tornado warnings and watches are up within a big swath, including the dallas-fort worth metroplex as well as southeast louisiana where a strong storm blew 18-wheelers on their side late this afternoon. all signs point for americans across at least 13 states and we're entering what is anticipated to be a multi-day outbreak of violent storms. it will bring lightning, strong winds, hail, flash flooding and as many as two dozen tornadoes. al roker is watching several spots at risk right now. al, what have you got? >> we are seeing a very volatile situation. we are watching storms approaching louisiana. 8,000 lightning strikes in less than ten minutes. we're also seeing very strong storms developing. the areas in yellow are tornado watches and the areas in red, tornado warnings. especially if kansas right now, a very dangerous situation. so for tonight, kansas hutchinson kansas, outside of kansas city also. dallas, shreveport. 32 million people at risk. this danger continues on into saturday and moves to the east, charlotte, atlanta, st. louis, nashville and knoxville in the enhanced area

worth metroplex as well as southeast louisiana where a strong storm blue 8 wheelers on their sides. americans across 13 states are entering what is expected to be a multi-day outbreak of storms bringing hail lightning, and as many as two dozen tornados. al roker is watching the storms right now. >> we are seeing a very volatile situation. wat storms approaching louisiana. 8,000 lightning strikes in less than ten minutes. we're also seeing very strong storms. the areas in yellow are tornado watches, red tornado warnings. especially in kansas right now. a very dangerous situation. for tonight, hutchenson kansas. we're looking at the risk of severe storms. dallas shreveport 32 million people at rick. this danger continues into saturday. charlotte, atlanta st. louis. knoxville. damaging winds, torrential downpours and tornados. and this moves into sunday as well. again, the same area. oklahoma city dallas on into san antonio. 16 million folks at risk. and we've got flash flooding possibilities anywhere from three to five inches of rain throughout parts of arkansas kansas and on down int

worth metroplex. the timing of that will be about 4:00 p.m.midnight will be the worst of it. severe weather will continue into thursday and even into friday. we're keeping it in the middle of the country. we're going to go from texas to louisiana. so your forecast for today, a good start to the day from new england down through the mid-atlantic. we will see a few afternoon storms. and it's called. chicago, detroit, wisconsin, highs in the low 50s. snow showers in the great lakes. so pick your poison. if you're in the great lakes you're cold and it feels like winter. unfortunately, we're dealing with severe storms out there too. >> all right. we'll keep an eye on it. thank you. >> have fun with that smoothie. >>> ben affleck finally talks about that. we'll talk about that after the break, what he's saying about the revelation he hoped would never see the light of day. when account lead craig wilson books at laquinta.com. he gets a ready for you alert the second his room is ready. so he knows exactly when he can settle in and practice his big pi

and maybe even an area of really enhanced risk from north texas right into just almost the dallas metroplexlex just to the north of there for the most part. isolated tornados are possible and damaging winds will be widespread within that area. hopefully it will stay just north of the dallas area. as we go through tomorrow, we do it all over again. same areas of texas, louisiana, new orleans all the way back up to shreveport with severe storms. today's forecast, again, isolated severe storms possible from new york to d.c. look at how chilly it is betty. we were in the 40s from detroit up through michigan wisconsin, it is ugly. >> spring has not been kind to a lot of us. >> not to the great lakes. >> thank you. >>> the penalty phase of the boston marathon bombing trial began with gut wrenching testimony. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams was in the courtroom, but first we want to give you this warning. this report contains disturbing and offensive images that the prosecution says are central to its case. >> some jurors wiped away tears as victims who were seriously injured recounted t

worth area metroplex. about 3 million people in the enhanced risk. if we get tornadoes, in the orange or near the orange oklahoma city on the north side dallas-ft. worth, wichita falls in it of that's the area of concern. we will see a lot of wind damage with the storms and large hail with the strong supercells. three-day outbreak. by the time we get to thursday new orleans, houston, austin san antonio, dallas. huge population centers in this region come thursday and even upgraded to an enhanced risk by the time we get there. the forecast for today isolated storm in the eastern u.s., worst of the weather in the central plains. how about our friends in the northern great lakes, temperatures in the 40s. there's been snow showers this morning. no problems in the areas of the west at all. coolest type day in san francisco yesterday. highs 50. today will ms. santa rosa try to get you mid-70s, sacramento in the 80s. hopefully we'll probably see a couple tornadoes, rural areas over the open farm plains. >> thanks so much bill. >>> now with the death penalty

present a workshop on transit and it was very interesting and that's going on all over the metroplex make you stronger by saying as a region, we're working together. dallas ft. worth used to hardly talk and now, we have weekly dialogue. paul and gary and a lot of them meet because it doesn't make sense for us to run a line that stops here and you've got to get off and jump on another one. >> that's a perfect segue to the next session there. >> what both of these mayors were saying resinates.=t :hihq$b 18 dck

it's just to the north of the dallas-fort worth metroplex area.. this looks like a three day severe weather event. this is thursday's risk area. same spots here texas into areas of louisiana. if we get reports of tornados on msnbc, we'll get you those details. now it's time for more "morning joe" top of the hour, right now. >> strikes may have ended but peace remains a long way off. >> they denied they're delivering weapons. >> the u.s. aircraft carrier "theodore roosevelt stalking iranian warships but at a distance. request. >> there's a reason we keep our ships in the persian gulf area. >> six officers have been suspended and there is late word the feds are now getting involved in the case. >> i looked at the information. i have a lot of concerns about what happened in the van. >> are you what some people say you are, a heat-seeking missile and the heat is rand paul? >> the these people are the lap dogs for president obama. >> the real split screen of the day was not between competing clinton appearances but rather between them and the anti-clin

present a workshop on transit and it was very interesting and that's going on all over the metroplex and i think that will make you stronger by saying as a region, we're working together. dallas ft. worth used to hardly talk and now, we have weekly dialogue. paul and gary and a lot of them meet because it doesn't make sense for us to run a line that stops here and you've got to get off and jump on another one. >> that's a perfect segue to the next session there. >> what both of these mayors were saying resinates. there's no better issue for regionalism than transportation. and when one mayor that has an exciting transit project going on in the middle of his downtown, you become everybody else's new best friend. my mayors to both sides of me are clambering, hey, we need to go out to lunch because i need you to partner with me on some studies. so it's made from a personal popularity perspective, it's been a great thing for me with my fellow mayors and it just makes a tremendous amount of sense. regionally, it can bring it together in ways that other issues don't have the same sex appea

they come out of nowhere here you've been warned they are coming and it will impact the dallas metroplexthe potential to bring down heavy rainfall. frequent lightning, also hail. the potential for damaging winds and also before this develops into a squall line we could have some discrete supercells with tornadic activity. and this could ruin the weekend, two to four inches here we've been raining in the southeast for what it seems like a week and it will continue. >> for those allergy sufferers have been happy about the rain because there was so much pollen everywhere and now we get to start -- >> i like how you ended on the good news. >> glass half full. ivan appreciate it thanks so much. >>> still ahead, white house hopefuls gathering in new hampshire today. marco rubio, jeb bush chris christie. it's a lock list and a who's who in the gop. what do voters need to hear from them? i'm caridee. i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara®. it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2