a snow drift is the layer that moves with the wind from one location to another this type of snow has the weakest bond with the lower layers. when somebody comes to the slope they see such snow but they don't know what it is like underneath it maybe packed a mack case it is not interest but what if it is unstable down there you just step on the snow and it slides away from you if the snow's temperature structure and density are all measured by the specialists to see how the layers bond together they handle the readings right on the spot. where. the test demonstrates that the top layer of the snow drift on the slope is unstable. so it may start sliding when skiis or snowboarders ride over it which could then trigger an avalanche so now we're going to designate the area as hazardous and closed to the public. attention of those of you who are keen to scull mountain peaks please be careful according to the avalanche safety center a heightened alert has been declared for the next two days because of an avalanche hazard. or is a ski resort within the arctic circle originally it was meant as

and my head was out of the snow. i think my lungs had filled up with snow and i strained to cough it up and i remember feeling afterwards that my chest had become lighter. yann was dug up by a companion who had not been caught up in the avalanche rescuers found three more men buried under the snow they were dead quite often it takes several days to find victims buried in an avalanche for me to long proves they used to dig into the snow this is the only method to find a free rider unless he has a radio beacon on. when a probe hits something soft it's clear that it's a victim the sound produced by the probe in that case is also helpful so we begin digging right there and then felix eva is a doctor with the local rescue team he always joins the team on duty when they go to help avalanche victims his eight kilogram kit contains all the necessary equipment on site reanimation though in practice he rarely needs it. according to statistics if victims are stuck in an avalanche the fifteen minutes their chances of survival of

the snow here is between one and one for me to keep avalanche safety specialists and probing the snow structure on one of the slopes. the top layer of snow drifts on a slope is unstable and skis could trigger an avalanche shift attention those of you who are keen to scull mountain peaks please be careful. some avalanches a wet others a dry it all depends on the snows composition the speed of avalanches varies between seventy and four hundred kilometers an hour man can do nothing in the face of tons of snow rushing down to such a velocity. and yet people do live in the mountains they study avalanches to be able to protect themselves from each year skiers and snowboarders tempt fate by taking to the mountain slopes. in this weather station in the q.b. massive is situations close to the town of one hundred fifty kilometers north of the arctic circle it is one of the instruments of the avalanche safety service it records dozens of readings several times a day snow and ground temperatures wind direction solar activity and precipitation all those factors affect the snow and its structure th

there is so much snow the people who live here keep a running total for the snow season that won't end. >> 67 feet. >> wow. >> reporter: 67 feet here? >> yeah. >> reporter: so much snow this man has had enough. >> you're thinking about moving? >> i am moving. i bought another house already. >> reporter: the snow shut down construction on i-80, and even experienced truck drivers can't believe it. have you ever seen snow like this? >> no, i haven't. >>> check this out. here is something really scary. it's out of springfield, massachusetts. tower cam at our nbc affiliate shows what appears to be huge funnel cloud just whirling above the city. twisters there killed at least four people, collapsed buildings, flipped cars, caused massive power outages. the governor has declared a state of emergency. tonight, more than 1,000 national guard troops are on duty. the schools have been closed, and the cleanup is getting underway. tornadoes are unusual in new england, but there is at least one a year. >>> here are some not so sweet news about sugar. it's being compared to cigarettes and alcohol bec

truck drivers can't believe it. 20 years of trucking, ever seen snow this late? >> no i haven't. >> that was richard sharp reporting. now, we have some live pictures of eastbound 80 in kingville, where the snow is still lining the roadway in the sierra. christina, we are told the sierra has as much snow now as it normally does in april. >> what the heck? >> i know, thunderstorms coming. >> tornadic rotation. we had three tornadoes. we actually went over what happened in chico last week and we had seven tornadoes, it turns out there were three tornadoes total, one, an ef-2. definitely wild weather. we are in for more of the same. summertime is out there. just wait a little bit later to get to it. showers coming through the east bay, just falling apart. we have got dry air over the east bay and south bay, step out of the way, those cloud, the golden gate bridge, the dividing line for showers today, be the case through this afternoon, tomorrow, the showers approach everybody tomorrow night. this is what we are looking at. i put together a he very, very complicated f

there is snow in the background and snow is still fall yes, this is june 1st. don't be fool look at the calendar. this may be the new normal. more coming up laterr. >> say it isn't so. thank you. >>> and allegations of another political sex scandal has a new york city congressman in trouble. he said someone hacked his account. >> weiner doesn't want to answer the questions. >> he called it a hoax and prank and someone making fun of his name. but his lack of candor is part of the reason questions came. >> did he tweet or not tweet. that was the question for congressman weiner. >> i will nolt allow it to dominant. >> this thing is a salacious picture of a man wearing underwear tweeted the account to a 21 year old seattle college student one of 200 people that weiner following on tweter- twitter. weiner claims that the account was hacked. >> all it takes one wrong click and not that much hard tore break into a twitter being the. >> the congressman said he did not send the picture. >> my system was hacked and i was pranked and it was a can common one. when you are

we're here because of the massive snow melt. this water here used to be snow. not too long ago, the snow pack is 200% of normal. we've had a cool spring, as you know. with the rise in temps, that snow is quickly melting. if we can just pan down here and show you the result of all this cascading water, we're at the base of cook's meadow. this meadow itself is completely under water. not sure the size of the meadow but certainly several acres. it is all under water in the valley there are some campsites closed. campers are running into flooded trails. to talk more about this now, live with us this morning we have a park ranger in yosemite valley. you've been here serve years so you know the valley quite well. this is normal but this year a little different in terms of flooding. >> every year we have high water from the spring meltoff. this year we had almost 200% of normal snow pack and a cool spring. this is the first week it's starting to warm up. so all that water, all that snow that's being melted at the high country is really just funneling down here to yose

, ever seen snow. it will be quite exciting for them today. >> reporter: blowers and plows are being forced back into service. a yearly fee to clear driveways says there won't be much profit this year. does he plan to raise prices for next winter? >> i'm not going to. i'm going to keep them the same price. we've had years that have been pretty lien. this just made up for the lien ones. >> reporter: you're looking at interstate 80, which is free and clear tonight. no chain pulls are in effect right now. if the you're planning oncoming up here from the bay area to go camping, call ahead. a handful of upper elevation campgrounds are still closed, everyone the lower elevation ones aren't too pleasant. [ no audio ] >>> yeah, i'll tell you what. just been a crazy period. and we still have snow flurries as you saw. winter weather advisory dropped around lake tahoe. watch right here. see that system? that was last night. as we move out a little bit, what you'll see is high pressure starting so set up a bit in

of snow on the ground.e was not that cold, you can see signs of the snow melting but there's a lot more to go, to get the creek, the cold water is rushing along a look at the snow bank and how much of it the creek has cut away. justin has lived here for years and says he is not seen it like this in june. >> the only thing i could think of is it is definitely not global warming. it is still snow and still cold. i did not know what is going on, but we are in a boat with them and we get snow. instead of the to rental rain. >> justice says people still use snow mobiles and cross-country ski, but the local say that they're ready for warmer temperatures and the summer activities are still on hold. the snow will melt eventually but until then the residents will continue to look at the snow and back to the calendar with the confused look. >> apple is now work the more--more than microsoft and intel combined. they have market value of about $316 billion which is still less than apple $317.6 billion evaluation. as th

what triggers a sudden movement of snow in the mountains resulting in a formidable natural desire.

the sudden rise in temps that has all that snow, 200% of normal the snow pack this year. all that snow is melting quickly. with temps rising that is melting. i believe you're looking at video yesterday. this the merced river rushing down, rolling. it is certainly a sight to see. the problem here in yosemite. the national "weather center" issued a flood advisory. some of the campsites have been closed. if we go live, i can show you what's going on. we have yosemite falls as the backdrop. this is cook's meadow. certainly several acres behind us here. if allen can pan down and just show you, it is flooded. this is what campers are dealing with out here. some of the trails are flooded. as i mentioned, some campsites are closed. nothing, though, compared to what has been here before, if we could walk over and give you a little tour here. this was the floodwater level in january of 1997. take a look at that sign. can you imagine this entire valley that deep under water. now, just a few minutes ago, i spoke to a park ranger who tells us there is some concern for the locals and c

snow leopards are found.have traditionally killed snow leopards and their yaks -- were killed by snow leopards. we're helping them understand the importance of snow leopards and giving them tools to protect their cattle more successfully. this is a great partnership. the next one is the sahara conservation fund. the reason we chose this group is because there is not a lot of conservation organizations working with this area, and we have a couple of species that represent this zone. this is an important conservation group that is wanting to make a difference in this very critical space. we have a couple of red necked ostriches. and we support the conservation programs with this species. since the opening of the lemur forest, we've been working to save the important species in madagascar. we are working witht madagascar since 2002. if you don't know about the iucn, the united states government has the endangered species act. this is a global consortium of zoos, aquariums and governments that were to establish t

snowe: let me object. mr. thune: i don't know if there is any time agreement here, but my understanding is that it's been going back and forth. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. anything else? california. mrs. boxer: i have said -- i have offered a unanimous consent agreement, we are functioning, dividing the time between the two of us. it is my decision to yield to senator brown because senator snowe has spoken for a very long time, and i want him to have the time, and i'm wrapping up my comments. and i'd be happy to put in a unanimous consent request that after senator brown's remarks, ten minutes, that we turn to senator thune for 10 or 15 or 20 or whatever it is you want. mr. thune: mr. president, point of clarification here. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: my understanding is the senator from california cannot yield time to another senator. the presiding officer: the senator can yield time but not the floor. the senator from california. mrs. boxer: than

new snow expected and chain controls for june 1st. chilly in the north bay valleys and low 40s and 50s in oakland and san francisco and san mateo . look for upper 50s in half moon bay and low cent in - 70s in antioch. temperature in it is low 60s to the low 70s. chance of showers tomorrow. and rain heavy at times friday evening and saturday. possibly lingering in and monday . then we dry out. >> you are a bearer of good news. >> not liking me. i am not popular. >> just ahead. san francisco giantts go to bat against homophobia. >> and controlling health insurance rates. michael finney will look at the effort to regulate health [ female announcer ] at the jcpenney appreciation sale, get an extra 20% off apparel, shoes & accessories with your jcpenney rewards credit card! save on all regular, sale and clearance items! no exclusions! go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. we make style affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. get an extra 20% off apparel, shoes & accessories with your jcpenney rewards credit card! save on all regular, s

look at this a blanket of snow and a record amount of snow on the ground. so it's not just about fire works this fourth of july but also about skiing. >>> in san francisco, residents

looks like snow out there.s got to be at least 1 to 2 inches thick with intense uplift, that still has a lot of rotation with it. we're going to continue to monitor that. >> okay, jeff. we'll see you again at 8:00 for our special prime time news cast. >> yes. >> all right. we'll see you later. [ woman ] everybody's looking for deals these days, and i'm not talking about saving a dollar off shampoo or two-for-one tacos or something. i'm talking about paying less -- every month. like this deal. [ female announcer ] call today and get the fastest internet for the price -- just $14.95 a month for 12 months with select services. no home phone service required. plus get access to the entire at&t national wi-fi network at no extra cost. [ woman ] with at&t, i'm surfing at hot spots all over town. ♪ i'm downloading music fast. and watching videos. cute! and the price is great. [ female announcer ] call and get the fastest internet for the price -- just $14.95 a month for 12 months with select services and a one-year pr

snowe: thank you. and i want to thank the senator from north dakota, senator hoeven, for his excellent remarks. he understands, as a former governor for ten years, the impact of regulations on small businesses and how detrimental they can be to job creation, and particularly at this time where we have a very difficult economy, we have persistently high unemployment, we have subpar economic growth, we are at a consequential moment in our economic history, frankly, mr. president, that deserves the attention of the united states senate on this particular issue. so i want to thank the senator for his comments and recognizing the effects that regulatory reform will have on the performance of small business and ultimately job creation in this economy. mr. president, i'm very pleased to have so many of my colleagues cosponsoring this amendment and i'm pleased as well to as worked with the senator from oklahoma, senator coburn, and has been cosponsored by senators mcconnell, ayotte, barrasso, senator brown, se

snow ever on the ground more date. on average we see about 190 days of snow on the ground here in the sierra. the record though was in 1956, when there were 240 days of snow. but look at all this. we are actually on target to beat that record. the people who monitor the water in the snowpack say this isn't quite a record-breaking year. the department of water resources says 1983 beats us as does 1995. but this year does stand out for one thing. >> this year is one of the wettest, i'd say, or one of the heaviest in terms of snowpack and it's certainly unusual in that it's lingering so well in the season. >> reporter: did that post any unusual concerns? >> that it's so late? >> no, it's actually a little more usable to have the melt come later. >> reporter: there is concern about swimmers and rafters in raging waters, he says those on land shouldn't worry too much. you don't expect to see massive flooding throughout the state? >> no. there will be some on the uncontrolled sinks and snow melt particularly on the east side

look at the snow shots here. soda springs elindication about 5700 feet, doesn't even qualify it for high country. motorists were just about shocked to see this in june. a snowstorm. be prepared. here's your warning. more is on the way. pack your chains if you are going to the sierra. >> now, i want to show you some amazing video out of massachusetts. a tornado leaving a trail of destruction in downtown springfield. unfortunately, killing four people. you can just see that whole field of debris kicking up the tornado, ripping the roofs off homes and businesses. this is the result. multiple reports of tornadoes touching down in at least two other cities near springfield. you can see trees just yanked out of the ground. this is the first tornado, though, reportedli in massachusetts since july of 2008. now, from weather coverage, including interactive radar and your five-day forecast, you can always go to nbc bay area.com. jeffrey neri is constantly updating that. >> want just the weather, but there are new twists in

could see another 4" to 7" of snow, if you can believe that there.he storm system finally beginning to make its way onshore. you can see the core of the low opinion is off the coastline the -- spinning off the coastline the better part of the coastline. a chance of the moisture coming into the bay area. clouds in the forecast, slight chance of showers. by the afternoon, most chances will be inland as that system continues to make its way east. temperatures 60s and low 70s. a lot of 60s inside the bay. 50s at the coastline. but looks like the weather going to be much improved. temperatures outside right now pretty mild as we have the system swinging eastward at this hour. but traveling around the state, still a chance of some of those showers and snow in the high country if you plan to go to tahoe. winter weather advisories up there as well, so be very careful. mixture of sunshine, rain and some snow across some of the higher peaks. the system working its way out of the bay area. it's sliding to the south now so the showers will be coming to an end it