last night. >> reporter: all passengers on the empress of the sea are safe. but now the storm is take direct aim for the florida panhandle. overtphaoeurbgtsist became a strong category 4 storm. >> this will be devastating. >> reporter: seen from space, this hurricane is intimidating, stretching 400 miles. it left a path of destruction and more than a dozen dead in central america. thaerts are not taking any chances, fearing high winds and double digit storm surge. >> we can rebuild your house but not your life. your family members, take care of them. keep your families safe. >> the governor is asking 375,000 people to evacuate. many residents heeding the warning, saying this is shaping up to be the worst this region has seen in decades. taking to shelters. >> understanding this storm may be a little bit more intense than others. >> and hauling everything out of

harm's way. others, stocking up on dwindling supplies, preparing to ride out this storm. >> we're hunkered down. we're well prepared. we understand the severity. we'll be good to go >> reporter: many of the outer bands there packing hurricane strength winds. we could see those in just a matter of hours. maggie rulli, abc news. it is 4:31. mike, i think it is supposed to hit, what, at about 8:00 a.m. the hardest? >> yeah. a little bit later in the morning hours for sure. let's look what happened the last 12 hours. it got really intense during the overnight hours. it is picking up forward were space. it's about 105 miles south-southwest of panama, tracking north 13 miles per hour. here you go. as we go through the morning hours, it will roll through panama city, maicon, up to columbia, south carolina.

right across those areas in the carolinas that had flooding and they'll have more flooding from this storm but not like we dealt with this florence. the storm surge can be a big issue. the winds will be a worse issue with this particular storm efpl we'll look at our 12-hour planner coming up next. here's alexis. thank you, mike. we are looking good. a stack up in the cash lanes for the bay bridge toll plaza. of course no issues using fast track at this early hour. zipping into the peninsula, full closure between willow and university avenue in the palo alto area according to chp, this was ahead of schedule. it is supposed to go until 5:00. all lanes open 4:15 this morning. we'll take a look at drive times coming up next. >> thanks, alexis. a handcuffed man who stole a

san jose patrol car is now in jail this morning. 6th led officers on a chase. he was pulled over in a stolenr. he slipped the handcuffs to the front, got into the the driver's seat, and drove all the way to hayward. he ditched the cruiser on clawiter road. they found and re-arrested him at an auto parts story at smalley avenue and mission boulevard. he stopped to tell his dad he was okay. they watched him arrive in yet another stolen truck. >> he was smart enough to change his clothing. ans. crews are testing water across san francisco after a few

neighbors said their tap water may be contaminated. one woman told the chronicle an at-home water kit tested positive for pesticides. other neighbors noted their water tasted bad. they say the water is safe but doing tests as a precaution. berk my city council is allowing to a nursery to grow cannabis. we told you last week about the plan to turn a plot of land into a nursery. he is trying to revitalize his family's nursery business. he urged council to pave the way for the nursery. they are leaning toward approving it but will discuss it further at a later meeting. chants of lock her up rang out in the arena last night.

>> and i think they're talking about feinstein. was that the worst body language? honestly. in other words, did she leak it? 100%. no, no. i don't want to get sued. 99%. > the president questioned whether senator feinstein had leaked christine blasey ford's letter that accused brett kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. feinstein denied her office is the source of the leak. >> we are less than four weeks from the midterm election. secretary of state has plans to beef up cybersecurity in all 58 counties in the state. alec padilla announced a $168 million program. the plans call for assessment

and replacement of aging servers and fire walls. >> the russian government made brazen attempts through targeting of infrastructure. heading into 2018, election systems remain a target for cyber actors. >> the secretary of state blamed the dmv for botching 24,000 voter registrations, including 1500 noncitizens who may have been registered to vote by a processing error. they are exploring the option of freezing the motor voter program meant town increase voter ridge traditi registration. the deadline to register to vote is monday, october 22nd. the election is november 6th. to learn about the issues and candidates where you live, go to

abc7news.com/election. loo at later on that tornado watch for michael down in florida and georgia. we never have those. we do center cool weather waking up along the east bay. 55 in berkeley. san leandro, 56. oakland, fremont 58. castro valley and hayward a 59. this is mount tapl this morning. beautiful back drop. talk about the roads. mist near the coast. marine layers deeper and more humid than yesterday. it will linger through the morning commute. the ferry ride will be calmer. no small craft advisory. it's cool this morning. it will be mild this afternoon. no more warm temperatures at least for a day or two. east bay hills. the the cloud deck developing. the accuweather 12-hour planner, 50s at 7:00.

low 60s at the coast at 4:00. 69 to 73 around the bay and inland. back in the 50s and 60s by 7:00. here's a look at the north bay. we'll break it down. mostly cloudy, 8:00. 52 degrees. mid-60s a at noon. barely into the upper 60s to low 70s this afternoon. south bay, just a touch warmer. look at the cloud cover through 10:00, 11:00. we'll hang out in the low 70s e. san franciscost going to be even cooler than yesterday. upper 50s to low 60s. alexis is back. nice to see. >> you thank you. good to be back. >> any good news on the roads? >> yeah. got a lot of good news. no major issues so far today. we're in the sweet spot. volumes are still nice and light. hey, we're going to enjoy this while it lasts. walnut creek, southbound 680, not bad volume wise. this is right around treat boulevard. no blocking issues. folks not topping their brakes

yet. that is one of the busiest areas once we get going. westbound 580, tracy to dublin, looking good. antioch to concord, in the green at 13. southbound 101, san rafael to san francisco, north bay commute, nice and light. in the green at 16 minutes. mass transit coming up next. alexis, thank you. scandal is shaking up the wine tating business. why two dozen sommeliers are no longer this morning. police looking

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most colon cancers start as polyps. and screening finds polyps, so they can be removed, before they even turn into cancer. if you're over 50, get screened for colorectal cancer. screening saves lives. the hurricane, the storm surge, freshwater flooding, winds. within the winds, we could have faster winds, tornadic winds. 800,000 people under the gun, hopefully keeping an eye on their apps or weather radio. things could change rapidly. showers around tahoe and yosemite. partly cloudy. nice, refreshing upper 70s. low 70s around san diego. los angeles and palm springs, 86 degrees. after showers today, 54 and partly cloudy tomorrow. and then we'll be in the upper 50s to low 60s with sunshin in

the afternoon. and freezing cold lows in the mid-20s. reggie. >> thanks, mike. wow, what a sappointment for a group of new master sommeliers. they were stripped of the coveted title. the organization that administers the exam announced the decision in a letter saying it learned of a breach by a master sommelier, likely someone administering the the test. the exam was first offered in 1969. now, turning to the recovery in the north bay. >> one year after the fires destroyed a decades-old winery, the owner is breaking ground on a new facility. abc 7 news reporter kate larson has the story from napa. >> cheers! >> reporter: with a clink and toast, the winery broke ground on a state-of-the-art facility

on napa's silverado trail. one year ago, the atlas peak fire took the winery from this to this. >> after about an hour, this place was enveloped. >> reporter: 50-mile-per-hour flames pushed flames down the hill. fortunately, the grapes were spared since the vineyard acted as a firebreak even though the building was 20 yards away. >> the vine is lush. there is not enough there to burn. we deny know that before the fires. we were very pleasantly surprised to see our vines 100% intact >> reporter: the fire wasn't their own battle. in the months after the north bay, wine tourism essentially stopped. >> people were scared to come here. they thought there was nothing left of napa valley. we had to quickly change to the feeling and make sure people understood there was very few that got hit like ours did >> reporter: he said business is

back on track. they have a temrary tasting room and expect to complete their new facility in two years. and their 2018 vintage is the best they have seen in their 30 years of wine making because this year the conditions were just right. in napa, kate larson, abc 7 news. wow. well, we have more coverage on the north bay fires one year later on our website, abc7news.com. nice to see they are recovering so well >> you know, what i think we all deserve some good wine after that horrible tragedy. >> absolutely. >> all right. good for them. thieves "snatched" a hammer. not just any hammer. this crime required heavy lifting. this hammer is 20 feet long, 1,000 pounds of wood and steel. it was on display in front of the community center on line as part of an art installation. the hammer has been missing now since friday. police say the thieves would have needed at least a flatbed

trailer with winch or eight people to steal it. where are you going to put that? >> yeah. what are you going to do it? a flat-bed truck, eight people to steal it and no one saw it? >> yeah. that's crazy. >> why would you want it, though? that's just rude. a really large nail. >> where is paul bunyan? >> he came down to do a little work for us. >> return the hammer. >> he's nice. he'll return it. i'm surprised he didn't leave a note. >> we're watching it. >> all right. let's watch the weather and take a look at what's going on outside. walnut creek, cloudy. temperature 56 degrees. dress up warmly. clouds everywhere. increasing sunshine. we may not complete little get rid of all the cloud cover. you will definitely need the sunglasses. today is one of our coolest days moving forward.

the warmth will link to the coast. 70s at the coast, they're ahead. a look at the cloud cover. just about all our neighborhoods covered in the white. notice by noon it quickly evaporates. at least to a mostly sunny sky. maybe partly sunny at the coast. a little area of low pressure here that will keep the clouds along the coast. maybe a few along the bay shore as we head into the afternoon hours. it will not be be completely sunny but you will need the sunglasses. low to mid-60s half moon bay, san francisco. low 70s around the bay. fremont, 72. mid 70s like 73 in san jose. concord, 76. napa, santa rosa, 74 degrees. cloud cover tonight. maybe a little bit more fogs and drizzle. mid-40s to mid-50s. look at the storm surge. up in new england they will have a storm surge. up to possibly six feet. the the real devastation will be

around. bin in the panhandle of florida. anywhere from panama city over towards horseshoe beach. we could have 13-foot storm surge on top of high tide. that is going to be devastating. about the same temperatures tomorrow. look at the 70s returning to the coast this weekend. 80s around the bay. near 90 inland. here's alexis. good morning, mike. one vie minor issue in the tri-valley. a vehicle ran out of gas on the 580 hopyard. chp on the way to the scene. not affecting the main lean. still have green traveling conditions. mass transit, good start. 25 trains in service. no delays. ace 1, two minutes delay. so basically on time. we have been talking to them this morning. and normal service, no delays, for san francisco ferry. google is out with a smartphone in time for the

holidays. moin today's "tech bites", googles new smartphones. >> approximate pixel 3 and 3 xl have larger screens. google claims they feature the world's best camera. preorders are under way. they officially launch next thursday. they start at about $800. and dyson is out with a new way to curl your hair. >> it is the air rep styler. it relies on air instead of heat. it creates curls. dyson says it took six years to develop it. city dwellers might be interested in srvesl a's new scooter. >> $7300, double the price of a similar gas opinion powered vespa. >> those are your "tech bites". >> i like that vespa. warriors are gearing for a

preseason game in the bay s. sitting on billions of dollars of unclaimed money. some could be yours. how this

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connection to nature is a right that the trust for public land is fighting to preserve. from boulevards to ball fields and ponds to playgrounds, a park is a gift that is worth protecting. help support the trust for public land and the gift of parks today. you're never more than 7 minutes away from my accuweather forecast. we have issues at the beaches tomorrow through friday evening.

a southerly swale will bring breakers up to 10 feet. the rip currents and sneaker waves will be the toughest. by weekend this beach hazard will subside. you could be in for a cut of billions of dollars of unclaimed property. the state has received $770 million of money that belongs to california residents. if you add it to up claimed money from previous years, the state is sitting on $9.3 billion that they would love to come away. it comes from forgotten bank accounts, stocks, items, and safe deposit boxes. we have a link so you can find out if any of it is yours. go to abc7news.com. civil rights icon harvey milik will be honored with a new terminal sfo. terminal 1 will open in phases starting next july. these are renderings of what it will look likement it will

kphaou khru photos. you can any pictures you have on their website. warriors fans have apeal ph. today the 2017 and 2018 larry o'brien trophies will be on display at city hall rotunda 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. warriors will play their final preseason game at s.a.p. center against the lakers friday night. the back-to-back nba champs will open next tuesday at oracle arena at oklahoma city thunder. while we were sleeping, it got more dangerous. category 4. it is just going to be incredible. you can definitely see a well-defined eye. i-10 is the only way to get out

from the panhandle. strengthening possible. minor as it gets closer. the landfall is coming this afternoon. the surge and life threatening rain and wind on the way. the good news, this is a fast moving one. the rain will be a very narrow corridor about 100, 150 miles wide from the panhandle to the delmarva peninsula. good morning, mike. i have traffic news for you over here. bay bridge toll plaza. things have smoothed in the cash lanes. fast track lanes looking good too. we should not have the metering lights turned on until 5:20 this morning. a quick check of drive times. westbound 580, tracy to dublin, in the yellow at 49 minutes. not terrible for you. southbound 680, dublin to mission in the green at 15. northbound 85, 101 to cupertino, looking great at 15 minutes. thanks, alexis. a burglar hit a san francisco record store and nabbed

thousands of dollars in guitars it shows thero doo of34 go rordsght, early yesterday morning. steve stevenson said the burglar made off with three rare vintage guitars and amp fires. it cost 4 grand. abc 7 was at the score after steve stevenson boarded up the door. forget the 6 pack or 12 pack, hand highser is thinking real big. 77-pack containers of natural light. you heard right. anheuser-busch is offering them in the honor of the year natural light became a tprapbd for them, 1977. it will only be be available for a limited time and only in college park, maryland,he original markets where they first launched the brand and home to university of maryland. get this, the 77-pack contains

7,315 calories, weighs 65 pounds. all right. a taylor swift super fan from wisconsin got the thrill of a lifetime when he got to meet his pop hero all because he did the right thing. this is a crazy story.grundall t the house appeared to be mouthing the words help me. so of course he called police. and it turns out she had been kidnapped. i had tickets to swift's concert. he had a backstage pass, a picture, and a hug. well deserved. >> very well deferred. good for him. a cell phone tower controversy shaping up on the peninsula. m ineighbors who say one i goil

the east bay. his co-workers tell us what he was doing moments before he was found dead. found dead. and

and good morning. welcome to wednesday, october 10th. >> you're never more than 7 minutes away from the accuweather forecast. hi, mike. >> hey, guys. i want to take a look at michael and then we'll get to our forecast. it is now a category 4, 145-mile-per-hour winds. going to hit panama city right around lunch. at least the eyewall. it is already hitting it with squally weather that will only get