>> that's where abc 7 news reporter is live with the latest tonight. melissa? >> reporter: we have to speak with tom's family members. they are worried, but hopeful. he knows the mountain well and has a lot of outdoor experience. he grew up in the bay area in albany and now richmond. he's been going to tahoe for decades. they want anybody who may have seen him on a trail to contact the sheriff's department. this is a picture of tom in the snow suit he was last seen in. tom has been missing since wednesday. he went skiing around 10:30 a.m. he took the big lift to the top and never returned to his family's cabin in arnold later that evening. >> i believe he was skiing by himself. >> reporter: his niece said he's an experienced skier and outdoors man and knows how to build a snow cave. >> decades of experience skiing and outdoor activities.

a ton of back country experience, but, yeah, he always comes home at night. that was unusual. >> reporter: the sheriff's department has been actively searching, but the conditions are dangerous and challenging. they have pictures of helicopters and the air national guard stranded in the snow after the storm blew in. low visibility, high wind and serious avalanche danger. the family made a flier. he's friendly and may have talked to people on the trail. >> there's a lot of country out there and hard to get around in this weather but, yeah, we are hopeful. we know he is smart. he's got experience and lots of people are out looking. >> reporter: the alpine county sheriff's office requested 40 additional searchers. a lot coming from the bay area. i got a chance to speak with the marin county sheriff's department. a team of seven left this afternoon. live in richmond, abc 7 news. >> thank you. conditions are so bad in the

s sierra most of it has been shut down because of reduced visibility, as you can see. a storm dumped a couple feet of new snow on see era ski resorts. this is video from kirkwood. cal trans is reporting on dangerous conditions. >> let's take a look at live doppler 7. you can see, it is snowing across the entire sierra nevada now. it has been dumping for days and that's going to continue. avalanche warning until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. avalanche danger is running high. here is a look at live doppler 7 and where we are seeing a wintry mix. it's snowing in the hills around our radar sight. you will notice above st. helena area, we are seeing snow showers. also a mix of rain and snow north of gurnville, northwest of gurnville and look at mt. hamilton, the snow has been accumulating there.

we loop this from the last couple hours. the south bay and santa cruz mountains seeing a mix of rain and snow. we had thunderstorms earlier today that rolled across the bay area. still a chance of thunderstorms as this cold system continues to dive southward. as it does, we'll see waves of energy moving through. this is a level one system on the impact scale. thunder and hail chance and snow over the highest peaks. i'll let you know if your weekend is going to be a washout. the time line is coming up. >> thanks so much. you can keep an eye on the weather with the abc news app. we have up grated it to customize the forecast for wherever you are. two people are dead and a car engine ripped out and tossed into the middle of a san jose street. it shows how violent an overnight car crash was on casselino drive and highway 87. two people are dead.

the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. abc 7 news reporter chris wy wy has more. >> reporter: this is the 13th traffic collision of the year. >> tires screeching at all times of the night. there's no surprise something like this would happen. >> reporter: overnight, san jose police say a honda accord traveling east lost control, struck a pole and crashed into a tree before coming to a stop. the impact so forceful, it was separated from the vehicle. two people were pronounced dead at the scene. two other passengers were transported to a local hospital. their conditions have not been released. >> they are in the preliminary stations of the investigation. there was indication that alcohol and marijuana may have con transcribe yu contributed to the accident. >> reporter: the stretch of road has been a problem spot for years. >> people come up here to walk.

it could be a pedestrian next time, you know? >> reporter: speed hasn't been ruled out in the crash. >> if you are going to drink or smoke, stay where you are at. call for a friend or cab to pick you up. do not drive while high. >> reporter: the drive is now back open to traffic. neighbors hope it serves as a wake-up call. >> curvy. tough be careful coming down these streets, for sure. >> the coroner's office has not released the identities of those who died. the marks at the scene, a fresh reminder of a devastating crash. in san jose, chris wynn, abc 7 news. a crash took the life of a man from walnut creek. chp was called to the scene at the off ramp from highway 94. a black honda civic ran off the road. the driver was crushed.

>> might have been taken off guard by the first initial rainfall and now it's light and sporadic, so people are driving fast again. it's just as slick when it's lightly raining as when it's heavily raining. slow down in the rain. >> at the time of the crash, it was rainin and the freeway was wet. chp had to close the off ramp for a short time to move the car. new at 5:00, incredible video of a fire that broke out 90 minutes ago at an oakland homeless camp. it was reported around 3:30 at 34th. fire officials say no one was hurt. the cause is still under investigation. meantime, fire officials say a women was injured after a small explosion and fire at a berkeley apartment building today. it happened about 1:30. firefighters quickly put it out. they did find a woman who needed to be taken to the hospital. the cause of the explosion and fire are still under

investigation. bart says it is powerless to do anything about controversial ads placed at several stations. progressives for immigration reform posted ads that say u.s. tech workers, your companies think you are expensive, undeserving and expendable. they asked to extend the h1b program which they use to bring in workers from overseas. bart doesn't endorse the campaign, but complies with free speech laws that allow advertisers to express their point of view. bart must post the ads to comply with the law. a partial evacuation of travis air force base. it was evacuated after what was thought to be explosive residue found. the bomb squad responded. here is a map of the area near fairfield. the all clear was sounded at

1:40. no more problems there. the first victims are being identified in the collapse of the pedestrian bridge in miami. 18-year-old alexa duran was a student at florida international university. her father said the bridge crashed down on her suv, trapping her inside. a 37-year-old construction worker was among the six people killed. ten others were taken to hospitals, two remain in critical condition today. crews have spent hours methodically removing debris, trying to reach vehicles buried under beneath all the concrete and steel. >> our primary focus is to remove all the cars and all the victims in a dignified manner and not compromise the investigation in the process. so far, officials are refusing to confirm reports that engineers were tightening cables on the bridge before it collapsed. the $14 million span was installed saturday near florida

international university and scheduled to open to the public next fall. >> preparing people for the unthinkable. a mass casualty disaster or mass shooter. a trauma nurse explained how an ordinary person can stop the bleeding when someone has been hurt. >> the best way is dive right no. >> reporter: with mass casualty fresh on the minds of many, the alameda health system is helping to teach people, not just health professionals, techniques to stop the bleeding after someone has been seriously injured or shot. >> lean into it with with all your body. perfect. >> they are simple. >> reporter: a trauma nurse at highlands hospital. >> first and foremost, apply direct pressure. if you see a bleeding injury, get gauze z, a t-shirt and apply direct pressure. another is placing a tourniquet around an extremity. >> when a bridge collapses or an

active shooter is on the loose, the damage is inflicted in a matter of seconds. without life saving techniques, an injured person could bleed out in a matter of minutes, long before the first responders arrive. >> reporter: as many as 35% of people who die before they get to a hospital do so because of massive blood loss. >> a single event ar mass casualties or a manmade disaster, those techniques of stopping massive hemorrhage will save a leg. >> purr it in as much as possible. >> reporter: and well trained citizen responder who can make that difference between life and death. in oakland, laura anthony, abc 7 news. you can get more information and a link to the life saving techniques on our website, abc7news.com. stay with us. more to come. a break in at a cat rescue in oakland. >> kalts are seen scurrying and scattering when someone breaks a

window. people in the area can't believe anyone would do so. nearly a dozen are hurt. trying to turn the page at a bookstore has people upset. how a remodel is turning into res resistance in marin. a lawmaker takes another shot. free ice cream

a frightening scene at a ski resort in georgia, in central asia. those are panicked skiers jumping off a lift that malfunctioned and was running backwards out of control. one chair stopped at the bottom of the lift and others slammed into it like chain reaction crash, sending skiers flying off. at least ten were injured.

the incident is under investigation. the helicopter crash in the east river in new york caused the federal aviation administration to offer a rule change. there will be no more doors off aircraft flights unless the passenger safety restraints can be quickly released in an emergency. doors were removed from the chopper that crashed for passengers to take unobscured photographs. the pilot was able to remove himself from his harness and escape. oakland police looking for a vandal and missing cat. this is surveillance video from cattown. watch as the cats scatter when a window is broken. look to the left of screen. moments later, the vandal walks through the facility and into a nearby office. shortly after, a cat is climbing out of the broken window. see that? cat town is looking for help to pay for the broken window as well as finding that cat.

in marin county, a battle of old versus new. comfortable versus improvement and the unknown. it's happening in mill valley and involves a local landmark. an old train station turned book marc. wayne has the story. >> reporter: if you know mill valley, you probably know there's no place in town more friendly and welcoming than the old depot. >> a place to hang out. >> reporter: and more. community lightening rods. >> the story changed 55 times already. >> all we want to do is create a beautiful, european caffee. >> reporter: depending on who you ask, he's a visionary or villain for buying the bookstore and trying to improve it. do you believe anything he said today? >> i heard him speak before. >> reporter: the depot is owned by the city of mill valley and

the only public building the city leases out as a private business. it's historic. see that sign there, it says northwestern pacific. it is the old railroad that crisscrossed the way before the bridge. commuters used to board trains right here. the depot is an old building needing upgrades. the concern by locals that after he invests in the changes, they will be priced out. >> the issue is turning a community center into a building for maximum profit. >> reporter: a cafe and a community center co-exist? >> yes. >> reporter: can you make that promise? >> it's all over italy. that's what all their cafes are. >> reporter: this isn't italy, it's marin county. those who oppose the change signed a petition and asked them to vote on it april 2nd. abc 7 news. one last call for alcohol. state senator scott wiener is

taking a shot at extending bar hours to 4:00 a.m. a similar bill died last year. he is limiting it to six cities. they include oakland and san francisco. bars and dance clubs and other night life have big revenues. >> if someone is going to get drunk and then hop in their car, it doesn't matter if you close at 4:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., midnight, 10:00 p.m., they are going to do that. we need to stop duis. i have family members killed by drunk drivers. this will not increase drunk-driving. >> he looked at all 50 states and found zero correlation. get your green ready for the largest st. patrick's day event west of the mississippi.

the parade starts at market and 2nd street. 5,000 people are expected to participate. there's a festival at city center plaza. the day long event starts at 10:00 a.m. and goes to 5:00. entertainment, food, arts, craft. will the weather cooperate? >> that's the million dollar question. there will be a chance of showers at the parade, but nothing to ruin it. live doppler 7, it has been an active day with with thunderstorms that passed across the bay area. now we are looking at snow showers. in the santa cruz money t mountains, a wintry mix. seeing a mix of rain and snow showers. it has been near the radar site, a wintry mix this afternoon. look at street level radar around st. helena, you can see

the shades indicating that mixed precipitation. street level radar, it is raining across highway 101. really, it's a blanket of snow from cobb mountain to the mountains in clear lake area, above the clear lake area. we are going to continue to see that mix. winter storm warning for the sierra until 5:00 a.m. 8-14 inches of snow is expected. 3-5 feet of snow over the last three days. major travel delays continue. whiteout conditions there. i would hold off on travel. look at this beautiful picture from tahoe. they have received a great deal of snow and more coming. snow showers tomorrow morning. they will taper and get up there early. mostly cloudy on sunday if you are traveling, monday is dry. temperatures right now in the 40s and 50s. here is a look at the wind. it is gusty right now in fairfield out of the west at 28 miles an hour. napa, 25. a live picture looking from our

emeryville camera, the clouds bubbling up. occasional showers through tomorrow afternoon. drier and milder sunday and monday. we are looking at the wet pattern returning next week. this is a level one through tomorrow on the impact scale. scattered showers, a possibility of isolated thunderstorm with hail and snow over the peaks. we continue around 2500 to 3000 feet. hour-by-hour we go. we'll see the wintry mix in the north bay. same area at 7:00 p.m. the showers sliding around 8:00 p.m. going into tomorrow morning. if you have early plans, expect the scattered showers at 5:00 a.m. if you are going to be out and about 7:00 to 10:00 a.m., snow in mt. hamilton. you will notice as we head into the evening hours, moderate pockets of shower develop. looking at the showers around 7:00 p.m., they diminish, then they are done.

not a washout. carry the umbrellas, you will be fine. in terms of rainfall totals, three quarters of an inch. temperatures first thing in the morning will be in the 30s and 40s. it will be chilly be scattered showers. you need a jacket and umbrelas. for the afternoon hours, on the cool side for saturday. upper 40s to the upper 50s. st. patrick's day parade tomorrow. we have the festival tomorrow. 11:00 a.m., 51 degrees. showers around. a chance in the afternoon and still a chance in the evening. here is the accuweather seven day forecast. scattered, wintry mix for saturday, st. patrick's day. drying out sunday and monday with milder weather. a spring storm comes in tuesday. level one. wet and gusty through thursday. that is going to be a warmer and wetter storm. download the accuweather app. >> will do. thank you so much. a little ice cream, a little muse zic.

time to take a break. a bay area high school student who reached for the stars. new at 6:00, the invention that will be put to use ♪ ♪ ♪ (vo) you can pass down a subaru forester. but you get to keep the memories. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. (avo) get 0% apr financing on all new 2018 subaru forester models. now through april 2nd. ♪ ♪ with the chase mobile app, michaela deprince could pay practically anyone, at any bank, all while performing a grand jeté between two grand pianos. she could... in a commercial. in real life she uses it to pay her sister, from her couch,

for that sweater she stained. what sweater? (phone buzzes) life, lived michaela's way. chase. make more of what's yours. it's just my eczema again,t. but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be

something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com to learn more. a plane was taking off and the door burst open and scattered 200 bars of gold and silver on the runway. it was carrying more than nine tons of gold and silver. you can see how much it was jostled inside the plane there. most of the bars were found but not all of them. >> wow. police in massachusetts say this video is proof of how dangerous it can be when motorists don't clear snow off their vehicle. watch. especially a tractor trailer. fortunately, no one was hurt.

watch again. here it goes. that's one way to get the snow off the top. >> it is friday and time for friday freestyle. >> michael is here. what do you have? >> music and ice cream. >> good combination. >> we have video that starts off with sound i want you to hear. ♪ >> we have given away their tickets before, earplay. it is a $50 value. the concert is on monday, march 19th, 7:30. the veterans building, beautiful facility. unpredictable evening of bold, classical chamber muse zic. now that you have heard great music, perhaps it is time for you to have some ice cream. yes, it is. it's the same day, march 19th, the opening of super duper burger in concord. let me show you this video. there you go. you are going to get a kids soft

serve ice cream cone. super duper is the best burger for flavor, quality and value. local farms, vendors, they are really, really big on that. so, super duper builds its restaurants sustainably, local. you better be able to get it with the chocolate coating. >> yeah. >> if i'm showing it, they better be giving it away. don't let me down. go to abc7news.com, look for the finney's friday free stuff page. super duper, i grew up here. there used to be a chain of super duper markets. >> really? >> when i see burger, i think, did they steal that name? ready, set go. a local school and the recognition for the father of modern philanthropy. >> first, a whammy for this picture video from monterey.

you can see whales playing, feeding and reaching in monterey bay. share your pictures with

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, a graduate has been killed in a military helicopter crash in iraq. tonight, the 37-year-old's heroic career and tireless efforts to help the less fortunate. also -- >> i thought i was walking to my death. >> for the first time since receiving a settlement, they talk about the kidnapping ordeal the police called a hoax. the slowdown in fast food. why we may be at a tipping point. all that and much more coming up on the news at 6:00. >> thanks, see you then. finally, bay area students are getting worldwide attention. >> if you don't believe us,

google it. >> the students at george peabody in san francisco were at an assembly when they learned their submission was chosen as google's doodle of the day. look at that, it appeared today in countries around the world. philanthropist george peabody surrounded by students. >> it's very diverse with a lot of children up there and i really like that fact about the mural. >> it's super cool to be on google and it's cool because it's a tech giant. >> the doodle will fade into cyber space. google presented the school with a commemorative plaque and stickers for the students to take home. >> that is a big deal. >> world news is coming up next. >> from all of us, thank you for being here. we appreciate your time.

tonight, the new video showing the moment that 950-ton bridge collapses. at least six dead, a number that could rise as they search the rubble. and we learned one of the victims was an 18-year-old fiu student. and the question tonight, could this disaster have been avoided? the mounting drama inside the west wing. several in the president's inner circle reportedly in the crosshairs. what the national security adviser told our reporter today at the white house. two powerful storms hitting right now. one of them tracking east. will it grow into a fourth nor'easter and a spring slam in sam champion standing by with the track. also tonight, the family kicked off a passenger plane. a little girl scared to fly, and the confrontation with the flight attendants.