Tonight, especially those in the northern reaches of this country are experiencing the coldest temperatures in two decades. Yes, its winter, and a certain amount of this is to be expected, but a lot of records are falling as the line of cold weather is falling to the south. It will shortly be in the 20s in places like nashville and atlanta. Given the sheer size of this storm as seen from space, it was bound to bring weather to a lot of places and it delivered. We have it all covered inside and out beginning again with nbcs ron mott in boston. Ron, good evening. Reporter hey, brian. Good evening to you. Its the big chill in boston. 9 degrees. 7 degrees below windchill. This morning 2 with a windchill pushing minus 20 literally freezing this city in its tracks. Boston awoke to a deep freeze. Snow packed streets and sidewalks largely empty. Many shops dark and still after a record 10. 6 inches fell on the city yesterday. About a foot in all when the last few flakes landed this morning. Its a good thing when the public heeds the advice we give about staying off the roads or going home early, because that enables us to help everyone. Reporter on the north shore, roughly two feet of snow in parts. On the south shore, icy flooding. Street signs caked in white. Along with a weekends worth of cleanup duty ahead made easier by the fluffy dry powder or brutally cold temperatures. It is freezing. Im layered up. I have, like, four pairs of pants on and four sweatshirts. So im cold. Reporter one sign said 15 degrees when it was the really 6 at the time. With wind chills expected to plunge well below zero again overnight, hospitals are on standby to treat people dangerously exposed to the bitter air. Massachusetts general reported no frostbite emergencies through early afternoon despite how quickly trouble can develop. Within three minutes with the windchill the way it is now, you can start to get damage to the skin if you are not appropriately covered. In three minutes . Roughly three minutes. Parts of the state will see 50 below zero. Reporter from minnesota to maine, the priority for many is simply staying warm as a deep arctic chill threat tons set records in a part of the country proud of its heartiness. So cold the governor in minnesota ordered schools closed. While the Nations Capital struggled to thaw out. Help my dad shovel the snow and stay inside and keep warm. Reporter in philly, a challenge just to get out. Some ditching the spinning wheels. Its bad out here. Reporter its tough on firefighters, braving frigid work conditions in nebraska, detroit, vermont. Were having trouble with heating water. Our trucks are freezing up. Reporter a teethchattering cold for those who have to be out and warnings for those across the frost belt to head in. At least 13 deaths have been tied to this storm system. Here in boston overnight, some 600 calls poured into the mayors 24hour hotline. An official here in boston told me only four of those were for people looking for a warm place to go, brian. Ron mott starting us off from boston. Ron, thanks. Part of what makes this news, the storm hit as millions of americans had plans to travel home after the holiday break, both by road and by air. Nbcs tom costello spent another day watching the impact on all of it for us tonight. Reporter on the ramp at new yorks jfk airport today. You look cold. Im good. Layered up. Reporter as jetblue dug out from a foot of snow that shut down the airport until 10 00 a. M. Usually have about 30 minutes to load a flight. Even in this weather we have to make sure everything gets out on time. Reporter nationwide more than 2,600 Flights Canceled today, another 5,000 delayed. Among the airports hit most directly,s boston, new york, philly and chicago. Both ohare and midway where thousands of passengers were stuck on the ramp and in the airport for hours overnight after their planes landed, but there were no open gates to pull into. They were totally unprepared. Theyre supposed to have contingency plans for occasions like this. Reporter the Ripple Effect reaching across the country. 5,500 passengers affected in los angeles. Meanwhile, on the roads an armada of snowplows helped clear most of the major interstates by midday. But travel on the side streets has been a mess from philly through new england. Its like a sheet of ice. Reporter late this afternoon via iphone, we caught up with the Thomas Family on the road. They were supposed to be flying from vermont to washington. Got a call this morning around 10 00 from the airlines saying our flight had been canceled. They couldnt get us on another flight until monday morning to get back to the d. C. Area. So with rented a car, were driving on down today. Reporter a long day of travel. For millions of americans, many more miles to go. When the Thomas Family gets here to d. C. , theyre going to find it the mystery in effingham countyly mostly clear. But its a balmy 18 degrees here. Meanwhile amtrak reporting all of their trains expect ed to be back up and running. Normal service tomorrow. Brian . Tom cost teal costello in maryland. Tom, thanks. Al roker is in studio with us tonight with a look at what to expect over the next couple of days. We have another snowstorm, bitterly cold air. It is a real mess. Right now our current temperatures and windchills are still pretty brutal. These will seem like a walk in the park compared to what we are going to be looking at next week. Boston feels like 7 below. 5 below in hartford. 3 above in new york city. Heres the next storm on Weather Channel calling it winter storm ion making it through the dakotas into minnesota. One part heads to canada. The second develops along the cold front. You can see snow from northern texas to western new york. Ahead of it warmer air so were going to see temperatures climbing up into the 40s by monday, but colder air behind it. Heres a look at the snowfall. By sunday night, the heaviest stuff will be in central illinois. All the way into michigan. 9 to 12 inches of snow. And then weve got cold air to talk about. I mean, its going to be really cold. Sunday mornings low, 18 below in minneapolis. 27 in washington. Monday it drops down to 14 below in chicago. 39 in d. C. 19 in atlanta. By tuesday, 9 in atlanta, 12 below in cincinnati. Brian, i hate to show this. Look at these windchills. Monday morning it will feel like 40 below in chicago. It will feel like 18 below in atlanta. And theres another storm coming that will make its way in some time late thursday into next weekend. Always something to look forward to. Unless you live in Southern California at the tip, a good weekend for hunkering. Absolutely. Nice to have you as always. The cdc is out with new flu numbers tonight. Almost on schedule it is getting worse. Fully half the states in the u. S. Are now reporting widespread flu activity. This time a lot of younger adults are getting hit by it. We get the story from our chief medical editor dr. Nancy snyderman. Did the same thing last year. Reporter when 6yearold twins clayton and james get sick its double trouble for dad jacob. Whenever one gets sick, the other will get sick. Its about one or two days later. Reporter worried about recent flu outbreaks, jacob took his kids to university of Michigan Health system in ann arbor today for the flu vaccine. Hospitals in the area already have a dozen adults and children on life support because of the illness. Were seeing a lot of people who were previously healthy in their 30s, 40s, and 50s getting very sick with flu. Usually with the h1n1 type of influenza. Reporter the centers for Disease Control show the numbers have doubled to 25 states with widespread flu activity. Texas has been one of the hardest hit. Sandra rollins who just got her flu shot at this houston area walgreens has been sick before and said she never wants to go through that again. It was the miserable. Several months with flu and then pneumonia. It puts you out for several months. Reporter doctors say its not too late to get the vaccine and everyone over the age of 6 months should be inoculated, especially the elderly, pregnant women, those with weakened immune systems, and caregivers. Quinton moores son didnt escape the outbreak. He got sick new years eve. Hes been in texas Childrens Hospital ever since. Its tough. Especially for a firsttime parent like me to see your child this way and know that i can go through it and fight. You cant fight for him. Reporter how do you know its the flu and not some other bug . Influenza symptoms include fever, chills, cough, runny nose, body aches and fatigue. Its important to know the symptoms because theres another virus right now that causes vomiting and diarrhea. But thats not influenza. Brian . Dr. Nancy snyderman, thanks as always. Now lets turn to news from overseas tonight. After two terrorist attacks and dozens killed in russia this week, president Vladimir Putin made a very public visit to sochi today. Less than five weeks to go now until the start of the winter Olympic Games in that city. Putin as you may know has made a vow to destroy the terrorist forces to keep the games safe. And he has made this the biggest security operation in sports history. We get our report tonight from nbcs jim maceda in sochi. Reporter russian president Vladimir Putin making sure every olympic venue is ready for its closeup. He even tries out the slopes today looking relaxed and controlled. A contrast to wednesday, just 400 miles away in volgograd where a solemn putin honored those killed in the bombing. Even as putin toured sochi today, a bomb threat led to the evacuation of a mall. A false alarm, but another sign of nerves on edge. Since islamist militants declared war on the olympics, so putin invested billions to keep things safe. Its called ring of steel for a reason. At least 40,000 special forces and police will be manning checkpoints. Drones will be watching above. Offshore high speed patrol boats. Even ultra sensitive sonar devices listening around the clock under water. But while it may look safe here, its now clear this is a dangerous neighborhood. And if youre wondering just how close sochi is to trouble, were going to be taking a drive to the border with a breakaway republic and a potential flash point. Its now 1 06 in the afternoon. Lets get started. And here we are at the border and the gateway to the rest of north caucasus. That took exactly 15 minutes. Many Security Experts are convinced there will be more bombings. For these jihadist groups and individuals, a successful strike on the games is the holy grail. Reporter for putin whose reputation is built on order and control, that would be a disaster. Jim maceda, nbc news, sochi. And still ahead for us tonight, there is food news tonight. This has to do with the first meal of the day and a big name american favorite. And later, well go back to a place where the train kids to win and not just inside the ropes. We are back tonight with a change being made to something of an american morning icon and a staple on high chairs everywhere. General mills says it will no longer use ingredients in cheerios that have worried some consumers and prompted them to demand this change. We get the story from nbcs stephanie gosk. Was cheerioss the same back then . Cheerios has been the same forever. Reporter until now, that is. General mills says the classic cereal is about to change. The food company will no longer use ingredients with genetically modified organisms, or gmos. Mom and activist robin obrien was part of an Online Campaign pressuring the cereal maker to change. We have a food system loaded with a lot of ingredients that we have not necessarily chosen to eat. Reporter gmos are foods that have gone through genetic engineering, often to improve production. They are deeply controversial. In the u. S. The fda regulates their use, but an estimated 85 of all corn produced in this country is still genetically modified. In a statement, General Mills says there is a broad consensus that food containing gmos is safe. But we decided to move forward with this in response to consumer demand. In fact, their other cheerios flavors including honey nut are not changing. Arent changing. Its easy to see how this is a business decision for cheerios as well. Just look across the aisle. This is natures path whole os. They are clearly labeled nongmo. It is based on little scientific evidence. You can cherry pick information saying this is not safe. But remember the fda and the World Health Organization have both deemed gmo foods as safe. Reporter General Mills isnt the only company listening to the customer base. Supermarket chain whole foods is requiring every supplier to label gmo products by 2018. Mexican fast food chain chipotle announced they will soon be gmofree. Obrien said the campaign is working. To go back to the brands and restore the relationship, it means so much. Reporter the maker of the little os appear to be say the following the classic motto. The customer is always right. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. We are back in a moment with a highly unusual voicemail left on somebodys phone this new years eve. The frozen tundra will be frozen solid on sunday as the Green Bay Packers host the 49ers at Lambeau Field in the cold. And we mean cold. Predicted temperature at game time, 2 degrees with an afterlow before they are done at 18 below. While the home tv viewing experience and hd has never been better or warmer than it is these days. Packers fans are different. They believe the game should be played in the elements. This weekend will no doubt conjure memories of the ice bowl against the cowboys back in 67. A game Time Temperature of minus 13 that day. Its also a friendly reminder. This years super bowl will be played outdoors in new jersey at Metlife Stadium february 2nd when we get to test that postsandy state motto, jersey strong. Pope francis was doing what a lot of people are doing on new years eve, apparently. Calling around to old friends. Workrelated, of course. One of the calls was to the convent, home of the carmelite nuns of spain. The pope likes to cold call people. The risk is people are out and of course the nuns were all out on new years eve, so the pope left a voice mail. [ beep ] [ speaking in Foreign Language ] thats a bit of what it sounded like. Heres a translation. The pope said, quote, what are the nuns doing that they cant answer the phone . I am pope francis. I wish to greet you in this end of the year. I will see if i can call you later. May god bless you. Some of the haunting ironclad remnants of world war ii are still buried throughout the countryside in europe. Today a bomb went off at a construction site in germany. It had been dropped during the war and didnt go off. Today it killed a construction worker and injured eight others when it was pierced by an excavator. Allied bombers had pummelled that area durlg the warg because it housed heavy industry. In germany alone, upwards of 700 bombs are found and diffused each year. A dietary milestone reached in the United States quietly without fanfare on kitchen tables and in restaurants across the land. Chicken has replaced beef as americas Favorite Meat product. While americans are eating less meat overall, the average american still consumes almost 60 pounds of chicken every year. Make no mistake, its a paradigm shift. First time in the 100 years they have tracked such things. And as one writer put it today, beef is no longer whats for dinner. We also have a quick followup on a story aired last night here about a fugitive georgia banker on the lam after the loss of a lot of investor money. Several of you asked if the Police Officers who apprehended aubrey lee price following an otherwise routine traffic stop in brunswick, georgia, would be eligible for the sizable reward money. We checked. The answer is no. We were told because they are Public Servants doing their jobs, acting in the line of duty. When we come back, our making a difference report on a program thats all about fighting for a better life ahead. Finally here tonight, a followup to a making a difference report we brought you early last year. When we first told you about the downtown boxing gym in the city of detroit where young people are learning to succeed both as athletes and students. Since then the program has received a good deal of additional support. They are hoping to expand their good work as Chelsea Clinton found when she made a return visit there. Reporter on a cold december afternoon, the ring of the downtown boxing gym on detroits east side quickly comes to life. Dozens of boxers skipping their feet as they work on jabs and jump roping. Jump higher. Reporter i have to jump higher. Oh i did it i did it again it becomes the place to be. For more than 60 kids looking to stay off the street and on the right track. Like david davis, a champion boxer at just 16 years old. I could just call and they will be there. Reporter just like a family. Our making a difference report is from detroit reporter nightly news profiled the gym in march as the gym reached capacity and then some. Since then, donations have poured in. More than 170,000. We reached out to the community and the community reached back. It was very positive. Reporter coach Kelly Sweeney picks up his pugilists in donated cars. Kids receive new desks and computers to do homework and more tutors to help. You have to cross multiply. Reporter new punching bags to train with. So hook and then what . Jab. Reporter jab, jab. Right hand . Mmhmm. Reporter even a new ring. Its already gotten a good workout. For coach kelly, plenty needs to be done. We have over 150 kids on the waiting list. Thats one thing we cant afford to do. Just keep kids waiting a rnd. Reporter plans are now underway to build a new gym that can accommodate everyone. One thing wont change. The gyms golden rule. School books before boxing. Its a habit for everybody now. So everybody gets to homework first and then come to train. Reporter train and study to help these kids go the distance. Chelsea clinton, nbc news, detroit, michigan. And that is our broadcast for this first friday of 2014 and for this week. Thank you for being here with us. Im brian williams. Of course we hope to see you right back here on monday night. In the meantime, have a good weekend. Good night. That breaking news is in the south bay. A neighborhood where shots were fired. Dozens of Police Officers as you can see are on the scene. Good evening, thanks for joining us on this friday. Im raj mathai. Im janelle wang in for jessica aguirre. The investigation happening in san joses bariessa neighborhood near the corner of cape horn drive and cape kennedy drive. We just arrived on scene and, george, this is a nice neighborhood against the eastern foothills. What do we know at this hour . Reporter it is, raj and janelle. This is considered a middle class neighborhood. Rather quiet. Police officers lockedc. 3 off horn drive as they continue to investigate. We confirmed one of the officers shot a man after they say he would not drop his knife and charged at them. That man is at a hospital with non life threatening injuries. Police got a call before 3 30 about two men arguing in front of a home. When they got out here, they saw the two men. Why they were arguing and how they know each other, police are not saying. The man was shot at least once. Now, the sjpd homicide unit will be coming out here any time theres an officerinvolved shooting they come out here as a matter of protocol. No officers were hurt in the incident. Thats the latest here. Live in san jose with breaking news, nbc bay area news. Now to a developing story in the south bay. Where the flu season has turned deadly. Santa clara county Health Officials report tonight a 41yearold woman died from the h1n1 virus back on december 23rd. In marin county, Public Health workers are see