>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> people are in some --we are not trained to make a bigger deal about rain, we are asking people to prepare. >> there is no doubt we will experience what we experienced in january with road flooding, some of the creeks overflowing. >> we have brought a lot of cruise from other parts of the territory into the bay and they are ready for this event. ama: the rain is already here for parts of the bay area, now it's beginning to intensify as the atmospheric river moves in. dan: thanks for joining us. we are on storm watch as we brace for this level three on the exclusive abc 7 storm impact

scale. ama: we have team coverage from the mountains dan: to sonoma county. dan:we will show you snow conditions in tahoe. ama: the latest on the storm. sandhya: we are tracking the strong level 3 storm. we are in the thick of this atmospheric river. heavy rain is coming down across parts of the north bay, just looking at some of these rain rates, .5 inch per hour. as we head into the east, street-level radar across skyline boulevard, pounding rain. same thing from san francisco down to south city, forbes boulevard. in the south bay, it's not quite as intense yet. a level 3 storm on our exclusive storm impact scale. this moisture plume stretches

over 1000 miles. it is aimed right at us, which means a get ready for days of rain. 6:00 tonight, it will be heavy rain continuing at 7:00. as we head towards 2:00 a.m., a potential for thunderstorms. tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., the north bay is in a lola for the time being. the winds are aching up at 58 miles per hour at mount diablo. winds are gusting to 40 at sfo. have a flood watch for the entire area until sunday morning. could lead to flooding, a wind advisory for the entire area until 4:00 p.m. tomorrow. costs 255 miles per hour. downpours, gus flooding, downed trees and thunder are some of the things that we will have to be concerned about. i will be back for a full look at the forecast.

dan: they are certainly bracing for the storm, a lot ofe are still trying ptopl receoovm the damage caused by the atmospheric river that we had in january. our reporter is a live in santa cruz county. reporter: you talk about it at the top of the show, the rain intensifying. the county sheriff's office issued an evacuation warning for more than a dozen different zones throughout the county. a lot of them are the same spots that were devastated in january. many of the residence we spoke to who dealt with at say they are now catching their breath. only now to brace for the current atmospheric river. this neighborhood has been hammered by the constant stream of storms that has hit santa cruz county since the start of the year. the homes of flooded i the nearby river. >> the last flood we had was seven years ago. this year now, several floods,

which is extremely unusual. reporter: much of the mud that inundated property in january still sits in piles on the street. the cleanup for some has only just wrapped up. >> we have been working every week when we can since then. it is just starting to feel like it was before the storms. this is a discouraging. to be facing it all over again. reporter: this homeowner, who we visited in january, has lived in his home for 14 years. pheric river was more brutal than he could have imagined. >> we raised everything in preparation. we didn't raise of them high enough. the flood was a lot higher, the water was higher than we had anticipated. we lost some things. a freezer, a generator. reporter: santa cruz county officials say they continue to prepare for outcome simmler to what was seen in january. >> we are not out of the woods,

this is a big one. we are looking at this is a big event. reporter: county officials have told residents to make preparations to leave. information some are willing to take. >> we are going to leave tonight and stay elsewhere. reporter: others say they are tired of dealing with storm impacts and are prepared to ride this one out at home. >> i'm past the burnout part, i'm in the acceptance part. reporter: you have to understand where he is coming from. the rain is coming down harder than it was a couple of minutes ago. sheriff's office has evacuation warnings in place encouraging everyone to have a pant -- plan in place. we will continue to attract the continues -- conditions in santa cruise county. ama: from the santa cruz mountains to the north bay. first responders and sonoma county are planning for the worst but hoping for the best. they are ready for any necessary

water rescues and keeping an eye on the rising river. report definitely arrived. it has been pouring rain for hours. no signs of it letting up. first responders say they are getting ready for a night of downed trees, flooding and possible water rescues. >> sonoma county fire fighters are pulling rescue craft out of storage. they will likely be needed when the storm intensifies. levels of the russian river will rise. >> our message is, if you don't have to beut, please don't. don't drive through standing water, you don't know how deep it is. reporter: a woman lost her life and sonoma county last january. they are up staffing the crew for the storm, helping to monitor trouble spots. >> we are looking at a

significant rainfall in the next 72 hours. reporter: he was filling a sandbag to protect his home and garage but his real worry is about flooding. >> the flooding might be a concern, the side streets. people will try to pass when it says flooding, they still try to go through. and then they are stuck there. reporter: heavy rain moved in fast, making roads slick and dangerous. hundreds of firefighters from across northern california are in santa rosa training for wildfires and fire rescues. all of that happening in the rain. >> ironic to see us preparing for a storm and in the middle of the storm, our firefighters are here as well training in this rain. reporter: we are told that some of firefighters from the sierra foothills had to cancel their fire training because of the storm. the biggest message tonight from

first responders is stay home, stay off the roads, if you can, and never drive through flooded areas. it is really coming down. be careful out there. dan: people loaded up sandbags today before the heaviest rain is on the way. our reporter is live with that part of our coverage. reporter: the rain has picked up in the last half hour. the wind, you can feel it, it's hard to hang on with an umbrella. we are embarcadero where seattle public works as there's a possibility of flooding if there are high tides during the storm. all across the city, we saw people gearing up, bracing themselves for the possibility of flooding. with more rain coming down across san francisco, many people have been scrambling to get sandbags. at the san francisco public works service yard at kansas, we

bumped into melissa park. >> i found out they were giving out free sandbags. reporter: her place on 14th street flooded. >> it got into our lace, eight inches. we had to replace all of our furniture, appliances, our garage is flooded. reporter: it was pretty bad. she is not taking any chances this time. >> just trying to get prepared. reporter: plenty of others lined up to do the same thing, fill their vehicles with a sandbags just in case. >> we have a storm drain at the end of a deep driveway, if up, . reporter: in the mission district, they flooded in january. >> what we had here wasn't rain water, it was sewage water. reporter: he says he had to 6-7 inches of water inside his business. that did $100,000 of damage to his upholstery store.

he does not want that to happen again. >> we just built another barrier here. reporter: on folsom street, public utilities commission put up these temporary flood barriers. a spokesperson says crews are stationed around the clock to monitor the barriers, help neighbors get to their homes and businesses and manage storm drains. sf public works says there crews are busy and people need to be ready for possible disruptions. >> there needs to be some patients from residents that we will get to the emergencies the quickest. other things may have to wait a little bit. people should be prepared. reporter: another look at the wind and its impact on the trees. it is pretty dusty outside, and it is raining pretty steadily. san francisco public to remind you that if you see a

downed power line, you want to call 911. if you see downed trees or flooded intersections, call 311. ama: pg&e says it is ready the impacts from the storm, crews are being dispatched from around the state. >> people have been seeing and hearing what has been happening in california and especially on the coast. they are jumping to help us and bring crews and so we have as many people working as we can. those crews are on route, some of them are here, just showed up this morning. ama: they are encouraging customers to be prepared and vigilant. stay away from downed power line, call 911. secure anything in your yard that could fly away. charger devices in advance, have extra batteries on hand ahead of a potential power outage. if your power goes out, use flashlights, not candles. dan: governor newsom has

extended the california storm state of emergency to cover 21 additional counties, the total is 34, a sicknick and portion of the state. it includes more than half of the bay area. emergency staff. ama: we are not done with our storm coverage yet. we are taking you live to tahoe for the latest on the conditions and where several sorts have already announced closures. dan: take a look outside. this is the scene on 280 as we brace for the storm to intensify. abc 7 news you didn't choose your hairline. hot flashes, the flu, or that thing when your knee just gives out for no reason. you didn't choose your bad back or this. or... that. you didn't choose depression, melanoma, or lactose intolerance.

but with kaiser permanente you can choose your doctor who works with other best-in-class specialists to care for all that is you.

a lot of new dry eye patients in my office tell me about their frequent dry eyes, which may point to dry eye disease. millions of americans were estimated to have it. they also tell me they've tried artificial tears again and again, but the relief is temporary. xiidra can provide lasting relief. xiidra treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied and unusual taste sensation. why wait? ask your eye doctor about a 90-day prescription for xiidra today. dan: take a look at the conditions at lake tahoe, a view from our live camera at zephyr cove, just across the state line

in nevada. ama: a local emergency proclamation has already been issued for south lake tahoe and in some areas have already received more than 15 feet of snow over the past few weeks. dan: getting there is also very dangerous. our reporter is trip safely. she joins us live. reporter: you can see it is snowing and coming down pretty hard in the last 20 minutes or so. an emergency declaration for south lake tahoe as the city braces for severe flooding and near record snowfall. how much snow? as we zoom out, let's introduce you to the cities snow dump. this is where plows come to dump excess snow from the streets. we were told a few minutes ago that this dump is now at capacity. the city tracking 500 inches of snowfall so far this season,

compared with seven inches of rain for expected through the weekend, there is no question, conditions will be dangerous. the city of south lake tahoe is on high alert as the atmospheric river is bringing them a double threat. severe flooding atop record snowfall. >> this is historic, it's remarkable. there are areas that have massive amount of snow. reporter: fire marshal says her crews are worried, the heavy rainfall could collapse roofs and threatened structures. >> some of these neighborhoods have 8-10 feet in the city. the county more so. with the snow load and wait on roofs, we have significant concerns coming with all the rain. reporter: kathy is already living through it, packing up sandbags, bracing for the worst. >> i've been wanting to get out of town for a while. it is scary. it's frightening, we have had along in -- a long winter. reporter: a new reality setting

and for ashley. >> we moved here in october. this is our first winter here. reporter: what a welcome. her first winter and her roof is already leaking. >> our master bedroom is on the backside, the upper side, this wanted to have some back there in case the water gets too high. a little overwhelmed. reporter: a common theme across the basin as snow totals are reaching levels not seen since the 1950's and 1970's. >> we keep digging out but it feels like some thing has to give. people who have been here for a long time have said this is more snow than they have ever seen. they have lived here for 20 years, it's more than they've ever seen. reporter: the community rallying together. >> we have activated our emergency operation center. we are poised and readily coordinating with all of our partner agencies, local, state, federal agencies, to make sure

we can respond to anything that occurs. reporter: a winter storm warning in effect for the sierras. >> and stte d, what would you tell them? >> this is not the weekend to ski. we are in a state of disaster. it will not be ideal. reporter: not ideal nor safe. the storm prompting several ski resort closers including heavenly and southlake tahoe, and kirkwood and northstar. and several other closures are expected overnight. we will stay posted on that. as much as i love to ski, i am sitting this weekend out. i have my goggles on here. there is plenty of good weekends to ski, but this one is not one of them. dan: with all of this snow, you will be able to ski until july. ama: heed

we found out that mount rose, donner ski resort and sierra tahoe are also closed. let's take another live look at the conditions outside right now. all the rain on the lens, our at the fire department. there's nothing like hitting the waves. but with my moderate-to-severe eczema it hasn't always been easy,... ...since my skin was so irritated and itchy... ...and even worse with all my gear on.

now, i'm staying ahead of my eczema. there's a power inside all of us to live our passion. and dupixent works on the insie to help heal your skin from within. it helps block a key source of inflammation inside the body that can cause eczema. so adults can have long-lasting clearer skin and fast itch relief. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. healing from within is a powerful thing. ask your eczema specialist how dupixent can help heal your skin from within.

dan: let's give you more coverage as our storm watch continues. ama: this is a live look at the conditions on the roads right now. this is our photographer dean, driving on 280 north, through early game. you can see the and shield wipers going. traffic isn't too bad, hopefully people were able to stay home if they could. dan: do be safe, it is pretty treacherous. ama: our meteorologist is here with those details. sandhya: we are seeing the heavy rain beginning to move into the bay area.

as we take a look at live doppler 7, i want to remind people's extra distance and space. when it is raining, you need to give yourself extra time to get where you need to go. south santa rosa, highway 101, pepper road, we are seeing heavy rain as we head towards the inland east bay. from san francisco to the peninsula, we are seeing steady rain and now in the south bay, santa cruz mountains, san jose, morgan hill, you are getting wet weather as well. showing the poor visibility and rainy conditions right now. zephyr cove, it is coming down. visibility over him -- over a mile. stay off the roads. from our camera you can see the snow is coming down, it is really tough to get up there. chain controls heading up to the mountains all roads going up

there. the snow is piling up. a live picture from walnut creek, the roads are wet, it's going to be a stormy night tonight through tomorrow morning. our next storm arrives early next week, it's an atmospheric river, but it is a weaker one. 40's and 50's are the temperatures right now, below average for highs today. on our exclusive abc 7 storm impact scale, it's a level 3, tonight through the morning. downpours, gusty winds, downed trees and chance of thunder. those winds continuing over 50 miles per hour along the coastline, even inland areas are going to remain dusty through tonight as we head towards 10:00 p.m.. you see the trend here going into tomorrow morning. not as strong in terms of the wind, but the rainfall intensity will continue. let's go hour-by-hour, widespread rain tonight, 7:00 p.m. is the heaviest rain.

as we head towards a 3:00 a.m., even more intense pockets of rain. the morning commute is going to be rough. 7:00 a.m., especially from san francisco to the east bay, south bay, santa cruz mountains. scattered showers continuing through saturday and even into sunday share --. you will notice half a many areas will be measuring rainfall in inches. sierra nevada, it's a winter storm warning until 10:00 a.m. sunday. eight feet of heavy snow. i would not even trave difficult to impossible travel condition. most temperatures are in the 40's and 50's, it will be windy but not as strong as now. afternoon highs will be in the 50's for most of you, with a mix of clouds and showers. it's a stormy start, a level

three, one for the weekend. perfect time to stay inside and watch the oscars right here on abc 7. don't forget about daylight saving time, spring forward an hour. on monday it's a one, a two on tuesday. and on wednesday, we have a one as well. we will be right back af my wife's name is joy. we've been married 45 years. i'm taking a two-year business course. i've been studying a lot. i've been producing and directing for over 50 years. it's a very detailed thing and the pressure's all on me. i noticed i really wasn't quite as sharp as i was. my boss told me about prevagen

and i started taking it. i feel sharper. my memory's a lot better. it just works. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription.

dan: we still have much more weather for you. ama: let's take a look at the store is coming up at 5:30 p.m.. reporter: our storm coverage continues. here's a live look outside. we will be discussing the dangerous conditions in the bay area with flooding, downed trees, and power outages, a big concern. we will have a live report from tahoe where they are expecting rain on top of snow. so you are prepared. join us for those stories and more at 5:30 p.m. dan: you can download the abc7 app or had to abc7news.com. ama: if you're watching us on tv, world news tonight with david muir's next.

dan: we appreciate your time. we will see you again at 6 p.m. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its capt tell me about their frequent dry eyes, which may point to dry eye disease. millions of americans were estimated to have it. they also tell me they've tried artificial tears again and again, but the relief is temporary. xiidra can provide lasting relief. xiidra treats the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied and unusual taste sensation. why wait? ask your eye doctor about a 90-day prescription for xiidra today.

♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ why wait? ask your eye doctor it's spring! non-drowsy claritin-d knocks out your worst allergy symptoms including nasal congestion, without knocking you out.

feel the clarity time of the year.l claritin-d. tonight, breaking tonight, breaking news as we come on the air. a deadly shooting rampage at a religious gathering. the images coming in now from germany. reports multiple people killed, opening fire inside a building. heavily armed officers going in. and we have late reporting here. also tonight, the stunning images after those four americans were kidnapped. two of them shot and killed south of the border. tonight, the striking image. five alleged members of the notorious gulf cartel tied up, paraded out. and it was the cartel allegedly turning them over. matt rivers in mexico. this evening, two storms we're tracking. and even before one of them hits, the awful discovery tonight. loved ones found dead, trapped in their homes. matt gutman reporting. all of this as california