good morning on this tuesday. 5:00. thank you so much for joining us. first day of april. >> if you liked the weather yesterday, boy, you're going to love today. >> not that different to start, mike. >> absolutely. here's a look up in marin

county. also up towards lucas valley there, you can see heavier showers just to your west coming your way, it is going to roll over 101 within a matter ofç minutes. look for some ponding on the roadways there. around napa, a pretty healthy cell there. all this is moving from west to east. we are seeing a little bit of a lull right now. as we head toward the afternoon hours we'll see an uptick in the widespread nature of the showers. mid to upper 50s. speak of hail, my goodness it was loud last night. hope you slept well. already seeing our fair share of accidents this morning. hayward, san lorenzo, northbound side of 880, a crash out there blocking the car tool lane. little bit farther to the north at powell street, eastbound side of 80.

right now we know it is at the maze. eastbound side is a spun-out car. be careful of hydroplaning this morning. plenty of water is resting on the sides of the road. police on the scene in oakland where a large tree has fallen and is blocking lanes near the zoo. we have video in. it doesn't appear to have caused any damage to anything around it. so far we don't have any reports of power outages but certainly you can see if you drove up on that, you definitely want to be careful and not crash into that. police are waiting for city krew crews to come and cut the tree apart. residents after berkeley neighbor will be looking for contractors this morning after a redwood tree hit by lightning exploded. the 75-foot tall tree is now about 20 feet high. it was during yesterday afternoon's thunderstorms that a lightning bolt struck the tree.

debris scattered over three blocks. one neighbor happened to be looking at the tree when mother nature paid a visit. >> it was like an explosion. it was literally explosion. was like a bomb going off. it was violent and the shot waves, like i could feel it in my chest. >> the house where the tree stands has been red-tagged. other homes suffered broken windows and roof damage. some neighbors even took away pieces of the tree as souvenirs. another lightning strike hit a tree in sausalito. the force was so strong it shattered windows and a sliding glass door in one home and damaged its deck. another home 20 feet away also had its windows blown out. >> sounded like a big explosion. like a bomb went off. several things fell off the wall in our house and the power went out immediately. >> i've been through a lot of earthquakes but never a lightning strike. >> the blast also knocked out power to 1,000 pg&e customers.

that's now been restored. if you're driving in san francisco today, and it is raining, you better have your headlights on because the city's motorcycle officers will be out giving you a ticket if you don't. since 2008 california law requires that if your windshield wipers are on your headlights also need to be on. the reason is if the weather is bad enough to use wipers, it is also bad enough that you have to use the headlights for better visual visibility. track the rain in the bay area using live doppler 7 hd on the weather app, download it on abc7news.com/apps. this morning a brand-new station for caltrain riders opening today in san bruno. nick smith is there live with what commuters can expect. >> reporter: they can expect a new platform. i spoke to a guy walking up the platform now. he says yeah, i'm excited about the new platform but nick, i'm still looking for free parking. that's something i know caltrain

will have to consider. but this new platform, since 2010 caltrain customers have used a temporary boarding platform. yesterday was the last day of surface at that site. the first train should be rolling through this site any minute now. this new station is here a half-mile north at 833 san mateo avenue. this is a $155 million project. there are now elevated caltrain tracks at three separate crossings in san bruno. the separated crossings improve safety conditions for pedestrians and motorists in san bruno while also easing traffic congestion to and from highway 101. the san mateo county transportation authority provided $92.5 million for this safety improvement project with the remaining funding coming from state and federal sources. now to ensure that all customers know about the new platform, they will be handing out flyers and there will be station agents here to kind of guide people

along. i was hoping that a train would come rolling through during my live shot. i don't know what happened! i'm asking them to come on true. i want to try to get on that train at 6:00 so you can actually see people getting on and keep it interactive and keep it moving because that's what the morning show is all about. >> we'll check the schedule for you, nick. thanks. >> like water boiling while you watch. never happens. the midnight deadline is passed for insurance enrollment under the affordable care act. this morning obamacare is on track to hit the white house's original target of 7 million people with a surge in sign-ups yesterday. a seniorçó officials says more than 4.8 million visitsñr were made to the website yesterday and 2 million calls were made to call centers raising optimism that the goal would be met. the cover california website was overloaded and people couldn't complete their applications but anyone who started the process online and couldn't finish will get extra time to finish it on the web suit. those who did not start the process will need to get face to

face help to get enrolled by the new deadline of april 15th. a heated battle today over tech companies commuter shuttles. supporters and opponents will show up today. the city has already approved a test program to charge $1 a day starting in july but now a union is challenging it on environmental grounds. city transportation planners say the high lot will help the city better manage all shuttles including ones run by hospitals and universities. it will be $1 per stop, not per the entire day. speak of muni fares maybe going up, the board of director for the san francisco trans muns t transportation municipal agency will meet today. the man described by the fbi as a central figure in a

corruption case will be in court today. keith jackson best known as a political consultant and fund-raiser. court documents describe him as a crucial link between a chinatown crime send yacht and yee. he faces chancorruption and gun running. in the south bay a search is under way for the gun man of a drive-by shooting into a home in east san jose. one person standing in the driveway was hit at least one. it happened shortly after 5:00 last night. police say three people were outside talking when the suspect leaned out after car window and began shooting. one person was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. police are trying to figure out whether this incident is connected to a string of other shootings be in san jose. 5:08. pleasant hill police hope the public will lead them to a home

invasion robber who tied up two women and stole their car. police released this sketch of a man who used a gun to force his way into a home near santa ana drive sunday night. he is a white male in his mid 30s, between 5'11" and 6'1", dark beard and dark clothing. investigators say he first knocked on the front door. then when one of the women answered, he flashed the gun and forced his way in. he forced two women inside the bedroom, then robbed the home and stole a car belonging to one of the women. police say it is a silver 2013 volkswagen volkswagen passat. a lawsuit over the renaming of the western span of the bay bridge in honor of willie brown heads to san francisco superior court today. the legislative fast-tracking of a resolution to rename the span after the former san francisco mayor and assembly speaker drew an outpouring of praise as well as complaints.

a ceremony unveiling new signs bearing willie brown's name took part on treasure island back february but the lawsuit filed by a long-time activist says it was improper for the legislature not to hold hearings and suspend rules before fast-track being the name ñithrough. 5:10. whatever kind of weather you want regarding rain, you're going to get it today. >> we have light to moderate rain right now in the east bay valleys, danville, san ramon, dublin, pleasanton. livermore, eventually the altamont pass, discovery bay and possibly places out there moving deeper into the central valley over towards stockton. if you're traveling through the summit on 17 towards scots valley from los gatos, moderate to even heavy rain showers. that will move into the santa teresa neighborhood and possibly toward evergreen and coyote in the southern sections of the santa clara valley. looks like just north of morgan hill and san martin.

i want to show you 101 in san rafael. looks like the wet weather is definitely hitting the highway right now. your day planner, scattered showers. a little bit of a lull in between systems. still be scattered at ñinoon. a little sunshine. 54 to 58. that will irstate tritate the atmosphere we'll have heavy thunderstorms with possibility of hail from 4:00 through 7:00. it will be tough getting home or around this evening. i can tell you as quickly as these accidents this morning have popped up, we do have accidents now in the clearing stages. san lorenzo, this crash is now cleared off of the freeway. it's left us with bumper to bumper traffic as you approach 238. hopefully traffic dissipates shortly. farther to the north, this crash also cleared eastbound 80 at powell street. it involved a spun-out vehicle

there. there is still a risk of hydroplaning this morning. don't -- keep your wits about you, in other words. take it slow, everyone. a quick live look outside, this is walnut creek, southbound along 680. down to the 24 junction it will take approximately 12 minutes. 5:12 now. saying "i do" is getting a lot more expensive. the america's mon a's wedding r next. a big policy change at air b and b. two historians. ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪

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yeah man, bee got swag! be happy! be healthy! that's gotta go too. ♪ hey! must be the honey! [ sparkle ] sweet. welcome back. 5:15. air b and b is a fast growing website that allows people to rent out their homes to avoid the 14% hotel tax. the online vacation rental service has thousands of listings in san francisco ranging from couch space to entire homes. "the chronicle" reports under the plan airbandb will collect the tax as an extra charge on the tax bill and then pay to the city as a hotel would do. legislation is in the works that would establish a framework for

the operations. a new snapshot this morning on the wealth of facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg. he made $3.3 billion last year by exercising stock options in his social networking company. new filings show zuckerberg collected a salary of just $1 last year. this is the second straight year he made billions exercising his stock options though he'll likely sell more shares just to pay the massive taxes on his gains. zuckerberg still owns shares worth nearly $26 billion. the number of recalled gm vehicles hits a staggering number. and the price for a wedding is at a record high. here's this morning's "america's money report." >> reporter: good morning. topping "america's money," another recall for gm. is recalling 1.5 million vehicles worldwide over power steelk failures bringing the total number of recalls to 6.3 million since february, including faulty ignition switches blamed for at least 13 deadly crashes. stocks start today's session on a high note.

dow gaining 134 points yesterday. investors were apparently optimistic after the fed chair janet yellin said there is still room for the central bank to help the economy. analysts call the modest games end of quarter window dressing. u.s. soda sales are losing their fizz. consumption of carbonated soft drinks nearly doubled in decline from the year before as energy drinks and flavored waters gain new ground. the cost of getting hitched had has hit a new high. just under $30,000 not counting a honeymoon. that's "america's money." make it a great day. this morning two historians say the search for the holy grail is over. the pair says there is conclusive evidence from ancient egyptian scrolls confirming that this is the cup used by jesus christ during the last supper ending a 2,000-year-old mystery. they believe the jewel-enkruftd goblet has been inside a spanish basilica in leon, spain for the

past 1,000 years. officials say the cup was stole frn jerusalem a from jerusalem and taken to egypt where it was disguised. is it the real think? "good morning america" will have more on this story coming up at 7:00. no, we won't check in with indiana jones. >> today is april fool's. there will be a lot of questions of is it real out there. just be careful, folks. >> mother nature planned a cruel joke on our snowpack up in the sierra. it is probably going to run around 30% of average which is actually up from the feb uaryw reading which is good but it is still not where it should be. a look at live doppler 7 hd. a zoom down street level there. you can see on devon drive over towards 101. that's where we're seeing the best rain returns right now. this is all going to head right across the san pablo bay over

towards san rafael -- before it gets there in about a minute. it is going to head had over towards vallejo probably within a half-hour or so. the low still churning offshore, still digging to the south and heading our way. it's got our address and it will be delivered later today. that's when the heavier storms are coming in. right now we're in low to mid 40s throughout much of the north bay. 47 in san rafael. mid to upper 40s everywhere else save half moon bay. dress warm this morning. but it looks pretty quiet over san francisco right now. we're kind of in between systems after that noisy snit some of us had. a weak system thursday night into friday. behind that a high pressure brings us spring warmth this weekend. mid to upper 50s everywhere. clear lake, 50 degrees, the cool spot.

tonight upper 30s in the north bay valleys. low to mid 40s just about everywhere else. dress even warmer tomorrow morning. scattered showers through the morning commute. as we head towards noon we'll get a break. that's going to add sunshine and warmth. that's going to destabilize the atmosphere. from 3:00 to about 6:00 we'll have heavier showers, thunderstorms and small hail roll through. midnight you see the low churning down to our south. by 7:00 in the morning it is gone. clouds open up tomorrow. we'll have a slight chance of a shower across the north bay mountains. snow levels tonight down to 2,800 feet. temperatures will be a little bit warmer thursday and friday. nothing like 60s at the coast this weekend and 70s around the bay and inland. we are learning a little bit more about this accident in the santa cruz mountains. northbound along 17 as you come up to the redwood estates area. we are hearing there was two separate accidents here.

we're starting to see heavy back-up. 34 miles per hour is the top speed but we have one lane blocked. it will be a squeeze as you head through the santa cruz mountains if you need to make it up to los gatos. southbound 280 near the dog pass, there is an accident, a spin-out. seeing plenty of those this morning at this very early hour which means there's hydroplaning. lots of pooling on the roads and freeways. just be careful. live look outside, richmond-san rafael toll plaza, certainly wet. bay bridge tolls looks little bit busier. the san mateo bridge, traffic is moving pretty well out there, albeit a few extra taillights pushing in the westbound direction. ahead, seven things to know as you start your day. also a surprise twist in the latest "dancing with the stars." the star who says he can't take anymore. look at that awesome celeb judge -- and april fool's.

some of the almost-believable jokes you'll see online today.

5:23. a berkeley neighborhood is still picking up the pieces after a 75-tall redwood tree exploded when it was hit by lightning yesterday. one house has been red-tagged, several homes were damaged. large pieces of the the tree were found three blocks away. number two, tracking some

scattered showers for the morning commute but the heaviest stuff is still on the way. i'll give you a timetable for that and what to spent in your seven-day forecast. number three, the search will continue for missing snowboarder. the man went missing yesterday in the castle peak back country area near forest hill. the 25-year-old became separated from his companion when stormy weather set in. the man is said to be dressed for the elements though. searchers don't know if he had food or water with him. the contra costa county sheriff's office is conducting a homicide investigation in an unincorporated area of pinole. a body was found. authorities have not released the sex or age of the victim, nor if the person lived at the home. the white house estimates the affordable care act will reach its enrollment goal of 7 million after yesterday's last-day surge before the midnight deadline. that surge also yoef almosted

the cover california website. frustrated applicants still have two weeks to complete their enrollment. six, the teen that has everyone talking this morning. he's been accepted to all eight ivy league colleges. the 17-year-old scored 2250 out of 2400. he plans to study medicine like most of his parents. i just can't get over that. well, it is a slippery commute. traffic is a bit of a mess this morning. we do have areas of hydroplaning and several spin-outs out there. i'll give you all of the hotspots coming up. new this morning -- you know it is april fool's. right? mountain view space google is getting in on the fun. >> this morning the internet giant added a link only to its home page introducing a new feature on google plus called auto awesome photo bombs with david hasslehoff.

the features promise to turn an ordinary photo into something extraordinary by having hasslehoff pop up in any photo that was uploaded. you, too, can get a celebrity photo bomb, no red carpet required. from google, a new product that will let you print all of your old e-mails and have them mailed the old-fashioned way right to your day. you know that's got to be a joke. you get all of your e-mail mailed to you at home instead of dealing with it at all work. no pop-ups, no ads. all those e-mail attachments like photos and documents all securely fas lly fastened with clip. there is a hole in the back of the chair for the tail and a grip on the seat of the chair for stability. >> this lets your furry family

member sit front and center at dining table. it comes complete with dishes so they don't miss a minute of the action. >> i got one of those for myself to sit in. >> i'm sort of seeing a theme here. 5:27. abc 7 morning news continues at 5:30 with the day's top stories. >> including breaking news. flames shoot from an apartment building under construction just outside the nation's capital. are you looking at new video this morning. we'll have an update next. we'll continue our storm watch coverage. what to ex

it is 5:29. first day of april. thanks for joining us. first up, a check on the forecast. lots of rain.

>> no joking today. we're looking at live doppler 7 hd over san rafael. kentville, san quentin, up towards lucas valley, places like el cerrito, up towards rodeo, hercules, that's what we're doing as far as our wet weather. that's where the strongest storm is right now. there is a little bit of a lull for the morning commute but we look at the forecast, temperatures will be in the mid to upper 50s and get ready for more showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening hours. in the santa cruz mountains we have two separate accidents northbound along highway 17. that's what's causing a bit of slowing there as you try to reach los gatos. with at least two accidents and one lane blocked there, we are down to 34 miles per hour is your top speed. also chains are required. along 80, 50 and 88 we do have

chains required in the sierras. if you're planning to head up to the snow, make sure you bring those chains. this is your drive right through san rafael with your headlights coming south towards us. that's going to be heading away from 580 into san francisco right now under 20 minutes. 5:31 now. the next storm obviously bringing with it the potential for more problems like the one that startled a berkeley neighborhood yesterday when a lightning strike blew apart a huge redwood tree causing moderate damage and a lot of frayed nerves. >> reporter: take a look at this minivan. it really says it all. the windshield completely smashed. the roof caved in. can you imagine the size and force of the piece of tree that crash landed on top of this unfortunate minivan owner's car. just beyond it the tree itself, all that remains is just a

jagged spear really, a fraction of the 75 feet that it once was. the redwood city hit by lightning around 1:15 yesterday afternoon. by all accounts the tree simply exploded. people say it sounds like a bomb. chunks of wood were shattered for three blocks in this berkeley neighborhood. many pieces crashed into homes. a neighbor two doors down describes the damage to his house. >> broken window or broken door, broken sky light. there is a hole in the roof. few leaks here and there. >> reporter: ten homes, total, were damaged or affected. just the home though where the tree -- the yard that the tree is in was actually red-tagged. that's the home i'm now standing in front of live right now. there is red tape around the home and that red warning on the door that no one should enter because it is dangerous. of course the good news in all of this -- and almost unbelievable -- is that nobody was had hurt. though one neighbor did say he

felt the shockwave in his chest. live in berkeley, abc 7 news. in mill valley a home is yellow-tagged this morning because of the damage caused when a large redwood tree came crashing down on top of it. the tree punctured part of the roof and cracked a window. nobody was hurt. crews in menlo park had to close part of the road. only one customer lost power. the road reopened once the lines and branch were removed. in the sierra more snow is expected today. this is video of castle peak on interstate 80 last night. chains are required on 80 and 50. this morning officials will conduct another snowpack survey traditionally considered the peak of the seasonal snowpack. it is expected to be critically low. a measurement last month found the snowpack just 22% of normal and california, as you though, counts on that snowpack for one-third of its water. track the rain here in the bay area and the snow in the

sierra with our abc 7 weather app. it is constantly updated with live doppler 7 hd. you can download the app on our website, abc7news.com/apps. an upscale apartment complex just burst into flames overnight about 20 miles from the white house in rockville, maryland. witnesses say they saw an orange glow from the fire several miles away. fire crews are on scene and are now conducting a. mop-up operation. the fire was burning in another area still under construction. rockville is in maryland. back here in the bay area, contra costa county sheriff's deputies are investigating a possible homicide in pinole. the body was discovered yesterday afternoon inside a home on cornelius drive in an unincorporated part of the city. officials have not released name, age or gender of the victim, nor how the person died. they won't confirm yet whether

the person lived at the home. we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available. an emeryville man charged with murder in an alleged drunk driving accident that took the life after union city marine will be back in court today. police say 23-year-old alexander yawn downed several whiskeys before getting behind the wheel last week. in addition to murder, he's charged with vehicular manslaughter and hit and run. he's being held without bail. the accident killed 23-year-old marine lance corporal andrew silva who was riding his motorcycle through fremont. he's just returned from a tour of afghanistan. visitation will be held for andrew today from 4:00 to 10:00 in union city at st. ann's catholic church. a public service held friday at the chapel of the chimes in hayward. a $7,500 reward is being offered this morning to help police find the man who sexually assaulted a 6-year-old girl near her oakland elementary school. just after 3:00 friday afternoon at bella vista elementary school, the girl managed to get back to the school and alert an

adult. the man was driving a silver suv and was last seen wearing a blue and black jacket and black shorts. a former san francisco firefighters accused of driving a fire truck while drunk and hitting a motorcyclist is out on bail this morning. 43-year-old michael quinn was indicted on three felony counts last week and he surrendered to police yesterday. surveillance video from juneñr 2013 shows a fire truck allegedly driven by quinn going through a red light at 5th and mission and hitting a motorcyclist. that person suffered broken bones but survived. quinn was arrested last july but the case was discharged pending further investigation. quinn is expected to be arraigned tomorrow. the deadline has passed for uninsured americans to sign up for health coverage under obamacare. some californians are getting a grace period. so many californians tried to beat the midnight deadline. cover california had to switch off a key function on the website and make people finish their applications later.

anyone who started the process online but couldn't finish will get extra time to finish it on the website. those who did not start the process will need to get face to face help to get enrolled by april 15th. we're showing you some damage from the lightning we had. of course that affected a few flights even. >> we had delays up to nearly three hours at some point at sfo yesterday. they're going to have the same issues today. maybe not trees getting hit by lightning but lightning will be out there. be interesting to see if we have a repeat of what happened. about half-inch to an inch of rain. deficits are shrinking. livermore, you received a little bit less rainfall than the rest. 10 1/2 in san francisco. nearly 19 in santa rosa. pleasanton heading over from stanley boulevard into livermore, that's where we have

some rain rolling through. some of the east bay hills, we're seeing rain going into the central valley right now. if you're heading toward stockton, wet weather there. wet weather stepping off the santa cruz mountains into the santa clara valley around coyote. this will bring you light to moderate rain over the next 15 minutes. your day planner for today, showers are tapering right now. we'll have scattered showers at lunch but the heaviest of the showers will roll through during the afternoon and evening hours. that's when we'll see another chance of lightning, thunder and small hail. we are going to take you to morgan hill where a crash was just cleared northbound on 101 as y. it's left off the road. it's left with 17-mile-per-hour speeds for a little bit there as you continue in the northbound direction, everything is moving along pretty well. now we're seeing a cell of rain moving over 101 pretty soon. taking you into san francisco, southbound along 280, we still

have this accident possibly blocking anywhere between one and two lanes. the 280 extension most of the traffic is in the northbound direction. we are looking at a little bit of a delay there in both directions. for the most part, clear conditions 101 as you head into and out of san francisco. back to san jose, 280 moving along swimmingly there. no pun intended as you come away from highway 17, southbound traffic building ever so slightly. it is 5:39. she and her partner lost their lives in a violent encounter. next the special tribute the university of california is paying to a fallen santa cruz police officer. on the hot seat. the questions gm's ceo faces from congress this morning. over the carmaker's failure to warn vehicle owners about a deadly ignition problem. and the action cal fire is taking right now to prepare for a destructive wildfire season this summer.

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i like cinnamon, greg is a honey nut nut. when you find something this good, you want to spread the word. [ all ] we're the pearsons, and we love chex! it's 5:42. we are looking at a live picture of a wet san francisco international airport where the storm caused some flights to be struck by lightning yesterday. that happened around 12:15 in the afternoon. none of the pilots reported damage. those planes are required to be able to withstand lightning strikes but you still might be a little frightened. it could happen a again today. >> if you're white-knuckle flyer

you might become a blue-knuckle flyer. new this morning, uc santa cruz is announcing a new scholarship created in honor of a police woman/alumnus killed last year while investigating a sexual assault. elizabeth butler was shot to death last february. she and detective sergeant lauren baker were shot and killed investigating amg ing an sexual assault. the memorial scholarship will support a uc santa cruz student while on field study in santa cruz county. this morning an online dating site is urging people to stop supporting an anti-gay marriage contributor. the site is okcupid and the focus of its anger is the new ceo of mozilla. brendan each. each gave money to the campaign to pass proposition 8 which outlawed same-sex marriage in california. okcupid is encouraging its users to stop using firefox through a

letter on its website.÷ there are so many planes looking for the missing malaysia airlines jetliner these days, australia is deploying a modified 737 to act as air traffic control over the indian ocean. 11 planes and nine ships are taking part in today's search for flight 370 in the waters off western australia. the search area has been narrowed to the size of pennsylvania. an aussie warship is on its way with a navy pinger that detects flight recorders. crews also reported seeing more objects in the water today and dropped gps buoys so ships can investigate what the objects are. they are a he in a shipping lane where sea trash is pretty common. happening today, the ceo of general motors will testify before congress about its handling of a deadly flaw in its cars. the testimony will of before the house energy and commerce committee. she says she's sorry for the

more than two dozen deaths. faulty ignition switches can shut off the engine while the car is moving, losing power steering, brakes and preventing air bags from inflating in a crash. it is responsible for more than a dozen deaths. the impact of the drought is prompting cal fire to hire seasonal firefighters ahead of schedule. they've already begun hiring several hundred firefighters in the bay area. central california, sacramento foothills and now expanding state wide. seasonal workers are usually not brought in until mid-may or early june but the fire danger from the drought has changed that. new hires will be trained and begin staffing fire engines immediately. 5:45. are you still going to need your umbrella this morning? i think that is a pretty safe bet. >> if you don't need it this morning, you'll need it this afternoon when the heavier showers will roll through. near crockett where 80 crosses over the carquinez strait there, we have a pretty good looking

cell around san pablo avenue and 80. widening out, most of the san pablo bay, a little bit of wet weather as it pulls away from san rafael and san quentin. if you're on the san rafael side, it is going to be a little bit bet. as you head down towards mill valley, we have scattered light showers throughout the north bay right now. taking a little bit wider view, a few lightning bolts will develop on the beginning of this system. that particular storm. the thunderstorms are out there, we just have to wait for them to get here. temperatures in the mid to upper 40s everywhere from 44 in lafayette, dublin, pleasanton, san leandro, to 48 in san francisco and sfo. have the umbrella handy in case one of those scattered light showers comes your way. if you're heading home tonight you'll you'll definitely get wet.

showers, thunder, hail today through tomorrow morning, slight chance of wet weather thursday night into friday morning. spring warmth still slated for this weekend. today's temperatures and elsewhere well below average once again. mid to upper 50s. as cool as it was yesterday. tonight will be mainly in the low to mid 40s. some exceptions san mateo. scattered showers through the morning commute all the way up to noon. clouds open up. the next wave of energy rolls through that's going to be supplemented by the sunshine. you can see 3:00 to 6:00 is when we'll have our heaviest showers, thunderstorms and small hail threat. overnight the upper-level low comes in, another round will roll through into tomorrow morning. we'll drop down to 2,800 feet. toward the afternoon hours, maybe a stray shower across the north bay mountains tomorrow afternoon. thre three-quarters to 1 1/2 inches

in higher elevations. the slight chance thursday and friday won't stop a slight warming trend. it will be much warmer saturday, sunday, monday. as we look at what's happening across highway 4, we have a little bit of slowing there. two lanes pushing into the westbound direction toward ant y antioch, 22 is the top speed. we are looking at a little bit of a northbound slowdown there as you try to make it from martinez right into benicia. as you head into walnut creek, top speed still looking nice as you make it through lafayette. it was pouring earlier this morning. maybe some of the rain has subsided. orinda, still looks clear. no accidents reported out there.

highway 4, 17 minutes from antioch to concord. from san rafael to san francisco, under 20 minutes. it is only week three and "dancing with the stars" is already seeing 10s. "good morning america" anchor robin roberts made her "dancing with the stars" debut last night. she joined the judge's panel as billy dee williams said good-bye. he was not eliminated in the ush way. on advice of his doctor, he bowed out over a bad back. he can now root onñi the remaing teams. >> for me personally it felt like a 10 within myself. i felt like i enjoyed it so much and it felt like something i'll remember. >> four teams are tied for second. all of them got quadruple nines

from the judge. pop star cody simpson is one point behind them. next week on "dancing with the stars," it is the switch-up when the celebrities will all dance with different professional partners. a new warning this morning about antibacterial soap. the danger it can pose to the environment. new at 6:00, the man convicted of passing along secrets from the u.s. to a foreign government could soon be a free man. the deal that's now in the

see every day. yesterday this recycling bin was floating down a south san

francisco street. the video was sent to us. the wayward bin bowled over two more bins -- strike! we want to see weather happening where you are as well. send us your photos. post them on our abc 7 facebook page or share them with us on twitter @abc7newsbayarea. the bub lynn city council will be the latest tonight to weigh in on e cigarettes. they'll consider whether to change parts of the city's municipal code placing e cigarettes in the same category at tobacco and suck them to the same rules and regulations. last month san francisco's board of supervisors voted unanimously to have e cigarettes included on the city's strict antismoking laws. residents of hillsburg rejoice. according to smithsonian magazine, you live in a great

place. steamboat springs, colorado. williamsburg, virginia and a salute toxd colonial america. hillsburg celebrated for its wine and eat local movement. number one, chautauqua,çó new york. in our hearts, hillsburg's number one. 5:54. a look at the weather forecast. what do you want? rain? snow? hail? we got it all. kitchen sink. >> only thing missing. good morning, everybody. this evening there is a better chance we'll see rain during the indians/a's game. temperatures dropping down to 49. monterey, you see the mountains, two to five inches above 3,000 feet. four to seven inches above 3,000 feet. far farther to the south, two to nine inches tonight.

if you're traveling around everybody's going to be wet today with mountainxd snow. we have 44 b.a.r.t. trains running on time. if you're thinking of leaving the car in the garage. h train one is oner recall, h train three is a minute late. still seeing hydroplaning, lots of pooling and ponding on the roadways. 680 walnut creek to dublin, 15 minutes get you to 101. through the santa cruz mountains now back to norm at at 26 minutes as you head into los gatos. 5:55. creating antibiotic resistant super germs may not be the only problem with those antibacterial hand soaps. researcher at arizona state university say they can create environmental problems as well. scientists say two common chemicals used in the soaps can

contaminate lakes an rivers for years. those two chemicals are the most abundant drugs in waste water treatment plant sludge and they don't break down easily. that could mean lifetime exposure to fish and other wildlife. in december the fda gave manufacturers a year to prove those antibacterial soaps are safe. buckle your seatbelts. a new ride is now open in laying and this thing is huge. it is the high roller ferris while. it is 550 feet and it is said to be the world's tallest ferris wheel. there are 28 gondolas on the high roller and each can hold up to 40 people. riders pay $25 to ride during the day and $35 at night for a bird's-eye view of the city all sparkling. implts a baby will be able to boast that he got up close and personal with the president when he grows up. take a look. president obama and a 5-month-old immediately bonded during a white house event yesterday. the baby reached out to the president's nose. and grabbed.

mr. obama didn't flinch. neither did the secret service and they all got quite a laugh out of it. the little boy's family was there with members of the wounded warriors, a group of combat wounded veterans. >> i think he was the only person in the room that could have done something like that without getting jumped on. >> i think you're probably right. 5:57. abc 7 morning news continues at 6:00 with these new stories. a fight over boxes in san francisco. what's being done today to ease neighborhood concerns over what they call an eye sore? and a california man behind the wheel of the general motors suv that erupted into flames. he talks publicly for the first time. what he's revealing about the sudden scare. and later, "7 on your side," of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i should've looked some more."

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now at 6:00, the storm that brought lightning and thunder to the bay area isn't the gone yet. we're track being the wet weather with live doppler 7 hd. caltrain's newest station is opening for passengers. live in san brew yo with the big improvement you can expect before you hit the rails. the enrollment deadline for insurance under obamacare comes and goes. new this morning, white house officials are revealin