live from the kgo broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. first up, doppler radar shows some scattered showers remain across the bay area. and we are tracking thunderstorms and snow in the sierra. >> larry beale has the day off. we are still on storm watch, taking a live look outside with our camera. it is dry right now. but as we mentioned, there are still some scattered showers. >> it's a different story in sacramento. you can see the hail really bouncing off this back yard swimming pool this afternoon. more showers and possible thunderstorms are forecast for this evening. >> that storm also brought at

least three funnel clouds to sacramento county. the national weather service tweeted this photo of one of them this afternoon. here's spencer christian with an update. >> we've had all kinds of weather. and much of the bay area is not receiving rain but where it is raining it is pouring. look at this area of downpours moving through the north, reaching from san rafael on towards vallejo. some pretty heavy downpours in this cell shifting toward the east-northeast right now, right along highway 80 interstate 80. as you can see there's a longer line reaching towards fairfield. meanwhile, more active weather than that has been occurring in the sacramento area, where you mentioned we've had no fewer than five funnel clouds sighted between 2:15 and2:30. and now that area is pushing off towards the sierra where it is

snowing and chains are required on highways 50 and 4. now to the winter storm warnings, we have one in effect for clear lake until 6:00. one in effect for the sierra until midnight. and here in the bay area, rainfall totaling quite impressive. well over an inch at san rafael calistoga, about an inch at napa. and under .7 at oakland. we have the threat of scattered showers and more locally heavy downpours downpours. thanks a lot. the biggest impact from the rain today was on the roads. the highway patrol handled more than 500 accident calls during the heaviest downpours this morning in the bay area. that's more than three times the normal amount. we were in fremont when this truck blocked the highway for

nearly three hours. the driver was okay. no other cars involved. all of the accidentings are exactly why we need to slow down when it's raining. some commuters say they altered their day because of the brain.rain. >> i delayed my start. >> i said i'm not going back that way. >> commuters appreciate the rain, of course, they just wish it came at a slightly different time. >> some of the heaviest rain hit the south bay this morning. but we found given the drought the weather made a lot of people quite happy. >> reporter: usually on a rainy day you see people hiding out inside. but along main street at santa cruz avenue in downtown los gatos, many people are out enjoying the spring rain. >> we need it. >> reporter: residents happy to get some relief from the drought. >> i'm glad it's raining.

i'm really glad that it's snowing in the mountains where we need the water up there. it runs down all yearlong. >> we need this so bad. i'm from back east so i listen to all my relatives talk about all the rain and snow well it's sunny and 70-something here. >> reporter: karen says it's been months since she's had to break out her rain gear. it has her cutting back on gardening. >> there's things i'm not replacing in the garden. i'm not planting any vegetables. >> reporter: max the dog is embracing the weather, so is his owner, who hopes this is just the beginning. >> we need a lot more. this is nothing. >> reporter: business owners i talked to also prepared fort storm by raking up leaves and sweeping storm drains to make sure there wouldn't be any sort of pooling in the downtown area. in los gat oceanosgatos.

this is what it looked like in nevada county after six inches of snow fell at lake level in tahoe and as much as a foot higher up. every little bit helps. but since the snowpack was only about 5% of normal, this won't do much to boost the spring snow melt. and here is video from the sierra. this was before 11:00. snow has been falling steadily there all morning. look at all that white. according to caltrans there are chain requirements in placer and nevada counties. you can keep an eye on the weather with the abc 7 weather app. as many in the state are cutting back their water usage, some southern california communities are using even more water. >> today california's water board reported in february statewide we used about 2% less than the same period last year. >> but those in southern california including los angeles and san diego increased

water use by more than 2%. here in the bay area, we cut back about 8%. these are nowhere near the cut the governor ordered last week. water officials are discussing how to enforce his mandate. while cities grapple with how to save water one wants to use more recycled water. >> reporter: the idea is to use greywater. and gray water is water that comes out of your bathroom sink or shower. you treat it and then you can recycle it for uses not potable like flushing the toilet. it is already in use down the street at the puc headquarters. inside san francisco's public utilities commission headquarters you'll find purple pipes stretched across the bagsment ceiling part of an urban meets wetlands system that

converts wastewater suitable for flushing through the toilet tank >> it is done through this system of recirculating the water. >> reporter: these jars show what the water looks like before during and after the in-house recycling. the entire process takes about two and a half days. it cuts the building's water usage by 75%. >> this is long-term saving for us. >> reporter: scott wiener wants to see others saving water as well. he introduced legislation requiring gray water recycling systems to be installed similar to those at the puc. it only is for buildings over 250,000 square feet. >> it's incredibly important piece of the puzzle. >> reporter: it puts the up-front cost on developers, and i couldn't find a single one today who wanted to talk about

this. but supervisor wiener says it's not as much as you might think. >> we anticipate the increase in costs would be somewhere between 1% and 2%. >> reporter: if passed several proposed developments could be impacted. in san francisco tiffany wilson, abc 7 news. >> and before we move on a reminder visit abc 7.com on the simple steps we can take to conserve water. a san jose man faces charges of manslaughter and dui after a deadly hit-and-run that led to a second accident. he was driving a pickup truck that hit a taurus and kept on going. the nissan was stuck on the highway when another semi slammed it into a wall. the driver died. it's unclear if the first or second crash led to his death. the driver of the second truck has not been charged.

now some plane problems. she was kicked off a bay area-bound flight after she mentioned that she was a cancer patient. we are live with the story, david? >> reporter: what a story this is. elizabeth is on her way back to san jose and will be arriving about 10:00 this evening. but getting back to california has been an ordeal, some would say it is down right frustrating. let's take a look at cell phone video as she and her husband were told to get off an alaska airlines plane as it was preparing to depart in hawaii because she mentioned she was weak and a cancer patient. she was also wearing a face mask. she was asked for a doctor's note, which she didn't have. she posted all these details on her facebook page creating quite a stir on social media who thought the airline was wrong to do this even after she said shy contacted her oncologist who said she was clear to fly.

alaska airline has offered to refund the air fund. they said we regret the experience and how it was handled. the situation could have been handled differently. now reaction from a travel analyst and passenger. >> it's an embarrassment for the airline, but not a long-term issue. and i commend alaska for saying that they were sorry and admitting the mistake that they made. >> people do get sick on planes. that's part of their daily routine. >> reporter: so he shouldthey should be prepared for anything? >> yes. >> reporter: we spoke to a major medical center here in the south bay, and were told that doctors when requested will issue ill passengers a medical letter clearing them to fly. now alaska says it did consult with its on-call physician in this case and by policy followed the doctor's recommendation,

whether or not the passenger was ill enough to fly or well enough to fly. we just finished an interview with the woman and will have that interview for you on abc 7 news at5:00. a bay area based airline taking flight to new cities. the expansion just announced by burling game's virgin america. and there's a new way to watch hbo without that pricey cable bill. and new at 4:30, escape from yemen. a bay area man returns home after escaping from the war-torn country. are you running out of time to file your taxes. give us a call. or you can go on to facebook and we'll answer your questions there as well. that's at abc 7 news. thanks, michael. and from taxes to taxing. the bay area commute, although

not too bad as you look live at the san mateo bridge actually moving

and we are taking a live look outside at 4:14. you can see it looks a little blustery, the wind blowing, and ooh, what a wet morning we had today. >> yeah, we got a really decent storm in here which we desperately need. can you see a live look at the golden gate bridge you see

scattered cloud cover out there. >> look at those clouds. yeah. this is the bay bridge. a live look there. fortunately, traffic is moving through nicely, but yes, the clouds are still hanging around this afternoon. >> we'll get back to spencer in a minute but still one more week to get your taxes done. >> michael finney has brought back his panel of tax experts to answer your questions. >> rather than just take it by phone, we're taking your questions on facebook. we have don right here. he's in charge of the san francisco enrolled agents. you can go right now. you don't have to call us up. but if you want to call us, here's number. 415-954-7524. this is bart rugo right here. i'm going to have you put down that phone for just a moment.

you're with united way it's a low income service, right? >> low and moderate income. >> tell me about the 1040 ez and the 1040. how do you know which one to use? >> the ez is theeasyist one. it doesn't cover very much income. it doesn't do any adjustments and it's very simple. only got 14 lines. the 1040 a is an intermediate between the ez and the 1040. but the 1040 form covers everything. so if you're not sure what to use, use the 1040 and you'll everything that you need to report will be reported on that form. >> and tell me calling the number 211. what is that? >> 211 is a call site where from

any county in the bay area, you can call 211, and you can click up with people that will find out what your sippzip code is and refer you to free tax sites near your home. >> for low and moderate income. >> about $55,000 and under. >> i'll let you go back to the call i made you happenings up there. here's our number, 9547621, that's area code 415. go to our facebook page, type in your question. we have anne-wee have an enrolled agent. burlingame-based virgin america has a good thing going on. it's offering a flash sale on its rout from fso to hawaii.

they are offering a $199 one way to honolulu. the deal does only apply to weekday flights which exclude weekends and holidays. you can enjoy popular shows on hbo without paying for cable. hbo's new streaming service hbo now officially arrived on apple tv today for a $14.99 fee. it will be available on other devices and streaming services as well. hbo had promised to release the new service ahead of sunday's eagerly anticipated "game of thrones" premiere. >> the rain is mostly gone now, but it did leave it quite the sight. >> look at this rainbow that was

tweeted out today. thanks for that, drew. it was sent to him by an abc 7 news viewer. >> you can see the rainbow right over sfo. >> all of a sudden the weather right here across the embarcadero has become windy. let's show you what's going on. the nature of this system right now is widely scattered pockets of heavy downpours of stormy weather. check out the thunderstorm cell moving through oh san pablo bay right now around hercules. we have hail reported near pleasant hill and concord. and, as you can see, this cell is moving out towards vallejo and points eastward. pretty intense weather right now. this storm is not only accompanied by locally heavy downpours and lightning flashes, but no doubt strong gusty winds as well as the hailstones i

mentioned. here you go. stormy weather moving through san francisco towards the east bay. it's isolated but where it's active it's intense. 57 degrees here in san francisco. upper 50s at san carlos morgan hill and half moon bay. check out this view of clouds hovering over the bay. it's currently 55 in santa rosa napa 51. 59 at concord and 61 in livermore. and clouds over the bay in this view from our camera as you take a look at our forecast features. we'll see scattered showers overnight. the likelihood of thunderstorms will diminish as we get through the evening hours. and it will be sunny and mild for the remainder of the week. here's the pa passssage of the front. right now we're looking at scattered showers swinging through the bay area. so here's our forecast starting

at 7:00 this evening. we'll continue to see scattered showers or the chance for scattered showers overnight and through the day tomorrow, tapering off tomorrow evening. and by 8:00 tomorrow evening we predict additional rainfall totals not more than .10 of an inch. and in the sierra, additional snow will fall. up to about 9 more inches at kirkwood and donner, probably 5 inches at tahoe city. back to the bay area overnight again, scattered showers cloudy skies, lows into the upper 40s. tomorrow mostly cloudy, scattered showers highs ranging from upper 50s at the coast to lower to mid-60s around the bay and inland. what a difference a day can make. starting on thursday, sunny and milder and we'll have sunny and mild weather for the next several days, thursday right on through the weekend and early next week. dan and ama?

we have a little breaking news related to the weather. you're looking at a home near jordan avenue, not far from california pacific medical center. in the wind out there -- and you can seate the trees blowing around -- a scaffold collapsed on this home where some work was being done. no one was hurt although one worker had to be rescued a bit untangled from this mess. but you can see it's quite blustery out there, and in the process the scaffold gave of way. here's our traffic camera, we are on 880 southbound right now. and just froze up for a second there. but we were moving quite smoothly. no problems as we went by the coliseum, but things are going to be different later. there is a fleetwood mac concert

tonight, so your traffic on 880 will be a little thicker tonight. first bat kid saves san francisco. now he's headed to the big screen. when you can see the new movie featuring the caped crusader that captured the heart of a city. d.c. in the dark. disruptions after a sudden power out and turned off the

at 4:30 here are the stories making headlines where you live. take a look at this. it's a live picture from sky 7 hd up over the city of san francisco. this beautiful rainbow. and this after the worst of the storm. meanwhile, the first rain we've seen in more than a month caused problems during the morning commute. chp tells abc 7 news officers responded to several accidents this morning far above average. we are tracking the rain and it was tweeted that the showers will diminish. now we are getting a sneak peek of the new cars for smart. we are on this story and this photo was tweeted out.

a first look inside the train cars. a san francisco man returned home today after getting stuck in yemen as political violence intensifies. he tried several times to flee from yemen and was finally successful. abc news talked to him and we're live from the newsroom with the details. >> reporter: i spoke with him last week when he was trapped in yemen and really getting desperate. he finally got out and made it home, but worried about the american friends he left behind. he is back on u.s. soil after a journey which nearly cost him his life. >> i'm happy to be back. i am still sad about the way i came back. >> reporter: he arrived at sfo. of the final leg of his trek to escape the war-torn nation of yemen, a country under siege. >> it's just getting worse and worse every day. >> reporter: he was at working

with coffee farmers. he knew getting out would be nearly impossible. >> the first night they bombed the civilian airport in sanaa. so they implemented a no-fly zone stopped any naval activity. so we were trapped in yemen. >> reporter: he tried several times to escape and he skyped with us after he was taken prisoner by a militia group. >> they yanked me took me out of my car blindfolded me and my two friends and threw us in the back of a truck. >> reporter: his friends were released, and over the weekend he took desperate measures riding with a fisherman across the red sea. >> i've never been in a huge sea like that, an ocean, to a country i've never been to and i didn't know if i would make it or not. >> reporter: he said he got little help from the u.s. state

department which closed its doors last month. >> thousands live in yemen right now and want to get out. >> reporter: the bay area council on american islamic relations says hundreds of americans are still trapped. >> we're hearing from people who don't have internet who say they don't know how to reach anyone and their internet's so sporadic they can't do anything. >> reporter: the state department tells abc 7 news it has no plans to evacuate u.s. citizens in yemen. it advises those to leave if they can. those who remain should use caution and avoid travel unless it's absolutely necessary. jurors spent the day deliberating on 30 charges against joedzhokhar tsarnaev. prosecutors tried to paint a picture of the tsarnaev brothers as a unified terror team. the defense admits tsarnaev was a willing partner but that his

brother was the mastermind. if convicted he could face a separate jury to decide if he could get the death penalty. a few seconds into oprah's speech watch, the power goes out. oprah finished in the dark. today's ceremony was the unveiling of the maya angelou forever stamp. it impacted a state department briefing. hear of can see marie harf answering questions using the light from her cell phone. an explosion at a maryland power plant is to blame for the region-wide-outage. republican senator rand paul made it official he is running for president. karen travers has more often what paul wants to do if he reaches the white house and the challenges he's facing within his own party to get there. >> reporter: rand paul launched

his bid for the white house by selling himself as a different kind of republican. >> i want to return america to prosperity. a true economic boom that lifts all americans, a return to a government restrained by the constitution. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: he's a relative newcomer in washington, elected to the senate in 2010 after winning his first-ever campaign. >> take our government back! >> reporter: but politics run in the family. his father's ron paul, who also ran for president three times. rand paul played key roles in his father's campaigns echoing his father's libertarian message. he's an on thaphthalmologist who continues to practice. but some republicans say his views are just too far outside

the mainstream. he pushed for dramatic cuts and railed against oust military intervention overseas. he's also opposed to the nsa surveillance program. >> the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business. >> reporter: he has an uphill battle to get to the white house. he's polling at 8% among the potential republican field. and a third view him unfavorably. karen travers, abc news, washington. soan francisco and oakland have lifted travel bans to indiana after the religious freedom law. they passed a bill they said would prevent the government would intruding in religious beliefs. opponents thought that two allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians. a new version passed last week and it bars discrimination.

the mayors of portland and seattle also lifted their travel bans to indiana. walnut creek police are warning local merchants about the increase in shoplifting. they say most of those are drugged up transients who cause the crimes. they'll share suspect information with other bay area agencies. coming up flu fear, not for humans, but for pets. a view of the big apple like you've never seen before. when you can get your ticket to the brand new observatory deck at the new world trade center tower. here's a view for you, what's left of this rainbow. there's still some rain around the bay area and some hail.

well if you want to experience new york city from 1200 feet above the ground tickets go on sale tomorrow. the one world observatory at one world trade center will open to the public may 29. a three-level deck on top the tallest building in the western hemisphere promises panoramic views and world class dining options. it also offers world class history presentations on the city's growth dating back to the 1600s. if you don't like heights, maybe not for you. let's get a live look at

traffic. >> we are on 880. we are driving southbound right now. can you see we are moving along quite nicely. traffic is also moving. maybe a little stickier tonight because the as play tonight, and there's a fleetwood mac concert. a lot to take in tonight. find out if there will be any rain. >> we might see a little rain. can you see this rainbow over my left shoulder? i left my halo at home but i brought my rainbow with me. we have scattered weather. we have a cell moving through this area right now between san francisco and pacific caa. locally heavy downpours. hailstones reported a few

moments ago in pacifica. this is moving toward san bruno. so these downpours are brief. they're moving quickly, but when they do occur, they occur with great intensity. you can see a line of active weather right now reaching from that area around south san francisco, across the bay to walnut creek and across to antioch. and we have hail falling in sonoma, check this out accumulating on the ground almost like snow. so we've had some very unusual weather today. and it continues. tonight at o.co coliseum, a chance of a couple scattered showers during the game. 55 degrees at the start of the game dropping to the low 50s later in the evening. tomorrow, across the bay area, look for scattered showers with breaks of sunshine. high temperatures moving up into

the mid to low 60s inland and showers should be out by tomorrow night. still ahead canine concerns this afternoon. the new warning from vets as a dangerous virus spreads among dogs. plus college and coffee. starbucks perks up the program giving blow giving e

all right. back by popular demand. it is the tax hotline. >> michael fenny yfinney is live with our tax experts. >> you're seeing behind me the big screen of the abc 7 news facebook page. right now we're taking your questions on facebook as well as telephone. if you want to call in we have a whole group of people over in our other office at

415-954-7621. we're all going to be here until 8:00. can you call in any language. if we can't handle it right now we'll find someone and call you back. so don't let language be a barrier for you family or friends. we've asked don ellison here. he heads up the enrolled agents. what kind of questions are you getting? >> a lot on 1099 r and 1099 c. the 1099 c is cancellation of debt. and some of these come as a real surprise. >> let me jump in here. as i understand, for instance if you had a mortgage and the debt is forgiven, you may owe income tax on that debt. >> exactly so. or if you have credit card debt and are unable to pay and you cancel the credit cards, eventually you're going to get this 1099 that says you owe money on that. >> yikes. then what do you do? >> then you consult somebody like me who can help you figure out whether you are solvent if

you are, then you're going to have to pay some or all of it. >> and there's also been for the mortgage reduction some of that is is untaxable now correct? >> exactly because it's your primary residence. and up through 2014 they haven't extended it yet into this year. >> okay. now the 1099 r, i've got about 15 seconds here. that's a retirement form, right? >> if you're retirement age if you get one, you might have inherited. you're going have to put it on your taxes >> this is how complicated it is, and that's why we have people like don ellison, an enrolled agent here to take your questions. give us a call. or, as you can see behind me, you can logs onto facebook and go to abc 7 news. reporting live from near the 7

on your side offices i'm michael finney. >> thank you. well a rare case of dog flu is spreading across the midwest this afternoon. there are now more than 1,000 cases of canine influenza in the chicago area and it's quickly spreading to indiana and wisconsin as well. the virus has been linked to at least five pet deaths. doctors say it's a misconception that you can transmit the flu to your dog but it doesn't mean that we can't spread the germany germ. if we get any of the nasal discharge, the air-types of particles on our hands when we're touching them and then we go to another dog and touch that dog without washing our hands. >> doctors say the best advice for homeowners is to make sure that your pet has the current flu vaccine. a banner congratulating the

team over its win over wisconsin is over the campus in durham. this was duke's fifth national title. senator claire ms. cass kill wasn't happy. she said she was rooting for stars going to college and not just doing a semester trying for the nba. the senator from missouri later tried to clear up her tweet saying it isn't about the kids but the system. coffee giant starbucks is helping its employees pay their way all the way through college. the ceo says there's no catch. if you have a high school degree, and you're working at starbucks at least 20 hours a wiebe week, you have access to a free four years of college. it will give employees access to 49 online degree programs.

>> we have to do more for our people. companies are in business not only to make a profit but to take care of our people and serve our community. and that's what this is about. >> starbucks expects to send at least 20,000 employees to college over the next decade. the existing program only pays for two years of college. here's a question for husbands. can you afford your wife? >> we're going to meet the man who says he can't. how much he says it would set him back. and here's a look at what's coming up at 5:00. >> coming up new at 5:00. after seven years of work we get the look at the train that will connect the north bay to wine country. and a more natural approach for

female narrator: for over 60,000 california foster children a pair of shoes is a small but important gift. my shoes have a hole in them. i can barely fit in these anymore. i hope no one would notice. they hurt my feet. i never had new shoes before. to help, sleep train is collecting new shoes of all sizes. bring your gift to any sleep train, and they'll be given to a local foster child in need. not everyone can be a foster parent... but anyone can help a foster child.

here's tonight's prime timelinup.

fresh off the boat, marvel agents of shield and join us at 11:00. for one deserving couple, their lotto win is helping them start over after hurricane sandy. they were living in separate trailers in connecticut after the storm destroyed their home. they bought a lottery ticket but decided to put it in the bank for safekeeping. yesterday they cashed the $255,000 prize. >> we don't consider it money. it's a home. it's not to be spent. it's where we're going to live together and start a new life. >> the pair plans to stay in connecticut instead of moving back to new york. a husband's decision to add up the value of everything his wife does to keep their home running is getting a lot of attention this afternoon. the man realized he actually couldn't afford her. we have the interesting findings. >> reporter: as he knows all too

well, sometimes moms in modern families aren't always appreciated. >> i'm stretched a little thin today. so you need you to do the grocery shopping, pick up the kids and clean up the branches in the yard. >> done and done. >> reporter: but steve has figured out how much he appreciates his stay at home wife glory down to the dollar. >> i thought it would be fun to write a post to see what that actually would equate to with all the services that she does on a day-to-day basis. >> reporter: in a blog post entitled fathers, you can't afford a stay-at-home mom he totalled $174,000 per year, including a laundry list of child care for their 2-year-old son izezra, cleaning and cooking coming to the conclusion that he really could not afford his wife. >> it was hard to stay at home for a reason and it wasn't necessarily the work load.

it was everything that came with losing that paycheck losing that job. losing the connection with other people in the world. >> reporter: the post has gone viral. some supporting. i'd love my husband to read this. all he does is gripe for me to get a job. another writing, it's supposed to be a partnership with each contributing equally not a place of employment. >> it was simply a reflection of how our family dynamic works. >> i'm not going to say one is easier than the other. i think it comes down to people. >> reporter: a balancing act this couple performs to maximize the opportunities for their little ones. abc news, new york. and thank you for joining us for abc news at 4:00. abc 7 news at 5 begins right now with cheryl and dan. rain and hail hits all over the bay area. >> i'm sandy patel.

i'm tracking that storm. showers and storms still showing up. details coming you. it's more important that we have water than my lawn look green. cold case arrest. two women murdered. what led police to a man with a very long rap sheet. a woman was kicked off a flight because she has cancer. what the airline is saying tonight. parts of the bay area seeing rain and hail. in santa rosa, viewer anthony thomas tweeted out this video. abc 7 news was in downtown martinez when it started raining. it got noticeably cooler just as the rain started falling. it moved in and out in just a matter of minutes. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> thanks for joining us.

let's take a live look at current conditions. this is our east bay hills camera. and you can see the sun streaming through the dark clouds that are passing through and a little bit of rain on the lens there. let's get to our meteorologist right now. >> from sunshine to all of a sudden thunderstorms and hail and rain. let me show you live doppler 7 hd. don't get rid of the umbrellas just yet. i show you where the steadiest rain is falling right now. taking you to walnut creek to concord. as i take you down to street level here in the east bay, it's going to be a dicey commute across 680. north main street, maraga road. we've been seeing moderate showers. pacifica had reports of hail a short time ago. you can see south san francisco seeing some moderate rain as well. and down towards the south bay we have been tracking

thunderstorms just southeast of the san jose area as you can see here northeast of morgan hill. so you can't rule out the possibility of a thunderstorm or two. we've seen some develop and hail is still in the forecast until the sun goes down. last 24 hours picking up pretty good rainfall. .68. oakland, 67. strong winds caused a scaffold to collapse in the laurel neighborhood. shortly after the structure fell at about 2:30. this is near the california pacific medical center. crews say they did rescue one worker, but no one was hurt. >> the rain today made for a very difficult morning commute. the highway patrol handled more than 500 accident calls during the heaviest downpours this