and caused a transformer to spark. in petaluma a crash with a trash truck brought traffic to a crawl. southbound 101 just after 11:00 this morning. the road was wet but we don't know what caused the crash. >> also in sonoma county a downed tree caused highway 148 to crows near foss hill road. north of calistoga. you can see the snapped tree hits the power lines. crews are busy cleaning up that mess. the rain apparently caused a roof to collapse in oakland. the good news is the building was vacant and no one was hurt. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm kristen sze. >> and i'm dan ashley. rain, hail, lightning, we saw it all today. >> let's get to meteorologist sandhya patel with the latest. sandhya? >> we're not done yet. let me show you live doppler 7. we're still seeing some active weather. let's get you into street-level radar. it is pouring in san mateo county right now. i am tracking a cell near kenyatta road. woodside 280 area.

as you will notice lighter showers to portola valley. this is heading toward woodside and portola valley, 5:13, 5:21 is when you can expect the heavier showers. if you're heading out toward altmont we have lighter showers. patterson pass, that is definitely going to be an area of wet weather. sata cruz we're also seeing some spotty showers. so take a look at the wider picture. we saw those thunderstorms roll through. heavy rain. gusty winds. hail. even some heavy rain in the camp fire area. as you will notice the rain that has been passing through, they've gotten two to four inches causing flooding. flash flood warning in effect until 9:15. debris flows and flash flooding already occurring. they also have flar flash flood watch for the burn scar areas. this is a level 1 next few hours scattered showers, isolated thunder still possible until the sun goes down. watch out for the rough surf along the coast. i'm tracking another storm. i'll let you know how that one's going to be different from the storm that came through earlier today. dan and kristen. >> sandhya, thank you. and here's a look at the flash flooding sandhya was just

talking about. it's causing big problems on highway 99 near chico. water just spilling over onto the roadway. as you can imagine, traffic is snarled and backed up. flooding also caused problems on 99 near modesto. the bay area's heavy rain and strong winds really had an effect on a lot of drivers out there. maybe you. >> abc 7 news reporter david lui is live in san jose to show us the kind of accidents that can happen in severe storms like these. david? >> kristen and dan, we already know the winds and the heavy rain are challenging enough. but drivers are also contending with flooded roads. that is a serious problem. of course the problem is bay area drivers over the past few hours have learned the hard way how dangerous that can be. the driver of this minivan told chp officers that he ran into a large pond while driving north on highway 680 in milpitas. as he tried to brake the vehicl off-ramp to calaveras boulevard. he was wearing a seat belt but

the accident left him trapped inside his vehicle. chp officer andrea basil and her partner happened to be driving southbound on 680 and about the same time. >> luckily the firefighters got here fairly quickly and they had all the necessary equipment to get him out. >> injuries? >> there were actually no injuries to the person. but he was transported to the hospital for precautionary reasons. >> reporter: the driver and passenger of this vehicle also fell victim to flood waters, which caused this single-vehicle spinout on highway 237 in san jose. they were not injured. their car suffered front end damage. abc 7 news is back on highway 680 but in san jose as drivers were surprised by a pond two lanes wide at alum rock avenue. because the pond was on the far side of an overpass it was not clearly visible until drivers suddenly plowed into the water and nearly lost control of their vehicles. storms also create other hazards for drivers including potholes and cracks in the pavement. city of san jose road crews were out doing emergency asphalt patches along kirchner avenue.

heavy rain can weaken pavement causing cracks and holes to widen. all these hazards prompting a warning from chp to slow down. >> you definitely need to slow down, realize the visibility's going to be lower and the roads are going to be wet. make sure you're not tailgating, wearing your seat belt and looking far ahead in front of you and just driving slower than you normally would. >> reporter: those are words of wisdom from those who have seen and responded to crashes and spinouts caused by flooding. more hazards lie ahead with the next storm. in san jose david lui, abc 7 news. >> david, thank you. in morgan hill the wind blew over a big oak tree. it came down on a truck and crushed it. fortunately, nobody was hurt. lightning, rain caused some problems overnight in san jose. cars getting stuck in standing water. public works crews trying to fix

things as best they could. but look at this mess. and cars had a tough time navigating the roads. san francisco and san bruno once again standing water made things very difficult. a lot of water. >> and the rain has meant long days for technicians at east bay mud's sewage treatment plant in oakland. they have to keep rainwater from overflowing which could send untreated waste water into the bay. >> real problem if that happens. eric thomas is live along the bay themriville with the story tonight. eric? >> reporter: most cities have two systems, one for rain water, one for the stuff we flush out of our homes and they're never supposed to meet. if they do and under the wrong circumstances they can pump untreated or partially treated sewage into san francisco bay. heavy rains have been good for east bay mud reservoirs. >> our water supply went from

56% of average to 80% of average in the last week. when we have a storm like this the water from the storm ends up rather than going to the storm water system ends up infill traitding and going into the waste water system. >> these are large nine-foot diameter pipelines. >> reporter: eileen white runs east bay mud's main waste water treatment plant in oakland under the bay bridge. she says a good soaking like this can really challenge the system. >> on a normal day we see about 50 million gallons per day but when we have wet weather events like last night we'll see flows suddenly go up to 300 million gallons. >> reporter: that is a sixfold increase. it's also why crews were called out at 1:00 this morning to activate wet weather stations like these which can handle and partially treat overflow from the main plant. when the water is clean and treated it's pumped into san francisco bay. but when the system can't handle it -- >> what we don't want is to have the rain water mix with the sewage water, overflow the system and have sewer overflows.

if we exceed that capacity, then you get partially treated wastewater that goes into the bay. >> that is a threat to public health and why it was so important to scramble the crews early this morning. it's also why they're monitoring the forecast and are preparing to handle the next round of storms. >> we're working with the cities to reduce all the rainwater coming into the pipes. >> reporter: how does that rain water get into the sewer pipes? a lot of the infrastructure around here here, a lot of the underground pipes in the east bay are old and leaky. cities have agreed to spend the money needed to replace those and that's how they hope to bring this problem down in the future. live in emeryville, eric thomas, abc 7 news. >> eric, thanks very much. this maybe the picture of the day. sky 7 captured really an incredible rainbow on the coast. look at that. this was between daly city and pacifica. remember, you can get the latest on the rain anytime with the abc 7 news app. just tap the weather button to get the latest forecast on your

phone and customize it so you can find out the weather where you live. other news today, san francisco police are questioning someone following a scare at the hall of justice. police called in the bomb squad after a small explosion happened in the lobby of the building just after 11:00 this morning. a source tells abc 7 news the explosion was caused by fireworks. authorities put the building on lockdown and kept anyone from coming inside. they also canceled court proceedings for the rest of the day. police gave the all clear around 1:30, allowing people back in the building. states regulators today ordered pg&e to implement sweeping safety improvements in the wake of the devastating camp fire in butte county. according to the sacramento bee the california public utilities commission voted to adopt 60 recommendations made last year by the independent consultant that audited the utility. that audit was prompted by the 2010 san bruno pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes, as you may recall. the bee says audit will be

broadened to cover the utility's possible involvement in the camp fire and last year's deadly north bay wildfires. >> the rain may have impovd our air quality but scientists are just starting to study how 11 days of breathing in smoky air in the bay area impacted our long-term health. abc 7 news reporter leslie brinkley is line at uc davis where three significant studies are now under way. leslie? >> reporter: some fascinating work being done here. there is of course data on breathing in smoke. cigarette smoke, secondhand smoke, air pollution. but this is new. this is uncharted territory. breathing in smoke for all of us from wildfires and burning homes for the second straight year. 11 days of heavy toxic smoke in the bay area this month. this was our reality. >> so this keeps all of our samples -- >> reporter: at the center for health and environment at uc davis they're taking filters

that collected particulates in the oakland hills during that time and are studying the toxicity. >> and i collected this in about six hours. >> reporter: keith bines says with normal pollution it would take four weeks for a filter to get this dirty. that's what our lungs filtered too. >> the issue then becomes if a person has it every summer, every fall, every year of their lives, then there are chronic health problems that start to arise. we don't really know how to respond when the public asks us how bad is this for our health because we've never been in this territory before. >> his filters will be used by health researchers to look at how this new kind of pollution will affect various organs in our bodies. >> there's a lot of information about the very immediate respiratory kinds of effects. what we actually don't know much about at all is what's the long-term course? this professor has already

surveyed 6,000 people from the 2017 fires. she's broadening that out to include those affected by smoke this year. as is this professor who is studying how smoke impacts pregnant women and eventually their new babies. >> things like placenta and cord blood might give us a window into what the baby was exposed to. >> reporter: some of these researchers say they're actually pushing aside work on other projects to get going on correlating the smoke data. they think it's important and they hope to have some answers for the public by this spring. at uc davis i'm leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. >> leslie, thank you. a day of major anticipation and certainly a lot of apprehension. we are there as a chef learns whether he won or lost a michelin star. that story is next. plus, from home sharing to home building. just how soon airbnb will start its next project. and ratings and revi

the full 2019 michelin stars list was revealed. >> abc 7 news anchor dion lim joins us from the official michelin guide party. >> we should be very proud of

ourselves. cristen and dan, we can think of it almost like the oscars awards except for restaurants here in the city and around the world. as i step aside here at a michelin star restaurant in sf moma i can tell you this has been an exceptional year in san francisco with 57 restaurants earning one, two, or three stars. one of the restaurants that was watched very closely this year, eight tables in chinatown. it's known by well-known restaurateur george chen who also owns china live. eight tables opened a little over a year ago. for a man who's owned many restaurants in his career and had some pretty significant setbacks a michelin star would have meant so much not only to him but for chinese cuisine in america. >> my wife thinks i'm the feefrks out of the ashes. i think it's high time to people realize that it's as great as any cuisine out there. it's considered one of the great

cuisines. but we don't get the recognition. >> sadly, after an hour of waiting for that phone call to come in from a michelin insfektor, eight tables did not end up on that 2019 list. while george is as you can imagine disappointed he says he won't let this deter him from bringing high-quality chinese food to the bay area. plus there is always next year. joining me now live is gwendel pulmanec, the director of the michelin guide. good evening. tell me a little about what makes the san francisco diagnose scene so robust. it is a historic michelin year for us. >> san francisco is definitely a culinary destination. you know when we started the michelin guide here in 2007 there was only one three-star restaurant. tonight we are celebrating eight three-star restaurants. >> and you had mentioned homegrown because these are chefs who are really honed their skills in san francisco restaurants. >> what's unique here in san

francisco and the bay area is most of the star chefs did train here, come from the three star or add a star in the region. so it's definitely a high volume of local young talent. >> i love this. so many restaurants to check out on the list. we have the complete list at our website, abc7news.com. we'll be back for you in the 6:00 hour when this party gets under way. in san francisco tonight i'm dion lim, abc 7 news. >> boy, that is great stuff. save us some hors d'oeuvres, dion. if you've ever wondered about the difference in michelin stars here's a quick primer for you. the guide says one star signifies a very good restaurant. two stars are excellent cooking that is worth a detour. and three stars, well, that means exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey. >> looks like we should take a class trip to some of those restaurants. it seems flying is more expensive and more of a hassle than ever before. >> so which airlines do a good job and which ones don't?

>> 7 on your side michael finney with some answers. maybe we should have some stars for them. >> would there be any three stashes? really. how can you make sure you're getting the best deal and the most comfortable ride? here's what the 52,000 members of "consumer reports" think. >> it's not your imagination. some airplanes now come with seats closer together, smaller bathrooms and less space for carry-on luggage. so it's no surprise that flying is less comfortable is more aggravating. but what really bugs passengers most? >> lack of legroom is the biggest thing. >> turnaround time for baggage. >> now you're packed in like sardines. >> the food. >> reporter: and it's not just cramped quarters that makes modern-day air travel so unpleasant. >> with the arrival of low-cost carriers there's been increased competition to get airfares at the lowest possible price. and they hope the travelers will then decide to upgrade their tickets to more expensive fares

offering more perks. >> airlines offer enticements such as early boarding, extra legroom and a checked bag but all for an additional price. >> i have to pay 60 this way, 60 that way. why didn't you tell me that when i was buying the ticket? >> reporter: so how do you score a more comfortable, hassle-free flight without extra fees? "consumer reports" says choose a top-rated airline. in its latest survey of over 52,000 "consumer reports" members reporting on nearly 100,000 economy class domestic flights, the airlines that received the best overall scores were southwest, alaska, jetblue, and hawaiian. all four scored high marks in cabin cleanliness keeping passengers informed of flight status and good service from airline staff. the bottom two were frontier and spirit. they received low marks for ease of check-in, keeping passengers informed of flight stus, and pricing transparency. and how do you get the best

price for your flight? "consumer reports" suggests searching multiple times over multiple days and shop both at airline websites and third party sites like kayak and orbitz. and if you're looking to fly in style, "consumer reports" survey reports found hawaiian airlines and alaskan airlines among the highest-rated airlines for first-class flying. >> i don't know if i want to fly in style. just in some kind of comfort. >> isn't fly in style an oxymoron? on to the weather and all the rain we had today. >> now your accuweather forecast with sandhya patel. >> that was a drencher you will not soon forget, dan and kristen and everyone. good evening. let me show you why. doppler 7. things have quieted from earlier in the day. we're not done yet. i want to take new closer to where eyre seeing some showers on the peninsula. portola valley we're seeing some light rain. woodside, page mill road heading into los altos. we are seeing some heavier returns around tuesday kadero

creek and la honda. don't be surprised if you get caught under one of these moderate pockets of showers in the east bay. fremont 880, warm springs boulevard, milpitas. it's coming down. santa clara heading into san jose street level radar. benton street. it is wet out there. and still gusty. although winds are not gusting as high as they were earlier. we had wind gusts as high as 50 to 60 miles an hour. those zbufts over the hills. mount tam right now gusting to 36 miles an hour. might be a little tough if you're driving, stepping out to do some holiday shopping. just keep that in mind. gusting to 28 in san francisco right now. 29 in half moon bay. 24-hour rainfall totals. this is impressive. san jose, you normally are in the rain shadow of the santa cruz mountains. you got a really good soak. .89 of an inch. almost two inches in santa rosa. san rafael an inch and 3/4. .97 san francisco. napa over an inch. look at concord. 1.77. 1 1/4 in fairfield. and some places like palo alto,

mountain view, livermore didn't get a whole lot but it was better than nothing. ben lohman, by the way, over three inches of rain and that's just this storm. the storm still churning the waters. surf is up 19-foot waves right now monterey bay. high surf advisory until tomorrow morning. watch out if you're going to be near the coast. breakers 18 to 24 feet. speaking of the coast, here's the view from our santa cruz camera. yes, it is rough out there and dangerous. rip currents are certainly possible. mid 50s from san francisco to mountain view and san jose right now. oakland 57 degrees. dark skies from our sutro tower camera as the sun has gone down. mid 50s santa rosa, napa. 57 in san rafael and in concord. and this is a beautiful view. the snow piling up in the tahoe area. we're going to be seeing some more of it. chain controls right now heading up to the mountains on all roads leading to tahoe. keep that in mind. winter storm warning until 4:00 a.m. above 6,000 feet. could see up to 21 inches in some areas but expect whiteout conditions, major travel delays. possible road closures. and the winter storm warning at

10:00 p.m. friday goes back up again tomorrow night into saturday night. snow level down to 5,000. if you're traveling you have a small window to get up there, up to 24 inches expected in some areas. it's a rainy view from our san jose cameras. as you look toward the shark tank. gusty with a few showers. isolated thunder possible. a colder storm arrives late tomorrow night. current system is a level 1. next few hours. isolated thunder still possible. watch out for the rough surf. hour by hour we go. it's going to be hit or miss showers tonight. 10:00 p.m. in the south bay. as we head toward friday night that's when we're going to start to see some moisture beginning to approach. by saturday morning moderate pockets of showers. 2:00 to 5:00 a.m. could be a little bit of snow mixing in in the highest elevations. 7:00 a.m. still some pockets of showers 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. then it's winding down by saturday afternoon. rainfall potential with this, it's a lighter storm. a tenth of an inch to half an inch. tomorrow morning chilly. 40s or even a few 30s.

tomorrow afternoon highs in the 50s and 60s. here's your accuweather seven-day forecast going with a chance some of showers tomorrow night. better opportunity for cold showers saturday. dry sunday, monday. more rain, level 1. tuesday into wednesday. welcome and beneficial rain. >> definitely a stormy one. >> sandhya, thank you. fish

state fish and wildlife officials say this year's fall fish run on the mccullamy river could be one of the highest on record. the mccullamy is the 95-mile-long river that flows from the sierra nevada across five california counties and empties into the delta around sacramento which eventually feeds into the bay. so far nearly 15,000 chinook salmon and 376 steelhead trout have returned to the river to date. last year's fall run broke records when nearly 20,000 salmon were recorded on the river.

it's all a good sign. airbnb will begin designing and building houses in the new year. that's according to the website fast company. the san francisco company has made billions for providing a place for people to stay. now it wants to go into the business of building them. airbnb tells fast company it intends to use green building technologies and incorporate better land use philosophy with the new homes it builds. we know how much salesforce has changed the san francisco skyline. now lego has taken notice. the company released its new architecture set of the city and it now shows the new salesforce tower. essentially in between coit tower and the golden gate bridge. if you look closely, the set also includes the painted ladies houses, four point, and the old bank of america center but no mini figure of mark benioff, the ceo. >> not yet. you know you've arrived

♪thisi'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine,

coming up tonight on abc 7 news at 6:00, a frantic effort to escape the camp fire. >> can we get in? >> butte county releases body camera video of a sheriff's deputy and his heroic effort to save nurses trapped in the middle of a firestorm. also deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning sore this time of year. see what abc 7 and others are doing to help keep families safe. >> from 7 on your side's michael finney. a woman's problem with her new mattress. she notice td right away. getting help, though, that was another matter. all coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. finally, military homecomings are emotional affairs not just for families but for pets too. >> that's army soldier cassandra cabrera returning home at sacramento's airport after a ten-month deployment to africa. she was afraid her dog would miss her and wouldn't even remember. >> miss may was only a puppy when she was called overseas. you can see pets don't forget their owners. she immediately recognized cabrera and embraced her with lots of licks to the face.

>> there's no chance she'd forget. >> i'm kristen zee. tonight, the bombshell development. the president's long-time fixer and personal attorney surrounded by cameras today, after pleading guilty to lying to congress and revealing he has now entered a plea deal with special counsel robert mueller. what michael cohen has already told mueller. the president furious, calling him weak today. and why the president has now abruptly canceled his weekend meeting with vladimir putin. also breaking tonight, scenes of chaos on american highways. big rigs and cars crashing. the accidents mounting tonight, as a sweeping system moves from the west across the country and into the northeast. rob has the new track. the family killed in a massive fire weeks before christmas, and tonight, what author