live where you live, this is abc 7 news. >> the strongest storm of the season is here. crippling the bay area commute. and causing delays and accidents. this is a live look in san rafael, on 101 right now. where it's been slow going all day. and you can expect this to continue well into your evening commute. perhaps, even worse. thanks for joining us, i'm kristen sze. we have live team coverage on today's storm. let's begin with abc 7 meteorologist mike nicco with a first look at where the heaviest rain is falling rite n ining ri >> it's been light to moderate all day today, steady, and it's anywhere. right now near mt. st. helena, saint to rosa, and points

southward, which happens to be upstream. let me give you an overview of what to expect. a strong storm heavy rain and lightning at times. gusty winds will develop over the next hour or so. flooding concerns on the burn scars in the north bay. let me give you my concerns in order from highest, hydroplaning, morning commute was awful, to trees toppling which could cause power outages. here's a look at the flood watch. starting at noon today through 6:00 tomorrow morning, if you live near one of those, watch out for debris flows and may, worst case scenario, have to evacuate. other than our inland north bay and east bay valleys everybody's going to have gusty winds during the same time up to 50 miles per hour. here's a look at san jose, one of our lowest rainfall amounts at half an inch. you're still getting steady rain. that's going to be the case. my accuweather 12-hour planner, becoming showery at 4:00 and see the intensity of the storms. pick up as we head into the evening hour. more on the storm coming up. >> thank you. the storm is most worrisome for

people in north bay neighborhoods devastated by last october's wildfires. fire officials have been busy bracing for flooding and mudslides in the burn areas. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live in santa rosa with more. >> reporter: hi, kristen. here's wouchb t pear here's one of the hillsides they're worried about. also see the green areas, that's hydroseeding they have planted because they want some growth to come in. this rain will help with that. and that helps stabilize the hillside. they just hope it will hold right now. people's belongings left behind from october's fires are now getting drenched with rain. there is still a lot of cleaning up here to do in h santa rosa. now the city and burned out areas will be tested by the season's biggest storms so far. >> it will be interesting to see what comes this afternoon. we definitely don't want to take it lightly. >> reporter: city officials say they have worked hard to prepare for this moment. and even had unexpected extra time to repair storm drains and

address erosion issues. >> given the fact that we haven't had the amount of rains we've typically would have during this season, it's allowed us to continue to improve our measures, continue to improve our hillsides and prepare for weather event like this. this will be the test. >> reporter: this storm is expected to bring winds, one concern is that it could topple dead or dying trees that were burned in the fire. they also think timing could be an issue. >> one of the concerns we have is that the storm is anticipated to hit this afternoon, so it's going to be rush hour, going to be busy. there's going to be potential for a lot of cars on the street. we're hoping people heed to the cautions and slow down, take the extra time they need. >> reporter: city crews will be driving through these santa rosa neighborhoods looking for any issues. they're also asking residents to please report any problems they see during this storm. live in santa rosa, amy hollyfield, abc 7. >> amy, thank you. from the north bay to the south bay, the santa cruz mountains is another place expecting to get a lot of rain from this storm.

abc 7 news reporter matt keller is live on highway 17 near the summit. math, it gets very treacherous there and you saw that firsthand this morning. >> reporter: kristen, it can certainly be dangerous up in the santa cruz mountains. behind me, see cal trans is actually going up on highway 17. they're stopping and clearing the gutters. of course, it's been raining all morning long here in the santa cruz mountains. you know what that means, with e g we got crashes and backups. you know highway 17 in the santa cruz mountains is dangerous especially when it rains but this still happens. >> it's true, got to be careful out here. >> reporter: at about 3:00 this morning sergio flores was on southbound 17 at summit road when his suv hydroplaned about 30 feet before flipping over. he and his passenger were able to walk away uninjured. >> not my first accident, not the first turnover, so pretty used to it. >> reporter: the chp is also used to crashes like this during the rain. this car crash eed and ended up stalling in the fast lane near

redwood estates. both people inside were fine. another crash near star view terrace. the driver had minor injuries. just a little later around 5:45 a.m. another crash on summit road this time on the northbound side. it caused this major backup. and check out how far it went. miles and miles away into scotts valley. the rain picked up as the morning went along. rez dechbt sidents in the santa mountains happy to see the rain again but not all at once. >> is we're glad to see it, you want it to come in smaller bunches. >> i'm glad it's here. we need the water, so i think if everybody knew it should be coming, so time to prepare and it's nothing compared to last year, so, i think it's fine. i'm ready. >> reporter: the afternoon commute is also expected to be wet and windy, so your best defense up here in the santa cruz mountains is to slow down. reporting live in the santo crut

news. >> keep track of the rain like i did this morning with the abc 7 accuweather app. now to other news happening today. the man acquitted of murdering pleasanton native kate steinle will make his appearance in federal court. a local judge sentenced garcia zarate to three years in prison for gun possession. zarate was released on credit for time served. convicted zara it, e with being a convicted felon and undocumented immigrant in possession of a firearm. san fracisco police have a new plan to prevent car break-ins. according to the "chronicle" the department will begin assigning officers to stations around the city who will focus exclusively on property crimes. this is the latest in a series of efforts to stop the explosion of auto burglaries. new program will be tested at the department's mission stations. there are more than 30,000 car

break-ins in san francisco last year, alone. new at 11:00, democratic donor and billionaire san franciscan tom styer announced he'll sink $30 million into helping democrats win back the house during the midterm elections. >> something where the american people have to be involved and informed and demand it. this is an important thing, and that's what our strategy is to engage, involve, inform, and empower the voice of the american people. >> steyer's move today removed some of the speculation he may be joining california's races for governor or u.s. senate. he spent $100 million since 2016 on political campaigns. many of them on propositions. could talk show queen oprah winfrey become the next president of the united states? her rousing golden globes speech last night fueling rumors today. abc 7 mornings anchor jessica castro is here with more on winfrey 2020, perhaps? >> maybe, kristen, it's not the first time the idea of president

winfrey has been thrown out there but this may be the first time it really has teeth. social media went wild after oprah became the first black woman to accept the cecil b. de mi demill award. sources close to oprah say she's active thinking about a run. could oprah winfrey be interested in becoming president of the united states? oprah 2020 may not be too far from reality. her golden globes speech sunday night that focused on the me too movement and women's rights has sparked of a presidential run. >> so i want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon. >> reporter: cnn is now reporting two of oprah's close friends who want to stay anonymous talked in the wake of her awards speech saying the powerhouse media mogul is, quote, activetly thinking of running for president. oprah, herself, has been silent

since the golden globes and in the past has dismissed the idea. winfrey's longtime partner stedman graham told the "los angeles times," "it's up to the people. she would absolutely do it." >> for too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. but their time is up. >> oprah lacks political experience, and it's all just talk for now, but there has been overwhelming support of an oprah 2020 run across social media. and hollywood as you heard from that applause always supports oprah. i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. >> jessica, thank you. new this morning, the trump administration is ending special predictions for salvadorian immigra immigrants. they have until september 2019 to leave the u.s. or find a new way to obtain legal residency. the move affects nearly 200,000

people. sal havadorians were granted temporary protective status of a series of earthquakes devastated that country in 2001. the future is now. one of the hottest gadgets at this year's consumer electronics show, a car that can read your mind. plus, why it appears president trump's former chief strategist is making an about face on controversial comments he made in a new book "fire and fury." getting around has been such a chore today. kristen was telling us how long it took her to get in, twice as long as normal for most of us. and the evening commute could mirror that. tomorrow's morning commute looking a little bit better. so we're going to focus on the evening and overnight hours because that's when the heaviest rain and the strongest winds are coming in. an hour-by-hour look at that coming up. >> the abc 7 storm impact scale. today's storm is level 3. that means a strong storm. look out for flooding, hazards on the road, and possible power outa outages. stay ahead of today's storm with abc 7 news

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which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more. now to the number one book in the country right now still sparking headlines this mit ddd. "fire and fury" pitted president trump against former chief strategist steve bannon. we have the latest in the growing backlash. >> reporter: "fire and fury" fallout, number one bestseller on amazon and the man heavily quoted in it, ex-trump chief strategist steve bannon under attack by the white house. >> it reads like an angry

vindictive person spout off to a highly discredible author. >> reporter: president trump's adviser steven miller on krn, all-out bar against bannon since the explosive quotes revealed in the book by author michael wolff. abc news has not confirmed the details in the book. >> i guess sloppy steve brought him into the white house quite a bit. that's why sloppy steve is looking for a job. >> reporter: bannon is expressing regret, oonl fnly fot he said about donald trump's son. "donald trump jr. is both a patriot. he has been relentless in the advocacy for his father and agenda that helped turn the country around." suggested to wolff the meeting he sat up with jared kushner, paul manafort and a russian lawyer to get dirt on hillary clinton was treasonous and unpatriotic. "fire and fury" has the president defending his mental fitness. the president tweeting "throughout my life my two greatest asset have been mental stability and being, like, really smart."

>> i think the president, as you watched him, his behavior has only confirmed what all of those people on the record and off the record said in the book. >> trump's personal legal team sent a cease and desist to the publisher of "fire and fury." they're responding today saying the president's efforts to suppress the book are flagrantly unconstitutional. abc news, washington. we're already living among cars that drive on their and. imagine a car that can read your mind, one of the concepts unv l unveiled today at the consumer electronics show in las vegas. abc 7 news anchor reggie aquestion spoa question aqui spoke to them about this. >> explain what this is, elliot. >> seems perfectly reasonable, right? this is the nissan brain to vehicle technology that uses this kind of wave cap. imagine a driver wearing what i presume is sort of an odd looking cap with wires coming out of it. what nissan says this will

actually allow the car to predict what the driver is going to do before the driver even does it. >> elliot wheeler says other items to expect, laptops with cellular connectivity and 20-hour battery life. and ready or not, alexa with the ability to control your bathroom applian appliances. yes, perhaps, even flushing the toilet. the list is out. we know who will be headlining this year's bottle rock concert and when tickets will go on sale.

at home.ld generate your own energy, or to save energy, unplug unused appliances. do your thing, with energy upgrade california. now an accuweather alert. >> from abc 7 mornings. >> check out this video from an h san jose.

some of the rain that fell this morning. see the puddles developing there. looks like almost everybody had their lights on which is great news. wipers on, lights on, remember. something else to remember, as you head into the afternoon hours, when thunder roars, run indoors. so if you hear some thunder that means lightning caused it and you want to come inside and stay inside for a while. here's a look at what's going on as far as some of our wet weather and some of the splotchy nature of the moderate rain that is out there right now. and we've got, look at that, 92-minute arrival delays into sfo. oakland and san jose doing fine as we speak. the rain not affecting them quite as much. so let's take a look at the rainfall totals so far. half an inch. that's one of the lowest amounts in san jose. look at this, topping an inch in san francisco right at it at sfo. inch and a half kenfield, one of our wetter spot. inland east bay neighborhoods, near an inch in oakland, three

quarters of an inch in sant sa rosa. let's see what's in store for the accuweather seven-day forecast. accuweather highlights. gusty winds and rain. steady rain becoming showery in nature, means localized intense rain and gusty breezes. lightning's possible tonight in some of those intense showers. then let's jump ahead to the weekend. going to be drier and warmer than average once again. here's a look at walnut creek this morning for your activity planner, wet and choppy. pour out on the bay. if you're exercising, rain all day. if you're out and about, take the wet weather gear. once the winds start blowing the rain's going to come down sideways. umbrella is not going to help you much during the latter parts of the afternoon and evening hours. south from san rafael along 101, and see on the roads, poor, mass transit, poor. on the bay, all poor because of the gusty winds and the rain. now, as we head throughout the rest of the afternoon, to 4:00, you can see the transition turning over to more showers and also see more yellows and oranges. especially after 7:00 and right up until midnight. and then they sit on the south bay for the better part of the

overnight hours before starting to dissipate just a little bit during the morning commute to more scattered showers and then as we head throughout the day, they become scattered to even isolated. so the heaviest of the rain, we've had half of it, now we're going to get the other half as we head toward 7:00. everybody above an inch of rain north of the san mateo bridge. then with that rain hitting the south bay harder during the overnight hours you'll be up to an inch also by the time the commute starts tomorrow morning. and that's why we're going to have ponding on the rodeway roas and probably a lot of solo spinouts. the sierra, winter weather advisory from 7:00 this evening until 7:00 tomorrow evening. if you want to go there, go now. it's all wet but will be sfoeno and icy by tomorrow morning. we're going to drop the storm impact scale from a 3, strong, to a 1, light, for tomorrow. we'll start drying wednesday. sun comes out thursday and friday. before you know it, we're back to the dry pattern with temperatures above average in the low to mid 60s.

by far, kristen, still several more hours of tough weather to deal with. >> all right. at least we're prepared. mike, thank you. new at 11:00, big news for all you music festival fans. bruno mars, the killers, and muse will headline the sixth annual bottle rocket or bottlerock. the music, wine and food and brew festival will be held may 25th through 27th at the napa valley expo grounds. more than 80 acts have been booked so far including the chainsmokers. performances will take place on five stages, three-day festival passes go on sale tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. and prices begin it's winter sports time. see what they do for fun next

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a reminder, we're on 24/7 on the abc 7 news app and abc7news.com. today on our website, an invaluable tool especially on a day like this. posted live doppler 7 radar so you can track the rain. if you're logging on to abc7news.com, from your phone, you can download the abc 7 news app to get breaking news alerts. then tune in for the latest news and weather right here on our news newscast, ab krc 7 news at 4:00. social media fans of the bachelor are talking about two things.

one, there are four laurens on the show. so if you do the math, that's almost 14% laurens. many viewers also noticed there's a lot of blond ombre hair this season. that's right. >> i don't really have a type. you know, and so i think there were a lot of different types of women. i feel like, yes, there were a lot of blonds. there was a blondterage for sure. >> haven't heard that one before. okay. bachelor arie has no intention of moving to l.a. and becoming a reality star and told us about getting back to real estate after the show. fans are able to track him down at open b houses. abc 7 news anchor natasha zouves asked him about that. >> your history with "the bachelor" doesn't always help when it comes to the second career. >> sell some real estate in arizona and interact with a lot of different people to be able to do that, so, yeah, it has been pretty funny driving people around and showing open houses has definitely chaged. >> we can only imagine. don't miss an all new episode of "the bachelor" tonight at 8:00. right here on abc 7.

of course, he's the son of a famous family. >> absolutely. >> heard that name before. from all of us here at abc 7 news, thanks for joining us. we do want to remind you, it is rainy out there and going to be for quite a few hours pretty intensely. >> slow down. had so many solo spinouts this morning. the rain may not be as widespread and steady later on but will be intense when it does fall. >> during the evening commute hours? >> exactly, during the evening commute hours and when nobody's driving overnight, more of the water will pool up and be there standing waiting for you tomorrow morning also. >> a lot of folks coming back into the bay area from extended vacation break. a lot of folks going back to school. today's kind of like all forces colliding. it's a tough one. be patient. have a good one and be safe.

>> hey, everybody. i'm hoping to make some people very rich today, like wildest dreams rich, so stay right there, because it's time to play "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] ♪ hey everybody, welcome to "millionaire." you guys ready to go? [cheers and applause] we're in the middle of a great game. from florissant, missouri, let's welcome back kevin slattery. [cheers and applause] right as we were interrupted, you got to that $5,000 threshold which is a nice place to stop, because you got to sleep on 5 grand knowing that money can't be taken away from you. so all we can do is better today. >> i'm ready to do a lot better, chris. >> all right, well, and you have two lifelines remaining. you got your "50/50" and your "plus one." so let's get back to your game. let's play "who wants to be a millionaire."