>> today lord we gather as a nation with great resolve to remember and honor those who have paid the ultimate price with serving our nation. marking memorial day, how people across the bay area honored fallen servicemembers. to stay marks the unofficial start of summer. tens of millions of people spent the long weekend out of town. big this holiday weekend. why businesses are asre

polar destinationstoday. millions traveled over memorial day weekend for a return to normalcy. it evening and thank you for joining us, i am ama daetz. let's take the live look at some of our traffic, right now we have shots from interstate 80 and on the east we have walnut creek in the middle and the bay bridge on the right coming into the city which was really congested earlier in the day. aaa projected that 34 million americans were planning road trips for the long holiday weekend, some of them on their way back home at this hour. let's take a live look at santa cruz beach, look at all the people! still a pretty good crowd out there this evening, many flocked to the sand longing for what life was like before the pandemic. that does not mean businesses work quite ready for the rush. >> reporter: this afternoon the

return of holiday traffic on highway 17. bumper to bumper ring a sense of normalcy has drivers made their way from the valley to the beach. >> it is nice out and and and a be able to be around people. >> reporter: is covid-19 cases continue to drop more people feel good about being michelle and her husband john made the drive to santa cruz to celebrate their wedding anniversary. >> debating on whether we should stay another night, and we know there will be a lot of traffic tonight. >> reporter: with tourists coming back to the area businesses are asking for little patients, especially as the area deals with the labor shortage. the boardwalk since they still need to fill 500 positions as they ramp up for the summer. >> our guests are so happy to be back on the boardwalk writing their favorite rides and eating their favorite foods. >> reporter: the public to know they are

doing all they can to provide the best possible service. >> we are very happy to be open the way we are for memorial day 2021. >> reporter: a popular cafc beech street where zach davis was attending customers during the holiday rush. he is the co-owner of two businesses in town and knows firsthand how challenging hiring staff has been. >> it is about interacting with people, bringing some joy and delight. it is wonderful being back face to face, not doing delivery and being able to interact with people again. >> reporter: many were savoring the sun. >> just enjoying the weather, it is beautiful out here, it is better than the eat and we enjoy it. >> reporter: counting their blessings that they too could take advantage of some of the fun. all right, let's talk about the heat. from the 50s to the triple digits. our meteorologist

joins us from the roof. >> we saw some of the warmest temperatures in land today since last september. it has been sometime since we saw heat this high. 101 in cloverdale, 96 in concorde, 83 in san jose, but you get the sea breeze. san francisco only 68 degrees. you have got to love microclimates. and excessive heat warning in effect for the north bay and inland east bay until 9:00 p.m. tonight. if you are heading out, may be dining alfresco, it does turn hot over the next couple of hours in land. cool on the coast, introducing clouds by about 8:00 p.m. the son going down -- clouds will come back to the coast overnight tonight. wake up to fog and cooler temperatures will move in. we will take a look at how warm we get tomorrow after today's hot weather in the full accuweather forecast.

several in-person events marked memorial day in the bay area today. to remember the men and women who died while serving in the u.s. military. [ music ] >> a ceremony in brief talks held at the uss hornet in alameda, there was no ceremony last year because of the pandemic. >> a day of reflection at san francisco's presidio chapel. interfaith leaders held a service that was open to the public and streamed online. american flags were placed at the headstones of the san francisco no national cemetery. they want to honor our

fallen veterans. another memorial day ceremony, this one in san jose, began with a moment of silence for the victims of last week's shooting at the vta railyard. dozens of people attended the remembrance at oak hill memorial park that included a 21 gun salute that honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. this memorial day many people escaped the heat movie theaters. welcome sign for theater owners and hollywood. we have a look at this weekend's numbers. >> reporter: at the century theater in pleasant hill it almost feels like normal. two big blockbusters playing and a decent sized crowd to see them. leo sweeney is seeing disney's "cruella" with friends. >> it is like thank god we were able backnow. it is a nice place where you

can sit in the air conditioning, in a place where it is hot as , excuse my french. >> reporter: certainly leo is not the only one who feels this way. weathered the heat wave or simply the urge to get out of the house after the lockdown, this memorial day weekend grossed $100 million, the biggest weekend since the shutdown last march. >> memorial weekend is generally a pivotal weekend for the movie business and in theaters. 2021 may have been the most important memorial weekend ever. >> reporter: the two movies people want to see our cruella and a quiet place part to both did better than expected. but by comparison in 2019 memorial day weekend grossed $231 million, so more than double. paul -- senior score sees this weekend's numbers as a good sign movies are making a comeback, at a time when more and more people have started streaming. >> only 72% of theaters are even open. >> reporter: for many, streaming is not the same. >> no, it is not the same. >> when i went to avengers

endgame, this was in 2019 before everything hit. they were people you could talk with, fans, and we would go nuts, we would go yay! it's like you can't get that streaming >> reporter: no, you definitely can't. in pleasant hill, liz kreutz, abc7 news. in the north pray they residents and growers are dealing with 20% cutbacks in their water. everyone is challenged, especially those you make their living from the russian river. tonight of a rafting company owner who is making the best of the worst drought in memory. >> reporter: beneath the squeaky wheel above a large awning the most obscure collection of flip-flops you are ever likely to see are los >> reporter: they do come back though? right? >> every single person. >> reporter: they are even coming back this year, the 20th in which larry has down the rus

in 2021 almost feels like a miracle. >> this is historically the lowest i've ever seen it period. >> reporter: even with the river at a record low, the counties rely on the russian river as their main water source. at another application, being a business that relies on it. that is a drought version of double jeopardy. >> when i first looked at the russian river 20 years ago i hesitated, because i knew this day would come. >> reporter: he has driven this route countless times for his world-renowned rafts that he designs themselves. while he still sells out trips on >> pre-pandemic we had twice as many boats on the water. >> reporter: now he has to change his marketing. >> the water is great, they could be part of a historically low year. >> reporter: one that requires them to drive their

100 yards or so. but in this heat, no problem. >> i've never had to get out of the boat and push it before. >> reporter: a small place price to pay on a hot day. if life gives you lemons make lemonade, and if you get a drought, make your customers part of it. >> if it gets any worse it is over. >> reporter: that would be bad for all of those lost souls. we are learning more about one of the victims of the vta mass shooting. >> everything alex has touched right now is so important to me. >> with alex his wife said about the final moments with her husband. it will be a while before the bay this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden.

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this afternoon as a loose tire was smacking into cars. the chp says the tire flew off the vehicle driving in the westbound lanes and bounced over to the eastbound side hitting a vehicle in the back was found hitting another car. the tire finally landed on top of a third car injuring the woman inside. she was rushed to the hospital, no word yet on her condition. light rail service remain suspended indefinitely following last week's mass shooting. vta says they are too short- staffed to keep running buses along the light rail lines. instead they are focused on the regular service. the interim general manager says it's impossible to estimate when service can be restored. the agency is in morning after wednesday's tragedy. vta will be planning ways to memorialize and remember the nine employees who were killed when a coworker opened fire at

the railyard before he died by suicide as police and deputies confronted him. today we are learning more about the ninth of them of that shooting, alex ward fritch died at the hospital the night of the shooting surrounded by family. his widow spoke to abc7's news reporter about their last moments together. >> he didn't want to go. he was fighting so hard. i mean the doctors were like we don't even understand how he is still here. >> old. you will hear more from his widow, tara, on abc7 news at 6:00 p.m. we set up a way for you to help the families of this tragedy, had to abc7news.com/take action for information on resources and how you can donate. now to building a better bay area and the return of torres and. today is marking the unofficial start of summer, but may be many months before the economy fully recovers from the covid

lockdown. as our news anchor discovered -- >> reporter: it may be an unscientific measurement to those dedicated to science, but if sales at the ticket window are any indication tourism businesses back. and that was not lost on the director of operations. >> we were three weeks spring break was very strong. it wasn't just local visitors, but folks from southern california, out-of-state, and even folks from international. >> reporter: and a possible twist of fate, the same covid crisis keeping visitors away from the bay area, may now be a part in bringing them back. even with the crisis beginning to seanmaskmandate's ging. gash a rsflew in fr >> i thi feel safer here than i do in las vegas.

people follow the restrictions a lot better. i see a lot more people wearing masks. >> reporter: is visiting from atlanta, she agrees that the bay area's sensibilities during the covid crisis may have positioned it as a safe choice compared to other destinations. >> atlanta is definitely pretty lax, to say the least, when it comes to covid. >> reporter: across the street at the deyoung museum, an increasing number of tourists have been snapping up tickets to nearby exhibits like the picasso installation. they say it's critical for the museum's future because normal traffic is from outside the bay area. geinthck pandemic lel.ard to it economic recovery. >> reporter: while some around the country may have sneered at the strict their standards they may turn out to be a wise

investment in the long run. as tourists decide if they will answer the draw to one of the premier destinations in the world. of sciences say a surprising number of out-of-town visitors go on to become regular subscribers and even online donors after they return home. more stories about tourists coming back to the bay area all week long and you can watch them now on the abc7 app wherever you stream. race and social justice another pillar of loading a better bay area. summons out they are creating videos to promote social justice. abc7 news reporter -- >> reporter: when canneries are allowed in santa clara county court we are told not to take videos of the judges. this video is unusual featuring 13 of them and all of them are asian american. the video was created to celebrate asian american pacific islander heritage month. >> we are camera shy and shy of

publicity. but we felt it was an important thing to do. >> reporter: the eight minute video shares personal insights on how they, as members of immigrant families, served have seen in justice even when their parents served in the u.s. military. >> despite having hatefully served our country, i am judge jacqueline -- and diane then american. >> reporter: one by one the judges reveal their human side and their commitment to diversity, inclusion and equal justice. >> when we deliver messages that can be harsh, and hard things for people to hear, that we do it in a respectful and human way. >> reporter: the video caught the attention of teachers who plan to use it in classes and of other warts you may produces similar once. >> we will cultivate included fiction, diversity, and raise self-awareness through education, crucial conversations, and community

collaboration and legislation. >> reporter: the message is clear. >> we are committed to achieving justice and equality for all. >> we are committed to achieving justice and equality for all. >> we are committed to achieving justice and equality for all. >> we are committed to achieving justice and equality for all. >> reporter: abc7 news. >> a powerful message. >> reporter: some people in the bay area y'rborn and raised in sow upwaf we're proud to be 100% employee owned with local workers as diverse as san francisco.

we built the city's recycling system from the ground up, helping to make san francisco the greenest big city in america but we couldn't do it without you. thank you, san francisco. gracias, san francisco. -thank you. -[ speaks native language ] let's keep making a differene together. hi, i'm debra. i'm from colorado. i've been married to my high school sweetheart for 35 years. i'm a mother of four-- always busy. i was starting to feel a little foggy.

just didn't feel like things were as sharp as i knew they once were. i heard about prevagen and then i started taking it about two years now. started noticing things a little sharper, a little clearer. i feel like it's kept me on my game. i'm able to remember things. i'd say give it a try. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. thousands of people spent their memorial day at oracle part. they saw the giants beat angels, 6-1. the giants no longer require aiding a negative covid tests or proof of vaccination, unless you are

sitting in a vaccinated only section. oracle park will return to full capacity on june 25th. as we check out the weather it was a really nice day at the ballpark. >> absolutely. let's get to abc7's meteorologist drew tuma. hi drew. >> beautiful weather close to the coast, and temp scorched us inland. across the bay area tons of sunshine, no matter where you are in the city. santa cruz right now still enjoying the sand. notice on the horizon we have the coastal clouds that come back tonight. that will really help to break the heat tomorrow and usher in some cooler temperatures. right now we have the summertime spread unofficial start today. 59 in half moon bay and 101 in fairfield. that is a wide range of temperatures. 87 in fremont, 82 in santa rosa, but 101 in cloverdale.

across california it is a hot day, the central valley from bakersfield to reading are either meeting or exceeding 100 degrees. but the coast is in the low 60s were near 70s. the onshore breeze continues. wendy in the city, gusting to 22 miles per hour right now. that is why the heat was not able to move into the city today. and onshore wind will continue tomorrow. hour by hour we go, 8:00 p.m. tonight cooling off into the 50s and 60s close to the coast. still warm in land in the 70s and 80s. breezes will cool us off near the delta into the 60s and 70s for the most part. the coastal clouds will come in and bring everybody mainly into the 50s overnight tonight. overnight tonight clouds building along the coast, we might see some coastal drizzle as well. meanly in the 50s around the bay shoreline, some warmer spots, even fairfield in the low to mid 60s overnight tonight. the breeze continues tomorrow,

a windy start is june 1st. and onshore breeze anywhere from 20-30 miles per hour. that will bring in some cooler air. you will notice the drop in land especially by 10-15 degrees. 84 in santa rosa, 82 in freeman, 64 in the city, 58 in half moon bay. we will break triple digit heat as we head into the first day of june. air quality improves, we had a fair air day today, tomorrow and wednesday fluctuating between good and moderate which is an improvement over today. so fresh air is moving in with the cooler temperatures as well. here is the accuweather seven- day forecast, the heat eases tomorrow, june 1st. wednesday is cooler, it is breezy, if not wendy. the winds continue to whip little change on friday. next week and looking really nice, and we are returning more but nowhere near as hot as we

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a reminder, you can get our live newscasts, along with breaking weather, news and more with the abc7 app, available on apple tv, fire tv, and roku. just search kristen sze and download it for free. finally tonight in southbay, on a day we celebrate our nation's heroes, we found some local heroes helping the homeless stay hydrated. >> this pastor goes from one encampment to the next offering bottles of water a morning everyone about the heat. the pastor says he and his team have been doing the outreach for at least seven years during both winter and summer. but the help is needed the most when the weather gets hot. >> when the weather gets ho mamt'get t them >> it is nice to see them thinking of others. wagner and his team start with

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tonight, america's comeback, heading toward normal for the first big holiday with covid in retreat. crowds gathering for memorial day remembrances, at parades, the beach and barbecues, but also packing highways and airports. the tsa screening more than 7 million people this weekend. a new pandemic record. last year, the memorial day holiday spurred a summer surge. this time, will vaccinations block the virus's return? holiday storms. the weekend washout for much of the country. flash flooding and at least 16 reported tornadoes. but after record cold and a he on the way. miami manhunt.