get ready. >> thanks for joining us.s gig look at the conditions right now. >> it looks more like february than may. it is getting active. it coming down pretty heavy. we're seeing some moderate to heavy rainfall right now in the napa area. old sonoma road.s lighter from . take a look at what's offshore. we'll see some heavier rain into san francisco. this system will bring us even heavier rain. the winds are increasing ahead of it. gusting to 35 at sfo. gusts 30 to 40 miles an hour.

here's a preview of some down pours ahead through tonight. lu. >> reporter: i want you to take a look. you can see many commuters are tying to get on the bay brink right now. obviously the back-up is completely from district two, maybe three blocks from where we're at. and the roads are expected to get wet in the upcoming commute hours. >> we were coming for my daughter's doctor's appointment and it definitely shi traffic rain. we caught one this lyft driver who was about to take a nap after driving for seven hours. more rain means more money for him him. >> when it's not raining, i find

people don't mind walking. when it rains, this can he can't walk through it. >> this rain is also adding up to chp's workload. they said when they saw the forecast, they increased patrols. >> it's been close to a month since we saw the last rain. so these first rains are important. we need to be cautious out there. the roads will be slick. >> reporter: if you're planning on driving tonight and in the upcoming days, the chp says to drive in the middle lane to avoid the puddles in the freeway.ple are saying, isn't may supposed to be dry? >> supposed to be. >> reporter: if you step outside, you think you're in the middle of winter. not only does it rain in may like it is right now.

san francisco in the past couple years, in 2017 and 2015, it rained in june. even 2014 in the middle of july. we do get rain this far out in the rainy season. what's unusual, it is a late season atmospheric river. what you feel at the surface, you feel humidity. the dew point measures the mugginess. sandy comes back to take another look at the storm as it affects the evening commute. >> okay. thank you. cherry farmers are hoping and praying that all this rain will not wipe out their crops. >> besides the damage already showing, chris ray says live now fresh off the cherry orchard in

gilroy. >> reporter: these are the cherries that make money. this is a livelihood for dozens of farmers. cherries are pretty particular. even if a little moisture get into the fruit and they start to split and then all of a sudden they're not good enough to sell. how many acres of cherry trees do you have? 75 producing. >> reporter: and you could lose them all because of the rain. ye >> reporter: he is looking at about a quarter million-dollar loss. >> you can eat them but they don't look pretty. >> then there are his tomatoes. >> it is harder to control. it will stunt the plant.

we have a total of 2,500 acres that we farm here. >> how long have you been a farmer here? >> 25 years. >> even at 25 years, the anxiety over farming never goes away. visit any of the dozen cherry orchards and you'll likely spot crews scrambling to protect their crops in anticipation of this unusual mid may rain. some coating them with a watch like substance. >> people say it doesn't work but when you have all this money invested, you say, we'll try it anyway. >> cry about it. >> you want to pick your crop. you don't want to rely on insurance. just like your house. you don't want to it burn down. >> what does this mean to you especially if you love cherries? he tells me even with today's rain, you will probably see less cherries at your farmer's market.

it will probably be more expensive. >> tough on them and tough on consumers. >> a bicyclist was struck while trying to cross a freeway in oakland today. it happened about 3:30 about an hour and a half ago on eastbound 24 west of the vunlt street exit. >> the man with the bicycle they are sorry to say died at the scene. new information on the deadliest fire in the state's history. >> cal fire has finished its investigation and conclude that had pga transmission lines started the camp fire. >> they announced three months

ago that pg&e was the cause of the camp fire. several firefighters were killed and it scorched several thousand acres of it spread rapidly in the high dry winds. i spoke today with mike muller.. >> narrator: f >> it is about first responders. the people that lost their lives continue in the recovery process. >> to try to move on. >> absolutely. whatever we can do as the investigation moves forward, to support that. that's what we will be doing. >> have the it is the result of trees blowing into the power lines. that fire was consumed by the first and went on to destroy thousands of homes. cal fire has forwarded the report to the d.a. for possible

prosecution. they're hook at what this means for the siave cases. i'll have that coming up. >> all right. thank you. a developing story, it was an emotionally intense day where testimony continued and the ghost ship fire criminal trial. >> for the first time, they saw the camera video. >> laura anthony was inside the courtroom and has our report. >> it was an emotional time. prosecutors played a dark and jerky video. from the helmet of one of the first firefighters to arrive the night of the fatal fire. it came during the testimony heather dean. she was the captain. she and her partner were the first on seep. >> extremely emotional for them to see the moments when the firefighters went in.

to think about where were their loved ones and their adult children in that fire. >> he didn't have any expression on their face. >> attorneys for the defendants, a to you video show the owing fire department could have or should have done more to save the 36 people who died in the ghost ship that night. >> people run up to her and say there's people still in there. she does nothing about it. she goes into the front. 40 feet in. it's too hot and she leaves. >> she became emotional and she heard there were people inside. she said they wouldn't have done anytng ff porit to g a hose out the fire. then attempt rescues. >> earlier he talked about how he escaped the ghost ship and

how he and others tried to then dozens of people still on the second floor. one of the ventilation ducts burst. we were holding the door open trying to establish a beacon with our cell phone lights. >> a father is accused of lying about his 3-year-old daughter being kidnapped during a carjacking. police arrested 20-year-old evidencerick mckroy. he is charged with a false report of a criminal offense. >> investigators say his daughter was not inside the car but safe with her mother in san francisco. they say he lied so police would find his car faster. they did find it crash in el cerrito. the suspected thief was taken into custody.

>> coming up, heart breaking reaction from a teen's family. >> and breaking ground. affordable housing now under construction and how it fits into a bigger plan that's part of our efforts to build a better bay area.

it's no ordinary day at denny's it's crepe day. a family tradition we started about twenty-two minutes ago. and from the looks of it, this tradition is going to last awhile. denny's has new crepes! see you at denny's. the woman suspected of causing a deadly wrong way crash this weekend made her first court appearance. >> it killed the 17-year-old fremont boy who had dreams of becoming a firefighter. >> reporter: outside the santa clara court of justice -- >> every day he left the house and he would say mama, i love you. i'm thankful for that. >> he recalls the last words she heard from her son just hours

before he was killed saturday morning in a wrong way collision on highway 17. four of his friends survived but suffered major injuries. he was a junior in fremont and had dreams of goinging a firefighter. >> i am completely broken. he was my everything. taken away from me, from everybody. it is just not me. >> they say ashley marie oliver was responsible for the head-on crash and was returning after a night of drinking. investigators are still trying to figure out how long she was driving the wrong way. >> i'm never going to get that chance to hug him, kiss him, say i love him, nothing. >> today oliver was wheeled into the courtroom where she made her first appearance before the judge. the 28-year-old showing little emotion as a public defender spoke on her behalf. the santa clara district attorney's office vowing to fight for justice.

>> this is every mother's worst nightmare. there is nothing we can do to bring her son back to her. but the d.a. will work tirelessly to bring justice to her, her family and the community. >> oliver has been charged with multiple counts including gross vehicularman and felony dui. >> i don't want any family to have to go through the pain and the emptiness. >> she returns to court. part of building a better bay area involving finding soon f unitsoccordi red oak realtiy. it will reshape the skyline from san leandro to richmond and especially owing which is slated to get half the units.

one of them is brook lynn basin off 880. today, they broke ground on some apartments that are slated to be affordable housing. >> the people you see here have been complaining about high rents. in an effort to build places they cannot afford to live. they formed a coalition of residents of chinatown and the east lake and san antonio neighborhoods. 2004 seems lying a long time ago. jerry brown was mayor. thecove sualize being if the pl. there was a recession. things have changed. this is called the brooklyn basin community. 3,100 homes are being built. of those 465 units, fall under

the category of affordable. regular oaklanders. >> nearly 9,000 are under construction with just as many in the pipeline. still, the city is not even close to the need. >> yesterday, i help open 28 new units of affordable housing. 4,000 families applied. >> like in other cities, finding the funding has been a challenge. but they approved a bond for existing projects for low income families the mayor sayscies hav affordable housing.

homeless camps are now causing flooding concerns. some people say say they dig on the river edge. when the river levels rise in the winter, that could cause serious problems. it could weaken the soil and cause chunks to slip away. >> councilmembers are planning to have police go out to the most problematic camps and explain this issue to the folks living there. the city council will review a report about the issue in just a few weeks. the rain is delaying our fire season. this is a welcome sight, even

though you may not be happy about it, i want to show you where it is raining. it is coming down pretty hard. novato, black point, you will notice south san antonio road. also seeing some heavier rainfall here. the rainfall is about an inch an hour. we are seeing some moderate to heavy rain. and it is light to moderate from the sunset district. great highway heading into the bay view district going across the east bay into oakland. the commute will be challenging. 880, alameda, castro valley, down peninsula, heading into cupertino, we are seeing some lighter rainfall. we do have heavier rain coming into san francisco. what we saw this morning was the light stuff. here's a look from the camera.

a rainy view. people are saying, why is it raining? should not it be warm? yeah. 64, san jose. 57 in half moon bay. upper 50s to 60s from santa rosa to concord. it is a level two through tonight. gusts, 30, 40 miles an hour or higher. so our best possibilities are this evening of seeing some thunderstorms. hourly win, 6:00 tonight. winds gusting over 40 miles an hour along the coast. we will be seeing the down pours going into 7:30. moderate pockets of rain across

the region. still going at 10:00 p.m. it will be the light to moderate category. as we head into the lunch hour, make sure you have your umbrellas with you. we'll still have some wet weather. anywhere from a quarter of an inch in brentwood, turning to snow in the mountains. winter storm warning midnigh tonight. to 6,000 feet, expect up to two and a half feet for the peaks. definitely count on delays and carry the chains if you're thinking of going to tahoeweeke. upper 40s to low 50s. tomorrow afternoon, mid 50s to

low 60s. cooler than average this time of year. windy with the showers around. here's a look at the forecast. a level one. a chance of thunder still tomorrow. saturday into sun, our next storm. and then a third one coming in. a chance some of rain tuesday night into wednesday. mike will be here tracking this you can and track it using our app.

a bay area county wants more hybrid vehicles on the road and will help make it happen. >> michael finney joins u >> we haven't heard one like this before. san mateo residents are now eligible for down payment assistance on hybrid electric cars through a new program.

qualifying residents could receive a $4,000 incentive to purchase a used plug-in hybrid vehicle. peninsula clean energy is teaming up for the initiative. it provides affordable interest rates on vehicle loans to those who qualify. it must fall within a certain income range. live or work in san mateo county. have a valid driver's license and be able to cover the vehicle loan. the fda will now test berries for norovirus. they plan to collect 2,000 samples, test them and post the findings over the next year and a half. food borne illnesses can be prevented by washing them before eating. however many frozen berries are

eat eaten from the bag. the company says a flaw could allow a hacker to access your account or device in two ways. one being with 30 foot, within 30 feet, of a key when the button is pressed. or two, when the key is first connected to your device. sf listen to this. crazy rich asians is going to be donating to the smithsonian. it will be presented this weekend in l.a. at the first ever smithsonian party celebrating asian pacific americans. the director, a really great guy. i spoke to him about it. emmitt became a cinderella dress

for many and he was touched by the re-creations of the dress. they are not related with you two coyote pups are

. coming up . north bay fire victims lash out at their construction company which they say took their money but did not deliver as promised. the company says not so fast. >> if it wasn't for the app, i would have never known something was happening two or three blocks away from me. >> and it's safety week. michael finney shows us how we can use our phone to be both informed and safe. all of that is coming up. finally two coyote pups are

being raised together after being found within a week of each other. >> they were found in different spots. they're from different litters and not related. now they're pack mates. >> one was separate from its mother too soon but is eating a special mix to help it grow. >> it is important they're raised with another pups so they develop normal structure. they know they're a coyote. they know humans are scary and not something to be interested in. and coyotes are the ones they want to hang out with. >> now they go. they'll be moved to sonoma county wildlife rescue until they can be released into the wild. >> one last check on the weather. you can always check live doppler 7 on your free abc7 news app. world news is next.

tonight, several breaking stories as we come on the air. just moments ago, the alabama governor signing the bill, the debate over abortion rights suddenly front and center in this country. alabama passing the nation's most restrictive abortion law, effectively banning abortion. the only exception, the mother's life. doctors would face 99 years in prison. will this end up at the supreme court, challenging roe versus wade? also developing as we come on tonight, the helicopter crash here in new york city. crashing into the hudson river. the dramatic pictures coming in. the chopper going down after refueling, set to pick up passengers. tonight, news on the pilot coming in, and what caused this. and it comes after last year's deadly crash in the east river. the alarming scene playing out today. the high rise rescue. at least 50 stories up.