well, hi, happy friday and thank you so much for joining us, it's march 1st. >> i love when you say well, hi. the best part of our day right? >> thank you. >> all right, may you have a well hi in your life. let's get started. >> like right now we're -- you know, snow is blowing. and you know, i can't see the car in front of me. right? >> mother nature hitting the sierra right now and what could be the strongest and coldestwinter storm of the season. and an experts are warning not to take any chances. oh man, this is -- really exciting because we have not seen a storm like this in probably three years or so. four maybe. >> definitely a different tone for the ski company. the storm

creating a blizzard boost. if you are going to bring a new police chief in, are they as good as or better than what you had? >> it's been a long waiting game in the search for oakland's next top cop. and now the four finalists face the community. now the outlet to curatory. long three in transition. wow. >> vintage steph in what many call the mecca of basketball. the dubs keep on rolling and moving up in the west. ooh. steph curry making it rain. and it is raining here on this friday. as we head into the weekend. i'm nicole zaloumis. so get your rain boots and your umbrella. and pack your patience right in. >> oh, yeah. it's going to be kind of like that in the morning especially on the roadways. and good morning i'm gianna franco. just focus on steph for one second? the fact that they are moving up and up i feel like we're getting like -- some fire. >> we need that. right. >> some excitement. >> uh-huh. it was a tough year for the warriors so we're glad to see we're getting some bounce-back. all about bay area

bounce-backs and bouncing into the friday and i'm reed cowan. let's go outside right now on this friday morning. because the rain, well you probably heard it all night long whether it was on the window or rooftop and maybe even the skylights at your house. this is not going anywhere. it's another first alert weather day and couched within that is a big weather headline for the region. a monster snowstorm bearing down on the sierra. this is a live look at highway 50 in south lake tahoe. you see right there, somebody going very slow. the snow blanketing those roads. and it's bringing warnings to stay home unless you have an emergency that really forces you to get out and drive. so if you have to drive between placer and nevada counties put chains on your tires. you know it's real, jess, when you have to put chains on your tires. >> oh absolutely. especially during this time of year. but this is one of the strongest storms we've forecasted so far for our friends up in the sierra. so let's dive into the forecast here and we're going to get straight into the tahoe region in just a minute as we wake up this morning to cloudy skies throughout some of the bay area. we're also talking

about 40s and 50s for our current temperatures. today's going to feel a lot cooler than yesterday as that winter storm approaches us. it's going to dip our temperatures down into the upper 40s and lower 50s this weekend. @ current temperatures right now are actually going to be the daytime highs within the next actually just by tomorrow for that matter. saturday's going to be a chilly day for us as the storm continues to build its way in from the gulf of alaska. and with this storm, there's a lot of characteristics with it. gusty conditions and we're also talking about really rainy conditions heading into this afternoon here in the bay area and snowy conditions for the friends up in the sierra. there's a blizzard warning in effect right now anywhere from south lake tahoe up into truckee and right back down into areas like bear valley with wind gusts expected to hit anywhere up to around 115 miles per hour. let's talk about that a bit. palisades i just read this a second ago reported 145-mile-per-hour wind speed at the peak yesterday. and that's before the strong jet stream even arrived. the strongest of the storm is going to happen as we head into the afternoon hours today. so we could see even stronger conditions in

areas like palisades and i mean widespread throughout the sierra for that matter. above 5,000 feet they're expecting to see anywhere up to around 12 feet of snow and the storm system really continues to pack a punch in the pacific northwest and our region in the next couple of days and time this out for you as we tyke a look at the first alert doppler this morning. already seeing active conditions and zoom in closer coming up in just a bit. for now over to you, g. watching the roadways jess because of that wet weather and the slick surfaces out there. so it's one of those days where you just need to be extra careful once you get on the freeways. our bridges. and surface streets reports of ponding and standing water in some areas. 101 as you connect to 80. and i'm taking the radar and putting it over the traffic map so you can have idea of where we're seeing the slick surfaces right now. westbound 580 busy anyway coming out of tracy getting into the altamont pass area. so pretty slick through there and some flooding reported in oakland not too far from 580. the massive and powerful storm is expected to stretch south. yosemite national park

is actually telling people to leave because of the intense winter weather on the way. the park is expecting several feet of snow and all visitors are being told to be out no later than noon today. our kelsi thorud was near truckee where the chp is warning people to stay off roads and staffing up to save the people who won't. >> reporter: you can see the snow is coming down here in truckee. it's been on and off really all day. but this is just the beginning of what is expected to be a very large storm coming through the area through the entire weekend. you can see i-80 right here behind me. this normally a very crowded road right now not a single car on the freeway. that is actually exactly what chp officials say they want to see. we got the chance to ride along with the chp officer earlier where he told us how they're preparing for this storm and what they're doing to keep people safe. officer chris

patton knows this portion of interstate 8 # like the back of his hand. he's been a chp officer in truckee for 17 years. and has seen his fair share of big snowstorms. that's why he's taking this weekend's storm seriously. >> we're on high alert right now basically like this storm is coming. it's on the verge. it's on the other side of the hill coming this way. >> reporter: officer patton is one of hundreds of officers that will be patrolling the roads during this storm. doing his best to keep drivers safe and moving. >> if we're not getting any calls, we're constantly driving this freeway. and when we see a person stuck, we assist them. i mean, i have had luggage packed in this -- patrol car and people stuffed in here. we get them off the hill. we get them to safety. >> reporter: he says it's not uncommon for drivers to get stuck or slide off the road. >> like right now, we're -- you know, snow is blowing. and you know, i can't see the car in front of me right? if there's a car. >> reporter: officer patton

says the best thing people can do is not drive when the weather gets bad. but of course, he knows some people have to. that's why officers have a variety of tools at their disposal to help. >> if we can, we utilize the push bumpers like big rig, for example. if -- it gets stuck on the hill, and can't get any traction, we can give them a little nudge and give them that traction they need. >> reporter: and for those of you that frequent this area, you know there's always a possibility that caltrans could shut down the freeway if conditions get too bad. that is a possibility that it could happen here this weekend if the forecast is accurate but chp officials say they actually still patrol up the interstate even when it's closed just to make sure nobody is stuck up there. they say they are prepared for this storm. and just hope everyone stays safe. >> well, speaking of keeping people safe, this heavy snow in the strong driving winds behind

it can cause an avalanche near whiteout conditions. well, at kirkwood ski lifts they're stopped cold. hovering in the air and in fact, sierra-at-tahoe announced they're closing today too. you know bay area skiers holding out hope to get to the mountains as soon as the warnings and road closures are lifted and shawn, you spoke to people who are eager to get up there. but who say they're also heeding those warnings. >> reporter: yeah -- a serious storm and they don't want to mess with it. that's why they are saying that you know what? this is going to be something that's good but we need to be patient. we know it's a busy time up around tahoe. they just had some major events in february. that bring in a lot of people but the snow that comes through this week could make for an even more exciting time up there once it's safe to travel again. as most of us are looking ahead to the weekend, the workweek is just beginning at california's ski company and they couldn't have asked for a better change in the weather as a blizzard blasts the sierra. >> oh man. this is really

exciting. because we haven't seen a storm like this in probably three years or so, four maybe. >> reporter: store manager greg says they're expecting a lot of sales and rentals this weekend. >> we've been getting calls and we've been getting emails and people are trying to come in and buy the widest skis we have to get some of the deeper snow. i mean this is really what we've been waiting for. >> reporter: they were keeping busy with some typical visits at the berkeley store on thursday. people had appointments to get adjustments to skis and other gear including dane wilcox. >> the plan was to have been going up tonight and skiing for couple of days. just not having -- really nice time. >> reporter: he knew by morning, it was too late to take on the treacherous conditions on the roads up to tahoe. >> i was exciting to see and also like -- holy cow. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but he still is hopeful he can get up there if it's safer to travel by sunday. and looking forward to enjoy what the storm brings to the resorts.

>> outstanding right? i mean so far this season, usually storms have been measured in inches. now they're measuring them in feet. >> reporter: greg agrees and will hope to be up there in the snow early next week. >> oh man. like i'm a skier and i want to make sure everybody else has the same experience i have. i have a great experience every time i go ski. >> reporter: a storm that inconveniences them for at least a few days will hopefully make it up to them with a boost in business and by stretching out the season through april. and so those that we talk to clearly have a positive outlookon all of this. may miss out this weekend or a shortened trip because of the storm's dangerous conditions for travel. but if it extends the season by a couple of weeks and makes for some better snow next week, it will all be worth it. reed? >> all right, thank you for those of you determined to get to the mountain despite the warnings, information is power to keep you safe. so we've got you covered on kpix.com or download the free cbs news app when we are not on it was. good morning to our neighbors in oakland. where many of you met law enforcement put forward to mayor sheng thao to fill the position of police

chief. the police forum held by the police commission which has been at odds with times over mayor thao. the commission recommends six candidates and four attended, pridgen, mitchell. davis and molina. pridgen by the way is a former chief in san leandro. others are from out of the bay area. but all of them really emphasized building partnerships with the community to fight crime. in fact, one person there says he appreciated the transparency and the hiring process but right now is unsure whether these candidates are the right fit for oakland. listen. >> for our citizens of the city, she'd have an opportunity to know who they are, where they came from, what are their qualifications. what can they do to improve the issues that we have in this city? and the question becomes, can they do something about it? >> you know, as reported yesterday, oakland's mayor sheng thao was no show. she said essentially the way the commission is going about this hurts the hiring process but we'll keep watching it. jumping the bridge over to san francisco and looking live. another politicians considering

the idea of trying to unseat mayor london breed. we're talking about supervisor aaron peskin. he told us last night he's thinking about jumping into the now crowded race to unseat mayor breed. peskin by the way has until mid-june to make the decision. the current management of san francisco's west field mall giving the space a makeover starting with the name change and it will now be called emporium center san francisco in a nod to the west coast's first department store the emporium back in 1896. the sign you see there will come down and the new one will go up. and new logos and signs and website and even a new leasing strategy for the mall for the future. time now 5:12. it's just the start of the storm. packing the heaviest snow of the winter. well, we are live from

back to our first alert weather coverage in the sierra. where the latest snow survey shows improvement to the snow pack. standing now at 77% of average at the phillips station. that's a big improvement from 50% -- 52% measured in january. and this is how it looked in truckee last night. a rare blizzard warning now covers 300 miles of a stretch from north of lake tahoe to south of yosemite national park and ashley sharp joins us now from the heavenly valley area in south lake

tahoe. good morning to you, ashley. >> reporter: hey guys. good morning. yeah, i jinxed myself because at 5:00, we stepped out and we said my goodness, it's so calm as we saw a crazy storm with wind yesterday. that wind is picking up and if you can't see it you can certainly hear it. just outside the heavenly village. pretty calm right now. not a lot of cars out but that's going to pick up throughout the morning. we have seen snow plows coming through and obviously this heavenly village and resort a popular stop for bay area folks. lot of them are already in town. and we've spoken with them for the past day and a half. now heavenly though, already making a call for today. their gondola a popular spot going to be closed and the lifts to the top closed and as much of the sierra region are going to do today, they're going to play it minute by minute to decide if they can any of the lifts but again a snow-covered south lake tahoe this morning. really just absolutely gorgeous. nice the take it in for a second before all the chaos you can

call it ensues when a lot of people start to get on the roads and of course when we expect that snow and wind to start picking up throughout the day. now like i mentioned we were up at kirkwood as well and another popular spot for bay area folks we talked to people in town from san francisco and also one from phoenix who had to make a call to head inside due to the early wind. here's what they had to say and also kirkwood management on their operations in a storm like this. >> got up there. visibility is bad. it's windy. we've been -- we come out every year. last week of february. and we hope for a lot of snow. but the wind is something else right now. >> storms like this, we're going to just play it safe and hunker down ride it out to the other side and if we can open up some terrain that we're comfortable with, we'll definitely do that. >> reporter: so for folks who are not already in town at their ski resort if you have plans to ski this weekend, the advice really is don't get on the roads. if you are trying to

drive in from the bay area, this morning or later this afternoon, travel is not advised. for those folks that are already at their resorts like heavenly here, kirkwood you know they're going to try to open the lifts but really it's going to be minute by minute decisions today. high winds and that's not something you want to be on the lifts in. as far as 50 is concerned. chain controls still in effect from overnight and nothing major so far on roads but keep a close eye for you guys and jess, back to you from south lake tahoe. >> all right, we're going to look the road conditions in just a minute. but ashley sharp in south lake tahoe, thank you so much. she said it perfectly. a mix of just that beauty and the chaos and that's always the case for us. as we head into these storms especially up in the sierra during this time of year. at the beginning, it's starting to palm and it looks beautiful and you kind of trick yourself into thinking this is not going to be so bad but the brunt of the storm happens for us today. you can see our first alert doppler right below me. i'll show you that in just a minute and further detail but let's talk about highway 0 if you are driving up there. or if you were considering driving up

there. these are the conditions that are going to see throughout the next couple of days and areas like strawberry stretching up into echo summit anywhere from 5 to 9 feet of snow. on those roads. there's a big reason why we called for -- we i say the national weather service has called for a blizzard warning. heading into in next couple of days all the highlighted zones and areas on the map will continue to watch the snowfall heavily. with wind gusts anywhere upped to around 75 miles per hour and i told you earlier palisades already recorded a wind speed of 145 miles per hour at the peak and the brunt of the storm happens for us this afternoon. meaning we can see stronger winds as we head into the evening hours tonight. we're talking a lot about the sierra by the way. if you were not planning on heading up there regardless of the fact that it is snowing, or you know, i'm not even trying to convince you to get up there and not to get up there. i want to show you the conditions back here in the bay area because it is a very active weather day for us today. we can drop the monitor -- drop the little screen right here below me so you can see this in further detail. our first alert doppler showing really active weather widespread throughout the bay area this morning. and as we head into the next couple of hours, it actually is going to

start ramping up for our friends up in the north bay. we watch this storm system continue to move to the east with stronger winds into the afternoon hours today. around our commute time home. so around 5:00, we're going to heavy showers sweep throughout the bay area into the overnight hours tonight early morning hours tonight and continue to watch off and on showers build throughout the bay area as we head into saturday and sunday forecasts. there's a lot of changes to talk about for our forecast. not only the rain, not only the snow for our friends up in sierra. but our temperatures too and the reason why i say that is i mean just two days ago we were talking about beautiful sunshine and upper 60s and lower 70s throughout most of the bay area. today we're talking about mid 50s in areas like fremont stretching over into half-moon bay. down into the santa clara valley, upper 50th expected for us today. but continue to cool dune in the next seven. by tomorrow, our temperatures drop down to the upper 40s and lower 50s. all throughout our inland areas with that rain sticking around for us until sunday morning. sunday morning it starts to taper off a little bit and we catch a break and then we gear up for more unsettled weather

into monday evening. and that's going to stretch another little rain system moving into tuesday and wednesday's forecast. oh. but there's light at the end of the tunnel. it's just next thursday. so we're going to talk more about that coming up in a bit. for now g over to you. how are the roads looking? looking a little slick this morning. as you get up and out the door on this friday morning. but here's the thing. friday we typically have less cars on roadways so hopefully that will help for this morning commute. as we take a live look here at the bay bridge toll plaza. those metering lights off. not on yet. typically go on after 5:30 and a little later on a friday but right now things are moving along pretty well but again dealing with the rain today. so be extra careful as you get on the freeways this morning. and in fact, i am borrowing yes, sir's radar to kind of give you a perspective of what freeways are getting the wet weather and definitely seeing it on a lot of areas this morning. but we are tracking brake lights as you head into the altamont pass. coming out of tracy that is already slow this morning down to about 12 miles per hour. it's about a 40 minute travel time at least from tracy heading over to the dublin interchange. you will get a better gauge of that when you hop in the car and get on the

app and figure out your travel time to work or school. but right now, it's definitely starting to slow down a little bit on some of the bay area bridges. likely due because of the slick surfaces. reed? all right, thank you so much, g. time right now 5:21 in the morning. still ahead, a canine, a crash, and something good the dog did. in fact so clever, has a lot of people wondering if the dog wasn't going for help. and before we head to break, taking a live look from pine lake in san francisco. it's closed because of the wet and windy conditions. meteorologist jessica burch is tracking the rain on what do i see in peter dixon? i see my husband...

the father of our girls. i see a public servant. a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message.

- [narrator] at kpix, we're taking weather to the next level. - we can show not just what's happening at ground level, but we can show what's happening in the upper levels of the atmosphere. let's lift the clouds off of ground level and talk... - it really spotlights how unique the geography is here. - it's dynamic. it's different. as i lift this, you can actually see it in real-time. this is shaking it up for me as an meteorologist. - [narrator] the bay area's only virtual weather studio. next level weather. only on kpix and pix+.

now taking a live look outside on this friday morning. and this shot never gets old. it's the jewel box of san francisco. and you know, at first glance, you'd think the weather is actually not that bad. and then take a second glance. your weekend is about to start but the rain might ruin your plans on this first alert weather day. here's a look at the roads up to tahoe. this interstate 80 in soda springs blanketed in snow. that massive winter storm is making its way through the sierra projected to dump as much as 10 feet of snow. chain controls are in effect for people driving between placer and nevada city. but caltrans is advising people to stay home unless it's an emergency. and we all know that our pets are

intelligent. but just how smart they are can often surprise us and that's exactly what happened to a michigan pet parent. >> melissa was driving with her dog in michigan when she got in a crash at an intersection. >> so a res jumped out of the window and took off. she had no idea where he took off to but -- >> he called me. and said, she's here. and i -- i literally sank to the ground. >> ares smart ares turns out the dog ran right to the doggie daycare. probably going to get. even trying to get the bell. the center was a mile away from the crash site and she knew just how to get there. i tell you just furry people. >> that's a smart, smart dog. it is 5:26. california enjoys a second robust winter in a row, calls for additional water storage and may soon be getting an answer. plus, the chp says stay off the roads and away from the

sierra as snow dumps. but we have ways to take you there from the comfort of your home. the trip to the mountain live throughout the broadcast starting when we come back. why not take another live look outside before we head

5:30 in the morning and this is the view from the top

of the mark. all right. so it might look ominous but that's just mother nature doing what she says. just stirring up the skies and that equals the spring flowers right? more rain today and for your weekend also in the bay. and it is a first alert weather day. not only here but in the entire region. because we are keeping a close eye on those roads in the sierra throughout the morning. and you can see a very slow big rig there. in fact, that snow is even covering one of the signs meant to put out the warnings there at soda springs on 80. stay home if you can. chain controls in effect between nevada county and placer county. let's talk to jess because there are warnings aplenty out there and information is power, friend. >> absolutely. and i think it's hard when we dive into a weekend too when we start to see strong storms like this develop. a lot of people are in the weekend mindset. i want to get back on the road and get to where i need to go. maybe i

want to do the trip regardless of what the meteorologist is saying but here's the thing. one of the strongest storms that have hit that region in quite some time. i mean definitely this season alone. a blizzard warning in effect right now until sunday at 10:00 a.m. and anywhere from about 3,000 feet and above they can expect 1 to 4 feet of snow. so leading up along the 80 like you saw right there close to soda springs they can expect about that much snow and then you can continue to climb and then you are talking about 5,000 feet and above, expecting anywhere up to 12 feet of snow. it is worth mentioning that as the snow falls there, we are getting our fair share of that rain too. back here in the bay area. this is all a derivative of the exact same system moving its way in from offshore and actually moving in if the gulf of alaska, that's the reason why you notice temperatures getting chillier and that's why you know, grabbing a jacket is definitely important on a morning like this. but of course grabbing the umbrella too because we have some unsettled weather in the forecast for us heading into this setup this afternoon and all throughout the forecast tomorrow into sunday. but i want to start off with current temperatures. throughout the bay area, as we wake up and head out the door, here's

something interesting to note. we're talking about upper 40s and lower 50s. interestingly enough, we are going to continue to cool down heading into if the next couple of days to the point where these temperatures right here are actually going to be daytime highs as soon as tomorrow afternoon. so lots to break apart with this storm system and another thing i want to say too, palisades just reported 145-mile-per-hour wind speed at the peak and that's not even the strongest of the storm. the strongest is coming today and we're going to have more on those wind speeds coming up in just a bit. for now over to you, g. all right, thanks jess. taking a look at the roadways. the wet weather things can happen on the roadways. just take it slow and steady as you commute this morning to work and school. and we're not seeing a lot of traffic just yet. it's friday so hopefully it will be friday light with less cars on the roadway. but it is slick out there already. borrowing the radar putting it over the traffic map to just kind of show you what we're dealing with this morning and already some brake lights as you head into the altamont pass. and you have got the brake lights to heading towards the dublin interchange. i'll check in with chp to see if there's a couple of new

crashes and i'm tracking slowdowns on westbound 808 as well. many people would love to see a place to store all this water. in fact, years ago, california voters approved funding for a new reservoir and now that project is finally under way. the site's reservoir will be just north of the sacramento san joaquin delta and our wilson walker is giving us a closer look at developments there. >> nothing has been built like there in california for more than 30 years. >> reporter: it has been nearly 70 years since california took a look at the site's valley and saw the potential for a reservoir that could have been as large as shasta. the plan now is for something not quite that big. but still -- truly massive. >> the peak that we see to the north is not even the northernmost location of the reservoir. >> reporter: the authority director jerry brown says the long slow push to create this

new water storage is moving ahead and the payoffs he says will be as large as the new lake itself. it will not dam a river which is good for the fish, instead, the water will be pumped up out of the valley. >> we're basically bringing water in off of the river during high flow periods. and storing it here in this valley. and then releasing it back out to be used or flow back into the river during dry periods. >> reporter: the natural bowl of limestone creating this valley does most of the work. only two relatively small dams are required. >> this gives you a nice angle on the -- scale of the dam. it's a large dam. but it's not huge. >> reporter: of all the 180 miles of conveyance required to move the water to the reservoir and back out, only 15 miles of it have to be new. so when everything is built and the water is turned on -- >> the sites reservoir will be the eighth largest surface water storage reservoir in the

state of california. >> reporter: so what happens to what's here? the community of sites and the valley where some mens of the sites family still live, this would all be submerged. >> this location, we'd be underwater about 300 feet. >> reporter: the authority is negotiating with landowners and most are said to be on board with the project. but many are reluctant to talk as the discussion now has dragged on for generations. >> 60 years and it's never happened. so you can imagine the fatigue that you might feel with people telling uh-uh got to move and then no you don't. but -- but i think they're getting to the place and they're older, where they understand the importance of this to the community. >> reporter: the state with the big push from the governor is trying to get things moving. a project design has been submitted and now the water right must be obtained. that is a big step. but it is expected to be cleared in the next year. >> after that, then we'll start

construction in 2026. and we figure it's about a seven year construction period so about the end of 2032. >> all right, so now to something you will be hearing lot about the next 48 hours. snow in the sierra. record amounts at that. you know, with fear of whiteout conditions and risk of avalanche, cbs reporter carter evans joins us live from truckee, carter, take it away my friend. and first of all, thank you so much for being out there. we know it's dangerous and it's miserable out there, carter? >> reporter: and it's only going to get worse. really only seen a few inches of snow at this point behind me donner pass road closed right now. pretty tough to get through. that'll probably plow it later today but at some point, we are hearing that many of the roads around here will become impassable. and we're expecting up to 12 feet of snow in some of those mountain peeks and i heard the meteorologist talking about the wind gusts that we are seeing. 135 miles

an hour. that is hurricane-force winds. and this is really just beginning right now. we have got the bulk of the some to come. it's going to move through this afternoon. and this evening. people around here have been preparing over the last couple of days. we went to a few grocery stores and people were stocking up. and they're worried about not necessarily the amount of snow that they're getting because they get snow here a lot. they're worried about the high winds. that could blow down trees and ultimately blow down power lines knocking out power so people are stocking up the homes and preparing in case they're stuck inside for the next couple of days. >> my goodness. carter, please be safe up there. thank you so much. and a tip from somebody who grew up in the snow in the mountains. bread bags work as liners inside the boots. just a little word to the wise. thank you so much. and just -- >> reporter: good idea. >> the storm season is just going to get worse up there. for the updated forecast and closures head to kpix.com or download the free cbs news app. it's time now for the look at the morning's other top

stories. san francisco police say they have caught the arsonist who tomorrowed a pair of teslas in the city's neighborhood last weekend in soma. the owner of one car was as a resulting from washington state and had to drive a rental home. he told us police now believe the suspect is linked to a total of seven arson cases. president biden and former president trump made dueling appearances on thursday in mexico. biden was in brownsville where he joined trump to join him in passing the security bill. 325 miles away trump was in eagle pass. where he lashed out at biden, democrats, and migrants. crews in texas are still battling the largest and most destructive wildfire in state history. the smoke house creek fire has burned more than 1 million acres and destroyed homes across part of the state's panhandle. the fire now crossed into oklahoma. president biden says 500

federal employees have been deployed to the region with more on the way. alabama lawmakers passed bills that say give protections to clinics that provide in vitro fertilization services. the move follows the state's supreme court ruling that gives embryos the same rights as children. the final package of bills is expected to head to the governor's desk next week for her signature. well, time now 5:38. the video game industry continues to shrink. the layoffs at two of the biggest companies headquartered right here in the bay. plus the weather safety story is priority but there's also something about snow that makes us all kids out in the cold. ahead, a friday laugh as our colleagues braved the bluster to bring the news to you. and before we head to break, taking a live look from pine lake in san francisco. it's closed because of the wet and windy conditions. what do we have in store for today and the rest of the weekend? we'll find out, meteorologist jessica burch has what you need to know

time now for the money watch report. the irs says it's cracking down on high income people who have not filed their taxes. the nonfilers are believed to owe hundreds of millions of dollars. the agency says it's sending compliance letters to more than 125,000 people some of them millionaires, who have not filed tax returns since

2017. meanwhile, more tech layoffs in the bay. this time in the gaming industry. redwood based electronic arts plans to lay off 5% of the work force that's nearly 700 employees. the company is also ending development of some game titles including star wars, the first person shooter was in early development. the latest cuts add on to a series of layoffs that have been hammering the video game industry. those have included cuts at microsoft gaming, riot games, epic games, and earlier dh week, sony's gaming arm based in san mateo announced 900 job cuts as well. a popular east bay dining spot is closing after 25 years. restaurant chain chevy's fresh mex is shutting down the waterfront emeryville location. they couldn't reach a lease agreement with the landlord. the restaurant will close for good in april. well, taking a live look at highway 50 in south lake tahoe. a lot of snow on the roads already this morning and look

at that. it's not expected to let up through the weekend. be e traffic careful when you get in the car or you are traveling and chain controls are in effect between placer and nevada county. but caltrans says you don't want to be traveling unless it's absolutely necessary. unless it's an emergency. and we're hoping everyone out there stays safe during this storm. when the weather is this bad. it's always better to stay inside if you can. >> yeah, and you don't have to take our word for it. just look at the journalists who have to go outside and report in this miserable weather. >> like this iowa sports guy who drew the short straw one december morning and temporarily switched to the weather beat. watch. >> mark, how you feeling out there. >> again the same way i felt about eight minutes ago when you asked me the same question. can i go back to the regular job? >> that's the sub text that sometimes finds its way past the lips. we know in the morning. >> what are the worst weather conditions you have ever reported in? >> well. like snow just like

that. and then no -- what you don't snow reporters out there, need to go to the bathroom. for hours and hours and hours we all know what that is like. >> nine months pregnant in foxborough. speaking of needing to go to the bathroom. >> right. nowhere to go. >> just hunkering down. >> oh my gosh, that sounds terrible. >> i know, there should be a law against it right? >> well. and -- we're making a case for a law. here's another one. a classic, this was 2013. a weather reporter in milwaukee went viral after standinged? snowstorm for hours and decided not to mince words at all about how it felt. watch. >> i have been here since what? 3:30 this morning. and it's now -- i don't know what time it is. 9:45. i'm exhausted. i have run out of things to say. it is snowing. and it sucks here. [ laughter ] >> angelica, welcome to real milwaukee. >> that was so good. that's what you call a mic drop. i'm done. >> keep it real. >> real is rare and we love that. our kelsi thorud also -- >> who you saw earlier has been

bearing the freezing cold weather herself and spent all day out there yesterday with her photographer jim. >> do i look as bad as you? >> no,en your back, turn around, yeah. >> you are like -- [ inaudible ] >> these are big snow flakes. do i look like a snowman yet? >> uh-huh. >> my hand out? carrot in it. >> thank you. >> oh. >> go back. >> oh. >> she's -- i'm waiting for the snow angels or something to happen. i mean, that is miserable. >> we all know that feeling of snow just piling up right here. hopefully she felt okay out there. i mean she's such a good sport. >> smiling the whole time, jess. >> the worst -- >> she was smiling the entire time and it's one thing if you are out there skiing. you know, and embracing this. it's another thing when you are out there working and you are trying to dust it all off. >> snot sickles. that's the worst. the warmest vibes here from the studio and as we take

a look at the conditions for all of our friends who live up in the region or if you were considering driving along the highway 50 this weekend, first things first don't. but second things second if for whatever reason if you want take a look at the conditions from strawberry into echo summit, expecting anywhere from 5 to 9 feet of snow just along that highway. anywhere from 5,000 feet and above, we're forecasting to see wind speeds anywhere up to around 115 miles per hour over the peaks which palisades just passed that yesterday by the way. yesterday evening, around 7:00, 8:00, they reported 145-mile-per-hour wind gust over peak of palisades. and that's to note considering the fact that the strongest of the storm is actually happening today. that this is a really strong storm. a blizzard warning still in effect above 5,000 feet. that snow is falling right now. it is adding up as we speak and back here in the bay, as that snowfalls up in the higher elevations we're getting our taste of it too. just in different form of course it's a lot warmer at our surface level. rain widespread

throughout the bay area waking up this morning on and off showers are expected for us through the next couple of hours. seriously grab the umbrella before you head out the door, taking a look at rainfall totals into 9:00 hour over a quarter inch expected up in the north bay at this point. we're going to continue to see lighter conditions along the coast and down into the santa clara valley into the evening hours tonight. it starts to ramp up more this evening and keep that in mind for any late night friday plans. we are expecting to see heavy showers fall throughout the overnight hours tonight. into the early morning hours tomorrow and then we have more unsettled weather on and off showers for our saturday forecast. with partly cloudy skies. we'll see on and off showers into the sunday forecast too with that snow continuing to fall up in the sierra. back here in the bay area, we see the rain slowly start to taper off a little bit as we head into our sunday forecast. but it's still gearing up now even more as we head into early next week which is a little bit children from the models yesterday. what's happening is the storm is just sitting. literally sitting

offshore. and it's continuing to wring out the last of its moisture into the next couple of days over the bay area. it's worth noting that the storm system that's wringing out all the energy is also moving in if the gulf of alaska. temperatures are going to be a lot cooler. for example, mine look at the daytime highs today, upper 50s and lower 60s. we will continue to cool down as we head into the next couple of days down in the upper 40s and lower 50s by tomorrow and it stakes a while for our temperatures to slowly get back where we were but we will see upper 50s heading into early next week with more rain around the corner. and there's the light at the end of the tunnel. i have to stress that one by next thursday, you know, if we can make it there, we are going to be seeing sunnier skies off in the distance and we'll have more on that coming up in a just a bit. gianna? >> very excited for thursday, jess. all right, yes, you have to get through all this wet weather and some cold temperatures. but we can do it. right? we're here to help. and help you get to work and school this morning. if you are up early this morning, getting ready to hit the roadways, so far we're doing okay as far as crashes go. at least at the bay bridge. no metering lights just yet. so it is friday light but

it's wet out there. it is slick. so be extra careful as you hit that drive over into san francisco. and of course we have a couple of crashes to report that are in the traffic center here that we just got information on. if you are taking westbound 24 near gateway boulevard, there's a trouble spot there. it's on the right hand side of the roadway but we're already seeing some brake lights because of that. give yourself some extra time there. and over at the golden gate bridge, not bad here actually traffic is looking pretty good over all. north of there, i'm not seeing any brake lights or issues as you work your way out of marin county along 101. traffic is pretty quiet there in both directions. and over at the san mateo bridge, you can see it is getting crowded westbound from 880 over towards 101. nicole? all right, gianna, the warriors getting a big win on the road. last night the dubs took on the knicks in madison square garden. and steph curry putting own a show early on. draining three threes in the first two and a half minutes. the dubs jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. and stayed ahead for the rest of the game. they

sealed their seventh win away from home consecutively at the firearm buzzer he had a double/double. 31 points and 11 boards for curry. kuminga had 25. 110-99 win for the dubs. and they pick up again tonight in toronto against the raptors. meanwhile, andrew wiggins is taking a leave of absence and head coach steve kerr has a contract extension. we take a deeper dive into that and much more in our next hour. ÷95.7 "the game" host mark willard will join us for our it's game time segment. flush ♪ ♪ a little nicki minaj on a friday morning to get you up and at them. it is a big musical weekend in the bay area. >> look, there's drake. >> hi drake. >> hi. here's a live look outside before we head to break. talking about drake. this is martinez, good morning, everybody. we'll be right back.

what do i see in peter dixon? i see my husband... the father of our girls. i see a public servant. a man who served under secretary clinton in the state department... where he took on the epidemic of violence against women in the congo. i see a fighter, a tenacious problem-solver... who will go to congress and protect abortion rights and our democracy. because he sees a better future for all of us. i'm peter dixon and i approved this message.

all right, let's to outside right now and take a live look because we know mother nature is lording over all of us right now. it's just beautiful as we get to ready to start the weekend. rain might change your plans on this first alert weather day and here's why. these are the roads up to that toe. this is the driving shot interstate 8 # blanketed in snow. reimageds me of of the "forrest gump" scene when he says sideways rain. this is sideways snow. projected to dump as much as 10 feet of the stuff and in fact, if you are driving in that area, you have to use chains to safely get through placer and nevada counties. but caltrans is advising despite what you are seeing here, stay off the roads

it's the best case scenario to keep you out of the emergency. a live look at chase center. little closer to home right now. where after a brief break from touring, puerto rican artist bad bunny will be back on stage right here in the bay. ♪ ♪ >> [ sing ing in a global language ] >> the grammy winning performer is on the road with a brand new over the topmost wanted tour. he's at chase tonight and tomorrow. so two nights everybody. and the elaborate megashow has four acts with hits from his five top selling albums. ♪ i can have this moment for life, for life ♪ it's time for the barbz to unite. nicki minaj kicking off the 2024 fink friday tour at oakland arena. the hip hop queen has 36 shows in the

country and all starts here tonight. how do you choose? i mean, really. do go bad bunny or nicki minaj? your weekend has been planned. >> i love her album. i listen to it actually on my drive in to work almost every day. >> she's a genius. >> yeah. there's probably six hits on that album. >> she's a genius. such a wordsmith and i love her. >> was that really drake in that video? we have depated this before. like the ai version of drake. >> drake is in the news too. >> very popular these days. time now 5:56. the sierra just the start of a blizzard blast. we are live all morning long as the conditions pick up right now. and get ready to run with the big leagues. giants have teamed up with betbreakers for anemic challenge. coming up at 7:00 we'll explain how you can join in on the fun. and here's a live look outside though before we head to break. and isn't she lovely. no wonder people leave their hearts in san francisco. we'll be right back.

hey everybody, the weekend has arrived and thank you so much for joining us. it is friday, march 1st. >> ooh. let's do it. let's get started. >> like right now we're -- you know, snow is blowing. and, you know, i can't see the car in front of me. right? >> mother nature hit t