just look at all of that green on live doppler 7. a little bit of yellow, too. many of you feeling the steady rain coming down right now and the wind moving in on this friday. thank you for joining us, i'm natasha zouves. pkristen is off today. the north bay feeling the rain fast and furious right now. abc 7 news reporter cornell bernard shot some video mounted on his dashboard driving on highway 101 in novato. look at the sheets of rain pelting the windshield. walnut creek getting some wet stuff. check out this video from the valley. you could see the water pooling on the sidewalks there. and the storm is stretching across the bay area and you could see the rain coming down

on mt. tam. our live camera filled with rain drops and clouds covering the lens, too. it is rainy and windy in san rafael. that is a live look sat the commute. very stormy and slick roadways for many of us. mike nicco tracking the storm where you live. hey, mike. >> hey, hi, everybody. we'll start right with the storm impact scale to give you an idea what to expect the next couple of hours. it is a two, it is moderate up to a third to an inch of rain. one to two inches in the north bay and our mountains. winds gusting to about 35 miles per hour but above 1500 feats areas in yellow it could gust up to 50 miles per hour bringing down trees and possible power outages. it is a small chance but it is out there. here is a look at that solid shield of yellow and orange. moderate rain from the san ram rone valley through the east bay hills back to the peninsula and the coast. let me show you which way this is moving. to the northeast and look at that fetch of moisture. so we still have about four or

five hours of healthy rain. and i know down in the south bay, you are going, what? what rain? it is coming, i promise. wind and moderate rain through 4:00 and scattered by 6:00. isolated by 8:00. how about those roads out there, alexis? >> okay, mike. as you promised -- the winds have picked up. so as of about 10:00 this morning, we have a high wind advisory in effect for the bay bridge. the only place we have a advisory this morning, but obviously this is not a pretty commute right now. we still have the metering lights on and stacked up through the maze and we did just have a collision on the bay bridge on the westbound side of 80 before treasure island. they were able to clear that about 15, 20 minutes ago but we still have stop-and-go traffic and residual delays. back to the toll plaza and up into the berkeley area as well. and if you are traveling eastbound and out of the city for the bay bridge, also heavy traffic, northbound 101 half way across due to road work.

so have live doppler 7 on top of the traffic maps. we have decent rain in the area as mike just explained, the yellow and dark green and maybe even a few oranges in there as well. and probably most serious crash of the moment, although no injuries, southbound 17, before you get to roadwood estates in the -- redwood estates with a vehicle on its roof blocking the right lane. it does sound like everybody is okay. it sounds like we have emergency crews on the scene but we do have delays on the southbound side and on the northbound side a little bit of a back-up from the summit. quick check outside, around the san mateo bridge, it is coming down. a lot of road spray kicking up so just the rest of the day, slow down and drive for conditions. >> we appreciate the update. a live look at the bay bridge. and kate larsen live in san francisco's financial district near market and fremont, it looks wet out there, kate? >> reporter: it is, natasha. and here we are, it is the end

of march, it is spring. and we've all got our rain gear on still. the rain continues to fall. my photographer and i like you have been up since early this morning. i could tell you here in san francisco, the rain is steady since 3:00 this morning at least. after a long, wet winter commuters prepare for this morning's spring showers with umbrellas and jackets and boots. all except for this guy. >> what you were using as an umbrella? >> a trash box. i got it from the office. >> reporter: today's rain soaking san francisco streets through the morning hours. michael bonda lived in concord and said the rain poses no problem for him, even on a bike. >> with the exception of today, i ride mcbiy bike into work and road through the rain without a problem. >> i like it. the city is cleaner and the flowers and trees look great. >> reporter: michael alexander lives in san francisco and is one of many people we spoke to this morning who say the rain is

welcome. there are few people that did admit they are starting to get a little waterlogged. >> this is the second long-term brought i've lived through in the city and they come and they go, the rain will come and go too. >> woke up and i heard the rain this morning, and i'm like, dang, i wish this weren't happening. at same time i'm happy we have the water. it is green everywhere. it is a good thing. >> reporter: so i want to comment -- second those comments about all of the flowers and the greenery, if you haven't had a chance so far when the rain cleared this weekend, head out to one of the bay area parks, the presidio is a great bet and check out the wild flowers, they are fantastic this year because of the rain. in san francisco, kate larsen, abc 7 news. >> thank you, kate. you can track today 's storm wih the abc 7 news app. y you could watch doppler 24/7 and

get push updates sent right to your phone. on the efforts to appeal the affordable care act. speaker of the house paul ryan has told president trump he does not have enough votes to pass the bill. you are now looking live at the u.s. capitol where negotiations continue to hammer out a deal to replace what is now known as obamacare. stephanie ramos tells us more. >> reporter: for the second time it is down to the wire on capitol hill as house republicans are supposed to vote on the gop plan to repeal and replace obamacare. even though there is no guarantee it will pass. some republicans aren't sold on the this new health care plan. >> this is not a repeal. this is a patch-work fix. >> reporter: right now only 17% of americans approve of the gop's health care replacement bill. president trump, however, is still demanding a vote on the bill today. >> [ inaudible question ]. >> we'll have to see. >> reporter: last night trump

aides delivering an ultimatum to lawmakers from the president. if the plan fails, the president said obamacare stays and he moves on to tax reform. >> it re -- it ruins his first 100 days and it makes tax reform become impossible and the budget very difficult. >> reporter: president trump has met with lawmakers and we'll see if it moves republicans any closer to voting yes on the bill. stephanie ramos, abc news, the capitol. >> and we are showing you abc news will carry a special report the moment the vote starts on the gop health care plan and we'll bring that to you live here on abc 7 news. we'll also stream it on our abc 7 news app. new this morning, the trump administration issued permits to allow completion of the keystone xl pipeline to carry oil from canada to refineries in texas. today's position reverses the position by barack obama who sited with environmental groups opposing the pipeline. pipeline backers say it will

create thousands of jobs, a state department report, though, disputes that. saying it will only generate 35 permanent jobs. and on to developing news in san jose, pg&e crews working to restore gas service to a mobile home park on monterey circle after flames melted a gas meter and engulfed a home as well around 10:00 last night. now the five people inside did get out safely thanks to smoke detectors. the fire spread to the outside of two nearby homes but firefighters were able to prevent any inside damage. 30 customers are still without gas right now. pg&e hopes to have it fully restored this afternoon. new details now, we're getting our first look at the suspect in the killings of four people inside of a sacramento home. salvador vazez is is being held in the jail. he was arrested in san francisco yesterday several hours after bodies were found. officers found four victims including two children after a

concerned relative called police concerned about their safety. a sacramento tv station reports that the suspect's wife was among the dead. new this morning, the new warm springs b.a.r.t. station is finally open. it was supposed to open in 2014. well now people are finally getting a sneak peek. you may remember we covered how it was empty and fully staffed since september. lonni rivera live in fremont with the grand opening now. hi. >> reporter: hi, natasha. this is a long day coming and here is a look at the new station, it is the farthest south b.a.r.t. has ever gone in the bay area. so it is a big deal for an estimated 7,000 passengers expected to use this station during the week. now today's celebration comes they years after it was set to open in 2014. but b.a.r.t. officials delayed the opening due to financing, construction issues and computer problems. nevertheless, the project finished $100 million under the original $890 million budget. the station will address a huge

parking shortage that is frustrating drivers at the downtown fremont station. the new station has more than 2,000 parking spots. the first train is scheduled to depart tomorrow morning and during the workweek b.a.r.t. will run ten car trains between fremont and daly city during commute hours. >> faster getting to a b.a.r.t. station and traveling to where i need to go. if it were functioning today, i would probably be using it. >> we have like 120 bike racks on the side. and 2,000 parking places. and so great pathway and good connections. >> reporter: the goal is for the new station to pave the way for linking silicon valley to the rest of the bay area. b.a.r.t. officials predict the new station and 5.4 miles of new track will reduce gridlock on 680 and 880 and the mayor said this just continues the vision in this area because they've

just added 4,000 new affordable housing units and 20,000 new jobs to the area. live in fremont, lonni rivera, abc 7 news. >> good to see it finally happening. thank you. well fighting back against a phone scam. the three things to do right now so you don't become a victim. also new apple products now for sale, from the phone to the ipad. which makes each one something special. and a live look from the stormy sfo and mike tracking flight delays for us. remember we want to see pictures of the weather where you live. so share them on social with the #athe #abc7now and we'll use them on air or online.

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well now to our morning money report. the apple red iphone and cheaper ipad are now on sale. proceeds from the phone sales will go to the global fund to fight aids through the red organization, the ipad is 9.7 inches and has over 3 million pixels on a brighter retina display. and the ipad is at the lowest price ever, $329. t-mobile rolling out a free new feature today to identify and block those annoying scam artist calls. it is called scam i.d. or scam lock. t-mobile said the technology is able to identify questionable

numbers and alert customers. so what if you don't have t-mobile. well experts say there are three things you could do right now to protect yourself. first, just don't answer calls from unknown numbers. we know that. and you could try using apps like no mo robo, fun to say, or mr. number. search a company online before you return a call. still coming up on abc 7 news, a new hot spot for sunday brunch in san francisco. where you could get good food with a unique twist. all while helping a special cause. and a live look at the san mateo bridge camera. drivers facing some tough and stormy road conditions. mike is back with the full accuweather forecast. >> the abc 7 storm impact scale -- today's storm is level 2. that means moderate rain. so gear up before you go out and drive safely. track today's storm any time on

thought we would start off by taking a look at the discrepancy in rain so far from nearly an inch in santa rosa to absolutely nothing hitting the bucket in hayward. san jose, moffett, only.100 in livermore and a tenth of an inch in oeshl to a third of an inch in san francisco. from oakland over to san ram on, 24 around orinda, we are seeing the better radar returns and that is where the moderate rain pis and where you could have ponding and hydroplane. and behind me on the coast, another batch across half moon bay and that is heading right over toward san bruno, san mateo, hillsborough and that

whole area is about to get pounded with wet weather. we have arrival delays averaging 2 hours and 40 minutes at sfo. and that is not helping the situation. the yellow developing along the cold front and that means the mosten tense part of the storm is finally starting to develop. and it moves ashore like we said it would. it would be a late afternoon or a late morning into early afternoon and that is what we're seeing. so for the evening commute, just drive carefully like alexis said, brief downpours and gusty winds and ponding possible. good news, it will start to taper once we get past the evening hours to scattered showers. sunday and monday looking wet also. spring warmth, how about some 70s and sunshine. that is next week. here is a look from noon. and could you see pockets of moderate rain except for in the south bay. you'll get yours around 2:00 or 3:00 and that will hang out through 4:00 as it starts to taper up in the north bay. you could see during the evening commute, we're definitely seeing some isolated showers in the north bay while the rest of you dealing with scattered showers.

and this evening, you might want to have the umbrella handy just in case. but by 11:00, the system is just about over. rainfall amounts, maybe a quarter of an inch in the south bay to two thirds to three quarters of an inch around san francisco and oakland and half inch in concord and three quarters in santa rosa. and if you are heading to the sierra, about a foot of snow 5500 feet and gusts up to 45 miles per hour. looks inviting. look at the flakes falling over tahoe. that winter storm warning will continue until tomorrow morning at about 6:00. and lighter snow on sunday and monday looking at morning showers and tuesday it is dry. quick look at sunday. scattered light showers through the morning hours and steady light rain up in the north bay and moving into the rest of the neighborhoods during the latter part of the afternoon, evening and overnight hours, that means we'll wake up monday morning to slick streets and scattered showers. once that passes, monday, tuesday and wednesday are a lot like saturday. tomorrow sunny but we're going to be in the 60s tomorrow. we'll be in the 70s next week.

okay. >> so just get through tonight and the commute tonight and you are promising the dry day tomorrow. >> thank you, mike, appreciate it. if you are looking for ways to bet the weather, we have you covered. alexis smith has some ideas from our partners at hoodline. >> the old school cafe is known for the comfort food and helping out at-risk teens and now the jazz theme restaurant is offering something new. saturday morning gospel brunch. >> where we have a separate club, with ages 16 to 22, we work with kids that are coming out of incarceration or foster care or youth that have any type of barrier to having a really great future. >> the young adults do it all at old school cafe from cooking to waiting tables to providing live entertainment. and it is a full nonprofit so every dollar spent at the restaurant goes back into the program. some of the new brunch items include crab benedict and a

famous shrimp and grits. >> great food and good entertainment and really a great atmosphere. >> after that, you can burn off some of the calories at valley health-fest on saturday at justin herman plaza. join kevin hart for group exercise classes and a kid zone. >> if that is not your thing, maybe you would like to throw some shade inside. stead of your favorite queens from rue paul's drag race will be in the marina for the shady tour. check out all of the details for the events and more on our website at abc7news.com. just click on the hoodline section. have a great weekend. iisinly friday. and time for our most adorable feature of the week. perfect pet. mike is coming back next

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coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, an incredible story. helping the homeless in an unusual way. the barber doing it one cut at a time. you'll meet one of our abc 7 stars at 4:00. and scientists may have made the next break through in the battle against cancer. today at 5:00, developing a blood test to detect the disease. we have made it to friday. and what better way to kick off the weekend than with our perfect pet. mike is back now to introduce us. >> we have puppies on 7 yesterday so today we'll switch

gears and we'll feature an adorable cat from the san francisco spca who needs a forever home. meet danica cat-rick. and she loves to play. she likes climbing and exploring. danica needs to be in a home where she'll get extra tlc because she is visually impaired. volunteers think she'll thrive in a home with quiet and a stable routine. call the san francisco spca to set up an appointment. the number is on your and we want to thank you everybody who made yesterday's puppy day a success. we don't have a final tally, but i can tell you that the san francisco spca said it had twice as many adoptioned yesterday than it did the day before. and the marin humane society said they have 25 calls about the dogs they show cased. for more information on how to adopt a pet, go to abc7news.com

or download our abc 7 news app and we're all going through withdrawal. >> i know. puppy withdrawal. we had such a great time. and danica cat-rick. we have to find her a home. she knows how to use an ipad. stay dry. who wants to be a millionaire is coming up next. bye-bye. >> taking on issues -- >> three football players expelled -- >> the punishment does not fit the crime. >> tracking down answers. >> i wasn't to pg&e in san francisco but they refused to go on camera. >> telling your stories. >> if i get deported, what will happen with my bank account. >> and abc 7 is right where we've always been. the team you trust, built on the

game night is our daughter allie's favorite night. and knowing that her favorite general mills big g cereals are gluten-free, like honey nut cheerios, rice chex and lucky charms, she can enjoy it her way. try new very berry cheerios. the taste of real fruit in every bite. so berry good.

>> welcome, everybody, to hometown heroes week, where each day we're saluting some of the finest human beings you're ever going to meet. they're all deserving of the $1 million. let's find out if one of them is gonna take it home with them. it's time to play "who wants to be a millionaire." [dramatic music] ♪ hey, everybody, it's hometown heroes week on "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] this guy was named sexiest doctor alive by "people" magazine. today's hometown hero is also a third-year medical resident who has been using his 1.9 million social media followers to raise money for various charities and inspire young people to be the next generation of hometown heroes. from new york, new york, please give it up for dr. mikhail varshavski, better known as doctor mike. [cheers and applause]