstate 40 this afternoon. not too far away in long view, this home didn't stand a chance against an old oak tree. in spencer, crews worked to clear an emergency tree across the storm looked like when it rolled by our wbtv news room. the wind was so strong at times it was hard to keep balance. in west charlotte, a tree landed right on top of this car. >> it sounded like a big crash of lightning. i came outside to see what was going on and looked across the street. the tree was totally down and took out the power line. >> the scene from interstate

>> it sounded like a bomb. like somebody dropped a bomb. >> homeowner joe shepard and his granddaughter from inside his home on vista court when a tree came crashing down. they are both okay. >> scared me to death. i have seen so many trees that fall on people's houses and cars and garage. >> jamie boll wbtv on your side, prime time. >> we can feel for that. go to wbtv.com to see more picture and video from today's coverage. so many of you sent your pictures of trees and power lines down and even dark clouds across our area. they are all there on wbtv.com/slideshows. right now an update on power outages, thousands in meklenburg county still without power. last check there are 13 thousand

duke county 1,400 customers and 1,300 in caberas and 2,500 in cetaba and we will update you when we know more. more tonight on a story that was breaking news last night. this is aerial view taken of the rv park we told you about last night in louisiana. the govern's office of home land security and emergency preparedness took this photograph. absolute destruction. a search and rescue effort is still under way right now. we are seeing video of the very moment the storm rolled into the area. this is just moments before utter devastation. wbtv molly grantham has this update. >> when daylight broke in, st. james paraish, so did the reality of what happened.

>> scariest thing i had to go through. >> josh keef was in his rv when the tree came tumbling through. >> it happened so fast, the sound, i don't know, i was pinned down and screaming for help. i needed help. i couldn't move literally and then eventually got my way out and started helping who i could. >> he returned today to help what is left and was left with his mother's ashes. everybody accounted for, there is going objectto be a search operation going on. we would ask for your patience. >> the amount of damage that has been done in the short period of time, it is extensive. >> it's going to be a long and

that where you are reminded of resilience. >> louisiana people have been through a lot and they persevere and that's going to continue here. >> molly grantham wbtv prime time. >> we also learned today the storm killed two people and injured at least 30 others. the first alert weather team we'll stay on top about bringing you updates. we will use the storm with using the first alert weather app. new on prime time, we are learning more about a meth lab best. police were there. crews were there today to get more. woo -- we will update you. a woman is charged with

using a bible. 54-year-old melton is charged in this case and used tobacco products to wrap individuals with an attempt to smuggle them to her son. the charlotte city council passing the nondiscrimination ordinancnc today that would allow transgender people to choose a restroom based on their identity. here is a reaction from the carolina coast. >> trans people are just like everybody else. i don't know if the answer is gender neutral bathrooms but the answer for me at this moment is education as i said before. but we are working towards that. >> not everyone is happy about the decision including governor pat mcorey and he plans to take legislative action to keep the ordinance from passing

wbtv.com to read more about this and watch our steve crumb sit down. thousands of high school students packed the charlotte convention center for the ciaa education day. students say they are encouraged by this event. >> if you're not exposed to something, you're not aware that it even exists. so being able to come out here and say hey, if i work hard and if i really work on my reading and do those things, i can be successful and attend one of these colleges. >> education day aims to teach students about different options they have when it comes to higher education and the ciaa tournament tipped off in charlotte just yesterday. up next on prime time, a tree collapses on a man walking on a road. what we are just learning about what happened to him. plus, more developments as the search for answers about what caused the old hildogram school to go up in flames this week.

times with a bb gun and reunited with the man who saved him. latest on severe weather in the carolinas. you're watching prime time. your only live local news at

back in just 90 seconds.ivku video said he was afraid when the police arrived, he do not know what caused that eradic driver. a viewer sent us this picture and the man who took it said the plow was not rotating at the time and did not touch down. still it's a pretty menacing looking cloud. next on prime time, part of a tree slams on top of this taxicab with the driver inside. we got details next. first here is what you can see

watching wbtv tonight. >> we have got more time lapse video of today's storm. this is from shawn dortey. he recorded this and condensed five minutes down to 30 seconds. you can see the clouds and rain covering the stadium and high rise buildings and basically a white out as the whipping rains and look, the city emerges again once that storm passed through.

lapse video of the storm. this is off deal road. you can see the heavy rain. slapping windows. our chief meteorologist eric thomas would have you updated on the forecast in just a couple of minutes. just into the wbtv news room we are now hearing from people on scene after a tree fell on a man. and the man died in burlington today and high winds are knocking down the tree and the man was walking along the side of the road when the tree fell. >> we were laying down and the tree was on top of it. he was hurt. he was hurt. i had to look up and the tree was laying on top of the rotten tree. >> oh, my goodness. the victim was take erin to the hospital and as i said, he later died. a taxi driver in colombia thankful to be alive after this.

smashed there into his windshield, the driver said he believed the high winds caused the branch to break off and crews were out cleaning up and removing the branch a short time later and the car was towed away. we want to pull up the maureen o'boyle facebook page. we have something very cool posted to my facebook page. i want to say thank you to elisha reinheart. this is outside of the sam's club. this is a double rainbow and up on top, eric, that is another rainbow and that is posted as i said by elisha. i appreciate you doing that. i always love when youts g as long as you are never put in any kinds of harms way and use the #wbtvandme and that way we can certainly find you and show it on air.

we saw so much nastiness and trees down and power lines and damage. secondary rainbows too, it's a secondary internal reflection on the little drops and it's also reversed. it's a mere image of the first rainbow. it's neat. >> wow. goes whoa. >> is that what he was doing? >> no, no. >> i know what you're talking about. now i can't do the weather when i think about that. that's enough of maureen o'boyle. here we go. let's get you to -- by the way i shared a bunch of rainbow shots on my facebook too and everybody coming out of the woodworks with fantastic shot. eric thomas wbtv and that's a twitter handle as well. rough stuff around the eastern sections of north carolina and look at the rain and snow pin wheeling around the area of low pressure that continues to turn

again the tornado warnings now are finally continued to be decreased here and we have this tornado warning up around elizabeth city and with the upper level low, that is whipping more winds back into our area and whipping the rain in here as well. we still have the showers so don't be caught by surprised. i want to give you a little bit of the alert here. if you're heading out this evening if you're close to meklinburg, highway 321 and wouldn't you know it, already starting to see the rain back over to snow and can pick up significant accumulations that way. we will get into that in a minute. we talked about the winds whipping until noon tomorrow and can see gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour and anywhere is fair game across the entire wbtv viewing area and then the winter weather advisory and this is what we were talking about.

this is all day thursday and thursday night into friday when the slow start toss let up that way. meanwhile the wind gusts, have had tons of power outages today. they are going to be strong. we have the advisory and stopping here at 7:00 in the morning and 20 to 30 mile-an-hour wind gusts and could be pushing 50 miles per hour again on midday by thursday as things begin to weaken just a little bit here. future cast, again, you will see how this action continues to role into from tennessee but the precipitation will be reserved for them up there and meanwhile the rest of us will just watch these temperatures dropping and we're in the upper 50s right now and already down into the up p per 40s there around boon quickly down to freezing around 11:00 tonight as we also drop into the 40s and down to the upper 30s to around 40 degrees when you're out the door at around 8:00 tomorrow morning. let's get back to the snow. look at this, just continues

carolina high country. will get into the accumulations in about fifteen second. if you're heading out here windy and chilly. all right now finally here it is, up into the mountains we go and took you all the way through 7:00 on thursday evening. what can you expect? quite a bit actually. 3:00 to 5 inches of snow and a couple of days left before we talk about warmer spring weather. here it is. mountain snow with sister-in-law temperatures near normal as we take you through friday and saturday and then after that we jump into the 60s over the weekend but notice that we have a very quiet weather pattern on top for you. even working into the first half of next week. that is the way it looks right now. back to maur reen >> thank you. the cause of the higher at the old hildobran high school remains unknown tonight. today we learn from the fire officials that the building is too unstable for an indepth investigation inside.

the six week old poppy who was shot 18 times with a bb gun in rock hill was reunited with the man who saved him. we got a picture of brody there with darel who works at the apartment complex where police say brody was shot by two teenagers. according to the ebonese or animal hospital, darrel alerted authorities about what happened and today he went back to the animal hospital to visit brody. we learned today that brody has been adopted and the fame -- family wants to remine anonymous

the past. >> time now for the prime time pick. this comes from cindy drain. this is a picture of willy, a porgie dressed up with the #didsomeonesayrain. what a beautiful dog. this is a special prime time pick because lily's owner is surprising her husband with this picture on tv tonight. happy early birthday. we know you guys love your day. >> the rain coat is appropriate today for -- what was your name?

>> all right, 56 will be the number on thursday morning. we had 72 for the high today and with that cooler weather, here comes the mountain snow and we're going to be below freezing a couple of days and it will be pretty. >> i'm just reading an e-mail that we have been cold that queens road at hensley place in miers mark will remain shut down in both directions probably through the morning commute. avoid if you can. >> it's a short six months until the next school year begins and by now we thought we would be closer to finding charlotte's educator. because of a divided school board with personal agendas, we have to wait another year. as a result of the 15 month procrastination, the board

after the extension, they have another chance to get it right. we hope this will yield a more unified board and better results. during a recent mealing, board members put the feeling on display and we appreciate the dialogue about the search. we think it's health why i and after all do represent different constituents and when the board organized the front it demonstrating a lack of communication skills of the. when it comes to the business, the board members should handle it in the way that the community should be proud of. if you can't get the job done, then get off the board. cms needs a superintendent who can take the district to the next level. every day the board waits to find a new leader, students, their parents and teachers are

the future. lights, camera, access. >> my thought was, there's a stalker out there and that he's going to kill her. >> revisiting the peeping tom video trauma takes its toll on erin andrews and her father. i'm billy bush, as we learn even more about erin's ongoing ordeal.

do this, i'm going to throw up. >> jerk, idiot, racist, questions about her bombastic husband. >> do i agree all the time? >> uh-huh. >> with him? >> uh-huh. >> no, i don't. >> okay. >> i see his motorcycle crews into oncoming traffic. >> wynonna, on the horrific accident that took her husband's leg this and nearly his life. and no surprise here. kanye takes more hits at taylor swift. erin andrews' father takes the stand. welcome to "access hollywood." $75 million is at stake in the peeping tom trial that the co-host is mounting against her convicted stalker and the marriott hotel where the incident took place. in a very emotional testimony, the man who protected erin since