merry christmas, y'all. >> our thanks to the incomparable whoopi. that's "nightline." you can watch full episodes on hu hulu. see you next week. thanks for staying up with us, and merry christmas. good night, america.

reporter: shoppers are back in

union square, grabbing last-minute items before christmas, but holiday gifts are not the only things on their minds. anchor: thousands of flights canceled. what you can expect at sfo. rere holidays happy despite the pandemic. the sights and sounds from downtown san jose. >> the area could see a white christmas. abc 7 news starts right now. announcer: building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. anchor: live doppler 7 radar, but not problem. rain will arrive for christmas. you are watching abc 7 news at 11:00, live on abc seven, hulu live coming in wherever you stream. wet roads in a tricky travel in the sierra. we are on stormwatch tonight to make sure you get home safely this holiday weekend. it is a white christmas in the sierra. snow is falling right now at zephyr cove on the southeastern edge of lake tahoe.

the chp says heavy rain caused a fuel truck to flip on northbound 680 in the fremont this morning as it tried to avoid a car. thousands of gallons of fuel leaked. 100 homes had to be evacuated as a result. the freeway was shut down for hours as the crews cleaned up the mess. now the freeway is open and everyone is back at home on this christmas eve. here is a live look outside at the golden gate bridge. as you can see and would expect on christmas eve, very quiet on the golden gate. things are going to change. let's go to abc 7 news meteorologist frances dinglasan with the forecast. frances: we are getting light showers come up with a heavy rain is on its way. just to the north, we are getting light showers, then some lightning off the coast of fort bragg. we could see some thunderstorms tomorrow with the system. on the storm impact scale, it is a two out of five, moderate.

tomorrow, especially in the morning and early afternoon, we could see some brief downpours, windy conditions, around an inch of rain with a slight chance of thunderstorms, even some small hail. look at the forecast animation. notice during the morning hours, the heavy rain stays in the north bank. the 7:00 hour, still in the north bay. the areas in red is where we could see the heavy downpours, making for difficult driving. by midday, it starts to slide south through the peninsula, hitting the south bay hard in the early afternoon and tapering to showers tomorrow night. the showers continued through the weekend. i will let you know with the rain totals are, how many more wet days we can expect, and when we can finally get a break. dan: thanks very much. remember, you can keep an eye on the weather anytime you wish. you can find it on the abc seven bay area app. let's move to today's pandemic

headlines. the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant is playing a part in thousands of flight delays and cancellations. more on that in just a few minutes. but one week from today, the u.s. will lift its travel ban on eight southern african countries. it has been in a month ever since the omicron variant was discovered. california is closing in on 5 million total cases of coronavirus. the state reported 20,000 new cases just today, one of the highest daily counts we have seen in months. despite the pandemic, many in the south bay tonight were determined to keep the holidays happy. crowds in downtown san jose said they spent last christmas locked down. this year, their spirits are up and they are getting out. here is amanda del castillo yo. amanda: after having to attendd mass virtually last year, churchgoers say there is something very special about friday's in person service at

cathedral basilica of st. joseph in downtown san jose. >> this is the highlight tonight, going in and being in church. amanda: bob and terry drove in, originally from the east coast. they said the pandemic kept them grounded. >> we decided to stay put again. >> stay close to home. but it is hard when you are not near your family. amanda: longing to be around people, family or otherwise, seemed to be the big motivation for everyone we spoke with. at san jose' jose' in the park, christmas eve crowds for the first time since 2019. >> it has been a long time sitting at home. during the holidays, we wanted to go outside and see people. >> we definitely wanted to be with people, spend time with friends and hang out. i think this is happening now. >> we want to see all the christmas trees. people are happy. amanda: the return of the usual

sights, sounds, tastes, and traditions, along with masks. many admit they had to make some adjustments, but above all, they are determined to keep the holidays happy. >> it doesn't feel normal yet because usually we get together at my sister's house. we are doing a restaurant this year. amanda: after having to stay separated this year, every moment is carrying greater significance this christmas. >> i am glad we could do this, walk around and enjoy things and go to bars and restaurants and not be locked up from it all. amanda: chris in downtown san j, amanda del castillo. dan: thousands of flights across the country have been delayed or canceled in part because of a nationwide spike in omicron cases. as stephanie sierra tells us, this is likely to get worse this holiday weekend. stephanie: call it the nightmare before christmas as omicron fears jet into holiday panic. >> i keep seeing all these

cancellations and keeping my fingers crossed. stephanie: when is flying to keep -- gwen this going to houston on united, or so she hopes. how many flights have been canceled? >> to my knowledge, 170. stephanie: a holiday hazard, families stranded, airline staff sick, causing a slew of airlines to all cancel hundreds of flights nationwide and here in the bay area. it happened to jack. he is worried he might not make it to seattle. >> we are on a 12:50 flight, but it has trouble, so we are going at 2:18 now. >> we have been checking all websites, the websites. so we are crossing our fingers. stephanie: do you have a backup plan? >> [laughter] no, we don't. stephanie: omicron makes up 50% to 70% of all new covid cases in

california. bay area travelers are in n95 masks, questioning whether the trip is worth the risk. >> i am sure there are people in this terminal who are positive. >> we have been thinking and rethinking this again and again. stephanie: as airline staff are stretched thin, others are keeping the holiday hope alive. >> happy holidays. >> and hope for the best, right? stephanie: at least until take off. how many hours until take off? >> about two and a half. >> but we are still on the board to go. [laughter] stephanie:stephanie: fingers crossed. >> fingers crossed is right. stephanie: united has canceled the most flights across the country and at sfo. if you're traveling over the holiday weekend, triple check your flight status as a handful of these airlines have already reported hundreds of cancellations for tomorrow, christmas day. in san francisco, stephanie sierra, abc 7 news. dan: if you have questions about covid-19 vaccines, ask our

vaccine team. they are there for that reason. headed to abc7news.com/vaccine and click on the big box you see on the screen. with hours to spare, holiday shoppers descended on san francisco's union square this afternoon to pick up last-minute gifts before christmas morning. but as tim johns explains, shopping was not the only thing on their minds. tim: amid the giant trees, wreaths, union square was packed with people, many people hitting shops, picking up last-minute items. >> we had lunch at neiman marcus, and we did some shopping at macy's. last-minute. we forgot a few things. tim: others had their shopping list already completed and came out only to see the decorations. >> i always come for the last years. tim: she came with her family. >> last year, we were not out . but this year, very lightly. tim: she says she and her

daughter waited in line to see santa. >> what did you give to santa? >> a card. >> she wrote a letter to santa and said what she wanted as a christmas present. tim: shopping was not the only thing on people's minds. after smash and grab robberies happened, safety was also a consideration. law enforcement has been a notable presence this holiday season after smash and grab robberies rocked the area several weeks ago. their presence giving many shoppers we talked to a sense of security. >> it is well lit. this is all remodeled, it is beautiful out, lots of people out. it is a nice day. tim: the other issue top of mind was covid, but despite the threat of omicron, many say it will not ruin their holiday spirit. >> all we have to do is the careful, wear our mask about and wash our hands. dan: still to come, a deadly shark attack on the central coast. what we know about the effort to

save the victim and the warning to beachgoers. and if you take a covid test at home, do you have to tell anyone it is positive? we will look at what that will have to mean the reliability of the state's pandemic data. here is a look at what is coming up on jimmy kimmel live. >> thanks, dan. the person at the top of my spotify wrap up is you. >> i am a real doctor. i stop my license. >> why don't you run for senator? >> i have a game show host, i have standards. [laughter]

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dan: oakland police are responding to a shooting. lecture avenue is blocked off as they continue their investigation. the police were out in a san mateo neighborhood this evening. police would not release details but asked people to stay way from claremont street near san mateo high school. part of the street was blocked off with police tape and we spotted officers using flashlights to look into at least one vehicle. we are staying on that as well. a small memorial lines the road where two people died during yesterday's storm. investigators say a 32nd flash flood trapped the victims in their car along hillcrest boulevard near elk no reality -- near el camino real. a public health works employeeke was able to save two people in another car that also got stuck, but sadly two did die.

a surfer was killed by a shark along california's coast and another public is being asked to stay away from the water. it happened off of morro bay. surfer was spotted face down.ac. his injuries were caused by a shark. the last deadly shark attack in the area was in 2003. rare, but scary nonetheless. meteorologist francis ti is here. frances: quite a bit of rain, and it is heading our way. it will arrive in parts of the north bay. here is a look at the doppler. it is a very cold system that brought some lightning off the coast of fort bragg, and it is bringing temperatures down as well over the next few days. right now, we are mostly in the low 50's with a few 40's. santa rosa, cloverdale in the mid to upper 40's, less ghettos at 43 degrees -- los gatos at 43

degrees. the rain arrives overnight, but then by tomorrow morning notice some heavy rain. the red and orange are the dangerous downpours we could see that could cause localized flooding. notice that showers will precede this frontal boundary, but this frontal boundary will slide through the bay area. by late morning, it will hit the east bay, the peninsula. this is what to look out for if you are driving during that time. it will be dangerous and windy. by early afternoon, the frontal boundary moves inland and to the south bay before it tapers off to showers in sunday -- on sunday. another wave pushes through. rainfall amounts generally tomorrow will be from half an inch to an inch, then possibly another half an inch on sunday. here are some estimates, and the thing to take away is not the exact number, but notice how different the amounts could be.

for example, san ramon could have 1.5 inches, and they are right nearby. it gives you a range. in addition to the rain, we are getting attentive snow in the sea -- we are getting a ton of snow in the sierra. if you have to go to and from tahoe, if you could wait until tuesday at 10:00 a.m., that is been the winter storm warning expires. be prepared if you get caught in the storm. the lows will be in the upper 40's, and we will see the rain start to move in. notice the highs tomorrow, not too much change. we see the low 50's for the most part, and even the upper 40's through parts of the north bay. not a big temperature change tomorrow. here is the accuweather 7 the forecast. moderate storm for tomorrow, most of it during the morning and early afternoon. sunday, we have the showers to rain, then tuesday another wintry storm.

get ready for some very cold days in the morning on tuesday. we will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal, in the 40's and instead of the 50's. dan: with the upcoming holiday, many are relying on at home covid-19 tests. but here is a good question -- who is tracking the number of positive cases? melanie woodrow explains what you need to know. melanie: this man was plannin mn to go to toronto, but omicron changed his mind. >> we were just concerned that it would not be a good idea. melanie: he is vaccinated and boosted, but has been regularly testing covid at home >> i have three. melanie: he is not alone. and an infectious disease specialist said at home tests are reliable. >> at home testing is really the way of the future. melanie: but as more and more people rely on them, it could skew california's positivity rate. >> it is like seeing the tree

fall in the forest and nobody knows but you. melanie: number of california's positive case rate translates to critical covid related decisions. >> we make a lot of our recommendations based upon how many cases are out there. knowing how many cases are occurring gives us early warnings for what is going to be happening with our hospitals in a couple weeks and what will be happening in people's lives in a month. melanie: they recommend contacting three groups of people if you test positive -- your employer, your school or child's school, and your primary care provider. >> with these three groups of people, you will be set. melanie: for his part, he says if you were to get a positive test he would probably take a pcr tests next for confirmation, which would be reported. au consideration for anyone testing at home as california continues to fight the spread of covid-19. in san francisco, melanie

woodrow, abc 7 news. dan: it took a little work, but santa's reindeer get the all clear from gavin newsom. >> after a long day of negotiation, finally, finally the state approved the nine reindeer permits. this is great news. that clears the decks of any concerns or issues. christmas is a go. dan: we are tracking santa as he delivers gifts around the world. this is the 66th year in a row that norad has been tracking santa. he just left phoenix a few minutes ago, now is over new mexico. you can find a link to this on our website, abc7news.com. key will be in santa fe very soon. coming up, spreading christmas joy on the peninsula. see what community did to surprise an eight-year

dan: wouldn't this be nice under the christmas tree? tomorrow's jackpot is up to $400 million with a cash value of $292 million. no one has hit the jackpot since october. an eight-year-old boy from the peninsula got a special visit from santa at his house today. >> merry christmas! dan: that is ale ale ale ale ale lured to his driveway for a big surprise party. alexander is battling stage iii cancer, so some good elves from the police departments dressed up as santa, rudolph, and frosty to bring some cheer. and they brought plenty of gifts, too. >> it is intense going through chemo thetherapy all the things cancer patients, need to go through. if we do everything we can to bring happiness as often as we can, that is what it is all about. dan: the party continued for a

while in his front yard. some neighbors joined in. the gifts were bought with donations from alexander's family and friends. alexander, merry christmas and all of our best. we are on the eve of a big day of holiday hoops. chris alvarez has more in sports. chris: coming up in sports, the warriors prepping for a christmas showdown in phoenix. in christmas with the currys. how their foundation

>> abc 7 sports sponsored by river rock casino. chris: for 49ers fans quick to blame a loss to the titans on jimmy garoppolo, he does not play defense or special teams. he threw two. this red -- two interceptions thursday night. you missed a big throw to a

wide-open player. jimmy led the niners on a game-tying drive before tennessee kicked a field goal to win with four seconds to go. afterwards, everyone sharing blame in the laws. >> cannot get off the field on third down. they have two turnovers and we have zero. >> our best players did not play their best game. as an offense, we need to not make mistakes. >> what ended up losing us the game was that their downs and the takeaways. we lost in both of those areas. >> it does not change for me. i wish we would have won it. >> we have to get ready and move onto the next one. chris: the warriors are against phoenix tomorrow. andrew wiggins, jordan poole, damion lee, moses moody out due to covid protocols. it is the ninth straight christmas the warriors will be playing in the second straight on the road. they don't mind playing on the holiday because it means it is a mark he match up but steve kerr would like to be home for the

holidays. >> i do think there should be a role in the nba that you cannot be on the road two years in a row. just making that clear. i am confident that next year we will be at home for christmas or we will all protest and not show up. >> so now i missed my daughter's first christmas and i will miss m her second. we are human beings. >> i have two kids and how special a day it is, you are trying to balance being present with them. i think we have played nine straight years on christmas. that means you're doing something good, so you have to take the good with the bad. chris: this is all good and no bad. steph and aisha curry's foundation wrapped up a successful event that began on december 13 and wrapped up on christmas eve for the oakland community. the foundation focused on surprising children, families, and organizations across the bay

with donations and experiences, gifts courtesy of the each, learn, play foundation.

dan: we are tracking santa as he delivered gifts -- delivers gifts around the world. this is the 66th year in a row that norad has been tracking santa. you can find a link to this on the website, abc7news.com. the abc 7 yule log is back. get cozy by streaming it through abc7news.com or our abc 7 bay area connected tv out. that is always fun in the morning. watch our newscasts live through the abc 7 bay area connected tv app available for apple tv, amazon fire tv and ragu. download it now and start streaming.

that is our report. i am dan ashley. we appreciate your time. merry christmas. ♪ >> hey, bay area. it's time to share some amazing stories and feel good. we could all use some inspiration right now, and you've come to the right place. this show is all about good food, good people, and good living. ♪ on today's show, the magical world of ancient china... >> the audience can experience

ancient legends and heroes come to life on stage. >> ...beautiful, giant art... >> it really creates a sense of joy for all of us to watch people be delighted by our art. >> ...a local teen takes on new york fashion week... >> we're building this platform so that the next generation, they won't face all of these issues. >> ...delicious latin-inspired chocolates... >> what we wanted to do is just remind people that cacao came from mesoamerica. >> but first, up close with fascinating marine life. ♪ >> in our 750,000 saltwater gallon tunnels, we hold close to 225 species and 24,000 animals. >> wow! look at them. >> the marine biodiversity on display here reflects on the rich ocean-based environment that we have right here at our doorstep.

♪ as president and ceo, i oversee seven branches of our nonprofit organization that help spread awareness and provide actionable change. well, the aquarium of the bay is california's only smithsonian-affiliated aquarium. it's accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums, and it's celebrating its 25th anniversary. the visitors to the aquarium of the bay, pre-covid, we used to get anywhere from 500,000 to a million visitors. and they would experience what the san francisco bay was all about and the rich marine biodiversity that exists here and the habitat that needs to be protected. ♪ so, the aquariums are a little bit more than where we protect marine biodiversity. they are a lens into the health

of the ocean. the oceans, as you know, are facing many challenges, everything from carbon sequestration to bleaching of the corals to ocean acidification to sea level rise to domoic acid to lead and pcp pollution. and the fish ingest many of these pollutants, and healthy oceans are healthy humans, so that correlation is really important. ♪ the nonprofit organization started about 40 years ago as a policy institute called the bay institute. and many years ago, the policy institute merged with the aquarium of the bay and then expanded into seven different branches. so we operate the bay model for the united states army corps of engineers in sausalito. we run an academy called the bay academy, which focuses on e-learning modules and developing curriculum, stem- and steam-based curriculum for school systems.

we have a studio in house called studio aqua where we help other institutions develop their programs. we're also working with a braille-based program for children with visual impairments. it is important for the visitors to remember that without a healthy ocean, our planet is in peril. we would like our visitors to walk away with, to understand the complexity of oceans, to understand our interdependence on oceans, to understand the significance of protecting the ocean, and also realizing the price of inaction. ♪ >> it's time to take art to new heights. ♪ >> our work is inspired by nature. we always take that cue and then blow it out of proportion a little bit. we have flowers and mushrooms and even a protozoa that we've made into really large pieces of art. ♪