. >> with more on this track of the system, we're joined by accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. jim? >> good morning, rob and dana. we're tracking a strong storm system here. bringing a wide range of weather here. blizzard conditions in the plains. icy mix between that. and heavy thunderstorms that will track into the lower mississippi valley as we head through the day, bringing large winds and hail. 12 to 24 inches in central kansas. 6 to 12 in kansas city and omaha. rob and diana, back to you. >> stay safe, everybody. >>> now to south africa and a bombshell this morning in the bail hearing for olympic star oscar pistorius. it all involves the lead investigator in the murder case, detective hilton botha. police announced botha himself is facing seven counts of attempted murder. it all stems from an incident back in 2011. that's when botha and two other officers fired shots at a minibus. prosecutors say they were aware of those charges when they put both on the stand yesterday. his testimony casts new doubt on the case against pistorius. bothaed a to admit that authorities had no

. >>> and with more on the coming storms, here's accuweather's jim dickey. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking a storm system here that will be the big weathermaker. we'll track for a couple days. as far as today is concerned, it rolls down the coast of california. soaking rainfall in san francisco. that rain arrives late into l.a. we'll see some heavy snow in the sierra nevada. now, wednesday into thursday, it moves into the four corners and then into the plains. looking for blizzard conditions in nebraska, into south dakota on thursday, with the potential for strong thunderstorms once again. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks, jim. >>> the colorado house has passed new gun control measures. it's a bill being watched across the country. house democrats passed new ammunition limits and expanded background checks as part of a package of bills responding to recent mass shootings. of course, 1 of the shootings was at a movie theater in aurora, that left 12 people dead. the legislation faces an uncertain fate in the state senate.

our storm coverage continues with meteorologist jim dickey at accuweather. rob and diana. dealing with a wintery mess this morning in the midwest. the blizzard conditions winding down across the plains, snow ending across the plains. heavy snow right now into kansas city, extending towards chicago. by the time all is said and done, 3 to 6 inches in the chicago area. most of this has already fallen and snow ends through here in the morning in kansas city. likely over a foot. then this snow extends into the northeast into wednesday. rob and diana, back to you. >> jim dickey at accuweather, thank you. >>> those fierce winds in texas led to a deadly fire near san antonio. a mother and her infant twins died when flames engulfed their home. investigators say that the fire started in one home, spread to two others, then jumped across the street and burned two more homes to the ground. >>> president obama heads to virginia today where he'll outline the impact of the looming budget cuts. yesterday, the president met with the nation's governors asking them to pressure

. >> meteorologist jim dickey has more now from accuweather. g to you, jim. >> good morning rob and diana. a snow-filled day on tap across kansas here. snow has already started and our system is back into portions of the four corners here. so you see this swirl, marks the powerful upper level system that is supporting all this. that's going to drift eastward as we head through the early morning hours. that snow will only intensify here. whiteout conditions expected through much of the day. and on the southern flank, expecting strong to severe thunderstorms in texas into the lower mississippi valley through the afternoon into the evening. as far as the snow is concerned, heaviest hit areas will be in central kansas. 12 to 24 inches along i-70 just to the north and west of wichita. this while storms bring damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes through the day. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks, jim. let's hope our buddy jim there doesn't try this while doing a forecast any time soon. >> a meteorologist in australia thought it would be a go

now, to the forecast from jim dickey and accuweather. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and diana. dealing with a wintry mess this morning in the midwest. the blizzard conditions winding down across the plains. snow ending across the plains. heavy snow into kansas city. that snow extending towards chicago. amid chicago, three to six inches in the chicago area. most of this has fallen, though, by the time is said and done. the snow ends here through the morning through kansas city. likely over a foot. this snow then extends towards the northeast, into wednesday. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks, jim. appreciate that. keep it here for the latest forecast, coming up in just a little while on "good morning america." >>> in other news this morning, the president travels to virginia today to highlight the impact of those looming budget cuts on the defense industry. yesterday, he spoke to the nation's governors on that very same issue. but top republican leaders accuse the president of simply trying to scare americans. abc's karen tra

meteorologist jim dickey continues our coverage now. good morning, jim. >> good morning rob and diana. we're seeing heavy snow through the early-morning hours. from i-80 from omaha to chicago. especially three to six inches in these areas. the morning commute will be difficult. this while icy conditions are spreading towards 81. watch out western virginia. roanoke, blacksburg, going to be snow on those roadways. flash flooding going to be a big issue with strong thunderstorms in the florida panhandle. rob and diana, back to you. >>> olympian oscar pistorius sobbed in court again today on the final day of his bail hearing. the judge could decide whether the track star will await the trial for the murder of his girlfriend on bail or in jail. the lead detective has been removed from the case after it was revealed he is facing seven counts of attempted murder himself. >>> and from central america, questions about whether the world's most wanted and most powerful drug lord has been killed. the intrigue stems from a reported shoot-out near mex

. >> we get more from accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. >> blizzard warnings remain in evident until 4:00 p.m. in some cases, bangor eastward. the snow winding down, but we'll see blowing and drifting snow. cold here. across the northeast this morning, many spots in the single digits. 9 in syracuse. 12 in buffalo. the threat of severe weather in the lower mississippi valley late in the day. >>> stay with us for "good morning america," sam champion will have the laits on the stormy weather tapped deep freeze. >>> now to a story breaking overnight. the tragic death of country star mindy mccready. the troubled singer took her on life yesterday. here's abc's that mahman bradle. >> reporter: authorities found the body of mindy mccready on her front porch. the same place they found the body of her boyfriend last month. she soared to the top of the charts in mid-'90s. in recent year, more focused attention on her personal life and that singing. >> when something happened to me, it was readily available to go and drink too much. >> reporter: she struggled mightily with substance abuse, even

. >> for more, here's accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and sunny. the cold has returned in the lower 48. early morning temperature, minus 14 in minneapolis. minus 22 greeting you as you step out the door in bismarck. 16 in burlington. 25 in portland. only 7 in indianapolis. the cold air pushes over the warmer lakes, we'll see big-time lake-effect snow. >> so nice just a few days ago. now back to the cold stuff. >>> up next after the break, major medicine recall. we'll have the details. >>> and a new warning about energy drinks as they gain if popularity among teens. >>> and sunny's favorite story of the morning. beyonce explains what really happened at the inauguration. >>> welcome back, everybody. we're getting more insight today into the unemployment situation before this morning's january jobs report, payroll company adp said private employers added 192,000 jobs this month. unemployment should be at 7.3% for the third straight month. >>> older workers are not making way for younger once. almost two-thirds of americans between 45 and 60 plan to de

accuweather's jim dickey has the latest. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and sunny.today -- arctic air mass pushing in. many spots, 20, 30 degrees colder than they were yesterday. step out the door, 21, syracuse. 18, buffalo. 16, pittsburgh and detroit. as the cold air pushes over the relatively warmer lakes, big time lake-effect snows off lake erie, ontario and michigan. whiteout conditions under the heavier bands. rob, sunny, back to you. >> thank you so much, jim. >>> now something very special to us. so we will get right to it. our own robin roberts is back on the gulf coast, for the first time since her bone marrow transplant. >> she rocked the gray hat yesterday. arriving in new orleans with "gma's" josh elliott and sam champion, there to greet robin were students from southeastern louisiana university. along with members of a bone marrow donor program. you can catch more excitement on robin's trip home later this morning on "good morning america." even doing a little second line, new orleans style. that second line is about. i know her spirits are high. >> she

accuweather meteorologist jim dickey has the latest. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking the potential for a crippling winter storm that will develop into friday as two systems come together here. the area we're watching especially here in across massachusetts, towards southern maine. by the time all is said and done here, many spots picking up multiple feet of snow. snow in massachusetts up on through vermont, new hampshire. it arrives late friday, lasting in some cases all the way through saturday. rob and diana, back to you. >> thanks a lot, jim. >>> now to that bombshell on capitol hill where we can expect to get a rare glimpse inside the secret world of the cia. later today. it's all part of a confirmation hearing for john brennan. as the next head of the spy agency. he's expected to be questioned about the controversial policy that allows drone strikes against terror suspects, even those who are american citizens. civil liberties groups say such strikes are unconstitutional. >> it justifies essentially a claim that the

accuweather's jim dickey has more, now, on what's in store for this wild weather weekend. >> good morning, rob and diana. a crippling snowstorm expected here today. two systems colliding. area of low pressure strengthening, as with head into the afternoon off the eastern seaboard. watching the corridor from new york city on north and eastward. blizzard conditions from long island to bangor, maine, through the overnight. worst conditions around noontime on. that's 7:00 p.m. tonight to the early morning hours. many spots, one to two feet of snow. rob and diana, back to you. >> thank you, jim, for that. for the very latest on the blizzard, stay with us for "good morning america." our extreme weather team, of course, is tracking it every move. brace yourself, folks. going to be a messy few hours. >> that's for sure. >>> now, to our other major story. the nonstop search for a suspected triple-killer on the loose in southern california. >> police are going door-to-door in a ski area east of los angeles, looking for christopher dorner. they say he is heavily armed, highly trained and bent on rev

. >> we get more from accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and diana. well, a snowstorm is pulling away from maine here. but blizzard warnings remain in effect until 4:00 p.m. in some cases, from the bangor area eastward. the snow winding down, but we'll see blowing and drifting snow. it will still be dangerous out there. low visibilities. certainly cold here. across the northeast this morning, many spots in the single digits. 9 in syracuse. 12 your early morning temp as you step out the door in buffalo. the threat of severe weather in the lower mississippi valley late in the day. rob and diana, back to you. >>> stay with us for "good morning america," sam champion will have the latest on the stormy weather and the deep freeze. >>> now to a story breaking overnight. the tragic death of country star mindy mccready. the troubled singer took her own life yesterday in arkansas. she had chart-topping talent, but personal problems derailed a promising career. here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: authorities found the body of 37-year-old country singer mi

here's accuweather's jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and diana. we're tracking the potential for a major winter storm. a crippling winter storm. that will develop as we head into friday. as two systems come together here. the area we're watching, from massachusetts to southern maine. many spots picking up multiple feet of snow. now, snow and all snow across portions of massachusetts, through vermont, new hampshire. arrives late friday, lasting in some cases all the way through saturday. rob and diana, back to you. >> many thanks for that, jim. and stay with us for "good morning america." sam champion, of course, will be here with the very latest, as the big storm approaches. >>> both sides are gearing up for an intense campaign to slay opinion that the boy scouts have put off a decision on admitting gays. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: jennifer was fired as a den leader. told her sexual orientation would be a distraction. >> well, i'm not a distraction. and this is not a distraction. we're moms. and we're americans. >> reporter: that's he

impacting millions of people this morning from the midwest down to the southeast. >> meteorologist jim dickey a snowstorm put down substantial snow across the plains on thursday. good news is, that winding down tracking its way to the north and east and weakening as it does. seeing significant snow through the morning into the chicago area. 3 to 6 inches piling up by the time the sun rises. the morning commute will be difficult. icy conditions spreading through 81. roanoke area, blacksburg, virginia, watch out for slick spots on the roadways. this will keep heavy rain across the southeast. strong thunderstorms in the florida panhandle. flooding will be a big issue here. many spots, 2 to 4 inches of rain by the time this winds down on saturday. rob and diana, back to you. >> thank you, jim. >>> police in las vegas are searching for suspects after deadly violence on the famed strip. three people were killed during a gun battle between two luxury cars and a fiery crash that followed. authorities say at least one person in a range rover shot at a maserati, then crashed into a taxi. the taxi burst

. >> meteorologist jim dickey is tracking this storm. rning, jim. >> good morning rob and diana. the snowstorm is pulling away from maine but blizzard warnings will stay in effect until 4:00 p.m. in some cases. maybe from the bangor area on eastward here. the snow winding down. as we see blowing and drifting snow and it will still be dangerous out there. low visibilities and certainly cold here. across the northeast this morning, many spots in the single digits. down to 9 in syracuse. 12 in buffalo. and looking for the threat of severe weather in the lower mississippi valley late in the day. rob and diana, back to you. >> our thanks to jim. >>> and here's the rest of your monday forecast. storms will bring rain to memphis, little rock, new orleans and houston. rain changes over to snow in chicago this evening. blizzard conditions from the dakotas to northern michigan. rain and mountain snow in the pacific northwest. >> 40s from seattle to portland. 12 in fargo. 30 in the twin cities. upper 60s from dallas to the big easy. >>> all right. b

meteorologist jim dickey is tracking both of those storms. he's at accuweather and has the latest. racking two systems here today. one that's more or less weakening, drifting towards the northeast. heavy snow into canada. as far as the great lakes, just a nuisance event. couple inches by the time all is said and done with soaking rainfall in the afternoon along the i-95 corridor. this while the next system, an area of low pressure is riding down the west coast. we'll see heavy rainfall into san francisco throughout the day. major delays at the airport there while the rain spreads into l.a. into the afternoon and evening. midweek, this will move out into the plains. thursday looking for blizzard conditions in the central and northern plains. strong thunderstorms in the lower mississippi valley. rob and diana, back to you. >> many thanks, jim. >>> hang on to your hats for this one. it comes to us from deep in the french alps. >> that's where a modified mini cooper did something completely crazy. which is to say the driver hit a ramp and did a full on -- wait for it -- back flip. whoa!