i mean, i saw like four cars, hydroplane multiple times, and it was just like it was very scary. honestly >> ponding puddles and potholes tonight. we're on storm watch

again as scattered showers continue to fall across parts of the bay area, creating treacherous conditions for drivers. good evening. thank you for joining us. >> i'm dan ashley and i'm ama daetz. the roads were so bad in some areas they damaged vehicles. and in one instance, a family had to be rescued from a flooded street. we have abc seven news team coverage for you with reporter suzanne fawn in marin county and reporter ryan carey curry rather in the east bay. let's begin, though, with abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel for the latest on the conditions. sandhya. yeah and dan and amna we had pounding rain across parts of the bay area earlier today. right now on live doppler seven. we are still seeing those scattered showers. so let's take a look at live doppler seven. and you will notice exactly where the rain is falling. parts of the east bay getting some steady rain. it's been light to moderate and intensity. pittsburgh and area heading out towards brentwood oakley, lone tree way so definitely don't ditch the umbrellas just yet. as we look at the southern part of our viewing area from the santa cruz mountains to gilroy morgan hill,

we're also seeing some showers right now right around san martin, highway 101. so the commute not exactly easy. a flood warning for parts of san benito, santa clara counties and monterey county as they are expecting some excessive rain which will lead to flooding on live doppler seven. that area of low pressure that sent us bands of heavy rain earlier is going to continue to spin up some showers here, so we go hour by hour, 6:00 to 7:00. you will notice light to moderate showers late tonight. still some showers moving through going into early tomorrow morning when we take a look at the storm impact scale through tonight. it's a level one. scattered downpours, minor urban flooding, isolated thunder. chance not out of the question. a live view from our san jose camera showing you a beautiful sunset right now. but we're not completely done with the wet weather. i'll be back with a full look at the forecast in just a few minutes. >> ama thank you sandhya. >> that heavy rain in the north bay that sandhya mentioned caused some big concerns and headaches for drivers and homeowners. abc seven news reporter suzanne fawn is live in marin county with a look at the

weather challenges there. suzanne. >> well, dan, ama, we are in green bay tonight and there is a break in the wet weather. fortunately but look all around and you see plenty of this. a lot of ponds, water, a lot of puddles. and over here, take a look at this. you can see how much water fell in such a short period of time. adrian quijano has to be extra careful that his shoes and socks don't get soaked by the puddles in this parking lot in green bay. >> i parked right in front of it, but this is all over. around the bay is just puddles on the freeway, puddles in the parking lots. >> he's drive to work. this morning was a little unnerving. >> it was just pouring rain like i. i kept a good distance from the car in front of me. >> for toby richards of marin county, it was a similar story. >> driving down 101 southbound was very hectic. there's a there's a lot of rain. um, i mean, i saw like four cars, hydroplane multiple times early this morning, rain pounded parts of sonoma county. >> and this is how it looked

along the coast in the town of jenner, along highway 116 near monterey, rio. debris from a rock slide in front of the monte rio fire station. the streets flooded from the downpouring. rain and runoff hours later in santa rosa, we got a glimpse of this flooded street. santa rosa fire says crews had to go iand clear out the area by hand. we checked in th sonoma county fire district early this morning. crews rescued a family along marquis station road near the town of windsor, for their four door sedan stalled along a flooded road. >> it was still dark. they may not have seen the water. i'm not quite sure. we always are telling people turn around, don't drown. >> also today, this home in summer, home park neighborhood in sonoma county was redtagged this after a massive 250 foot redwood tree came crashing down beside the home early yesterday morning. it also took down several power lines. >> neighbors told us that they had been working to get the tree removed, and it was scheduled for january, but with the impacts of this storm coming in, lots of rain, um, and wind, you know that definitely partially

played a role into the tree coming down today. >> a reminder for drivers. take it slow. meanwhile, sandbag stations like this one in san rafael, marin county were empty. but city leaders remind people the next big storm may be just around the corner. >> please prepare for the community can prepare by purchasing sandbags. there's also free sandbags within certain jurisdictions across the county and making sure that you're signed up for local emergency alerts. >> and we hear, according to authorities, that some of the biggest trouble spots in this area have been central and southern marin county. we're live in greenbrae suzanne phan, abc seven news. all right, suzanne, thanks very much. >> let's continue our team coverage in the east bay. >> abc seven news reporter ryan curry is in downtown walnut creek. hey, ryan. >> yeah. hey ama. good evening. this storm has nothing like what we saw from those storms last year. of course, but it is a reminder of what can happen when itrillionains in this area. wednesday as rain created hazards on east bay roads, cars

in oakland driving through isolated flooding potholes. on 680 in pacheco, slowing down traffic and leaving some drivers with flat tires. >> we always ask the customers if they notice anything. to let us know right away so we can look into it before it becomes an issue. >> unfortunately, it became an issue for some, but chp were able to cone it off before more cars got damaged in downtown walnut creek, it was all awnings and umbrellas, anything to escape the rain during the day was going to go on a bike ride, but it's raining, so not going to happen anymore. reporter not a good day for a bike ride, but definitely a good day to start grabbing sandbags. last winter, walnut creek public works had to constantly restock piles like this. if this winter is anything like the last, they expect many to grab more sandbags. >> there was a day where we were uh. it was just nonstop. it was just back to back, i think in one day in one station. this station right here, i think we had eight, ten uh, ten yard dump trucks.

>> this rain was not the heaviest, but it kept tow truck drivers and city crews busy. it serves as a reminder that winter is here and more storms could come. >> we have sand and sandbags at all these stations and if you are uh- in an area that needs sandbags now is the time to get them. >> and the holiday lights are now on here in downtown walnut creek. there is still some rain in the forecast, so people here, they're not putting away the umbrellas, just yet dan amna we'll send it back to you. >> yeah not by a long shot ryan thanks very much a reminder here to help prevent all the rain from flooding homes businesses. the city of san francisco is giving residents ten free sandbags. they're intended for properties that are prone to flooding. obviously people can pick up sandbags monday through saturday from 8 a.m. until two in the afternoon at the kansas street gate at the public works operations yard. people are on the move for the holidays and this is good. >> things are improving at san francisco international as we take a live look at the airport this evening. the airport has

had 306 delays and two cancellations today. that's about half of what sfo reported monday and tuesday. >> and don't forget, you can get the latest weather conditions and access the same doppler seven weather radar that sandhya and our weather team use every day. just search abc seven bay area in your device's app store and download it when you have a moment. >> a new, fast growing covid 19 variant continues to have health officials concerned nationally and locally. yet numbers are showing fewer people are getting the latest covid vaccine. data shows some ethnic groups continue to be hit harder than others. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes spoke with experts to find out why the gen1 covid variant is fast spreading and dangerous. >> it's about 21% of our strains here in this country, but the vaccine still works against it. still health officials say not enough people are getting the latest vaccine statewide. and here in the bay area, data from the california department of public health shows 18% of all residents in alameda county are up to date on vaccinations, as of december 4th, san francisco

county saw 21% of its residents, 19% of residents in santa clara county are vaccinated, though the numbers vary among counties they share. one thing in common. >> our latinx population and african african ancestry populations have even lower rates, santa clara county public health says only 9% of latinos and 11% of african, african ancestry individuals are up to date with covid vaccinations. >> asian americans have a higher percentage, and the white population is highest, officials say. vaccine fatigue could be one of the reasons, but that's not all. this is the first year that the vaccine has been commercialized. >> and so we know that for some individuals it may be harder to access the vaccine, particularly for underinsured and uninsured people, though the cdc does have the bridge access program to serve more people. >> it's really hard to get these vaccines. pharmacies get have to need they need stock. they need, um, availability from the biden administration, and they need to be able to administer them. and they're not getting the supply. >> santa clara county says it's been taking different measures

to make sure pharmacies and individuals are able to take advantage of the bridge access program, doing some secret shopper action. >> i'm here at the health department where we're calling pharmacies that, uh, receive vaccine through the bridge access program and making sure that it's easy for clients to call, get the vaccine. and that they're not facing hurdles. and if we find anything, um, we're actually working with the pharmacies and working with the state to try to address those issues. work. doctor gandhi says, has to continue in order to serve under-vaccinated communities. >> we have to keep on rallying as public health people and as infectious disease doctors to make that happen. >> in the south bay, zach fuentes, abc seven news. coming up following colorado's lead, the effort now in california to keep donald trump off the ballot. >> plus a major breakthrough from scientists at lawrence livermore lab, how it could help play a role in solving the global climate crisis. abc seven news at fi

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kounalakis says she sent a letter to california's secretary of state urging her to explore her legal options. yesterday, the colorado supreme court disqualified trump from holding the presidency under the constitution's so-called insurrection clause. this case could end up at the us supreme court if the colorado supreme court decision is upheld, then i think california will move forward. >> there is another lawsuit pending. in addition to the letter that you talked about at, and other states will move forward as well and say that the former president is not eligible. >> trump is appealing colorado's ruling. fellow republican candidates, including nikki haley and chris christie, have come to his defense, saying these issues should not be decided in courts. >> livermore scientists have successfully replicated the historic nuclear fusion reactor run three times over. it's an advancement that could become a clean and renewable source of energy. one day. that's the hope

the process is called ignition, and one lab has been working to perfect. it over the last year or so. the goal is to recreate the kind of fusion that powers the sun. still a long ways to go to be able to scale up toward powering electric grids and heating buildings. but it is an encouraging step forward. the city of san jose is unlikely to replace the statue that commemorates its relation with its sister city of pune, india. >> the 440 pound statue of a 1600s era indian leader on horseback was stolen from guadalupe river park last january. mercury news reporters found it days later at a scrap yard with its legs sawed off at the hooves, according to officials. san jose's sister city program doesn't have the 80 to $100,000 it would cost to repair and reinstall the statue, officials are now looking at other options to commemote t relationship. stay with us. we'll be right back.

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yo. what up? officers say it's a way to give back to the community and attempt to build new relationships. >> abc seven news reporter anser hassan was there and has more. >> some of the kids waiting in line to meet santa had some big ticket items on their wish list. what do you want a dro, a joe? she was among the hundreds of kids who came out for oakland police department's toys for the town event. her mom, brittany ward, says for some families, an event like this may be an important part of their holiday season. >> it's a lot of people that don't have, you know, that's less fortunate. so this you know, by being here, i feel like it's going to definitely give them an opportunity to get, you know, a smile on their kids face and get a toy and have some fun. >> there were a range of activities outside. inside all the gifts for the kids. what'd you get? uh- rgb uh- led headphones. >> it's pretty cool. >> you like it? yeah yeah. >> is this something you wanted or something? >> yeah, something i wanted. >> shaniece washington says an

event like this is a great way to celebrate the holidays. christmas is actually one of my favorite holidays, and i like dressing up as mrs. claus. it's time well spent with the kids. but, she adds, she also wants her kids to spend time with law enforcement. >> it just shows support. fort uh- from the police and the bay area for our young children to come together and just enjoy one another. >> it's a cool toy that you liked on the table. >> they got some headphones over there that i got my eye on. >> assistant police chief tony jones says more than 2500 toys will be given away, and with each, an attempt to build new relationships. >> you are right. um, there does tend to be tension between communities and the police, but these are opportunities for the police to engage with young people, right? >> in oakland, anser hassan abc seven news. thank you. >> and in the south bay, santa and his elves really got into the spirit of the holidays. you can see santa clara county sheriff rob johnson and his

deputies making a special visit to deliver toys to the pediatric unit at valley medical center in addition to today's visit to the sheriff's office has also been collecting toys for the nonprofit hit the family giving tree. this year, they collected more than 500 gifts for children in need across the bay area. >> that is so nice. nice, isn't it? that's what i love about this time of year around the bay area. all right, well, it's time now to get a check on the weather. and as we do, take a look at this picture tweeted by valley water of a rainbow in san jose. >> and you can see the double rainbow. in fact, although we're zooming in a little so you lose it on the sides, but it's still spectacular. for the latest on the conditions, let's get to abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel. sandhya yeah, absolutely beautiful picture there. and dan and let's take a look at live doppler seven right now because we are still tracking some of that wet weather as we get you into street level radar, we are seeing rain right now in the south bay from san jose to willow glen, heading across campbell, payne avenue, benton street in santa clara.

>> watch out the roads are slippery. we have a flood warning until 7 p.m. for parts of the san benito county. santa clara county borders, as they are expecting some heavier rain to pusthrough. now, i do want to show you where it is raining. also in the inland east bay, right around discovery bay, deer valley road, antioch, oakley. so here are some of the storm concerns. standing water on the roadways. moderate to high likelihood localized flooding, medium likelihood and power outages. pretty low. thunder chance is slight as low. so we look at a live picture from our emeryville camera and you can see that there are plenty of clouds. not everyone seeing the rain, but certainly there are still some concerns. a coastal flood advisory for tomorrow morning, 5 to 9 a.m. high tides coming up shortly after 6 a.m. between 6.9 and 7.2 feet. and as that high tide comes up, there is going to be the possibility of minor coastal flooding. so keep that in mind. area of low pressure certainly has been bringing up some of that moisture. southern california is

going to get slammed. mountains and some of the foothills expecting 5 to 10in of rain down there. now in the last 24 hours, we've picked up a healthy dose of rain. you will notice over an inch in san francisco, oakland, close to two inches kentfield, santa rosa and these are 24 hour totals 8000/100 in san jose inland areas. as we had talked about yesterday, didn't pick up as much, but still got about a third to about 4000/700 of an inch there in livermore. ben lowman more than two inches of rain. ben lowman so far in the last 72 hours, over a half a foot. we're talking over seven inches of rain. santa rosa close to five, 2 to 3in were pretty common from san francisco to oakland to san carlos. san jose 1.54. temperatures right now in the 50s 60s. it is cooler compared to yesterday. here's a look at the headlines tonight. scattered showers tomorrow. we have a few lingering showers, but most of you will see a mix of sun and clouds. and this weekend we do have cold mornings, some sunshine in the afternoons. so here's a look at what you can expect. it's a

level one storm through tonight, so scattered downpours, minor urban flooding, and an isolated thunder chance. we go hour by hour. 6:00 tonight. still a few showers going into 7 p.m. and you will notice that the showers just kind of wrap back around that area of low pressure. so they're coming back in. and as we head towards the overnight hours, still some wet weather in the forecast going into tomorrow. there will be a better chance for the southern part of our viewing area than the northern part of our viewing area, well into the afternoon and evening, your morning temperatures will be in the 40s and the 50s. here's a look at your afternoon highs. they'll be in the 60s, so it's going to be a warmer day. mostly cloudy with a few showers in the southern part of our viewing area. as i mentioned, the accuweather seven day forecast does feature a couple of showers. winter begins tomorrow night at 7:27 p.m, and we're going to go with some morning fog on friday, followed by sun. certainly colder this weekend. cooler in the afternoons, colder in the mornings. a cool christmas on

monday, maybe a little drizzle, but otherwise we're looking at clouds increasing after christmas and the showers are returning by wednesday. ama and dan all right. >> sounds good. thank you sandhya. >> all right. our series of storms is bringing a wild, wintry mix of weather to tahoe. crews dealt with this rock slide early this morning on highway 50 in echo summit. the sierra is getting rain, sleet, snow with roads turning icy at night. of course, as a temperature drops. currently, there are no chain requirements on 80 or 50. the uc berkeley central snow lab says it recorded 2.4in of snow yesterday for a season total of 29in now, which is 37% of normal for this date. by the way. >> well, the bay area's commercial crab season delay continues and it won't be assessed again until january 11th. that is according to an update today from the state department of fish and wildlife. however, to the north, the commercial season from the oregon state line to the sonoma mendocino county line is scheduled to begin january 5th. the delay is part of an effort

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live in the south bay in san jose. in concord. live in oakland? yeah you're watching abc seven news live. many time. anywhere we are, we are, we are, we are, we are, we are. >> where you are. >> never miss a moment of the news that matters to you. download our abc seven bay area streaming app. join us and start watching. soccer great julie ertz heads the list of inductees into the 2024 west coast conference hall of honor. >> she was a three time all american at santa clara. after college, she led the us women's national team to two world cup titles in 2015 and 2019, and was named the us soccer female player of the year in 2017 and 2019. other bay area athletes who will be inducted. former saint mary's basketball star omar samhan and a former usf soccer great turned coach luis sagastume. >> all right, the big numbers for new year's eve festivities made it to new york's times

square. today for three, two, one happy union. that's the welcoming countdown. switching on the seven foot tall. 2024 numerals as they've been on tour already, making stops at holiday events in los angeles, arizona and philadelphia. >> we're very excited because we have actually used our all electric kia ev9 suv to bring these numerals from the la auto show in november, all across the country, to allow people from coast to coast to see and touch the future, along with all the bright lights there. >> this new year is made up of 588 energy efficient led bulbs. on this sign, they'll be moved from broadway plaza to times square on the 31st for the big new year's eve festivities. >> it looks good. all right. we still have much more news ahead. >> we do? let's go to abc seven news anchor karina nova for a look at what's coming up at 530. karina >> thanks, dan and amo. we're continuing to track the rain. meteorologist sandhya patel will

join me for the details, and we're hearing from the ceo of the company, planning to build a new city in solano county. he shared with i-team reporter stephanie sierra. whatrillionesidents say about the plan in his latest survey. plus are you still looking for last minute christmas gifts for the little ones in your life? the toy insider has you covered with some foolproof ideas. join us for those stories and more! at 530 on abc seven. bay area streaming tv dan and emma okay, karina, thank you. >> and you can download the abc seven app or just head to abc seven news.com and you can join karina in two minutes. >> and if you're watching us here on tv world news tonight with david muir is

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tonight, several breaking stories. the storm systems, holiday travel, and the rescues. families trapped in their homes amid rising waters in the northeast. in new york city tonight, the massive five-alarm fire. and in philadelphia, the tragic crash. a news helicopter going down. first tonight, the states of emergency in the northeast.