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By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News

Good Friday afternoon. A monster winter storm has parts of the East Coast under blizzard warnings, a bridge collapsed in Pittsburgh ahead of a visit from President Biden, and thousands gave a final salute to a fallen NYPD officer.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Powerful nor’easter to slam East Coast

68 million people are under winter weather alerts from South Carolina to New England, as a powerful winter storm takes aim at the East Coast.

Blizzard warnings are in effect from Virginia to Maine. For most of the East Coast, these are the first blizzard warnings in four years. Virginia and New Jersey have declared states of emergency.

Beginning tonight, the rapidly intensifying storm is expected to bring snow to coastal areas in the mid-Atlantic and then race northward.

Saturday will be the highest impact day from New York to Boston, with heavy snow and potential hurricane-force wind gusts.

The strong winds from this system will combine with cold temperatures, resulting in dangerously cold wind chills in many areas tonight and into Saturday, the National Weather Service warned.

Snow total projections: Washington, D.C. 1-3 inches; Philadelphia 4-8 inches; New York City 8-12 inches; Boston 18-24 inches. Up to 2-3 feet could fall in Southeast Massachusetts.

Ten people were injured when a bridge suddenly collapsed in Pittsburgh today, leaving a city bus dangling over a ravine.

Rescuers formed a human chain, and also rappelled nearly 150 feet into the ravine to reach passengers trapped on the bus, officials said.

The collapse of the 50-year-old bridge came just hours before President Joe Biden’s visit to the city to tout his $1 trillion infrastructure law.

Biden visited the scene of the collapse shortly after he arrived in Pittsburgh. “There are literally more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world,” Biden said. “We’re going to fix them all,” he added.

Biden’s infrastructure law has earmarked some $1.6 billion for Pennsylvania bridge maintenance.

Biden visits collapsed Pittsburgh bridge: 'We're going to fix them all'

Thousands of police officers lined the streets in New York City today, to say a final goodbye to a 22-year-old NYPD officer killed in the line of duty a week ago.

Rookie Officer Jason Rivera was posthumously promoted to detective during funeral services at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Rivera’s heartbroken wife Dominique delivered a tearful eulogy. "I would say good morning to you all, but in fact it's the worst morning ever," she said. “Today I'm still in this nightmare I wished I never had.”

Rivera was fatally shot during a domestic disturbance call last Friday. His 27-year-old partner, Officer Wilbert Mora, was also shot and later died from his injuries. Mora’s funeral will also be held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Wednesday.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and result in “significant” casualties.

"Given the type of forces that are arrayed ... if that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties," Milley said, appearing at a Pentagon press briefing beside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Milley and Austin urged Vladimir Putin to pursue a diplomatic solution to rising tensions, as Russia continues to build up its troops along Ukraine’s border.

Austin said the U.S. believes Putin hasn’t made a final decision on sending forces into Ukraine. “Conflict is not inevitable,” Austin said.

“Whatever he decides, the United States will stand with our allies and partners,” Austin said.

Russia today insisted it will not start a war, a day after President Biden warned Ukraine’s president that there is a “distinct possibility” of invasion.

What else we’re watching:

San Francisco is rolling back its mask restrictions for vaccinated people at offices, gyms, and other so-called “stable cohorts” beginning Feb. 1
“Tiger King” Joe Exotic has been resentenced to 21 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to kill animal activist Carole Baskin.
A Wisconsin judge approved a plan for a crime lab to destroy the gun Kyle Rittenhouse used to kill two people during protests in 2020. Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November.
The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed for 14 so-called “alternate electors” who allegedly submitted “bogus slates of Electoral-College votes” for former President Donald Trump.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.

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