the news starts right now. >> so this is a significant atmospheric river. we just got a briefing from the national weather service. a lot of the information that they gave us was pretty stark. >> bracing for a level three storm to slam into the bay area,

bringing with it strong winds, a lot of rain and dangerous surf. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama daetz. tonight we are on storm watch as we get ready for the rain and wind to arrive. >> all right, so to time it all out, let's go to abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel. sandhya. >> yeah, dan and ama, let's take a look at live doppler seven. right now, i am tracking that level three storm with the atmospheric river. it's going to start to rain in just a matter of an hour or two, but the rain will actually intensify late tonight. going into tomorrow morning. tomorrow morning's commute is going to be a mess. you can see at 4 a.m. it is stormy weather, not only the heavy rain, but the wind. at 6 a.m. it's still going 1 p.m. we will have scattered downpours, but not quite as widespread. a flood watch is in effect for the entire bay area. 10 p.m. tonight until saturday night. flooding on roads, streams, creeks, rivers, shallow landslides are going to be a good possibility. high wind warning for the coast. you will notice in san francisco. 3 a.m. tomorrow until

10 a.m. friday. the wind gusts between 55 to 80 miles an hour will likely topple trees and cause some outages. the area shaded in that tan is under a wind advisory, so this level three storm will bring flooding rain, the possibility of thunderstorms, strong damaging winds and dangerous surf. as you look at some of the storm concerns going into tomorrow, flooding is going to be a high likelihood. along with trees going down, power outages in the moderate category and shallow landslides are going to become more of an issue as we start to notice that this picture on live doppler seven really changes. all right, sandhya, thank you so much. we will check back in. as sandhya mentioned, one of. >> the hardest hit areas will be the santa cruz mountains. people there are bracing for high winds, heavy surf and a lot of rain. abc seven news south bay reporter dustin dorsey has more on the warning from county officials and how residents are preparing. >> for a moment of calm before the storm. santa cruz county is

no stranger to bad weather, but this week may be the biggest storm of the year thus far. >> there's always that thought in your mind of like, what else is going to happen with the storm this time? >> it's really the combination of factors that we're seeing develop, not just the rain and the potential for flooding, but the extraordinary winds that will last throughout much of the day on thursday. and you back that up with a huge wave event on friday. >> county pio jason hopkins says emergency response teams are warning coastal communities from capitola, new brighton and down to rio del mar of the dangers of the wave event. >> we're told in no uncertain terms that it won't be safe to be on the beach at all. i wouldn't be surprised if there are some beach closures. i think state parks is looking at that. we may be looking at that. i wouldn't be surprised if there are parks that are closed too. >> i'm just making a mark i'm going to drench. so it goes down in the trench down there, all the way down the hill. >> the warnings in the mountains are similar in gravity, but different in cause. 60 mile an

hour wind gusts and heavy rain could mean downed trees and flooding. neighbors are getting ready. >> i got all these leaves and branches. i'm trying to get the backyard cleaned before it hits. i got three generators ready to go right now. one's broke down in the back, which i'm going to fix one day. but yeah, i just i got things ready to go. i mean, i got the freezer ready. everything's in front in case it does come over. >> david johnson has lived across the street from the san lorenzo river for 15 years. he's watched it rise fast before, and he's keeping an eye out this week in particular. >> it's where it comes up. this is my flood warning zone. it comes up to that level on the bottom there. that's when i start freaking out. >> there's a chance that could happen this week. fountaingrove in the mountains could see as much as eight inches of rain, while other parts of the county could see six. another day in the life of mountain living. >> when it rains, it pours. it happens, it happens, you know. >> and there's nothing you could do but prepare and wait for the calm to return. in santa cruz county. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> we'll be thinking of those folks as the storm comes in, as

the next round of storms comes across the bay area, you can track all of the weather using the same live doppler seven our weather team uses every day. it's available right now on the abc seven bay area app. just download it to get the latest forecast. where you live. >> in san jose. sky seven was over the scene of a shooting this afternoon. this is the area of farm and dao drives just off hillsdale avenue, san jose. police say the victim has life threatening injuries and the area will be closed off for a while as officers conduct their investigation. no word yet on a suspect or any arrests. >> oakland police say a man accused of trying to kill an officer on monday did the same thing a decade ago. in monday's incident, someone shot a patrol car with an officer inside at the intersection of seminary avenue near macarthur boulevard. thankfully, the officer is okay. 35 year old robert blackwell was arrested within 12 hours of this. today, oakland's police chief says blackwell was convicted of shooting at two officers in 2015 and sentenced

to ten years in prison. he served less than four. police say monday's attack was a similar targeted crime. >> it is unfortunate that in today's society we have individuals that randomly take shots at our police officers and i'm looking forward to this case being adjudicated in the court of law. >> the alameda county da's office has charged blackwell with premeditated attempted murder. >> san francisco police are investigating a shooting in the sunnydale district. it happened right where a p-g-and-e's crew was working. happened at the intersection of sunnydale avenue and sawyer street. sky seven, as you see, was overhead. police say one man was shot, and he's now at the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. p-g-and-e's says the victim may be one of their contractors. sfpd says the investigation is still active and they haven't given any other information. >> we're learning new details about the two women facing charges in a crash that injured several people at a parklet in san francisco's mission district on sunday. police were chasing

the car when this happened. abc seven news reporter louis pena spoke with the district attorney about the charges the suspects are facing. >> after an intense police pursuit that ended with multiple people injured, san francisco's district attorney is announcing a long list of charges against two suspects. >> this is somebody who has a significant criminal history who it was very important for the police to pursue, to make sure that we stop the behavior that was occurring in san francisco at that time, given they were driving a stolen vehicle. >> according to the da's office, the suspects were already known to law enforcement. the 27 year old accused driver is facing 17 counts, including hit and run, reckless driving and receiving stolen property. the 29 year old accused passenger is also facing charges. >> they don't stick to one county. they go from county to county committing these thefts and robberies. >> we confirmed multiple bay area law enforcement agencies had flagged these women hours

before the crash. richmond police confirmed the vehicle they were in was reported stolen. also, berkeley police believed the vehicle had been used in a theft in their city, all ending in san francisco, with sfpd officers spotting the vehicle at stonestown galleria and beginning the pursuit. when the driver refused to stop. >> but it also tells us how out of control things have gotten. and so that's why we have to make sure that we're making these arrests. >> this chase is now raising questions about sfpd's strategy. >> looking at the video, it is a miracle no one died. francisco r jackie fielder sent this letter to the police department questioning the city's new guidelines under prop e, which loosened restrictions on police chases of suspected retail and vehicle theft suspects. >> of course we need to apprehend suspects who are violating the laws, but we also have to weigh that up with the immediate threats. >> san francisco police commissioner kevin benedicto is planning to question the police

chief wednesday during their scheduled meeting. >> we did add language saying that a more senior officer can assess all the facts and call off a pursuit based on risks to the public or based on a certain set of factors. i don't know if that was happened here. >> both suspects are set to be arraigned on thursday in san francisco. luz pena abc seven news. >> police found a large amount of dangerous fireworks inside a south san francisco storage unit today. this was at a public storage facility on oyster point boulevard around ten this morning. police tell us the unit contained some 5,000 pounds of fireworks worth more than $300,000. video from sky seven shows police assessing dozens of boxes outside of the unit. you see them there. the bomb squad also responded. police say there is currently no risk to the public. the investigation continues. >> people in martinez are reeling tonight and with good reason. a new report by the contra costa county health department indicates that the fire at the start of last of the month at the city's refinery,

released cancer causing toxins into the air, as some suspected. abc seven news reporter tim johns spoke with concerned residents as well as county officials. >> reporter less than two weeks after a fire at the martinez refining company sent plumes of black smoke into the air, the contra costa health department releasing a new report. that report, showing the fire released several toxic chemicals into the air over surrounding martinez neighborhoods. some of those chemicals known to cause things like cancer, heart disease and lung disease at high levels. >> our monitoring results did not detect levels that were of a high enough concentration, that were meeting levels of concern for many of these chemicals. >> health officials say strong winds likely helped to mitigate some of those chemicals and push them away from local neighborhoods. a stroke of dumb luck, says justin gomez of healthy martinez. >> as a father of young children, i wonder what the long term effects are of me choosing to raise my family in the shadow of this refinery. >> gomez says he wants to see the refinery be held firmly responsible. >> it feels like they've operated with impunity. they get

slapped with a fine here and there, but it feels like the way they operate, like they're able to inflict harm as part of their business model. >> county leaders say they have heard those concerns from martinez residents. i spoke with several supervisors who tell me they are actively working to hold the refining company accountable. that includes supervisor john gioia, who says local leaders are working on an audit of the refinery. >> the refinery needs to take steps to correct whatever caused this fire, and there have been too many incidents at this refinery over the past few years. >> as for gomez, while he's happy some action is being taken, he says the experience has made him question whether living in the city he loves is actually worth it. >> i felt like maybe this was a bad choice to be in martinez, but we love it there and we're committed. >> county supervisors say they plan on holding a town hall for residents to express their concerns in march. in martinez, tim jonze, abc seven news. >> tesla's fremont factory was fined more than $13,000 for breaking a relatively new law

meant to protect workers from heat illness. according to the san francisco chronicle, the factory failed to give 50 workers appropriate breaks from the heat. a california law that took effect last july requires workers to have shaded five minute breaks. cal osha issued the citation in december. >> still ahead here, preparations are well underway for nba all star weekend on both sides of the bay. after the break, you're going to hear from oakland police about what they're doing to make sure everyone has fun but stays safe. abc

festivities are ramping up, with events scheduled in both san francisco and oakland. >> and as always, security is the key focus for many. and today, the oakland police department discussed the preparations underway to make sure that everyone has fun but stays safe. >> abc seven news reporter anser hassan has more. >> there is going to be targeted

enforcement if you come into our city and you victimize any of our community members or businesses or people that are coming here to enjoy the festivities, we will arrest you. >> reporter the oakland police department is making it clear they are ready for the nba all star weekend. >> we are excited to be one of the host cities for the nba all star events. >> the big games this weekend will be played in san francisco, but the city of oakland is also playing a big part in this weekend's events because security is a top priority. the city has opened its emergency operations center, or eoc, that brings together police, fire, public works and the city manager's office. >> we all come together and hold weekly meetings to ensure that all the different city functions are are preparing for anything that can occur during the nba related events. >> police chief floyd mitchell says opd will be fully staffed for the weekend. he says some funding will be coming from the nba to help with the financial load, as the city faces a massive budget deficit and caps on overtime to curb spending. >> we would love to have a full

complement, but what we can't, but we're working with our partners and part of that was reaching out to the nba saying, hey, you're having these events. we're going to need you to assist us in that because of the situation that we're in. >> the chp will be patrolling areas along the freeways in oakland's busiest streets. the fbi is assisting opd in cracking down on sex trafficking along international boulevard. the alameda county sheriff's office will assist around the airport. >> in conjunction, we will be focusing in the major thoroughfares in and out of the airport as well with the port of oakland authorization to pay third party overtime. >> opd will be in direct communication with san francisco at all times and using technology such as flock cameras and drones to fill in the gaps. >> technology is a game changer for us and we will leverage that to its tilt this weekend to basically target the people that are committing the crime. >> in oakland, anser hassan. abc seven news. >> so as you can see, they are ready for action for nba all-star weekend. tips off with the all-star celebrity game.

that's 7 p.m. on friday at oakland arena. >> following that is the castro rising stars event, showcasing the nba's best young talent. that's at 9 p.m. at chase center. >> up next is the state farm all star saturday night. that's at 8 p.m. also at the chase center. the event includes the skills challenge, three point contest and the very popular slam dunk contest. >> that's always fun. main event happens sunday. the 74th nba all-star game happens at chase center at 8 p.m. stars like steph curry and kevin durant will play. >> pretty cool. and fans can also enjoy the nba crossover fan experience that runs friday through sunday at the moscone center. and the all star concert series happens those three nights at pier 48. big names like zedd, the chainsmokers and flo rida will perform. >> and coming up, we are getting ready for a level three storm on the exclusive abc seven storm impact scale. as you can see, it's not here yet, but we'll check back in with abc seven news meteorologist

as we get ready for the big rain to arrive. >> yes. for all the details on the scoop, let's get to abc seven news meteorologist sandhya patel. sandhya. >> yeah. ama and dan. let's take a look at live doppler seven right now, because the storm is getting ready to pound the bay area. it's an atmospheric river and it moves in tomorrow. but ahead of it, we're going to be seeing some rain as we take a look at live doppler seven. we're already noticing some moisture getting picked up just off the coastline. that will all change in about an hour or two. temperatures right now in the 40s and the 50s. looking at a live picture from our east bay hills. camera. the clouds are stacked up right now. here's a look at the level three storm tomorrow. expect flooding. rain. thunderstorm chance, strong damaging winds and dangerous surf. we go hour by hour. 6:00 tonight the rain is moving in ahead of the main storm. 7 p.m. you will notice some pockets of moderate rain. even heavier rain at 10 p.m. and then here comes the commute hours 430. you're

going to notice the downpours. give yourself extra time because you're going to need it at 530. heaviest rain will be in the east bay and the south bay, and then just scattered downpours for the afternoon hours. but the winds are going to keep going into the late night hours as well, as the rain continues to move through here. as far as the rainfall totals go. most of you are going to see between an inch and a half to 4.5in there in ben lomond. so this is going to lead to flooding on the roadways, smaller streams and creeks. winds are going to come up 43 miles an hour. 11:00 tonight in half moon bay. strongest winds will be at the coast and over the higher terrain. you'll notice it's still very gusty into the morning hours, and at noontime, most areas are between 25 to 35 mile an hour winds. high surf is expected to develop a high surf warning from 3:00 tomorrow until 3 a.m. saturday. up to 45 foot waves for west facing beaches, so life threatening conditions stay back and obviously don't turn your back on the water. winter storm warning 10 p.m. tonight until 10

p.m. friday. above 4500ft. we're expecting significant snow in the mountains 2 to 5ft above 6000. gusts up to 60 will make for very difficult conditions to travel. such a beautiful view from the sierra. but it's going to look different in just a matter of hours tomorrow morning. it's a stormy start. temperatures from the 30s to the 50s. as we look at your afternoon highs anywhere from the mid 50s to the low 60s. but places like lakeport 51 degrees, it is definitely going to be windy. and for the chinese new year parade, we're going to have enough of a window to just dry out. it will be perfect weather. partly cloudy skies at 4 p.m. dry for the parade. it's going to be in the low 50s and then cooler later on at night. you'll need those jackets if you are going out there. abc seven news will be out there as well, and of course, live streaming. here's a look at the accuweather seven day forecast, and you will notice the level three storm. it's a level three for tomorrow. chance of thunder. gusty friday

morning. valentine's some showers. it's a level one, but later in the evening if you do have valentine's day plans, you're fine. drive for the parade and a chance of some showers in the north bay on sunday. a slight chance again on wednesday, but notice how much milder it gets. we bring in some mid 60s and. >> that's going to be really nice after the intensity of this storm. >> yes, and especially after we've been dealing with the cold too. >> yeah. thanks, sandhya. >> it was cold. as sandhya said, that storm will bring wind gusts of up to 100 miles an hour to the sierra, along with up to four feet of fresh snow. the caltrans cameras along i-80 look pretty good right now, but if you want to head that way and have not already left, it's probably too late. a winter storm warning takes effect at 10:00 tonight through at least 10 p.m. friday. the national weather service says commutes will be very difficult to impossible. drivers are encouraged then, to wait until saturday. the weather will be much better. >> still ahead, the rock and roll hall of fame announces its 2025 induction nominees, and one of the groups could be making

history. details next. >> i'm reggie aqui. >> i'm lyanne melendez. >> i'm luz pena i'm tara campbell. >> i'm j.r. >> stone at abc seven news we deliver local stories. >> with real a to maintenance anything, so it's very scary for me because i have everything i love in this home. so, we've now implemented drone technology. how is that safe for me? it enhances the inspection, so it allows us to see things faster. your safety is the most important, and if you're feeling unsafe, that's not okay. it doesn't feel like that in our hearts. i mean, it's worrisome. [dog barks] [dog barks]

you can get our live newscasts, breaking news, weather and much more with our abc seven bay area streaming tv app. all you have to do is search abc seven bay area and you can download it. mcclymonds high school in oakland cut the ribbon today as it renamed its basketball court after a legend. it's now named for bill russell, who graduated from the high school in 1952. russell led the warriors to two state championships before he went to the university of san francisco. he led the dons to the national titles and then went to the nba, where he won an incredible 11 championships. russell was also known for being active in the civil rights movement. >> what an amazing athlete and citizen he was. well, the this year's nominees for the rock n roll hall of fame were announced

today. the band mana is the first ever spanish language rock band to be nominated. there are a total of 14 performers on the ballot, including oasis, cyndi lauper, outkast, billy idol, and mariah carey. there are eight nominees appearing on the ballot for the first time. the winners will be announced in april, and it's a good group of people. it always amazes me every year this comes out, there are people like cyndi lauper, billy idol and others. mariah carey, who i would have assumed are already been in there. >> i know it's insane. well, good for them. >> let's hope they get in. >> yeah. all right. well, we still have much more news for you ahead. >> let's go to abc seven news anchor dion lamb for a look at what's coming up at 530 today. dia. >> yeah. hey there, dan and ama. lots to get to at 530, including an oakland college taking matters into their own hands, proposing their own police force to protect students and faculty. reporter anser hassan joins me to explain why the proposal was rejected by the city. plus, i sit down with legendary actress joan chen, the grand marshal of this year's san francisco

chinese new year parade. hear why she's excited to show off her city to the world. join us for those stories and much more at 530. dan and i'm back to you. >> that's great. all right. thank you dion. >> well, you can download the abc7 app or head to abc7 news.com to join dion in just two minutes. >> yes. if you're watching us on tv world news tonight with david muir is next for sandhya patel. all of us here. thank you for joining us. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. we appreciate your time. we'll see appreciate your time. we'll see you again at six. ♪ (slow down) ♪ (♪) cut!!!! i get it! slow motion. slow down geographic atrophy. but we don't need gimmicks. stick to the facts. ga, the advanced form of dry amd, can irreversibly damage your vision.

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>> david: tonight, breaking news as we come on. this major storm hitting right now. treacherous driving and now tornado watches up. snow and rain about to hit the northeast. 125 million americans on alert for this second winter storm, and a third storm now right behind it. tonight, dangerous driving