stephanie ramos leading us off steph thank you. let's get right to chief meteorologist lee goldberg of our station here in new york, wabc. lee, what do you see? >> david. wind driven downpours right here in new york now getting hit hard this evening. and then that soaking moves into new england even though we're in the home stretch. a lot of wind alerts across the eastern two thirds of the country. we had 100 high wind reports across the mid-atlantic near a 60 mile per hour gusts all the way up to trenton, new jersey. and right now it's heavy rain along the i-95 corridor. new york improves after about 8 or 9:00 tonight, but then it's a soaking for new england overnight. as we go into tomorrow morning, we still have some snow showers that are working through the great lakes and into the ohio valley. another major storm out west, numerous states under winter weather alerts. we could see up to three feet of snow in the mountains. and then the snow is headed to the heartland again, just as they're digging out from snow over the last co

>> david: all right, stephanie ramos. steph, thank you. >>> there's also major news involving the pope tonight. pope francis suffering a sudden worsening of his respiratory issues. doctors have now placed him on a breathing machine to help him. let's bring in terry moran. terry, the pope's condition now reported to be guarded. what do we know tonight? >> reporter: david, this is a setback for pope francis. the vatican telling us early this afternoon, the pope had a coughing fit, and during that fit, he vomited and inhaled some of it. all of that triggering that sudden worsening of his respiratory condition. so doctors quickly moved to clear his lungs of some of that material. and they put the pope on noninvasive mechanical ventilation. that's a mask on the face. the pope was not intubated. his doctors say francis responded well to that treatment and that he was alert and cooperative throughout. francis is breathing better now, but his doctors say that the next 24 to 48 hours will be crucial. the pope, we are told, remains

i'm stephanie ramos. it was the viral story in a time before stories went viral.ith octuplets known as octomom. nadya suleman, who now goes by natalie, was ridiculed and vilified and, she says, threatened now, pulling back the curtain on her side of the story. here's nightline co-anchor juju chang. >> hello. >> how are you? >> i'm well. how are you? >> it's a pleasure. >> to meet you. she was once considered one of the most hated people in america. >> i was hated more than o.j. simpson. >> you received death threats. >> right? thousands of death threats. yes. >> nadya suleman branded as octomom back in 2009. >> i'm known from the beginning why i was the target of misplaced hate. i'm not married. there's a serious bias there. not enough money. basically, those are the primary components as to why i was the target of global scorn, condemnation and all that misplaced hate. >> the single mother from california was vilified for giving birth to octuplets. eight babies conceived via in vitro fertilization. >> the intense interest in the octuplets has left this now very l

abc's stephanie ramos in myrtle beach tonight. >> reporter: tonight, terrifying scenes in the south carolina country. families racing to escape a raging wildfire. you can hear the fear in gabby's voice as she and her family flee his home in myrtle beach. >> what if we can't get out? >> reporter: we're told the home was not damaged. the fire breaking out saturday. you could hear those winds whipping as it quickly grew to more than 1,600 acres. the governor calling up national guard helicopters, blackhawks and chinooks, dumping hundreds of gallons of water on the flames. vincent shot this video as the fire closed in. >> the wind started it, and started one fire and it kept going. >> reporter: authorities say no homes were destroyed, but many sustained damage. michael able showing us the close call for his home. >> it was close enough to the house to melt the siding here. >> reporter: his fence practically melted away. the fire just one of more than 175 burning in south carolina. and just over the border, multiple fires burning in the blue ridge mountains of north carolina. say areas still reel

stephanie ramos with the storm right before these winds. >> reporter: tonight, millions in the northeast on alert for high winds, after a wild night of storms that flooded streets and snapped trees. >> gusts already today topping up to 45 miles per hour. and the gusty winds, they're not over yet. >> reporter: in philadelphia, heavy rain flooding the schuylkill expressway, swamping commuters before the sun came up. high winds sending trees onto cars. in new jersey, drivers on route 3 in passaic county navigating a high water evening commute. trees crashing into homes in hillside, new jersey. power lines sizzling on the pavement. after that tree landed on her home, this doorbell camera showing a stunned sabrina chase -- >> you all right? >> yes. >> reporter: dashing outside with her son as neighbors came to check on them. >> it felt like an earthquake or something, it shook the whole house and i thought the roof was going to save in on us, so, i just picked him up and ran as fast as i could out the house. >> reporter: and now a new storm in the west, threatening to dump feet of snow. offic

and stephanie ramos with the images already coming in tonight. >> reporter: tonight, whiteout conditions and wrecks across the midwest, as a massive and now deadly storm bears down on the northeast. this sheriff's deputy in dallas county, iowa, hunkered down as the winds howled. blinding snow causing dozens of crashes on highways across iowa. a driver spotting this massive pileup on interstate 35 near hugsley, iowa. cars and tractor trailers scattered on the highway. traffic backed up for miles. iowa state trooper paul gardner showing the frozen tundra on u.s. 20 northwest of des moines. up to a foot of snow in parts of the upper midwest. minnesota governor tim walz declaring a state of emergency. conditions across the twin cities deteriorating by the minute. overnight, a stretch of interstate 80 near lincoln, nebraska, shut down for a time, after multiple crashes there. first responders racing through the blowing snow to rescue drivers. watch this tractor trailer tipping over outside garden city, kansas. winds gusting more than 90 miles an hour in parts of the state. meanwhile, torrenti

. >> stephanie ramos got an exclusive ride as they launch in austin, texas.ete in the olympics again in her new memoir. >> oh, here we go. >> and the doctor is in joshua jackson live in times square, talking about the return of doctor odyssey. and he's saying. >> good morning america. welcome to the odyssey. >> live from times square. it's tuesday. good morning america. >> he hit him with that deep voice. yes. good morning america. we are so happy to have jordan chiles and joshua jackson here. and becky worley is here with our science of youth series. this morning. she's going to break down how at home tests help diagnose the flu or covid and help you with what to do next. >> because it's tis the season still. all right. also had the hero school bus driver saved his students from a burning bus. we're going to hear from him just ahead. >> just an amazing story. first, a look at the top stories breaking today. we start with a major cross-country storm on the move. right now, at least 30 states on alert. ginger here with the track and timing. good morning. >> go

we've got stephanie ramos there talking about the people that were forced from their homes. we're also live in los angeles. after hollywood's golden night, all the big winners from the oscars, the surprises, backstage interviews after they came off stage. and then we'll get into the investigation into the suspicious death of gene hackman. what authorities are now saying after the oscar winner and his wife were found dead at their home as hollywood paid tribute to the legend. and i mentioned it, but it is our gma after party for the oscars. we're going to break down the best looks from the red carpet. plus, we'll tell you how you can make some of those fashions work for you in your everyday life. so we're about to have a lot of fun. and i said, if these are part of my everyday life, i'm okay with that now they look good under my red parka. when i cover snowstorms. >> it's look, it's a look. you look great. i think this is such a great idea. it's inspired so many others, ginger, to start doing the same thing. this is your for right? you're for. >> and you. >> know. >> i reache

our stephanie ramos is on the scene in myrtle beach. good morning. stephanie. >> michael. good morning. you can see smoke has fully consumed this area. the visibility and air quality is awful. but take a look. you can also see that the fire charred the ground here in this residential neighborhood. also caused damage to the side of this house. but crews were able to quickly extinguish the flames before it engulfed this entire neighborhood. overnight, a wildfire emergency in the southeast. at least 175 fires burning across south and north carolina, forcing residents to evacuate in both states. the flames, visible from a passenger plane flying over one of the largest fires threatening communities near myrtle beach. a wall of fire burning down on homes near the carolina forest, leaving hundreds of trees charred. the largest brushfires erupted here in carolina forest. we're just west of myrtle beach. fire crews are positioned here and across this area, trying to put out any flare ups. the south carolina national guard deploying two blackhawk helicopters to help fight the flames

stephanie ramos is in hillside, new jersey with the latest for us. good morning to you, stephanie. >> hey there robin. good morning. weather causing a lot of damage across the northeast. high winds knocking down several trees like the one behind me here in new jersey. damaging buildings and homes. this morning, a deadly storm wreaking havoc across the country from blizzards in the midwest to torrential rains along the east coast. and, of course, those high winds sweeping across half the country. strong winds of up to 90mph toppling over this truck in kansas. those winds also pushing furniture across a patio and shaking traffic lights. in the south, severe thunderstorms moving out, leaving a trail of destruction in north carolina. a tornado with 90 mile per hour winds ripped apart buildings. >> we don't really know to what extent it is as far as damage goes, but we're thankful that nobody was hurt. >> at least three people killed and six injured after strong storms swept through mississippi. meanwhile, in iowa, whiteout conditions and zero visibility h