stupid the numbers will increase -- this is a level five severe storm this is is the highest ranking we have had since the inception of our scale seven years ago. heavy rain already falling in parts right now. the flood threat is high, trees are going to come down and there is the potential for trees to come down. this morning it's all about scattered downpours and that it ramps up 18 -- 9:00. we already have flood warni on part of the russian river

parts of our streams and creeks. first let's check in with jobina and see how we are doing on our roads. >> a look at the san mateo bridge it is beginning to come doubt in this area we have two issues. right before the 101 interchange, it does look like sandy water might be an issue that caused the stall. there are several reports of standing water in the slow lane as you come to the eastern side of the bridge. e probl fre this is a problem sticking around from yesterday. east and westbound mission boulevard and main street the chp is telling us this will not big finished until friday at 6:00 p.m.. the good news is despite the

weather conditions we are expecting everything is pretty light. there is not a lot of people on the roads. we rip up with a look at the golden gate bridge. >> the evening commute is going to be something completely different. what's go to lena howland is continuing team coverage on the roads. >> good morning. so far we are on the 580 heading westbound in the richmond area and at this moment we are definitely starting to see the rain pickup. this is a difference compared to what we should you in the last half-hour. it is a little bit heavier and it is a huge difference from what we saw an hour and a half ago where we didn't even see any sprinkles. this is the beginning of a very dangerous storm.

the small bit of rain doesn't appear to be causing any problems for drivers just yet but that could change quickly. we are not far from the area where we saw project night so my last friday morning. it blocked all lanes for several hours. when the rain starts coming down accidents are likely to happen again so drivers like to pay attention and be prepared. aaa says if you have to be prepared -- out on the careful. stick to the center a glance if you do see flooding on the shoulders. but make sure you are not driving through any standing water whatsoever and if you do come to a traffic light that is out remember to treat it as a four-way stop. as the rain continues to pick up we will continue to stay out on the roads giving you updates on the conditions every half-hour

so we will touch base with you again in about 30 minutes. lena howland, abc 7 news. >> on the peninsula it is the wind that could pose the biggest problems today. gloria rodríguez c coverage on the pacifica. >> the wind we know is not as bad as it will be later on today. we're seeing a lot of the rain coming down but we just saw somebody running in front of us. someone was still taking the morning run today but that is something that will be, harder to do later on in the day. actually minutes ago the the waves are really strong. it kicked up a fence close to where we are some of the water getting onto the sidewalk here we want to show you some footage we have from the san mateo county maintenance. they ran out of sandbags

yesterday afternoon because there is a big demand. some people took their own backs residents gearing up for the next storm after impacts us we can. the greek racing out of its bank -- decreased's -- the rising. >> paris prepared over 12,000 sandbox. anything that comes our are ready. >> if the drains are not cleaned up it's just going to do it all over again. >> residents concerned about the upcoming storm he says water got into his storage unit about 10 inches deep so residents are preparing for this storm. a lot of rain this morning. we are expecting the winds to

pick up as well. live in rodríguez, abc 7 news. >> as people are waiting for the storm to arrive a lot of them work gathering supplies. home depot was packed with people waiting for supplies. some are nervous after last weekend's storm. >> i went to trader joe's, the shelves were empty. i got the emergency stuff. >> doing all kinds of shopping because we are probably going to stay home for the next few days. >> efforts still underway as the next storm is approaching. the flood advisory in affect for all bay area counties. one of the owners of mx three fitness hopes to stay dry. dave's is a pipe burst in one of the walls. >> we came in on new year's eve

to see how the gym was doing and we were standing here as the entire wall just started gushing water. ttd pumpingcould. >> dave says a clogged parking lot above the prop he contributed to the flooding. of course that is just a temporary fix like so many people he is hoping the temporary fix get something today and tomorrow. dave is a friend of mine. they have a mission jim so they are sending their clients there. this has been really tough. >> today's level five storm has the potential to trigger mudslides and sinkholes. at the oakland zoo and daly city, residents who experienced previous slides are worried about the safety of their homes.

nearly four years ago in a massive mudslide completely ticked on this woman's neighbors home. >> i looked inside and there were men in uniforms and they said get out, get out now you have five minutes. >> in the east bay that city of san pablo a mudslide in 2011 force times to be red and yellow tagged. residents have seen gradual shifting and corrects in the street. >> we are committed to getting you every piece of information you need to be prepared today. we are sending constant converts like this one and have live doppler 7 running 24/7. you can download our app right now make sure you enable push alerts to get the notifications throughout the day. >> new details on a crash on the

coast. authorities have arrested the driver of the tesla saying he intentionally drove the car off the cliff. highway patrol says they have probable cause to arrest him for attempted murder and felony child abuse. he, along with another adult and two young children needed to be rescued. they were all taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. the suspect will be but dr. he is released from the hospital. still to come a snowy start to the nature but is it enough to and resists -- persistent drought conditions? >> taking a look outside of the golden gate bridge this morning you can see rain on the lense drew has the latest forecast. >> we are about i would minutes into the storm and we are already seeing heavy rain

occurring along the warm front we see this pocket of yellow, orange in the bay area pretty much through parts of marin county, a lot of manna -- alameda county. doppler seven can estimate how fast the ring as falling and we are approaching rates at one inch per hour. that is enough rain to fall and to create issues on roadways, streams, and creeks. you are seeing some heavier showers, moderate to heavy rain from pleasant hill to concorde at this hour. we have a flood warning near kernville. it will crest tomorrow at 11:00 p.m. creating moderate flooding we also have a concern on alameda creek near niles. this will crest early tomorrow morning moderate flooding is

expected there as well. we will talk about when the worst time will be. >> good morning, everyone. you were with us just a you minutes ago and you heard me mention some problems for the san mateo bridge. if you are traveling in the westbound direction on 92 right before the 101 interchange we have a stalled vehicle there it is blocking at least oneatoohele alcause of standin isk om t sdge the right hand side you can see it as a tow truck on the way curious if it's going to help but that vehicle but also if you are traveling in the eastbound direction you are going to run into standing water on industrial boulevard. live look right now at the bay bridge toll plaza the triplets

are beginning to pick up on this camera. this is were a large amount of our commuters will be coming from this morning. flooding and landslide cleanup between mission boulevard and 9th street both blocked. at was like it will not be completed until six on friday. we will be right back.

>> welcome back sam right now as 4:44. i think people want to know when they can expect the worst of it. >> to be honest first round is already over. achieving. >> it's already bringing more

heavy rain than we anticipated so that may be the theme of the day. here is what we are watching very closely. now until 10:00 a.m. is the warm front. moderate and heavy rain falling which will create issues on our roads. we may see a bit of a break between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. the most impactful part of this atmospheric river is right here, this is where you want to focus your attention. the seven hour window of 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. is when we have the highest flood threat and the strongest winds out there. 50-60 miles per hour or higher than that. we have a lot of watches and warnings going on. we are already seeing pockets of heavy rain out there. a lot of bright colors on the screen, slow go from ce, walnut creek penn grove right now 101 and on 16 you name it in

this area you are like leasing scattered heavy rain right now. rain rates are getting close to one inch per hour and that will cause some issues. even more heavy rain is going to move through here at least through 10:00 a.m. this morning. flood watch in effect until tomorrow morning for the entire region because flooding is going to occur on area roadways, streams, and creeks. high wind warning later today goes into effect for the entire region that is wind is the fiercest. this is a level five severe storm today. damaging winds, high flood threat, trees are going to come down, power outages are certain. we are within this warm front at least for the next five hours this morning we will track the downpours for you. there is the break we talked about midday, don't be caught

off guard. heavy rain is on the way. wind will ramp up and here is the biggest problem. once the cold front moves in, you see it is very heavy rain and this is going to crawl across us. this is 4:30 in the afternoon pretty much over the heart of the region. look at what happens by 6:00, it has barely moved. that is a big window of time or heavy rain is just falling and creating issues across the region. we will probably see the heaviest rain at 9:00 take t theme of this map meeting see the areas like nevada, where we closed in on four inches that can happen pretty much anywhere because we have to watch very closely where the downpours set up today. that will bring out the highest flooding threat. it coincides with the heavy rain, we are talking wind gusting from 40 miles per hour up to 60 miles per hour along the coastline.

a level five severe storm today, tomorrow it is a level three. we will adjust that higher or lower depending on what residual effects we see overnight tonight. how long will the flooding take to reseed, and nonetheless we still have scattered showers throughout the day. the next seven days we are tracking but weather. you have to increase those numbers. >> looking north to the sierra, this storm is expected to jump anywhere between 8-14 inches of snow with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour and that is on top of the three feet of snow they saw over the weekend. that is likely to change sometimes this morning. >> it is a big question as we get ready for the rain how much of the recent storms impacted the drought and water supply? the first survey of the year was

held yesterday officials say it is at 177% of normal we are off to one of the snowiest starts in about 48 years. the recent storms aren't enough to end drought conditions. >> no single storm event will end the drought. we need consecutive storms, month after month of above average rain, snow, and runoff. >> to get a sense of the snowpack level officials take measurements at more than 200 60 locations across the sierra. this is to forecast the amount of snow that will melt and into our rivers and reservoirs. >> we will be live on the app all day long to keep you updated on what is happening with this storm. if you are not already streaming with this, take a moment to download the app. developing news as buffalo bills safety damar hamlet is still

critical condition after having cardiac arrest on the field airing monday nights game against the bengals. hamlin was resuscitated twice after collapsing. his family says he is on a ventilator and flipped on his stomach in the icu and that is to help with the blood in his lungs. this comes as fans and supporters gather for a candlelight vigil outside the hospital. they are praying for him, they had signs and posters wifor hi full recovery. >> it kind of helps the traumatic effects that we all witnessed, not just us but the whole world. the genuine human love he getting to show we care about you we want you to get better. this means the world to us. >> this is dam reacting to all the support.

he says hamlet is still fighting and the family appreciates the prayers from across the >> world. >>our extended storm watch coverage continues. >> what people who live by the russian river should know. >> anyone acss

>> here is a live look at walnut creek. you can see as the cars go along the freeway the water already coming up here. it is dark out there obviously it is hard to see where the standing water is so if you have to get out this morning's logo. -- slow go. scatter downpours is the biggest threat right now. this level five severe sto exclusive abc 7 impact scale.

under a moderate risk of flooding, the second highest risk level. they are confident we are going to see a lot of flooding today. a level five, severe storm. i want to emphasize the time period for the worst rain and wind today will be 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.. reggie? >> today's storm is expected to bring flooding to parts of the area. a flighted -- flood warning water is supposed to crest tomorrow afternoon. residents gloating up on sandbags. linda hopkins says more rivers could crest. downed trees is not the only concern. >> the biggest concern is the fact we have the potential for gale force wind on top of a huge

atmospheric river event. >> sonoma county fire has these of ladle -- inflatable boats available. >> the palo alto police department has issued an advisory as it prepares for the storm expect heavy delays with all of the debris from the san francisco creek. drivers are being advised to use and other route and to expect heavy traffic. debris piles up from the weekend storm causing water to flow to nearby streets. we are on all day with critical information you need to know as the storm moves across the area. >> the worst is get to come. our team coverage continues with reporters out in the field.

jobina is checking the roads and drew has the latest timelines for the rain.

this is unlike anything else. follow me. ♪ a treasure map. oh my god! ♪ a land filled with adventure. ♪ this is epic! i love this place! ♪ it's wicked good. ♪

>> live breaking news. reggie: we began our second hour of live coverage. bay area resident prepare for potentially life-threatening storms coming in. we are talking about down trees and landslides a possibility today. kumasi: much of the bay area is under or rain, and if you can stay home today, you should. reggie: this is the first time we have ever seen a level five storm on our abc 7 exclusive storm impact scale. kumasi: we will be with you with live coverage wherever you are

watching us. lena howland and gloria rodriguez are lie with the impacts of the storm. jobina is covering transit. we start with drew tuma who is tracking the storms timeline. drew: we are seeing around one of what will be a two-part storm today. already bring us pockets of heavy rain. live doppler 7, the heaviest rain right now in sonoma and napa county, highway 29, 116. downpours are moving through right now. similar story in parts of the east bay. highway four, 680 are certainly wet. we have seen rainfall rates at a half an inch to an inch per hour. that is the biggest concern. that amount of rain can cause flooding on our saturated soils, which could lead to flooding on the roadways, creeks, and