including #honorarylatino. but it's rand paul likely to steal the spotlight tomorrow making his presidential bid official in his home state of kentucky. >> peter alexander nbc news, washington. on the west coast a region crippled by drought is facing a new danger tonight. scientists are warning that dry conditions like this in california could spark a fire season even worse than last year's devastation reaching perhaps historic proportions. nbc national correspondent miguel almaguer has more on that. >> reporter: firefighters called it the year of the firestorm. 2014, millions of acres were destroyed as hundreds of homes across the west went up in flames. >> dropping, dropping. >> reporter: this year the outlook is even more dire. the forecast calling for bigger, more explosive fires fueled by conditions not seen in decades. >> the drought is affecting rates of

fire spread, fuel moistures, it's just incredible and just not getting any better. >> reporter: assistant chief brian fennessy worked the san diego hillside when it became a blowtorch last year. we were there as fire devoured these drought-stricken hills. this is the front line. this year the front lines will be everywhere. firefighters say what didn't burn last year is ready to go this year. scientists are also warning of a dangerous new cycle. a recent study finds soot from wildfires is blowing on to the depleted snow pack, absorbing more heat from the sun. remnants from old fires helping to create more intense new ones. >> the soot leads to earlier snow melt, which leads to earlier drying and a longer drier season, which then leads to more vulnerability to forest fire intensity and timing. >> reporter: with the drought creating fire

fuel, crews showed us what worried them most. more homes than ever surrounding pockets of thick brush. >> going right up to that backyard -- >> reporter: just out of winter firefighters are preparing for war this summer. the odds are stacked against them. miguel almaguer, nbc news, san diego. >> there is a slight bit of good news on the weather front tonight in the west, a big rainmaker moving into california about to dump several inches of much-needed rain on parts of that drought-stricken state and up to two feet of snow to mountains. forecasters caution it will have a minimal effect on the drought. and we're keeping an eye on a multi-day severe weather outbreak expected across the middle of the country on wednesday and thursday, mush pushing to the east on friday. it's a big part of the country that will be under the threat of tornadoes. we'll be following that all week. there's a lot more news ahead here on this monday night including a tropical vacation tragedy, the criminal investigati now underway after a family is found violently ill, poisoned in the condo where they were

staying on vacation. a hidden danger in the air. and later, a spectacular rite of spring happening right now. pel of the wildflowers. people from all over it's happening. today, more and more people with type 2 diabetes are learning about long-acting levemir® an injectable insulin that can give you blood sugar control for up to 24 hours. and levemir® helps lower your a1c. levemir® comes in flextouch® the only prefilled insulin pen with no push-button extension. levemir® lasts 42 days without refrigeration. that's 50% longer than lantus® which lasts 28 days. today i'm asking about levemir® flextouch®. levemir® is a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar in adults and children with diabetes and is not recommended to treat diabetic ketoacidosis. do not use levemir® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life-threatening.

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because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. every someday needs a plan. talk with us about your retirement today. we're back now with a criminal investigation now under way after a family from delaware was found poisoned while on vacation in their condo in the u.s. virgin islands. a toxic chemical in the air that they couldn't see or smell. a father and his sons are now fighting for their lives. nbc's stephanie gosk has our report.

>> reporter: spring break for the esmonds family was planned at a luxury condo in st. johns overlooking the caribbean. the father, a headmaster at a private middle school in delaware, the mother a dentist and their two teenage sons. six days into vacation, the family became so violently ill all four were air lifted to the u.s. apparently poisoned by a highly toxic pesticide methyl bromide. >> it's so toxic that in 1982 epa put strict rules in place stating clearly you're not to use methyl bromide indoors. >> reporter: as a u.s. territory, st. john is regulated by the same environmental laws. using methyl bromide indoors is illegal. but the epa says the extermination company terminix used the potentially deadly pesticide to fumigate the condo directly below the esmonds. extremely toxic and odorless, absorbed

through the lungs first causes headache, nausea and dizziness but can lead to brain damage, paralysis and respiratory failure. the two teenage boys remain in critical condition while their father is stable and improving. and their mother is released and doing well. in a statement, the parent company for the exterminators says in part, first and foremost the family is in our prayers. we're cooperating with authorities in their investigation and conducting our own thorough internal investigation. at the father's school kids have been writing get well cards while an attorney for the family says serious questions remain including how could a pesticide this strong and restricted be used so close to where people live. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. we are back in a moment with an amazing rescue caught on camera. the passengers who banded together to save a woman's life. passengers who banded together to save a woman's life.

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an incredible rescue captured on camera in russia. dozens of passengers banding together to help free a 70-year-old woman who got trapped between a train and the platform in moscow. an amazing moment as they all work together to rock the train until she managed to find an opening to free her leg. are andrew jackson's days on the $20 bill numbered? following up on our report of a group petitioning to put a woman in jackson's place, hundreds of thousands of online votes have narrowed the candidates to fo. eleanor roosevelt, harriet tubman rosa parks and the first female chief of the cherokee nation. final voting is happening no you'll find a link on our website. if your bracket is busted going into tonight's national championship, follow mitt romney's lead next year. he's in the top 99.8 percentile of those who filled out a bracket on espn's

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and minerals antioxidants and 9 grams of protein. [ bottle ] ensure®. nutrition in charge™. contrary to popular belief, it's not actually illegal to pick the state flower of texas, but a lot of folks there should would prefer you didn't mess with them because the view they create this time of year is picture perfect. nbc's harry smith takes us to the heart of texas. >> reporter: blue bonnets are the texas state flower, and every spring they cast a spell. lupines so beguiling you just have to take a picture. >> yeah! >> reporter: in texas posing with the blue

bonnets is a rite of spring. little shilo and her mom are no exceptions. >> she saw the blue bonnets and the first thing she said is oh my gosh. and she started running through them and roll them. >> they have this magical charisma people love. >> reporter: andrea is director of horticulture at the ladybird johnson wild flower center in austin. lady bird, she says, was a woman ahead of her time who knew if people began to care about the flowers, they'd begin to care about the planet. >> she was very sensitive to the importance that nature plays and wanted to share that with people. and the joy of the wildflowers and the joy of nature. >> reporter: so lured by the lupines they come. a picture a must. but there's indian paint brush too, and so much more if you stop to look. >> it's magical, you know? just one little minute of spring. >> reporter: though texas is still in a drought, winter rains have brought a bumper

crop of wildflowers this year. our gratitude to lady bird, who used to say where flowers bloom so does hope. harry smith, nbc news, austin. that will do it for us on this monday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. night.

>> lights, camera, access. they love to tweet. eat a burger. i eat burgers. >> as giuliana gets the too skinny once again, kelly clarkson gets shamed for the opposite. you can't win. i'm billy bush. >> how are you doing? >> i'll give you the exact