>> we're still 50 to 66% for the average of rain that starts october 1st. the more we get, the deeper we can get into spring, the better it is. here's a look at the storm impact scale. light to moderate rain in the morning. during the evening and overnight hours, gusty in the higher elevations along the bay shore and the coast. right now, we've got moderate showers moving through. looks like on top of mt. diablo and towards petaluma and novato. here's a look at the richmond side of the richmond-san rafael bridge. you can see how wet it is this morning. mild in my accuweather 12-hour planner. mid-50s in the low to mid-60s from noon to 7:00 with the showers tapering briefly late this afternoon and evening before a heavier push tonight. alexis? >> walnut creek camera, looks like something is going on on southbound 680. looking at the bottom of the screen, i'm not sure if folks are hitting standing water or if

a new crash popped up. not called in to chp yet. i was listening to that as mike was doing the weather. i'll check on that. we have our second crash of the morning around wilder. another spinout crash, believe it or not. we've had a half dozen of those already today. right now, we don't have any lanes blocked. just gives you an idea of how slick it is. slow down and drive for conditions. we're following the serial bombing suspect is dead. he blew himself up inside his vehicle. a s.w.a.t. team was closing on his vehicle when a 24-year-old suspect detonated a device in his car. an officer fired at the suspect. he is now on administrative leave. another officer was hurt. we know very little about the suspect. authorities still not releasing

his name. he's responsible for the bombing in austin over the past three weeks. but a motive is still unclear. authorities still very much on edge telling people in the city to stay vigilant, saying that there still could be packages or devices out there. within just the last few minutes or so, i've learned that authorities say they are not sure if he was working alone. still very much a big concern, reggie. >> thank you, jessica. an unusual trial in regards to climate change. oakland and san francisco are suing big oil companies over rising sea levels. >> the judge is asking both sides to school him today. amy hollyfield is live in san francisco for us. amy? >> reporter: that's right, natasha. class will be in session here at the federal courthouse today. this has been called a court ordered tutorial on climate change science. the judge will hear from lawyers representing the cities of oakland and san francisco and then the lawyers for chevron. this is the first time the

science of climate change has been challenged in court. as coastal city, san francisco and oakland are talk -- because of the impact here and how much it would cost the cities. each side will have 120 minutes to make their case. this case is expected to be closely watched. reporting live from san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. thank you, amy. we're watching a storm that ranks a 1 on the storm impact scale today and expected to gain strength throughout the week. it could become a dangerous situation. santa rosa fountain grove district are in fear of floods and mudslides. they're hoping for the best. gravel bags protect 1400 storm drains in the hardest hit areas. >> they're catching a lot of the debris and the silt and sediment and allowing the water to go over or around them. a new alert system will let residents know if weather-related trouble is coming their way. a group of students will

join others at the nation's capit capital. they were there yesterday where students gathered to talk about taking part in saturday's march for our lives rally. they have been affected by gun violence in their own neighborhoods. >> i just recently lost my big brother to gun violence. it's taken a toll on my family and we're still really affected by it. >> the group will fly to d.c. on friday. sister marches will be held in other cities, including here in san francisco. we'll have coverage of the rallies on abc 7 news. on gma first look, we brought you this yesterday on abc 7 mornings. here's kendis gibson. >> in in morning's gma first look, police on the scene seconds after a shootout in the halls of the southern maryland school. >> frant ont entrance of the hi school. >> shots fired before the start of 8:00 a.m. classes.

1400 students inside. many hiding under their desks when officers move in. >> anyone need medical treatment? >> no. >> investigators say the gunman, a 17-year-old walked into glenn mills high school and shot two students. it could have been a lot worse. if not for school resource officer blaine gaskill, the sheriff saying he responded in less than a minute. >> he pursued the shooter and engaged the shooter during which he fired a round at the shooter. simultaneously the shooter fired a round as well. >> coming up at 7:00, we'll learn more about the young victims. with your gma first look, i'm kendis gibson, abc news, new york. two students at the same florida high school where 17 people were killed on valentine's day were arrested. they were allegedly bringing weapons to marjory stoneman douglas high. a girl brandished a knife in the cafeteria and a male student pulled out a knife on a school bus. also, a sheriff was caught sleeping on the job.

that sheriff has been suspended. now to southwest michigan, a 15-year-old boy was turned into the police by his parents after admitting he was planning to shoot up his high school. he stole two guns from his grandfather and cut them to fit into his backpack. he had put together molotov cocktails and had some of the materials to make pipe bombs. the family says the teen was bullied at the school. never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. this is one of the milder mornings. tomorrow morning will be just as mild, if not milder. look at the low to mid-50s in the inland east bay neighborhoods. the same thing everywhere from santa rosa at 51 to hayward at 58 degrees right now. if you're taking a ferry, sla vallejo or alameda or wherever, san rafael, it's going to be wet on the bay this morning. it's breeziest along the coast, but the breezes will pick up along the bay as we heed into the afternoon hours. you can see light rain falling right now from the roof camera

in downtown san francisco and along the embarcadero. if you're running errands, rainy at times. not an all day rain but be prepared for when it does rain. exercising, the afternoon will be drier than this morning. if you're headed up to the high country, the snow level is so high that it's mainly wet until you get on top of tahoe and then it turns over to snow. temperature today 61 in half moon bay. ukiah, lakeport, 60. everyone else at 63 to 68 degrees. let's go hour by hour. 12 hours. south bay, you can see the rain up until noon. temperatures warming from 57 to 63. aly bit of a break during the afternoon hours and more rain this evening. still in the mid-60s by 8:00. check out the peninsula. 58 at 8:00. rain. 55 i should say. a little bit longer stretch of drier weather for the afternoon hours and into the evening hours. once we get past 8:00, look what comes in tonight. look at all the yellows and

oranges. chance of thunder. lows in the mid to upper 50s. heavier rain in my accuweather seven-day forecast. an update on the hotspots. a lot to choose from this morning, mike. want to take you back to walnut creek, southbound 680. we saw what was an incident pop up last time we looked at this camera. there's a crash reported around 242. i think there's a wrong location. this is a little bit closer to treat boulevard. two-car crash. they're supposedly in the center divide. i think that far left lane is blocked and they're calling for a tow truck to the scene. we could have more lanes blocked once chp and the tow truck arrives on the scene. westbound 24 before wilder, boy, we've got a backup forming now. in danville, yet another solo vehicle spinout crash. past sycamore valley road. that's wedged up on top of the center divide over into the left lane. slow down and take it easy. we'll check drive times next. thank you, alexis. richmond employs need your help in identifying this driver.

i know this photo isn't the best quality. the police say this is likely a middle aged woman in a black sweatshirt driving a newer model black honda. the woman allegedly hit a woman in a crosswalk on february 16th causing broken bones. the driver sped away hitting another car before driving away on south 37th street. first porn star stormy daniels. now new details about a former playboy model who was paid to keep quiet about an affair with president trump. also, state leaders taking a stance on the future of driverless cars days after a woman was hit and killed by one in arizona. there's a new employee at walmart. why this robot won't be taking human jobs any time soon. it is 5:09. we want you to have a better day. we're keeping up weather and traffic information on your screen so you're in the know before you leave the house. >> announcer: the abc 7 storm impact scale. today's storm is level 1.

that means light rain. keep an umbrella handy. drive safely. drive safely. >> tra internet. but not just [ any internet.] it's "you've never gamed with speed like this" internet. it's "all your teenagers streaming at once" internet. it's "i can get up to one, two, three, four, five mobile lines included?" internet! it's internet from xfinity that makes your life

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just updated the latest numbers from all the rain we got yesterday. we're doing a little bit better. at least in the 60% range of average. that should be 61% for san jose.

sorry about that. a typing error. it helped a little bit. we jumped 3 to 5% compared to yesterday. hopefully we'll jump up more with the next rain through saturday. now a live desk update. new developments overnight out of north korea. north korea now publicly acknowledging a sign of change in u.s. relations. this is the first time we've heard from north korea since president trump accepted an invitation to meet with kim jong-un. that was two weeks ago. the korean central news agency says north korea's peace loving proposal created a, quote, dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation. kim jong-un expected to meet with south korean president moon jae in next month marking the first time he's met with a foreign head of state. back to you. first stormy daniels, now a former playboy model who claims she had an affair with president trump is suing to be released

from her legal agreement restricting her ability to speak. karen macdougal says she was tricked into signing an agreement to keep quiet about the alleged affair. a close friend of the president owns the enquirer. mark farrell announced an $800,000 budget increase. >> community leaders taking a step with first-ever panel on gun control. kate larsen has the story. over $115,000 people -- 115,000 people fall vic toim it gun violence. >> san francisco police chief showed up to this church meeting because he says it's the type of discussion that will eliminate gun violence. the shootings in yountville and there florida last month grabbed headlin headlines. his -- >> it's an enormous impact on our society in terms of cost, in terms of treatment and in terms of impact. survivors.

>> grace cathedral is working with temple emanuel and israel to inspire san francisco's faith community to take an active role against gun violence. >> when we see sort of grassroots communities, they're coming involved in an issue, more likely to move forward toward change. >> this is the city of st. francis. so we take the lead on a lot of issues. >> maddy scott became a gun violence activist after her son was shot 22 years ago. she says schools, families, communities only to watch out for red flags. >> ask relatives, is there a gun in the home, see signs of mental illness, recognize those signs. if you do, how to help that person. >> the experts about the power behind the students' voices in florida. a renewed hope for meaningful change. in san francisco, kate larsen, abc 7 news. california has no plans to hit the brakes on self-driving cars despite that deadly crash

in arizona. next month the dmv will begin issuing permits to allow driverless car tests in the golden state. transportation officials say they're aware a driverless uber car struck and killed a woman on sunday. they see no need to alter the plans. it had a backup operator in that vehicle, although uber is likely not at fault, the driver may still face charges. as for the fallout from that crash, toyota will temporarily stop all -- called chauffeur on u.s. roads. officials add the the amount of vehicles they're testing is small and did not say how long the suspension is going to last. the former ceo of uber will soon be ceo of a small real estate startup. >> travis kalanick bought city storage systems and named himself ceo. it will remodel real estate for -- he has 15 employees. kalanick was thrown out as ceo of uber after a series of scandals at the company

commuter won't have to wait long for a new line. wait times between each train will be reduced from 7 minutes to 4 minutes to accommodate more riders on weekdays. the change will begin this summer. walmart testing the use of robots to help with a job right now done by humans. >> these robots are not replacing greeters, but they will lend a hand for a more mundane task. we spotted this robot in milpitas. it's to scan aisles for incorrect prices and >> then -- >> the data we're getting is arming associates so they have the information to do their jobs better. >> it's starting to be a little scary. are machines taking over? >> walmart officials insist it won't affect employee head count and many believe this will improve the shopping experience.

the robots are being produced by a san francisco company. the company currently working with three other national stores in addition to walmart. you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. we really need you to get us through the day, mike. >> i'll do the best i can by preparing you for it. what you really need to know is the moderate rain that we're going to get will fall this morning. there's pockets of it right now. we'll get a little break during the evening hours. here's a look at what's going on in san rafael. a little bit of fog is forming also. so we'll try to throw that in there to make it more interesting this morning. here we go with the accuweather -- milder breezes. temperatures return back to average in the mid to upper 60s. heavier rain tonight with lightning possible. then it will finally be dry beginning sunday. your heavier rain right now, you can see heading from concord to my way 4, brentwood north of discovery bay. it's moving across highway 4 to

hercules and across the richmond-san rafael bridge and up 101 to petaluma. big picture shows three chunks of energy. they're going to ride through. notice where the lows are. they're coming towards us. the moisture, atmospheric river down to the south. with the counter clockwise flow, the first one brings more moisture tonight while we're sleeping. through 9:00, you can see the light rain. pockets of moderate rain in the yellows. those kind of go away by noon and into the beginning of the commute. they're only up in the north bay. but look at what happens overnight. look at all of that rain come in. even some reds. that's when i think we could get some thunderstorms to start tomorrow's morning commute. it lasts the entire morning commute and then it starts to taper at noon tomorrow. we'll get a little bit of a break tomorrow during the evening hours before that next storm comes in and brings us a chance of scattered showers and temperatures back in the 50s for friday. showers will linger saturday. sunday we dry out. by tuesday, the 70s are back in

the forecast. alexis, where do you start? >> you know what, i'm going to start in the south bay. we have a new incident on 880 here. pickup truck facing the wrong way. it sounds like another vehicle involved in that collision as well. they're out of their vehicles trying to make sure no one else -- emergency crews on the way to the scene. 880 the nimitz has been a trouble spot already this morning. southbound 880 just before 66, we're hearing about a lot of standing water in the area. we've already had two crashes not far from there. a bumper from an earlier crash is still in the roadway. folks are having to slow down to avoid that and the standing water. here's a live look outside. the bay bridge toll plaza. a stack-up on the right side in the cash lanes. we should have the metering lights flipping on any minute now. definitely soggy driving conditions. that is the cause for so many of the crashes. want to take you to walnut creek as well. another crash at southbound 680

near treat boulevard. the left lane is blocked. the heavy traffic approaching. it speeds up. it looks like the crash is under that overpass. also, a big slowdown on highway 24. we'll check on that next. the san francisco district attorney's office filed a civil false advertising case against home adviser and its parent company. it's accusing the digital marketplace of broadcasting alse and misleading radio and tv ads in violation of california law. secifically, it claims that the ads provide false information about background checks on stephanie sy pro -- service providers sent to customers' home. >> we filed action and hoping to get a temporary restraining order to present it to the consumer. home advisers does not comment on ongoing legal matters. those without a home in sunnyvale will have a place to stay any time of the year. the board of supervisors approved extending operations at

the sunnyvale home first shelter at hamlin court six months to year round. the extension is on a pilot basis. it could be made permanent. it provides -- jeff bezos is worth $130 billion. that makes him the richest person in the world. amazon just passed google as america's second largest company. the market value climbed to $765 billion. almost $3 billion more than what google is worth. only apple is worth more at $900 billion. next the seven things you need to know as you get your day started. the power of people. a group of strangers help free a driver trapped under a burning car. a brew breakthrough. cal researchers found an environmentally friendly way to make beer taste the same without hopps. hopps. mike and alexi

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coming up on 5:25. whether you're just joining us or headed out the door, seven things to know. the storm door opened yesterday and it will remain open through sunday morning. some of the heaviest rain comes in tonight adding another nearly inch to 1.5 inches of rainfall to our forecast. number 2, the rain has moved into the santa cruz mountains. the summit on highway 17 getting pounded when we were there. drive carefully. conditions are atrocious. number 3, we have seen a lot of crashes already this morning, including this one in orinda. westbound 24 just before you get to wilder. we still have the far right lane blocked. heavy traffic approaching that. coming from lafayette, down to 12 miles an hour, 4 miles an hour once you're closer to the crash. number 4, breaking news from our live desk. the austin serial bombing suspect is dead. he detonated a device inside his vehicle overnight and police and

s.w.a.t. teams closed in on his car. police opened fire at him. we don't know his name yet, only that he was 24 years old. number 5, happening today, a showdown between big oil, san francisco and oakland. the two cities are suing chevron and fossil fuel corporations over rising sea levels. number 6, facebook executives will be testifying before congress this morning to answer questions about cambridge analytical and how it took the personal information hf users without permission. number 7, wine country coming to netflix. they sent out a tweet with a new film with amy poehler, maya rudolph and tina fey. it features friends celebrating a birthday. it could be anything with that cast, i am there. >> amy poehler feature directorial debut. >> exciting. in pennsylvania, a number of citizens came to the aid of a driver trapped under his burning car. >> take a look at the video.

the car on the side. it crashed into the parking lot of an elementary school after striking the median of a nearby road. they jumped on the car with extinguishers and pushed the car right side up and dragged the male driver from the burning wreckage. he suffered moderate injuries. so amazing that all of them jumped into action. coming back with 90 minutes of news with the oversight coming to the santa clara jail system. the rain is forcing evacuations in southern california. plus, i'm still following breaking news in austin. the serial bombing internet providers promise business owners a lot. let's see who delivers more. comcast business offers fast gig-speeds across our network.

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it's a busy morning. i'm tracking major breaking news at the live desk.

the suspect in the package bombings in austin is dead. i'm getting the newest details for you. the bay area. the rain continues. we're tracking a 1 on the storm impact scale. mike says this is really just the beginning. >> good morning to you. welcome to this wednesday, march 21st. you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. a lot of rain, mike. >> a lot of moisture in the air. did you see the fog on the golden gate bridge. you'll find spotty fog around too. already more than an inch of rain from the system in richmond. you can see it's raining right now as we look an the richmond side of the richmond-san rafael bridge. the rain is rather light and drizzle out there. an isolated pocket of moderate rain through the morning commute. here's a look at the accuweather 12-hour planner. the rain will taper a little bit in intensity and coverage heading through the afternoon hours. look how much warmer it will be today. starting off in the mid-50s. low to mid-60s at noon. heaviest rain tonight.

we'll talk about that coming up. here's alexis. with hotspots. >> we've got a lot at this point. hard to decide what to choose from. i'll start with the latest. >> one of the vehicles burst into flames. that's fully engulfed. the two right lanes are blocked. one person with injuries. some delays approaching. that's our third ar fourth incident of the morning on southbound 880. want to head back to walnut creek. 680 near treat boulevard. still a crash blocking the left lane. we'll check out drive times in less than ten. > breaking news. the man suspected to be behind the package bombings in austin texas is dead. authorities found his car parked at a hotel in round rock. austin police say that they were waiting for a team to arrive before arresting him. that's when he started to --

they followed him. that's when he detonated a device inside his car. it's the same time the police opened fire. >> authorities released very little about the suspect. they don't know his name and -- he's 24 years old. he's responsible for the bombing over the past four weeks. the motive is still unclear -- the chief says it's important people stay vigilant. >> because we don't know where this suspect has spent his last 24 hours and, therefore, we still need to remain vigilant to ensure that no other packages or devices have been left through the community. >> here's another reason why they are worried this morning. they are not totally sure if the suspect acted alone or had someone else help him. one officer was hurt, another officer is on administrative

duty right now. back to you. >> thank you, jessica. the heavier rain on the way tonight. expect the wet roadways out there. matt keller live for us in the santa cruz mountains. good morning, matt. >> good morning, natasha and reggie. >> wet roads up here. foggy conditions as well in the santa cruz mountains. you can see all that water coming up off of highway 17 year. i just checked the chp website and it shows that there's a tree down at the bear creek road off ramp here off highway 17. so things are starting to fall down here in the santa cruz mountains. if you can stay home, stay home. if not, it's best to be inside of a vehicle. my photographer, ian babcock, always gets the shot even in the pouring rain. check it out. wow, was it coming down this morning after 4:00 a.m. he was soaked from his shoes to the top of his head. here's footage from his camera. you can see what he was seeing through his lens.

downpour lasted a few minutes. it's going to cause problems. the roads are wet. always makes for dangerous driving conditions in the santa cruz mountains. when it rains like this, you can expect chaos to follow. thankfully, not that many cars on highway 17 at the time of this downpour. but the rain is not stopping. take it easy. take it slow. this could be a rough morning. reporting live in the santa cruz mountains, matt keller, abc 7 news. matt, thank you. police in the bay area brace for more of this today. four people were hurt in antioch last night. a vehicle slid on east 18th and hargrove street and sideswiped another vehicle. two vr injuries are serious. this is what it looked like in downtown san francisco. people clutching umbrellas. expect more of the same today. when you see weather where you live, post your photos and put the #abc 7 now with it. you may see those on abc 7 news. happening today, facebook executives will be testifying

before congress this morning to answer questions about cambridge analytical and allegation that is it took the information of thousands of users without permission. the executives who do testify will be briefing the intelligence, judiciary and commerce committees for both the house and the senate. they could face questions about exactly how facebook uses its data. there's been no response from zuckerberg and coo sheryl sandberg about the growing controversy. if you're wondering what facebook knows about you, it's easy enough to find out. they take your likes and tracks what you do to build a profile. you can see it by clicking onsets and then adds. you can make changes to those settings. the santa clara county sheriff's office and the jail system will be under civilian overnight. they approved an ordinance to create an independent monitor and community advisory board. this is the most significant move in a series of reforms spurned by the beating death of

mentally ill inmate michael tyree. the board will formally adopt the ordinance next month. thousands of people in santa barbara undermann mandatory evacuation orders. it's bringing heavy rain to southern california. >> there is concern it could trigger flash flooding and mudslides in areas hit by wildfir wildfires. many people are not taking any chances. they placed sandbags around their homes before they left. the santa barbara county sheriff's department posted flyers urging people to get out. they're taking extra precautions after january's deadly mudslides swept through montecito and destroyed homes. people in the northeast waking up to the fourth major storm in three weeks. new jersey, maryland delaware and parts of pennsylvania are expecting 8 inches of snow. this could be the most powerful snowstorm in years. schools in new york city, philadelphia and washington, d.c. are closed today. amtrak is scaling back service on the northeast corridor and

some states are banning certain types of trucks from major highways. already 3,000 flights have been canceled. taking a live look at sfo right now. the runways are slick this morning. flight aware is reporting 40 canceled flights today. mike, that is not a good start. >> not at all. you know they're going to have arrival delays into sfo today also. you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. we'll start with current conditions. it's raining up and down the east bay shore. it's 58 in hayward and union city. let's look at the rest of the neighborhoods. mild from 52 in brentwood and antioch and san francisco at 55. same thing san carlos, pacifica to 57 in san jose. sunol grade, had a shower rolling through. up towards the altamont pass. watch out for a downpour there. the best radar returns are across the north bay. notice the yellows are dissipating as the rain is becoming lighter. there's a mixture of fog out there.

one of our, well, i would hate to say drier, but not as wet bridges. the san mateo bridge this morning. roads will be poor with water, especially this morning and late this evening. during the evening commute. mass transit into the ferry just be careful out there. there's wet spots and breezy on the bay today. so let's look at the highs today. starting off in the low to upper 50s with warm moist air. then mid to upper 60s for the rest of us. very mild day. a day that won't feature rain all during the day. there are a few open spots where it could taper to drizzle and stop in san francisco during the afternoon hours from about 1:00 to 5:00. but on either side of that, it's going to be wet. in the east bay, from 1:00 to possibly 7:00 we'll have rain either side of that. here's a look at tonight. that's when it just opens up and lets out some anger. mother nature does in the form of moderate to heavy rain and

also thunderstorms are possible. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. so this is day three of wet weather. people not understanding to slow down, right? >> no. we've had a lot of issues. in fact, a big problem right now on 880. let's take you back there. i told you about this vehicle fire after a crash on the southbound side of 880. just before davis street. two vehicles became -- all lanes -- we are hearing from drivers who passed through the area. we have a lot of smoke in the area. one lane or two left lanes. so chp did issue a sig-alert. obviously, heavy traffic in the area. still have this crash on westbound 24 before wilder. that has been blocking the slow lane for quite some time. southbound 680, not been able to clear this crash either near treat boulevard. blocking the left lane, possibly the far right lane as well. waiting for the tow truck to arrive on the scene. that is backing up on to 242 in

the concord area. we got the metering lights flipped on about 5:22. soggy and slow unless you're using a carpool lane. we'll head back to the big issue coming up next. alexis, thank you. heads up if you see what looks like an emergency today at mineta san jose international. it is a planned emergency exercise response to a plane emergency. in today's scenario a plane will hit a bird while landing causing the aircraft to lose the ability to use its flaps. the exercise is a training airport for airport, airlines, san jose fire department and police department and medical response personnel. >> there's fallout and new details after president trump called and congratulated vladimir putin. >> facing fines from san francisco. why the penalties might melt away. a sho get ready for spring-at the ross spring shoe event. ross has the must-have styles and brands for a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere. step one: get to ross. step two: walk out with top brands at big savings...

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5:00 this evening and goes through 7:00 friday morning. 2 to 3 feet of heavy, wet snow. 7500 feet. 4 to 5 feet at the crest. here's a quick look at the accuweather seven-day forecast. we're going to get a break. snow level down to 2,000 feet saturday. tapering to snow showers. here's reggie with more news. >> president trump went against his advisers when he congratulated vladimir putin. mr. trump was specifically warned against doing this by his national security advisers before he made the call. his briefing paper actually said in capital letters, do not congratulate. among those criticizing the president for that phone call, senator john mccain. he tweeted in part an american president does not lead the free world by congratulating dictators on winning sham elections. sonoma county rebuilding five months after the wildfires. a new survey may help officials

make better decisions so the conty can bounce back stronger than ever. the community group wants to survey people affected by the fires. it asks what you think should be sonoma county's top priority right now as well as how important you have think housing and education and the arts are after the fires. the survey is available online through april 2nd. we'll post a link on our website. san francisco is the first major u.s. city to ban fur products. it goes into effect january 1st. it doesn't apply to secondhand items or sheep or lambs skin. the cruelty that animals endure for the purpose of becoming clothing and accessories is not consistent with the values of this city. berkeley and west hollywood have similar bans. another dog ends up in the wrong place. this time united airlines is not

involved. delta is. that airline investigating after an 8-week-old puppy watts sent to a number of wrong airports. it started on saturday when the owner says the puppy didn't arrive as scheduled in boise. delta says there was a mixup and the dog was in detroit. then the dog went to minneapolis, then the dog went to las vegas. after that, to salt lake city and finally to boise where he was supposed to be the next day. girls in san jose are showing their smarts in science and math. we told you about the drawing science experiments. kids are likely to imagine female scientists more than 50 years ago. maybe these girls and boys will become real scientists in the future. they held a second annual s.t.e.a.m. showcase last night. it's a new word for me. stands for science technology, engineering, art and math. 130 student projects were on

display at the tech museum. >> i got first places two times. >> she's just a kindergartner and she put food coloring in water to change the color of flowers. no dye was used. she knew what it meant, too. she was trying to find out how they bloom naturally. she likes science because she likes to create things. way to go. the museum of ice cream in san francisco is now being fined $500 because of its iconic sprinkle pool. according to sf gate, the city says the plastic sprinkles are environmental hazards. environmental lists fear they will end up on city streets and washed into storm drains. the department much public works says the museum hasn't been forced to pay the fines yet because it's, quote, working toward compliance. >> i haven't been to the ice cream museum because i prefer a real museum. i'm told by those who have gone, they have a shower where it

blows air on you from above to blow the sprinkles off. they're trying. not succeeding. >> they're trying. could use that blower today to dry you off from the rain. how about that? grab an umbrella if you have it. get the wet weather gear handy. never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. it's a wet one again. best radar returns. it's updating from mount st. helena. then it will hit into the mountains and taper to a light showerheading towards 101. here's a look at the big waves of drizzle and light rain this morning and fog out there. in fact, here's a look at the golden gate bridge. no one can escape the wet weather. rain heavier with thunder possible tonight. a slight break late tomorrow and another push for friday into saturday. that's why i say the weekend is trending wetter and cooler. let's talk about what's going to

happen this evening through tomorrow morning. a drenching rain with thunderstorms possible and our fastest wind gusts up to 30 to 45 miles per hour. it could be a noisy night. you can see in the north bay, yellows there. down around the santa cruz mountains. that's where patchy moderate rain is. by noon, it tapers over to light rain. that's what we're going to deal with all the way up until 6:00 when the moderate rain returns to the north bay and by 9:00 or 10:00, the atmospheric river comes at us from the south and look at all the yellow and oranges at midnight through 4:00. some red showing up. that's the drenching rain. that's the possibility of lightni lightning, thunder and you can see by 9:00 tomorrow morning, the drenching rain starts to taper. here you go. we get a little bit of a break thursday afternoon into the evening hours. then the colder storm comes in. after highs in the 60s today. 50s and 60s tomorrow. 50s friday and saturday with that cold alaskan storm with a possibility of some thunderstorms and hail both of

those days. we'll dry out sunday afternoon. back to spring warmth by tuesday. all right. if you're heading out the door, you got to listen to alexis. >> a lot of trouble spots on the roads right now. we have a sig-alert on 880. want to take you back there just north of davis street. we've got a crash involving three vehicles. two of the vehicles burst into flames and were fully engulfed. the fire is tapped out. we briefly had all lanes blocked. we have a sig-alert down to the two right lanes blocked. heavy traffic headed southbound. onlooker delay on the northbound side. really want to slow down and take it easy this morning. we had reports that a crash here on southbound 680 near treat boulevard cleared. i'm seeing a lot of folks hit the brakes to get to the right. i think we have at least part of that far left lane blocked. very soggy. a lot of road spray kicking up. it has not been a great morning on the roads. southbound 680 highway 4 to walnut creek in the yellow, not the green. that's 13 minutes.

a crash in orinda. westbound 580 tracy to dublin. not terrible for that stretch in the yellow at 45. national puppy day two days away. we're pretty excited here. >> beginning at 4:30 on friday morning, we'll begin live streaming the puppy cam on abc 7. abc7news.com and the abc 7 news app. you can bet, we'll be cuddling with the puppy guests all morning long. the aim is to find them forever homes. we've been asking you to post photos and videos with the #puppies on 7. >> just saw them on the screen. >> a lot of amazing submissions. thank you and please post yours with that hash tag. you may see your best friend on air or online. >> i've been getting more puppy photos than i have in my whole life. >> it brightens ens your day. all year. >> i don't hate it. new at 6:00, starbucks is looking for a new type of cup. they're willing to pay $10 million if you come up with the design. berkeley researchers have made a beer that tastes

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this is abc 7 mornings. one of the biggest questions i get, is this rain helping? >> yeah. there was a slight rise in our rainfall totals compared to average. we went from 50 to 60% of average to 51% to 68% of average so far this week. this will climb a couple of more percentages with the heavy rain coming in tonight. here's natasha with more news. mike thank you. the newest member of the 49ers not going to stop tell us what

he thinks. he held a press conference sporting a red getup. it's a 180 for the former seahawk. it was the leadership of john lynch and head coach shanahan that lured him to the team. he's excited to come back to what he considers a second home. >> i'm a west coast guy. i'm an l.a. guy, but spent five years in the bay area going to stanfo stanford. >> he signed a three-year deal worth $39 million. hopps, floral flavoring in ale is really thirsty. production of the plants requires 33 billion gallons of water a year in the united states alone. scientists have genetically engineered the yeast used in the commercial making of beer. the discovery started as a side project in a berkeley laboratory devoted to alternative energy. all right. want to take you back to our

sig-alert on 880. unfortunately, we have one lane getting by. southbound side of 880 before you get to davis street. this was a three-car collision. two of those vehicles burst into flames and were fully engulfed. i do believe the fire is tapped out now. we have a lot of slow traffic in the area. we're still waiting for the tow truck to arrive on the scene. also, a crash in the milpitas stretch. this slow lane is blocked. had a little backup. it's thinned out in the last few minutes. let's check in with mike nicco and going to be a tough day on the roads all the way around. >> it's going to get worse tonight through tomorrow. i jumped ahead to 7:00 this evening. i wanted to show you, look at all the moisture coming in by 9:00 tomorrow morning pushing an inch in the santa cruz mountains. the north bay and along the east bay hills. we add a little bit towards thursday. look at friday. the break that develops tomorrow afternoon, look at -- it heads through most of friday. the evening hours is when we get

the next push of showers and possible thunderstorms through saturday morning. thanks, mike. for the first time, climate change is headed to court. the unprecedented hearing playing out today in san francisco. an airfare battle in the bay area. extremely low fares selling out on some airlines. more good deals could be on the way. >> still tracking that breaking news. the austin bombing suspect dead ov doespeninsula trail?he you won't find that on a map.

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good morning south bay. >> coming up on 6:00 a.m. halfway through the week. welcome to a wet wednesday, march 21st. >> that's right. never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. meteorologist mike nicco is here with the details. >> we'll start with the storm impact scale. hi everybody. give you an idea what to expect. light to moderate rain and most of it falling this morning. it will taper this afternoon. but then the thunder chance will begin during the evening hours. that's when the winds will start

to pick up. here's a look at 580. i wanted to show you this. if you're coming in from trace toy hayward right now, it is range on 580. this is the way it looks at the bay bridge toll plaza. the rain has tapered a little bit. still out there. as is a little bit of fog. the visibility is coming up. mid-50s this morning, mild, low to mid-60s noon through 7:00 with lighter rain coming this afternoon and evening. heavier rain tonight. i'll talk about it coming up. here's alexis. >> we have a lot of lanes blocked on southbound 60. we're trying to sort out which ones. we have fwhoex passed through saying the far left lane is getting by due to a multicar crash with two vehicles ended up fully engulfed in flames. heavy traffic in the area. good news. westbound 24 before wilder, we had a long-term blocking crash in orinda. all lanes back open. back up solid into lafayette. check the drive times coming up next. breaking news from the abc