here. just click march madness at the trending bar. >> one last check of the weather. >> and the weather equivalent of march madness, downpours coming down right now, lightning on the east side of mt. hamilton. the showers will likely cross through downtown san jose in the next hour. monday and tuesday, trending dry. the first of two rain chances rolling in wednesday. the bigger of the two storms are friday into saturday. could have some winds and heavy rain at times heading into the beginning of next weekend. >> another rough weekend. >> thanks for watching. "nightly news" is next. >> see you at 6:00. tonight, a dangerous springtime blizzard about to pound the midwest with blinding snow and wind. heavy snow already coming down.

whiteout conditions in the plains. cars skidding off roads in iowa. winds set to hit 60 miles per hour. on the east coast, roads under water. hundreds of thousands without power and the desperate search for a young girl swept away in a creek. the half a billion dollar deadline for former president trump just hours away now. how the new york attorney general could freeze his bank accounts and seize his iconic buildings if he doesn't pay. >> dramatic video of a carnival cruise ship on fire. what the passengers told us. >> immediately when we stepped out of the balcony, the first thing you saw was just black smoke. >> plus the two staffers killed while aboard a holland america voyage. >> and attempted kidnapping caught on camera and the mother who fought the assailant down four flights of stairs. >> it's my baby. you can't take her. >> home sales surging. the real estate market makes a surprise comeback. why are buyers pulling the trigger now?

the scientists who say they're going to bring the woolly mammoth back from extinction within years, but should they? and the new message from princess kate, how she's reacting to the massive show of support. ♪ >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news". >> good evening. i'm laura jarrett. if you had hoped that winter would just gently roll into spring, we have some bad news for you tonight. winter is nowhere close to being done with a huge chunk of the country. this is the scene in the midwest today, snow coming down at rates of two inches per hour, the strong winds creating white-out conditions. in the northeast they're digging out. parts of vermont and maine saw nearly three feet of snow while they saw torrential rain that led to water rescues and flooding like this. all the rest a lead-up with full-on blizzard conditions set to barrel across the plains in the midwest

tonight. we are covering it all beginning with jesse kirsch from minneapolis. >> reporter: tonight, first weekend of spring filled with rough weather is wrapping up with a white out. in williams, iowa, blowing snow making for hazardous driving today as parts of the plains brace for blizzard conditions into the night. two inches of snow per hour paired with powerful winds. in minnesota's twin cities could see half a foot of snow by tuesday. >> this doesn't make you flinch at all? >> no, absolutely not crazy at all. it feels good. my dog loves it. >> reporter: snow also a welcome sight at palisades tahoe. the california resort getting 27 fresh inches since friday. meanwhile, severe weather threatens the south through tuesday across multiple states bringing the possibility of hail, tornadoes and flash flooding. parts of the northeast digging out from over 2 feet of snow. >> i was hoping that this was over for the season. >> reporter: as new

york city braced for high winds saturday, this uprooted tree landed on a car. meanwhile, philadelphia was hit by more than three inches of rain on saturday alone. in nearby chester, pennsylvania, authorities say two young children playing near a swollen creek slipped on mud and fell into fast-moving water. one was saved, but a 6-year-old girl went missing. >> at least let us have closure in finding her. >> reporter: tonight officials say their desperate rescue attempt has become a recovery mission. regardless if it was an adult, a strong swimmer, a child, anyone would have had trouble once they fell in those waters. >> once you're in the moving water, it really is near impossible for you to get out. >> and jesse joins us live from minneapolis tonight. jesse, there's late word of tornadoes? >> yes, that's right, laura. the national weather service confirming two twisters have touched down today. one in kansas and the other hitting texas. and that severe weather is from the same storm system

that's causing all of this snow to fall. it's expected to keep coming down here in the twin cities until tuesday. laura? >> jesse kirsch, thank you so much. the clock is ticking for former president donald trump. he has until tomorrow to post a bond of nearly half a billion dollars as he tries to appeal the massive judgment for financial fraud. if he doesn't come up with the money, mr. trump could see some of his most famous properties seized. here's vaughn hilliard. >> reporter: tonight, former president donald trump on the brink of financial peril. >> we have a great company but they want to take it away. >> reporter: he has just hours left to find more than $450 million in cash to post an appeal bond in new york before monday's judge-ordered deadline and if he fails to do that, new york attorney general letitia james can begin seizing his major properties and other assets. >> it's all politics. >> reporter: trump claims the money is not an issue, even on his social media

account that he has nearly $500 million in cash on hand, but in court his lawyers are making a different claim filing a motion earlier this week to delay him having to post the bond by tomorrow saying he did not have the necessary cash. in that motion, they wrote that the current bond demand is a practical impossibility and that 30 insurance companies had already rejected his terms. every single person came to him saying hey, can i get a half billion dollar bond. maria, they were laughing. >> reporter: to avoid the a.g. from taking the next steps, he could receive a loan or financial gift from others, have a sale of properties or declare bankruptcy. >> if he doesn't have the funds to pay off the judgment, we will ask the judge to seize his assets. >> reporter: james has already filed judgments on trump's seven springs estate and the national golf club in west chester. she could potentially move to acquire his 72-story sky scrape or wall street or his fifth avenue trump tower. this crucial deadline coming the same day that trump will be in new york for a hearing related to his pending criminal trial over

his alleged scheme to cover up hush money payments to stormy daniels around the 2016 election. the judge is expected to set a trial start date during tomorrow's hearing. >> and vaughn joins us now outside trump tower. vaughn, is there any sign he could actually pay all of this in time? >> reporter: laura, at least publicly there's no major billionaire floating trump this money yet, but it is certainly reasonable that he could still work out a deal and come up with this bond here in the 11th hour. laura? >> vaughn hillyard, thank you. russian president vladimir putin is vowing revenge for that horrific terror attack in russia. two suspects were arrested with dozens more still missing. matt bradley has the latest. >> reporter: today moscow mourned, a rare silence over this city two days after russia endured its deadliest terror attack in 20 years. "that's why we're with the country. we're together," said this mourner. the death toll rose

again to 137 according to russia's government including three children. as emergency workers continue searching for more dead under the rubble of this vast concert hall, investigators search for clues. one survivor recounting the terrifying moments gunfire erupted, people trying to run for safety and then seeing bodies on the ground. it was clear they had no signs of life. you realized then that there would be no hostage taking, he said. "we had to do something, to run away, because it was somebody coming to kill." two of the suspects were seen today in a video released by russian authorities as police transferred them to investigators and more than 80 people are still missing among them igor pogodaev's wife. "i ran among the ambulances, searched among the crews and asked questions, but i couldn't find anyone." islamic state quickly claimed responsibility for friday night's attack and claim american intelligence backed up. the group even released a video showing the gunmen filming themselves as

they maraud through the crocus city hall, hunting victims and shooting them at point-blank range. but russian officials, including president vladimir putin have repeatedly implicated ukraine. america's government fears putin will exploit the attacks as a pretext to rally support for his war in ukraine. matt bradley, nbc news. some terrifying moments for passengers onboard a carnival cruise after part of that massive ship burst into flames near the bahamas. tonight, we are also learning new details about a deadly incident involving two workers on a separate cruise. here's marisa parra. >> reporter: this weekend, a relaxing cruise turning terrifying forepassengers. >> holy crap. >> that is not good. >> reporter: keith barnes filmed this from the carnival freedom cruise ship. what was going through your minds? >> i was shocked. i looked out let and you're not supposed to see black smoke and fire shooting out of the tail end of the cruise. >> reporter: the ship was just off the coast of the bahamas when carnival says the fire started in the exhaust funnel during severe weather.

>> i'd say 2:30, 2:45 the loudest thunder, lightning clap that i've ever heard in my life happened. it scared us so bad. >> carnival saying in a statement, "while we continue to investigate multiple reports of a lightning strike, the damage was more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair, adding there were no guests hurt." this now the second time in two years the carnival freedom funnel has caught on fire. >> this is a serious and sensitive situation. >> reporter: no guests injured that that 2022 incident either. meanwhile, bahamian authorities are investigating a deadly incident aboard a holland cruise ship. on friday the accidental steam release in an engineering space onboard killed two crew members. >> i met a couple. they said that they saw a burst of steam erupt from the side of the ship. >> reporter: laney dawes was on board and said the mood immediately turned somber. >> people were crying.

there was a moment of silence when the captain announced what happened, his voice broke. he started crying and that just was absolutely heartbreaking. >> reporter: holland america says the ship was determined to be fully operable. the cause still under investigation. marissa parra, nbc news, miami. now to the surprising new numbers that shows home sales surging in the u.s. after high mortgage rates had slowed the market. so what's behind this new real estate comeback? david noriega reports. >> reporter: after many sluggish months, an unexpected surge in home sales. >> it was a fresh breath of air for us in the real estate community and definitely caught us off guard. >> reporter: tom hernandez is a realtor in los angeles. he says after two years of scarce listings, the market is finally loosening up. >> my production has doubled since the beginning of the year with both buyers and sellers. >> reporter: sales of existing homes rising 9.5% nationwide in february, the largest month-to-month increase in a year. in the western u.s., home sales skyrocketing 16.4%.

this comes even as home prices continue to rise and mortgage rates, though lower than their peak last year remain stubbornly high. trying to see mortgage rates up 3%, 4% is out of the question. 5%, i think, is hard pressed to get there, but i think consumers are understanding that 6%, 7% are the new normal and they're just looking for new more choices. >> reporter: so what's behind the surprise heat in the market? for one thing, inventory is up. those rates have for a couple of years people have avoided putting their how many times on the market, because they wanted to hold on to the super low rates. but life happens and those rates have softened slightly. people need to move so that's starting to change. >> newly renovated kitchen. all of the appliances stay. >> for new homebuyers that can brave the high prices it's nice to have options. >> i am looking for a prospect are they to purchase. recently i see there's more inventory on the market. >> reporter: the big question now, is this a momentary surgery,

or will the spring bring even more of thou to the housing market? david noriega, nbc news, los angeles. still ahead, heart pounding video of an attempted kidnapping and how quick thinking by that girl's mother may have saved her life. plus, it's been lost to the ice age for centuries. now scientists want to revive the long lost woolly mammoth. but is that really a good idea? >> plus it's been lost

we are back now with hart stopping video of an attempted kidnapping in new york city.

a young girl grabbed right outside her apartment door. her mother jumping into action to save her. george solis spoke to that mother about the fight for her daughter's life. >> reporter: terrifying moments all captured on camera. a teen entering her queens apartment is ambushed by a masked man. watch again. the man dressed in camo jumping her from behind and forcefully grabbing the teen and dragging her away. the woman after her was her mother, adriana alvarez. >> i've never heard her scream like that. >> you're not thinking about your safety at that point? no. absolutely not. it's my baby. you can't take her. >> reporter: adriana followed as the man continued to drag her daughter away. the three kicking and fighting all the way down four flyings of stairs. the harrowing ordeal unfolding this past january after her 18-year-old daughter lex was coming back

home after finishing a morning dog walk. >> he managed to grab my hair through the door. i remember being thrown on to the heater. >> reporter: the nypd identified the suspect as 25-year-old george vassilou, the daughter's former co-worker and he pled not guilty to a slew of charges and tonight his attorney not commenting. >> he's pepper spraying me and purchasing me. punching me. >> the brawl reaching john velez's apartment. >> i heard her screaming and she ran to my apartment and i started chasing me. >> enter neighbor gus bugas. who ran after him. >> i got him on the floor. once i got on top of him, he couldn't go nowhere. >> alvarez suffered a dislocated shoulder and eye injury. >> the daughter sustaining knee scrapes and the price of a mom putting herself in harm's way and coming up a hero. >> i had angels by my side. i am so grateful and so thankful to just have her back. >> reporter: george solis, nbc news, new york. >> we're glad she's okay. we're back in a moment with a controversial new plan to bring the extinct woolly mammoth back to life. it didn't turn out so

well in "jurassic park." so should researchers do it now?

prince william and princess kate are speaking out following kate's announcement that she's being treated for cancer. in a new statement from kensington palace, the future king and queen of england are said to be, quote, enormously touched by the kind messages from people in the united kingdom and around the world. the 42-year-old kate said she's moved by the support and is asking for privacy as she undergoes chemotherapy. for anyone who has seen "jurassic park" and even those who haven't, it's pretty well understood that bringing dinosaurs back to life might get pretty messy really fast, but now in real life there's an ambitious new plan to bring the woolly mammoth out of the ice

age and into the 21st century. but just because scientists can, should they? morgan chesky has the story. >> reporter: at colossal biosciences in dallas, the mission is clear. pair cutting-edge science with high-tech tools to reach a goal of prehistoric proportions. >> we are less than five years away from seeing mammoths back on the planet. >> not if it's going to happen. when it's going to happen? >> it is simply a function of time. >> reporter: which is co-founder and ceo ben lamm says now is the time to embrace the term de-extinction. the process of creating an extinct species or at least an animal that resembles one. in colossal's case, the woolly mammoth which died off roughly 4,000 years ago. the company announced a major breakthrough, how to essentially re-program the cells of elephants, allowing colossal to then recreate their modern-day version of a mammoth. you'd be forgiven if all this sounds like -- [ roaring ] >> the scientists are so preoccupied about

they could, they stopped to think if they should. >> reporter: we heard 2 the "jurassic park" comparison once or twice and we're not taking dino dna and putting it in frog dna and we're doing it exactly the reverse. >> reporter: asian elephant dna to be exact, because according to colossal it's the closest living relative to its prehistoric predecessor, a 99.6% match. >> the return of the woolly mammoth essentially starts here. >> yes. absolutely. >> reporter: we joined dr. ariana, the lead researcher on the woolly mammoth project. >> reporter: we're looking at essentially an asian elephant in cellular form. >> that's actually correct, yes. >> reporter: colossal says this process would not only allow them to bring back other extinct animals but also save animals on the brink of extinction, and even improve the environment by restoring the animals to old habitats. even though colossal admits this is a major breakthrough, the company does stress don't expect to see real-life woolly

mammoths for at least the next few years. but in the science community there are researchers who not only have questions here, but are concerned. >> number one, it's not really a mammoth. it's a mutated asian elephant. >> reporter: dr. vincent lynch specializes in genetics and evolutionary biology at the university of buffalo and stresses timing is everything. >> to put them back now isn't to replace something that was once there, but it's to put an invasive species into an environment in which it's never been before. >> reporter: is there 1% in the back of your mind where something could go wrong? >> we are doing the best that we can to collaborate with all of the top scientists, bioethicists and conservationists around the world to ensure that it goes as right as possible, and there will always be some risk in a moon shot for society. >> reporter: a mammoth-sized moon shot coming soon. morgan chesky, nbc news, dallas. and when we come back, there is good news tonight. the surprise

performance that brought this beloved teacher to tears.

♪ there is good news tonight about the impact one teacher can have on his students and the lengths one group of alumni went to pay it forward even decades later. ♪ beauty and the beast ♪ >> reporter: when the final performance of "beauty and the beast" at michigan's mount pleasant high school came to an end -- [ cheers and applause >> reporter: -- the real drama began. >> john, can i have you come down?

>> reporter: that's john clack, who just directed his final show before his requirement. did you have any idea what us was going on? >> no, no. >> one by one, they came out. ♪ i'm in love with a girl ♪ >> he's in love with a girl ♪ >> from the class of 2015. ♪ amazing, amazing ♪ >> reporter: to the class of 2006. ♪ i'm so glad you chose me ♪ >> reporter: as far back as 1998. ♪ >> reporter: dozens of his former students back on stage to honor the man who changed their lives. >> guys, i was bawling up on stage here. i know all of them. >> i would say this was about a two-month process. ♪ >> reporter: his son, david, helped plan the surreptitious serenade. >> we ended up forming a secret facebook group where i could get even more people involved. >> reporter: they came from as far away as washington state.

♪ life is one sweet, beautiful song ♪ >> reporter: former student dominic thrasher first dreamed up the surprise. what is it about john that just hits you right here? >> i found a teacher who got me. sorry. but gosh, it's so nice to find a mentor that just gets us theater geeks. ♪ >> reporter: that night, not a dry eye in the house. >> it's an overwhelming feeling. i have so much pride in so many kids. >> reporter: the curtain call of a lifetime. [ cheering and applause ] >> and mr. clack says he plans to work on

writing and producing plays in his retirement. we wish him all the best. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be in for tomorrow. i'm laura jarrett. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. ♪

right now at 6:00, a man with a knife shot and killed by south bay officers. what police say led up to the dead