breaking news is key street in the south bay has just reopened after several hours of closure after two cars crashed this morning, killing one driver. thank you for joining us this midday, i'm natasha zouves. >> and i'm kristen zse. fremont police are investigating what led to the deadly crash. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live at the scene at fremont boulevard near central avenue. >> reporter: it just stopped raining here and police say it was raining at the time of the accident. maybe that is one reason, one factor that played a role in this victim's actions that made this crash happen. they just don't know. let me show you what happened.

see that stop sign over there, that is where the victim was stopped. and a pickup truck was coming down fremont boulevard, did not have a stop sign. the victim pulled out in front of the pickup truck and was hit. let me start with video, start with a close-up shot. this picture was taken by a business owner here on fremont boulevard, this is the car the victim was driving. she is way 96-year-old woman and she was killed in the crash. now here is the big picture, the view from sky 7 and you could see what a busy street this is. fremont boulevard. the accident happened at parish but the next major intersection is down the road on central and they shut this down for about three hours, the accident happening around 7:00 this morning. and they just reopened this street a little after 10:00. again, they don't know why she pulled out in front of him, whether she ran the stop sign or did stop but didn't see him. it was raining and it was probably still dark out.

it was about 7:00 in the morning. so they're not sure what happened but that truck driver did stick around and did cooperate. they don't blame the driver of that truck for anything. just a terrible accident. they don't think drugs or alcohol were involved. reporting live in fremont, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you, amy. new this morning, a major headline about the california drought, experts declaring the bay area is no longer in a drought. this is the first time in more than five years. let's get right over to meteorologist mike nicco for the updated out look and how we got here, mike. >> well we got here by having it rain every single day so far this year, natasha. hi, everybody. let me throw some good news at you and pull the reins back a little bit. we're dry in solano and contra costa and santa clara county but the drought is over for now. we still have 28% of the state in the extreme or exceptional drought which is the worst category. but we're in the 35%.

that is not in the drought. let's take a look at the see air yu snow pack. it is 161% of average for today. now for the snow year, which ends april 1st, we're only at 72%. so from now until april 1st we have to close the 28% gap to make sure this drought continues to slowly shrink, natasha. >> thank you so much, mike. so what does this mean for you. it mean changes to the water restrictions that so many local communities have seen. matt keller is live in san jose with some answers for us. hey, matt. >> reporter: natasha, we all know our water storage isn't just in reservoirs and those are full. their also under ground. our water storage is under ground like the percolation farms here in theal madden, these are getting refilled as well, but don't stop your conservation efforts just yet. >> the phrase it is raining and we sure need it has been for the

past five years but for today you could say you are tired of the rain. the u.s. drought monitor shows the bay area is no longer in a drought. that means the santa clara valley water district will evaluate keeping the water savings target at 20%. >> all of the indications are very good right now. we are going to be reevaluating where we are going forward. we are running the models to see how does this look for our water supply into 2017. >> six reservoirs in santa clara are spilling and anderson are above seismic restriction levels and must release water to get below the limits. ground water supplies are getting a boost. officials saw a significant increase in 2016 putting levels at the bottom of the normal range with more expected in 2017. but even with all of the rain, water officials say the recent conservation efforts have paid off. they hope people will stick with the plan, rain or shine. >> we don't know what is around the corner. next year could be dry again. so all of those good habits that people have formed over the last

four or five years really should continue. >> with the drought over, i think we need to be careful about how we're using our water. >> reporter: santa clara county residents really responded to the calls for water conservation with a 28% drop in use when you compare it to 2013. water officials here say they are going to meet at the end of the month and determine whether or not to stick with that 20% water conservation target. live in san jose, matt keller, abc 7 news. >> thank you. so we're still on storm watch today. >> that means some ongoing trouble spots on the roads. >> alexis smith is tracking the freeways. >> we still have a lot of closures due to the last several days of storms. so up to marin, highway 37 fully closed. that is the purpose until both directions, between 101 and atherton, chp were out there checking the floodwaters at about 8:30 this morning and they had a car that drove around the cones and the closure and was coming at them in the water. so not a good idea. these are up for your safety.

you do not want to drive around any of the closures. alhambra valley around pinole and castro ranch road where it was swept what adi -- away. and that is a long-term closure. and caltrans is working on highway 9. once again trying to clean up a mudslide around sand born so that is still closed but good news, it did reopen closer to skyline. kristen, back to you. >> thank you. and new video out of hollister shows the scene there as residents wait for floodwaters to recede. sky 7 was overhead about an hour ago. this is south of gilroy past highway 152 in san benito county. remember yesterday the pacheco creek overflowed forcing more than 100 people with pets and livestock from their homes. once the water recedes, building inspectors will go house-to-house to see which ones are unsafe to return to. this morning in guerneville, the russian river is at flood

stage and will remain there until 4:00 this afternoon. it crested just after 6:00 last night at 38 feet flooding river road. yesterday paramedics made house calls using a high water vehicle. you could see in the cell phone video. no serious injuries have been reported. if you are heading to the sierra, here is a live look at road conditions along interstate 80. this eastbound at king vale and you could see the snow is pushed off to the side and maybe just a little bit of stuff coming down. but it is a winter storm warning still in effect. so chains are required from placer county to nevada count. if you are going through el dorado county, chains are required on highway 50. more snow is on the way. and of of course we want to remind you you could keep tabs on live doppler and download the abc 7 news app and enable push alerts for advisories to your phone or tablet. >> look at this chargers fan

lighting the team flag on fire in front of the office building and it is true, five decades of professional football are over in san diego. today the chargers announce they are moving to los angeles where they will join the rams and giving it the second largest media market, two nfl teams for the first time in 23 years. >> that decision comes less than three months after san diego voters rejected a team sponsored hotel tax measure that would have helped to fund a stadium. this means the raiders cannot move to los angeles. a year ago today nfl owners rejected a shared stadium and gave san diego the option to move to l.a. now how the chargers turned it down, then the raiders would have been next in line so now the raiders owner mark davis is hoping for las vegas. he has not reached a deal with sheldon adelson to fund a new stadium there. davis has until february 15th to file. a group headed byrony lot is working on a deal to keep the

raiders here. on tuesday groups sent a proposal on a stadium plan at the coliseum to the raiders and the nfl. we have some new details involving a hazmat situation on interstate 880 in fremont. the mission boulevard off-ramp is reopened. it was closed during the morning commute after a pickup truck containing cleaning supplies crashed into traffic barrels. chemicals spilled out. we were there as caltrans crews worked to remove the chemicals from the back of the truck and took it away. the driver was arrested on suspicion of dui. >> up next, boycotting the president-elect. the california leader who just announced they won't support mr. trump's inauguration. >> also a devastating fire in baltimore making national news now. the family tragedy that unfolded when this house went up in flames. and later, a big boost to the job market by a company with bay area ties. the details just in on ama

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developing news from baltimore where six children are presumed dead after they were trapped inside of this burning three-story home overnight. this morning authorities have found one body. their mother and three other children survived and are in the hospital. the mother has been identified as a staff member of a maryland congressman. new this morning, another member of congress just announced she will not be attending the inauguration of president-elect donald trump. congressman barbara lee represents california's 13th district which consists of

northern alameda county. on january 20th she will be organizing and preparing for resistance. he will normalize the most extreme fringes of the republican party and joins a list of five other representatives who will not be attending. new at 11:00, a company with bay area ties plans on created 100,000 new jobs over the next 18 months -- amazon will spread the jobs out across the country for all types of education and skill levels. many of the roles will be in new fulfillment centers like this one in tracy. amazon's goal is to increase the work force from 180,000 employees to 280,000 by the middle of next year. >> still to come on abc 7 news, a bay area icon gets ready for its final curtain call. >> and breaking news in milpitas, after a water rescue. more details on this right after the break. >> the storm impact scale, today's storm is level one. that means light rain.

so keep an umbrella handy and drive safely. track

didn't encounter rain dropping in, but mike, some of the clouds out there are still dark. >> we could still have some showers. still have a storm impact scale of one. we feel great about the drought being over. it feels like a little bit of weight and pressure off you, but keep the habits up if you can. let me talk about the king tides. the second highest series of tides this season are rolling through the bay area right now.

minor flooding along low-lying areas in green. and the russian river and so the latest at 36 feet. it will be below flood stage at 3:00 this afternoon. we've got a flash flood warning for the laguna desanta rosa creek and this is extended another 12 hours to 10:30 tonight so still dealing with flooding there. and here is part of the reason why. look at this, our rainfall season today, everybody above 100%, from 117 in san jose where you've seen the least amount of rain to 175 in santa rosa and oakland and san francisco about 133%. could you see the -- look at the counterclockwise flow. that is the area of low pressure, the center of the storm rolling over the top of us. not very impressive. the showers over the ocean where the warmer ocean waters creating the instability but they are heading to the south and will hit monterey. and around dublin and heading toward pleasant ton and stone ridge and los passitas road and

over the passing and will cause pond tlg. but it turns over to pink and then to white and that is a wintry mix. and this is the way the lake on servetory looked a few moments ago. above 4,000 feet. back here at home and san francisco, a drier afternoon. here is the key to tonight. freezing temperatures mean black ice is possible. dry and warmer through monday and then a moderate storm for tuesday and wednesday brew. and for today, scattered showers through 2:00, the chance will linger at 4:00 but the temperatures cooler than average in the upper 40s. 6:00 the chance fades and by 8:00 the chance is over. but we'll keep this at a storm impact scale of one because of the chance of showers and the flooding powerba flooding potential is starting to fly. and hydroplaning and if sits over an area we could get minor creek flooding. that's it. as far as what will happen. from 12:00 to 5:00, scattered showers and then from 5:00 to 8:00, 9:00 it is gone.

what it will do, the clouds will open and look at the freezing temperatures inland to barely the low 40s around the bay. here is my accuweather seven-day forecast, the tradeoff is a lot of sunshine. mid to upper 50s tomorrow. through the holiday monday, it will be around 60. and then you could see the light to moderate storm developing on tuesday and wednesday. kristen and natasha. >> thanks mike. breaking news from milpitas where there is a water rescue in progress in a flooded creek. you see right there near the maccarthy ranch shopping center. sky 7 over the scene along coyotes creek. and as we pan, firefighters looking for a person who is presumed to be trapped somewhere there along the levy and they are searching for that person and that person having been out there for two days reportedly. the swift water rescue team has been called. we are monitoring the situation and will bring you updates as we get them. getting some word that the

person is okay but definitely needed to be rescued. download the abc 7 news app for updates as well. and a cyclist in santa clara county pulled a man from rushing waters and now we're hearing from both of them in the los gatos creek. it is normally slow-moving but this is what it looked like yesterday near the lexington reservoir. all of that rain made for very dangerous conditions. josh the hero explains what happened. >> thank you for saving my life. >> what is your name. >> harry. >> harry? >> i just pulled harry out of the river. he tried to ride his bike. >> you saw that? >> yeah. >> that was scary. i just dropped my phone and got off my bike and went and grabbed you. >> you did a good job. >> you lost your bike? it just flew away. and we didn't lose you, so harry, i'm glad. >> happy new year. and thanks again. >> new best friends. you could see just how fast the water was moving behind them. the man said he was wet and cold but okay. so nice job.

>> wow! incredible video. this is a snowboarder sliding through an avalanche and would you believe his backpack kept him from being buried alive. abc news reporter diane mass edo has his remarkable story. >> it started out as an ordinary run down the slopes -- but then -- >> [ bleep ]. >> watch as the ground just falls out between 29-year-old tom. the heavy snow engulfs him and then drags him down the mountain, giving him almost no time to react. the australian snowboarder said he survived that 20 second plunge -- thanks to a backpack like this. just pull the rip cord and it inflates, lifting you upward and reducing the chances of suffocating under the snow. and it is not the first time this was caught on camera. this backpack kept this skiers from being trap add live in 2012. and this wasn't how he was

planning to start his morning. and is urging others to stay safe out there. >> and that life saving backpack almost didn't happen. tom's dad telling abc news that the family gave him his backpack as an early birthday gift and needless to say they are so glad they didn't wait to give him the present on his actual birthday which is sunday. >> it is a balancing act like we've never seen before. coming up next, two brothers go head to head, literally. we'll show you if they make it up the top of all of those stairs just like

welcome back. we do want to warn you the deadline to enroll in cover california is the end of the month. so tomorrow the agents will be here at abc 7 to answer your covered california questions and get you started on enrollment. hosted by michael finney and 7 on your side. our phone lines are open from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and you could get answers on facebook and twitter if you use the #ask finney. >> and iconic eatery is closing its doors next month. lefty o'douls has failed to reach a new lease. since it opened in 1958 on gary

street near union square, the restaurant has won over fans with hearty food and baseball memorabilia and charity work. but don't worry, the owner tells the chronicle he plans to move the restaurant to a new location nearby in the fall. well new at 11:00, a game-changing gift at ucsf. it is receiving an enormous $500 million donation. this is the single largest gift in university of california history. of one of the biggest ever in the entire u.s. it was pledged by the family foundation of helen diller. the san francisco native passed away in 2015 and was a long time supporter of the university. they say the money will largely go toward supporting faculty, including new recruitment and toward supporting students helping them finish school with less debt. coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, good news for allergy sufferers. the pharmacy slashing prices on epipens. and can't tell if it is fake news or the real thing, california now has a bill for that. the story tonight on abc 7 news

at 5:00. guinness seems to have a world record for just about everything. >> true. including this. the most consecutive stairs climbed while balancing a person on the head. two brothers from vietnam have just shattered that record. >> wow, look at this. ascending the 90 steps of the st. mary's cathedral in spain in 52 seconds and they have been rehearsing for this moment for 15 years and you could understand the joy when they completed this task. >> they wanted to prove to everyone in the world that human possibilities are endless. guinness posted this on youtube calling it a display of core strength and stability. >> and perseverance. that is incredible. >> have no idea how they did. >> that not to mention balance. >> all of it. >> from all of us here at abc 7 news, thanks for joining us. >> have a great dy, bye-bye.

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ask your doctor about it by name. >> today on our show, another player will attempt that white knuckle climb to a million dollar payday. will they make it? let's find out. it's "who wants to be a millionaire." [dramatic music] ♪ hey, everybody, welcome to the show. you guys ready to play "millionaire" today? [cheers and applause] all right. having written more than 2,000 trivia questions as a trivia host, our returning contestant feels like she's been training her whole life for this moment. from philadelphia, pennsylvania, please welcome back courtney mink. [cheers and applause] hey, court, welcome back. >> thank you. >> come on over. >> all right! [cheers and applause] >> in the middle of a great game. we'll get everybody up-to-date in just a second, but, yeah, you really have been training for this your whole life. >> i feel like i have, yeah. >> you're up to $10,0