residents in southwest topeka were given some warning when these sirens went off.hey were able to get out of the way in time. but as you can see from these damaged cars, the golf ball sized hail fell hard and fast. and although the overnight convection has dissipated, we're anticipating more severe weather today in the southern plains and taking us all the way up to the great lakes including chicago and detroit. as far as tornadic activity is concerned, we'll be watching again the southern tier of the storm system, and, bianna, this is a softball, so the diameter of this is 4 inches, and there were reports of hail 5 1/2 inches in topeka, kansas, just to put this into perspective. >> unbelievable the damage that that can cause. jackie, thank you. >>> we want to turn to a political bombshell that developed overnight. the man many hoped would be the savior of the republican party in the 2012 presidential race, indiana governor mitch daniels, announced that he will not seek his party's nomination. this ends months of speculation and pleading from party leaders. david k

brian wilson, the hippo, came here from topeka, kansas, where he fathered a baby. officials decided three was a crowd. he's now the lone hippo at the san francisco zoo. but if he lives up to his name, he can handle a one-man show. i think he needs to work on growing his beard a little bit. >> a great closer. >> definitely. we have another great animal coming up for you in friday perfect pet. >> mike nicco is about to introduce to us webster! >>> oprah goes off the air after four more episodes. can you believe it? join us for a special called "oprah looks back. 25 years of the oprah winfrey show." you can see it right here on abc7 next tuesday night at 7:30. the time show is the following day at 4:00. thursday is the broadcast debut at abc7 news at 4:00. we invite you the join us. >> we are streaming that at live to get a sneak peek. today on oprah at 4:00 -- her all-time favorite guests. then at 5:00, oakland family is raising questions about fatal police shooting. the autopsy shows he was shot in the back, they say. and giving parents the most detailed pictures of

brian wilson, the hippo, came here from topeka, kansas, where he fathered a baby.oo officials decided three was a crowd. he's now the lone hippo at the san francisco zoo. but if he lives up to his name, he can handle a one-man show. i think he needs to work on growing his beard a little bit. >> a great closer. >> definitely. we have another great animal coming up for you in friday perfect pet. >> mike nicco is about to introduce to us webster! oprah: all new. 25 years, more than 30,000 guests, and now i am ready to reveal who will go down in history as my all-time favorite.xóxóxóxóçÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ are you trapped and don't know how to escape your addiction to cigarettes? one out of two regular smokers will die prematurely from smoking. you don't have to be one of them. escape the trap. say "enough." for free help to quit smoking, call the california smokers' helpline at 1-800-no butts. >>> oprah goes off the air after four more episodes. can you believe it? join us for a special called "oprah looks back. 25 years of the oprah winfrey show." you can see it right here

this is his first birthday at the zoo, since being relocated at the topeka zoo in kansas. >>> that'ss on ktvu.com, and over at 10:00. tmz is up next on tv 36. our planes start flying when it's dark. and they don't stop flying until it's dark again. flying all day, every day. you deserve our best. that's why there's so many flight options. [ webber ] southwest airlines has seven daily nonstop flights from the bay area to chicago midway to fit your schedule. ♪ hey, we're on your schedule, not ours. there will be another one back here in a second, just watch. what did i tell you -- there's another one. [ ding ] and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ ♪ there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it.

south of topeka kansas. emergency officials say the storm also brought calls ball size hail, heavy rain and powerful winds. the shelter has been set up for evacuees. authorities say other serious injuries were reported as storms rolled across the state. since 1995 may has recorded the most tornados and kansas it's in the area called tornado alley which encompasses the plant between achalasia in the rocky mountains. how its water not win but that has some louisiana resident in the waiting game with the mississippi river. army engineers partially open the organza floodway this month. they hope to save new orleans and at rouge from flooding. people long the mississippi river are still there, most residents in the path have already picked up and left. in one parish in mandatory evacuation was pushed back after officials predicted a lower crust. one local woman said waiting for the rising river in some ways is tougher thing going through a hurricane. still ahead, were going to talk to american family expert about

in topeka, kansas, hail the size of golf balls pounded the pavment. >> many areas will get hit with severe weather repeatedly here for the next several days. >> reporter: while out west, there is growing concern over the record amounts of snow, dwarfing the plows trying to clear it. across a huge swath of landscape, snow pack levels are greater than 150% above normal. a nightmare flooding threat as it all starts to melt. >> as we progress into late spring and early summer, that's not a good recipe and we will likely see flooding into the lower terrain as we approach the month of june. >> reporter: and tonight, wind, hail and tornadoes are forecast from north to south, as yet another town picks up the pieces. clayton sandell, abc news. >> and as clayton showed us there, the little town of reading, kansas, a scene of devastation this evening. and justin robinson from our affiliate kmbc in kansas city is in reading, at church where families sought cover. justin? >> trees down, homes destroyed. that's what many people are coming back to in this small town of reading in kansas. take a look here

this is happening in topeka. high winds also snapped large tree limbs. >>> it's coming! power lines right here. >> all right, and here is what some storm chasers caught up with in oklahoma. a funnel cloud that was forming there, and i will leave this picture up, not just what we have. reynolds what are you seeing? >> a tornado, might be a funnel cloud but if you look at the ground there's rotation picking up. whenever you have the contact with the earth's surface it's classified not as a cloud any longer but a tornado. one of many that popped up, from eyewitness confirmation and many others were picked up on radar, the complete opposite of say a hurricane, a long lasting event, like an elephant's gestation period. we see a hurricane develop across the atlantic, in some cases takes up to weeks to make its way across. these tornadoes strike quickly and as you can see, in kansas obviously tuscaloosa, when they strike they don't have a lot of time to react and take cover. >> they have to confirm, that picture confirms a lot already but this outbreak, mini outbreak. how do yo

brian came here from topeka, kansas. now the lone hippo but if he lives up to his name he can hand the one-man show. >> there is so many things going on there one could comment on. the safest course of action is -- >> none are appropriate. >> right. 5:25 now. next at 5:30, new report finds oakland schools lost millions of dollars because of the student absenses. >> i'm terry mcsweeney live in benicia. brand new information coming in on the shooting that took place on a freeway in vallejo but ended at the mcdonald's in benicia with a man walking in a restaurant bleeding profusely from both arms. the story coming up in live report. >>> next at 5:30, the latest for the search for female suspect who escaped from hand cuffs in c.h.p. officers in san jose. >>> if you are leighing us for the weekend. look at the warm temperatures. low to mid-80s from st. louis, atlanta, dallas. phoenix and miami. minneapolis and new york city. mid-70s in portland. we have flight arrival delays to denver, philadelphia and new york. check out the

let's try topeka, kansas. kevin is calling from topeka. caller: good morning. i would like to know how come i have never heard about this during the bush administration? eight years of destruction and not one word about the debt ceiling, and i just cannot understand that. can you give me an answer on that? why all the sun with the obama administration is in office we have had problems with assailing being raised? -- with the deficit ceiling being raised? guest: it did come up actually. guest: each time there is an issue with raising the debt ceiling the party he was in the majority is in favor of raising it, and the party in the minority is against raising it. in 2002 president obama voted against raising the debt ceiling. it has always been a very partisan issue. over and over again. in the debt ceiling has been raised at 10 times in the last 10 years. there has been a lot of talking about the debt ceiling. host: there is a story, one of the many in "the new york times" automatic cuts to curb deficits. --ey write tha wanted to get your take on this idea of tri

and once again large metro areas were impacted, touching down around topeka and kansas city, around st. joseph's as well. tensions run very high after what has happened so far this spring. again, when you live in tornado alley, it goes with the territory. having said that, lester, one thing to keep in mind the next several days bring just as much action and today potentially even larger metro areas could be impacted from chicago all the way down to oklahoma city. >> mike, you, i understand, was in the middle of the storms. it tell me what it was like. >> reporter: it was nerve-racking at times, an adrenaline filled day. we're out here with the weather channel investigating tornadoes. it was a cat and mouse game with tornadoes as we pursued them. and at one point we were with our tornado expert dr. greg forbes. we were a little closer than we anticipated in a van ed id in s jersey. it doesn't have that tight spiral we typically see. it seems like this entire storm system has wanted to cycle many times over the course of several counties. >> storm rotation very, very close to the ground.

in topeka, kansas, hail the size of golf balls pounded the pavement and shattered car windows. >> manyh severe weather repeatedly for the next several days. >> reporter: while out west there is growing concern over the record amounts of snow dwarfing the plows trying to clear it. across a huge swath of landscape, snow pack levels are greater than 150% above normal, a nightmare flooding threat as it all starts to melt. >> as we progress into late spring, early summer not a good recipe. we will likely see flooding into the lower terrain as we approach the month of june. >> reporter: wind, hail, tornados are forecast from north to south as yet another town picks up the pieces. clayton sandell, abc news. >>> of course, we'll continue to stay on top of reports of storm damage throughout the day. we'll have updates on the tornados in joplin and minneapolis on "america this morning" and continuing live coverage later today on "good morning america." >> everybody will be watching the weather today. let's take a look at your monday forecast. today, severe storms are expected to hit oklahoma cit

let's try topeka, kansas. kevin is calling from topeka. caller: good morning. i would like to know how come i have never heard about this during the bush administration? eight years of destruction and not one word about the debt ceiling, and i just cannot understand that. can you give me an answer on that? why all the sun with the obama administration is in office we have had problems with assailing being raised? -- with the deficit ceiling being raised? guest: it did come up actually. guest: each time there is an issue with raising the debt ceiling the party he was in the majority is in favor of raising it, and the party in the minority is against raising it. in 2002 president obama voted against raising the debt ceiling. it has always been a very partisan issue. over and over again. in the debt ceiling has been raised at 10 times in the last 10 years. there has been a lot of talking about the debt ceiling. host: there is a story, one of the many in "the new york times" automatic cuts to curb deficits. --ey write tha wanted to get your take on this idea of tri

members threatened to picket her concert last night in topeka, kansas, because of her position on gayy church member that showed up, she would donate $1,000 to the oldest aids organization in the country. here's what she tweeted after the show. thanks to these [ bleep ] $44,000 will be donated to gmhc. 44 people showed up to protest last night. >> oh, honey. >> let me explain this moment to you here. this is after a tornado tore through this woman's home in tuscaloosa, alabama. that was three weeks ago. two cats survived. one hadn't been seen since the storm. that all changed as you see. it was caught on camera. i believe she was doing an interview with a local television station there. the lost cat came out of nowhere and was welcomed back to what was left of home. >> it is crazy. >> okay. this is crazy here. this was at the air force academy in colorado. they took part in dodgeball. they were hoping to set a guinness world record. a couple cadets came up with the idea and just trying to blow off some steam and they did have to use 1,000 dodgeballs in the game. >>> good morning to yo

let's try topeka, kansas. kevin is calling from topeka. caller: good morning. i would like to know how come i have never heard about this during the bush administration? eight years of destruction and not one word about the debt ceiling, and i just cannot undersnd that. can you give me an answer on that? why all the sun with the obama administration is in office we have had problems with assailing being raised? -- with the deficit ceiling being raised? guest: it did come up actually. guest: each time there is an issue with raising the debt ceiling the party he was in the majority is in favor of raising it, and the party in the minority is against raising it. in 2002 president obama voted against raising the debt ceiling. it has always been a very partis issue. over and over again. in the debt ceiling has been raised at 10 times in the last 10 years. there has been a lot of talking about the debteiling. host: there is a story, one of the many in "the new york times" automatic cuts to curb deficits. --ey write tha wanted to get your take on this idea of triggerin

. >>> well, it wasn't a typical stampede rolling through topeka kansas. >> no, a stampede of ford pintosorado to pennsylvania. drivers are raising money for the wounded warrior project. >> how many people associate pintos with the notorious recalls after fiery rear end collisions? enthusiasts say they're just as safe as any other from the 1970s. first car in our family. >> we had the pinto station wagon. a beautiful avocado green. >> ours was beige. >> the interior, plasticy smelling. nonetheless, love the pinto. >> their own charm. >> we'll be right back, everyone, with more "world news now." hó ♪ ♪ so every year my family throws this great reunion in austin. but this year i can only afford one trip and i've always wanted to learn how to surf. austin's great -- just not for surfing. so i checked out hotwire. and by booking with them, i saved enough to swing both trips. see, hotwire checks the competition's rates every day so they can guarantee their low prices. that's how i got a 4-star hotel on the beach in san diego for half price. ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ ♪ hotwire.com ♪ >>> now to a shocki