with breaking news. antonin scalia has died at age 79. he was found dead at a west texas ranch. he was born in trenton, was the most influential conservative. he was a steadfast opponent of affirmative action and abortion rights. he was the nation's first to tie an american justice appointed by ronald reagan in 1986. justice scalia was 79 years old. there was a whole pile, one was folded right in half. >> a witness described the wreckage on a central pennsylvania interstate this morning. investigators believe a snow

squall is to blame for a deadly pileup involving more than 40 cars on interstate 78. police say at least three people are dead, dozens of others were taken to the hospital. witnesses reported sudden whiteout conditions before the crash that left tractor-trailers, suvs, and cars tangled across three lanes of traffic around 9:45 this morning in the eastbound lanes of i-78, that's in bethel township, lebanon county. randy, what did you hear about this? >> reporter: officials say it will take until midnight to clear the cars and debris off interstate 78. let me show you were. some of the tractor-trailers still flipped over on their side, need to be towed out of here. i did speak with drivers that tell me the drive was going fine, they were heading westbound, many to harrisburg, when a snow squall came out of nowhere and blinded them.

the mangled cars and 18 wheelers block the entire highway, toppled over along interstate 78. police say at least 40, maybe 50 vehicles were involved. from above, you can see the chain reaction from cars sliding into snow, colliding at high speed. >> hit the brakes, didn't stop. >> reporter: ken morris and his son were headed to harrisburg when the snow squall hit. the pickup slammed into a semi. >> i hit, my eyes shut, i heard ringing. >> reporter: this 14-year-old crawled out of the truck and watched as more cars crashed around him. >> snow and cars flying in, we had to basically dodge them and stuff. >> reporter: because cars were still coming and crashing? >> yeah. >> reporter: state police say the sudden wind driven snow caused the crash. >> reduced visibility and drifting snow across that roadway. >> reporter: police say there are multiple fatalities, many victims trapped in their cars, had to be pulled from the

debris. >> multiple people were flown to area hospitals, 46 transported by ambulance. >> reporter: back here live, you can see that's three 18 wheelers combined and crashed into each other. all that debris, including a tanker truck. officials tell me it will take until midnight to clear all of this debris, this crash happened after 9:00 this morning, so it is going to be awhile. they tell us a significant number of detours as the cleanup heads into the night. live in lebanon county, randy jill enhall, nbc10 news. we are following another weather threat, dangerous cold that moved into the region. it isn't leaving any time soon. that's why a first alert is now in effect. nbc10 on i-76 eastbound near glad win this afternoon where it was slow go due to blowing snow and better bundle up if you're anywhere outside. nbc10 in frankford section, snow

was coming down earlier today. tonight we are not only tracking the cold but strong winds. here's a live look at the flag blowing in center city. we have team coverage on this first alert weather day. let's go to violet a yas on this blast. >> cold is coming in quick. show you the live cam shaking around a bit. that's due to strong winds out of the west, nor west. winds have come down toward wilmington in the last couple minutes but picked up. atlantic city, gusting to 40. miles per hour 31. miles per hour toward philadelphia, west northwest wind, that's why cold air is rushing into the area. at the moment, feeling like one below already toward center city. 9 below toward allentown. already 22 below toward the poconos. very cold if you're out and about. as we head into tonight, here's 11:00 a.m., 12:00 a.m. 2 below toward philadelphia

area. we are talking dangerous cold. the core of the air mass is around the area in the morning hours. we will talk about that coming up. taking a live look at the blue cross riverrink. people are skating despite frigid conditions. they're using it as an excuse to stay inside. let's head to the pennsylvania convention center. andrea? >> reporter: denise, the city is not missing a beat, despite cold temperatures. people are out and about. they have more layers on. where we are is especially busy because of everything going on in the convention center. take a look. thousands are attending the home and garden show. because of weather, some came looking for a roof or windows after realizing installation was bad. for some vendors, cold weather is helping them get new business. coming to events like this is one way people stay warmth

weekend. here's a look at what else they're doing. >> wearing ten layers. it's really cold. >> we stand over the vents on the street that blow out hot air which is awesome when you're on the curb, then we just go inside. >> reporter: the city has enacted a code blue policy. that means that the weather is dangerously cold. it means that homeless cannot refuse help from police or outreach folks trying to get them in shelters, it also means shelters can't turn them away, and they won't force them to leave during the day. dangerously cold here. you need gloves and hat on, live from the convention center. we have more coverage of the impact of the dangerous cold in the area still ahead, including this. it is polar air plunge on the jersey shore. i am george spencer, coming up, crowds braving the conditions on

the coldest weekend of the season and the other weather related impact hitting the shore town. back in philadelphia, this fire at a frankford auto body shop sent three to the hospital, including a firefighter. the fire got so big it took dozens of firefighters more than four hours to put out the flames. nbc10 on the scene as firefighters battle flames and frigid conditions. it started around 10:00 at joe's auto body and transmission. no word on the conditions of the firefighter and two others taken to the hospital. investigators are still looking for a cause. the american red cross is helping victims of another fire today. this one in middletown township, bucks county. investigators telling us flames erupted early this morning at the foxwood manor apartments. we are told everyone made it out safely. we checked, there's no word what caused this fire.

today a community came together to remember a 12-year-old hero. sanford harling went into his burning home earlier this month to save his father who he thought was trapped inside. nbc10 drew smith was at the service in norristown this morning. >> reporter: they called it a homecoming for sanford harling, his last moments an attempt to save his father. >> that's true love, you know what i mean? can't get nothing better than that. >> reporter: the father has been in the hospital, but doctors made special arrangements to get him here. firefighters were also in attendance, they were there at the tragedy february 5th. >> i think a lot of people are really -- have that young man on their heart right now. >> reporter: the pastor says people care so much about this boy, someone donated a heater to the church after its furnace failed, allowing the ceremony to happen. others made t-shirts to remember harling. >> he was a really good boy. he will be truly missed by each

and every one of us and he is a hero. >> reporter: family members were too emotional to speak with us. the community is sending a message of support, raising thousands of dollars. drew smith, nbc10 news. coming up, sickened students, taking action after hundreds of students and faculty got sick this week. a look at the changes that have been made. and hillary clinton's e-mail scandal is not going away just yet with the release of a thousand new e-mails from the state department. we will tell you what they found.

now to decision 2016. the state department released more than a thousand pages of hillary clinton's e-mails. 81 messages were classified the lowest level sensitivity, none declared top secret. the department released more than 45,000 pages of e-mails from the private account clinton used as secretary of state. it plans to make the rest of her e-mails the day before the critical tuesday super primaries. tonight, the six remaining republicans running for president will debate in south carolina, and the pressure is on marco rubio. he was criticized for performance in the last debate, finished fifth place in new hampshire. brave souls, it might be cold out there. that's not stopping some from taking the plunge, the polar bear plunge. violeta? cold airheads in tonight.

i am tracking a storm system that could bring in flooding rain next week. i have the details in the first alert seven-day forecast. .

several issues in a school cafeteria after almost 200 students got sick with a stomach illness. montgomery county health officials inspected it wednesday, found some employees didn't wash hands and some equipment wasn't cleaned, but the latest report posted today shows the school fixed those issues. it is not clear what caused students to get sick. tonight, philadelphia journalism community is mourning the loss of an icon. pulitzer prize winner acel moore died friday at his home. he was the first black reporter at the philadelphia enquirer, and founder of national association of black journalists. he won the pulitzer in 1977 for

investigation of inmate abuse at fairview state hospital. spinal surgery in 2010 left him paralyze. acel moore was 75 years old. well, some light snow falling in montgomery county today, this is a look at driving conditions along the pennsylvania turnpike in plymouth township. you can see cautious drivers out there on the road. it is freezing cold temperatures that have people all bundled up today. nbc10 along 15th and market streets in center city this morning, where people were braving the cold in their heaviest winter jackets. and a live look at conditions at cape may now. nice and clear evening outside with a couple of cars on the road. not too many people. first alert forecast is coming right up. and taking the plunge. tens of thousands of people converged on sea isle city for

the polar plunge. as george spencer reports, crowds offered a much needed assist to businesses impacted by storms weeks ago. >> reporter: it is definitely winter on the jersey shore with whipping winds that will make your eyes water. but polar bear plunge weekend brings in crowds as big as the biggest summer weekend here. for those actually taking the plunge, special dose of bravery was required. you could see the powerful winds blowing that american flag as the first wave of polar bear plungers rushed into the frigid atlantic, air temperatures around 20, wind chills barely above zero. this was brutally cold, even bipolar bear standards, even for families like mike bates. >> this is the coldest in years.

unbelievably cold. >> reporter: and the wind first time ever? >> yes. everyone should do it once. >> reporter: she checked it off her bucket list and wasn't alone. some 2200 plungers did the unthinkable this afternoon. perhaps the coldest fundraiser for autism there ever could be. >> it makes history. it's definitely the coldest. everyone makes the best of it. >> big deal, it is like a summer weekend in middle of winter. >> reporter: joe tells us this weekend rivals fourth of july for sea isle crowds. as many as 45,000 people. some sea isle restaurants damaged by the winter storm next month were still unable to open today. insult added to injury for businesses in need of wintertime sales. >> this is like a little help me in the middle of the winter for small business.

>> reporter: to miss it is obviously not good. >> to miss it is not good. >> reporter: authorities took extra precautions today, given conditions, bringing in additional rescue crews from five different cape may county ambulance squads. as for lifeguards on the water, they were wearing cold suits. reporting in sea isle city, george spencer, nbc10 news. now your nbc10 first alert weather. >> some brief souls out there in particular because the first alert remains in effect for tonight and into tomorrow. of course we are talking about this dangerous cold helping to be ushered in by strong wind gusts this afternoon. gusts near 40 for a good chunk of tonight. near record cold expected in some spots as you head into tonight and tomorrow morning. that's combining for dangerous wind chills in a good chunk of the area. current conditions toward the city, 16 degrees in philadelphia. wind chill coming out of the west, northwest, 25 miles per hour again. gusts to around 30.

combination of the two bringing in some very low wind chills, feeling like minus three toward philadelphia, minus six in pottstown. five below in allentown. 20 below toward the mount pocono area. cold conditions tonight. to the north, we have a wind chill warning in through sunday afternoon. gusts here top out at 45 miles per hour. dangerous county. you really should not be outdoors unless you have everything covered, gloves, scarves, everything. head further south, under a wind chill advisory, wind gusts around 40 range as well. we are looking at for the most part 10 to 20 below across i-95 extending southward into delaware and south jersey. in terms of rain or snow, not looking at much tonight. snowfall producing big time issues for us this morning. nothing local. again, we will keep an eye on these. we could see one of those drift in the area later tonight.

again, mostly before midnight. wind chills are the big issue in particular during the overnight hours toward ocean city. temperatures 10 degrees, minus 15 is what it feels like. heading to the i-95 corridor, wilmington, 14 below. 17 below in philadelphia. further north and west you go, it will feel even colder. again, if you head to the pocon poconos, we have real dangerous cold with wind chill topping out at about 30 below. cold in places headed into tonight. big issue is how quickly it moves out. a storm system moves in monday. looks like at the beginning it will be cold enough for precipitation to start as snow. that will be quickly changing to rain in particular, toward philadelphia, extending southward. could be looking at an extended period of snow, in particular north and west. that's something to keep an eye on in the course of the next couple days. heavy rain monday into tuesday. that brings potential for flooding rain overnight monday and into tuesday. wouldn't be surprised if we end

up extending first alert from the cold into the early week storm. can't rule out an isolated snow shower. big time cold temperatures, below zero wind chill. tomorrow, looking sunny, not as cold, won't have as much wind. 14 degrees. still very cold out there. in particular in the morning hours. want to be sure you're dressed warm enough. cold sunday with less wind, it will be sunny out there. keeping a close eye on the storm as you head into the early part of the week. looks like at the beginning, it will be cold enough to come in as snow. then quickly changes to rain in some spots. again, details on that come up at nbc10 news at 11:00 tonight. again, heavy rain in the forecast for tuesday. villanova steps onto wells fargo court as the number one team in the country. it was a record setting day. could the flyers get two points against the devils? details next.

time to check in with erica hill for what's coming up on "nbc nightly news." good evening. erica. >> good evening to you. we will have more on the breaking news in the last bit, learning of the death of supreme court justice antonin scalia. we will look at his life and legacy and his impact on the country, especially during this political season. republicans set to take the stage later tonight in a late stage primary. and gasoline being delivered to your car on demand. a whole new twist on full service. that's ahead when we see you in a few minutes for "nbc nightly

news." >> thank you so much. danny pommells with you. important weekend for the flyers. today's matchup with the devils, six points out of wildcard. flyers down 1-0. all of the power plays, shane gossett through traffic. new nhl record for rookie defense. and he collides and suffered a wrist injury. flyers say he will be out a few weeks. this went to overtime. devils powerplay, forget about it. 2-1 the final. >> tough way to lose a point today. that's what it feels like. but you turn the page, said it a few days ago, pretty short

memory. we'll do that. turn the page and get ourselves mentally focused on the two points available tomorrow night. villanova hosts saint john at the wells fargo center. they beat depaul earlier in the first game with the nation's top ranked team. coach jay wright says it was a big hurdle to clear. >> that first game is a first fof all of us, me included. never coached a number one team. i told the guys that. i don't know how to handle it. i was impressed the way the guys handled it. now we have a little feel and hopefully play even better. college action tonight, lasalle visits st. jo's. see that game at 8:00 on comcast sportsnet. northeastern, 1 and 12 in conference play. another loss, david walker, five triples, 21 points for him. northeastern gets a 10 point

victory. that's your look at sports. back to you. >> danny, thank you so much. violeta yas has a last check of the forecast. it is cold but the wind chill is colder. >> absolutely. it is cold out there. if you head outdoors, dress warm enough. frigid tonight and tomorrow, particularly in the morning hours. temperatures start to come up a bit. heading to sunday and monday, and keeping a close eye on the storm for early portion of the week. we want to be sure you check back with us at nbc10 news at 11. that's the news for now. for all of us, denise nakano. see you here tonight at 11:00. "nbc nightly news" is next. for news and weather updates any time, head to nbc10.com.

on this saturday night, breaking news. antonin scalia, the longest serving justice on the u.s. supreme court is dead. he was the court's most influential conservative. tonight, we look back at his life and his legacy. deadly weather. dozens of vehicles crash in a massive pileup in pennsylvania. a large part of the country endures extreme life-threatening cold. the showdown. tonight, republicans debate. a make or break moment for some of the six remaining candidates. will rub io rebound. the pop pue pushing on the pressure to step up the fight against corruption and violence. gasoline delivered to your car on demand.