it is here, the atmospheric river is no hitting the bay area. a live look at the radar, and you can see it is really coming down. good afternoon. welcome to nbc bay area news. we are talking rain, strong wind, downed trees, and the brunt of it coming down during

the start of the evening commute. the problem started well before the heaviest rain started falling. the most serious incident happened in saratoga, where a 100 foot redwood tree fell onto a home and a truck with a girl inside. the tree almost crushed that young girl sitting in the front seat. miraculously the girl suffered only minor injuries. volunteers in other parts of the county handed out storm supplies to the unsheltered. the rain was steady for much of the day, with residents spending time looking for localized flooding and they are prepping for any potential flash flooding or other storm fallout. public works spent the day cleaning out catch basins to make sure the storm water

drains can flow. they are visiting local sandbag stations to prep for potential flooding. we found wind gusts blowing sheets sideways. there were warnings along the coast for recurrence and waves. inland, people were busy tilting barriers around areas that have flooded before at homes and business. let's take a live look. you can see the stormy conditions in san francisco, raindrops in the lens in san jose. let's bring in our meteorologist. you have been warning us four days, how bad is it going to get tonight?>> as we see that band continuing overnight, we will see the heaviest pockets happening right now, during the

heaviest commute. the concern is going to very much remain. we will see the wind still gusting, so let's get right to your forecast. the impact of this is certainly being felt. you can actually see the rotation of that upper level low, just spinning off the pacific northwest. the approach of this system started out in the north, at this point it has become more widespread. let's use the doppler storm ranger and look at areas seeing heavier downpours. the north bay could see areas highlighted in a yellow and gold, extending into parts of walnut creek. we are seeing some intensity begin to pick up. zooming out into the parts of the south bay, san jose is seeing that light to moderate flow that is going to continue

to move through. we've got that saturation of the soil, it will remain a problem. we are also monitoring a quick rise in the localized storm flow. the wind advisory is also a wind warning for some spots, including san francisco and the santa cruz mountains. we have seen and wind gusts in some areas, power outages are a possibility, don't let your guard down. half moon bay is still gusting up through 40+, stretching through livermore and san jose. i took the timestamp forward. we do see some wind diminishing into parts of the interior. wednesday we still see that

push through, thursday morning we will be okay, with some scattered activity. i will have a closer look at the wave cast, and jeff will go into detail as far as your extended outlook. >> it looks like you are in the mission bay neighborhood, how is it going out there, sergio? >> it was a kind of weird day, it was kind of warm for most of the day. temperatures started dropping, and it started raining a little more steady. the wind started picking up, and i'm hanging onto my cap. we are on the overpass. we spent most of the day talking to people who are getting ready for the storm.

lots of people had umbrellas. they were getting ready for whatever is to come throughout the rest of the day. in san francisco the storm mostly turned off the coast. we noticed the waves over in ocean beach were roaring pretty good, we were there probably around midday. arborists were clearing out branches from some of the trees around the hospital campus as part of a preemptive measure. we went to an area that was prone to flooding and noticed that business owners already have sandbags set up, the department of public works has plastic barriers to prepare for any potential flooding. as i had mentioned a little bit

earlier, it has started up here, you can tell it is kind of cold at the moment as well. >> you look drenched, i'm so sorry. we've had a bunch of storms in 2020, are people aware that this is a more powerful storm? >> yeah, that's why people are so prepared, they have rain jackets ready, umbrellas with them and ready. checking up the freeway traffic, so far there is not really any traffic issues at the moment, but breezes have picked up. it could be potentially an issue as people continue on through the commute for the evening.>> get into the truck. sergio, thank you so much. and the storm is really ramping up as people drive home from

work. this is a live look from one of the photographers in his car, driving south on a.d.d. and oaks. he is approaching the color slam - - he is approaching the colosseum as you can see. chp is reminding everybody to slow down, remember to leave plenty of space between you and the cars in front of you, and if possible, limit driving during inclement weather unless absolutely necessary. governor gavin newsom has opened a center in response, the heaviest rain is expected later this evening and later this afternoon, the state is on alert for the aftermath into next week. >> what we are looking at is not just what is going to

happen today and tomorrow, this is a long-duration event, something that is going to take this week into next week and maybe even the following week after that's. it's not just localized impacts, but the duration of the impact and the wide geographic distribution of the challenges.>> as the storm continues, our bay area app is such a great resource, we track the rain, giving you the most accurate radar in the area. get alerts right to your phone. be sure to download it, it is free on apple and google play stores. predators, unrealistic beauty standards and bullying, some of the issues young people are dealing with on social media. mark zuckerberg offered an apology to families while testifying on capitol hill.

>> would you like to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your product? would you like to apologize for what you've done to these good people? >> mark zuckerberg was joined by the ceos of other social media companies, facing criticism from parents and lawmakers, who say the platforms are dangerous for children. the hearing began with recorded testimony from kids and parents who say they or their children were exploited on social media. throughout the hours long event, parents who lost kids to suicide silently held up pictures of their children. >> the constant pursuit of engagement and profit over basic safety has put our kids and grandkids at risk.>> you don't mean it to be so, but you have blood on your hands. you have a product. >> they say they are stepping

up measures to protect users, and using a.i. to identify harmful content. lawmakers say they are not doing enough, they are pushing a slew of bills to hold social media companies accountable. a bill to prevent tragedy is making its way closer to becoming reality. the bill would provide support for students navigating similar issues.>> the katie myers law passed through the state disseminate the assembly, - - the katie myers law passed the

state assembly. katie was facing discipline after throwing coffee on a football player that assaulted one of her teammates. she received a threatening letter threatening her. >> the next thing you know, she was involved in the dysphonia area process. >> this is what we've needed on campuses for a long time now. to me it is no-brainer, common sense.>> what is the next step for this bill? >> it will have to pass several senate committees. irwin took to the assembly floor this week to urge her colleagues to pass it, and they did, unanimously. >> her death is one of a number of student athlete deaths that

brought to light the need for a new approach that prioritizes the mental health of students. >> the bill will be on the governor's desk by september. thank you so much, ian. if you know someone who is struggling with mental health, or if you yourself are struggling, there is help. you can call or text the national suicide prevention lifeline at the number 988. and intersection is now cleared after a pilot was killed in a small plane crash. the pilot took off from buchanan field airport as the plane seems to lose power and crash nosed first into the street. the ntsb examined the wreckage, they found nothing catastrophically wrong with the

plane, and it was just taken to a secure location for further examination. this was an experimental, home built airplane. the pilot has not yet been identified. we are not done with the microclimate weather alert, local creeks are reaching flood stage. we take you to alameda county for a close eye on that. and while the storm will lead to problems, it is good news for the reservoir levels. before we had to break, what trending stories would you like to see? you still have some time to vote for one of these stories. time is ticking for some of your favorite songs. justin timberlake teases new music, and share loses a conservatorship bid with he

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welcome back. we continue the microclimate weather alert coverage. you can see the brunt of the storm moving across the bay area. there is a lot of yellow on the screen from san francisco down to the south bay. this is expected to bring water to many creeks and streams, raising concern about flooding. fortunately no major concerns here, with the creek heading flood stage. heavy lanes will - - heavy rain will cause alameda creek to rise up to 8 feet, so 1 foot short of flood stage levels. last year winter storms caused flooding in niles canyon, shutting down highway 84.

this level of flooding is not expected today, but we are bracing for impact in other parts of the area. the utility is activating emergency operations centers in the south bay and the santa cruz mountains.>> we will see gusts up to 55 mph, and 5 inches of rain in some areas, leading to trees falling onto debris and having power lines.>> crews have staged extra equipment along the peninsula. severe flooding during last winter storms also brought flooding and closures near the petaluma river. businesses were forced to close because of that flooding. it's much clearer, much safer with pulling on the roadways. levels can change very quickly

with a lot of rain.>> if it does flood, i don't think it is going to be a bad flood. we will make it through it.>> a couple school districts were closed today. it's not clear if it is storm related. no word yet on possible closures for tomorrow. our local reservoirs will be getting a boost. let's check in with the current water levels. are we on track this season? >> it might feel like we haven't seen the stormy conditions we saw last year, we are doing okay with the reservoir level. you will notice a lot of green on the map, putting us above 50% for most of these. folsom is around 55%. lake shasta is at 79%.

for the largest reservoirs, they are at 75% capacity. this is good news for us, not only when it comes to the water supply, but the controlling of flood issues and things like that. i want to show you a closer look at lake sonoma, at 67%. a lot of the storms ended up heavily focused in the north bay. the coyote typically gets lowered for seismic safety reasons. i did hear you mention earlier drought conditions, case folks are curious, last year the over 30 atmospheric rivers wiped out the drought. if you look at the key, it goes from abnormally dry to exceptional. the little sliver of yellow that you see you right up top and far down below is abnormally dry, not considered

drought conditions. california remains drought free. i did want to check in with matt keller and see his take on how the local reservoirs are doing. here's what he had to say.>> the rain that comes here fills up local reservoirs and is important, but just is - - just as important is the snow that's going to fall in the mountains. we rely on snowpack for imported water. that water will fill up reservoirs across the state that provide water, and we import that water into santa clara county. that is a very important water supply source for us as well. >> how is the snowpack looking? >> nowhere near last year with historic snowpack. we are doing okay, we have more snow on the way, north at 60%, central at 53%, south is at 36%. 50% is the statewide average. these components really matter

in april, with the peak snow, so we still have time in between. when that melts and goes into reservoirs, i think we are okay as far as the sierra outlook goes, we have more snow on the way, and a second storm setting up for sunday. we will have to see how that plays into it as well.>> let's take a live look at the rainy bay bridge. you may have to pay more to cross it as part of a new toll hike plan. the golden gate transportation district is gradually ramping up tolls over the next five years, eventually surpassing eight dollars. the agency is facing a $220 million budget deficit. leaders were holed - - leaders leaders were holed - - leaders will hold not just any whiteboard... ...katie porter's whiteboard is one way she's:

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emergency call system after we uncovered it had the worst then one answering time in the state. the mayor says things have changed. senators grill high profile tech ceos, and families confront them, as they have lost loved ones because of social media. the news at 5:00 p.m. starts right now, thank you so much for joining us. we are tracking that atmospheric river, moving over the bay area now. this is a live look at san bruno, where we are scanning the system. let's look across the bay area. the heaviest rain is starting to fall right now just as the evening commute is underway. so far, no major issues, no reports of severe flooding, but that could change. the brunt of the storm is expected to pass tonight.>> the

state is bracing for a new round, we will get to jeff with a timeline on all of this. first we take you to the south bay. the massive tree came down on a home in saratoga with a young girl sitting inside a car. that storm is picking up strengths tonight, and we could see more problems. robert joins us from san jose to show us some of the trouble spots. robert?>> reporter: we are in downtown san jose and the storm has started to pick up. it is concerning to think about what could happen when this storm gets going, especially when you see what the early part of the storm did. it is a terrifying sight, even after you find out no one was seriously hurt, but quite obviously someone could have been. these are photos given to me by the family involved when one of the run