abc seven mornings live. >> right now at five. we are starting with a live look outside as a strong storm is moving through the bay area. you're going to want to grab a raincoat and umbrella as you head out the door. this morning, virtually everyone is going to be dealing with a stormy commute today. >> and live doppler seven showing how widespread the rain is right now. a flood watch is in effect for some areas. certain parts of the santa

cruz mountains are under evacuation warnings. we could see trees coming down and power outages in the next few hours. drew is tracking the timeline of the storm. >> rain here means snow in the sierra. look at that. it is definitely coming down or tahoe cam. several inches fell overnight and there's no sign of anything slowing down today. good morning. welcome to the stormy. thursday, february 13th. >> yeah. let's get you prepared. for your day. starting off with. >> we've already seen about 1 to 3in of rain this morning that's already causing issues out there on our roads. so here's live doppler seven this morning. we've been in and out of the heavy rain all morning long with this level three strong storm, some of the heaviest rain currently focused in the east bay and in the south bay. so highway four 580. these are some of the areas that we do have. reports of some roadway flooding out there this morning. the pops of yellow indicating the downpours. right now. we do have a serious flash flood warning to talk about in the santa cruz mountains. this is an area that has seen 2 to 4in of rain already this morning. and as heavy rain continues to fall, we're

seeing issues on our streams and creeks and certainly on our roads. be careful on 17 this morning because not only is it wet, but we do have the potential to see shallow landslides and mudslides. virtually all of us are underneath a flood advisory. and what that means we are seeing ponding on our roadways, standing water out there, and the winds are picking up more than 50 mile per hour gusts right now in the oakland hills. so we're at a level three today for this strong storm flooding, rain, strong damaging winds and also dangerous surf along our coast. so this morning will be in and out of the downpours. we may see a little bit of a break around 9 a.m, but those downpours fill right back in later on this afternoon and this evening. we could be dealing with thunderstorms as well. a close look at the timeline in that sierra snow coming up in seven minutes. let's check in with gloria, see how we're doing out there with these wet roads. >> good morning. yeah, it is going to be a slick commute for you this morning. definitely leave a little bit earlier. i know i was driving very slow because of all that rain coming down. you want to be extra careful this morning? this is a

look at our overall map. we do want to zoom into something that's happening over in castro valley on westbound 580 at redwood road. there is some flooding there on the roadway, and we're being told that those lanes were flooded. and now there is standing water in the three middle lanes. it is causing some major delays in that area. speeds are down to 11mph. and throughout the bay area we do have a flood advisory and especially you need to be on the lookout when you're driving this morning. we also want to tell you about something going on in oakland on westbound 580 before park boulevard. there was an earlier crash. it has been moved, but now there is a stall that's blocking the right lane. there are some minor delays in that area. it's probably going to be a very busy morning on the traffic side here with the slick roads, so be very careful. we'll keep you updated throughout the morning. amanda. reggie. >> and as gloria is tracking the commute from the traffic center, abc seven news reporter lena howland is out on the roads checking issues as they pop up. >> she's live in castro valley right now, heading to flooding, impacting 580. lena.

>> hey, reggie and amanda, good morning to you. this heavy rain has been pounding us all morning long as we've been trying to make our way through this traffic, and i can tell you, we are already seeing some delays and backups on 580 as we work to get a little closer to that incident on in the castro valley area. i want to go now to a live look at the roads from our perspective here on 580, heading westbound towards the castro valley area. this is where chp has reported some serious street flooding. they issued an alert earlier because of standing water about two feet deep across three lanes of traffic. and right here you can already see some of the backups starting. this is causing some major delays with multiple lanes of traffic shut down during this morning commute. if you are trying to make it into the city, this is one spot you will want to avoid. this morning, i want to go now to some other video showing some rain pounding santa rosa this morning. right around 2 a.m.

this video was taken near kerby avenue. you can also see just how windy it has been pushing those trees and flags around, as it appears to be raining sideways in the wind. we've also seen multiple spinouts reported multiple accidents all over the bay area, and more street flooding reported in oakland, marin, alameda, redwood city, and the san jose area. if you do have to be out in these conditions this morning, our number one reminder is to slow down. triple a says to avoid losing control to your car, remember to try to avoid using cruise control during this time and make sure you are leaving extra room for other drivers around you. this is definitely a day where you are going to want to make sure to give yourself a few a little extra time before heading out the door this morning. also, a great day to pack those rain boots and a rain jacket for now. reporting live in castro valley. lena howland abc seven news. >> all right, lena, thank you. and as the next round of storms moves into the bay area, you can track them using the same live

doppler seven our weather team uses. it's available right now on the abc seven bay area app. download it now for the latest forecast and updates on the conditions where you live. we'll have extended live coverage all day. >> new this morning a person has died in a fire in the east bay. this happened at a home on nicholas court in brentwood around 1130 last night. contra costa fire officials say the fire started in the garage. firefighters were notified a person might be inside the home and when they went in, they found a man dead. >> this is a this is a well seated fire. this has been burning for a while. and this is a large home. the fire was all the way into the attic from the garage. we managed to hold it to the second floor. >> the cause of the fire is under investigation. >> this morning we have new details about the crash that killed three college students in piedmont late last year. our media partners at the sf standard obtained toxicology reports showing the students had

alcohol, marijuana and cocaine in their systems when they died. they were home for thanksgiving break when the truck they were in hit a retaining wall, then a tree, before bursting into flames. abc seven spoke with santa clara university psychology professor doctor thomas plante about how these new details impact the case. >> it's tragic in every way, in every way, and it makes it even more challenging. when it was influenced by drugs and alcohol. there's a lot of people that can very easily wag their finger and say, you know, don't do that. lives were lost, families are in terrible grief. >> the chp says its investigation into what happened should wrap up in the next few weeks. the suspects facing charges after crashing a vehicle into a parklet in san francisco's mission district, are expected to be arraigned today. the crash happened after a police chase. san francisco police chief bill scott is

weighing in on the on the chase. a total of six people were hurt in the crash on sunday. the suspects were wanted for a series of thefts and were spotted over by stonestown galleria. officers began the pursuit after the driver refused to stop, and they chased that car for more than 20 minutes across the city, raising new questions and concerns about the department's new policy on chases. >> this whole thing is about balance. i mean, pursuits are dangerous and accidents or collisions will happen whether you have a restrictive policy or not. that's going to be really a fact of life. >> the chief added the department is reviewing whether the officers followed the pursuit policy. >> today, sonoma state's broken budget is prompting a valentine's themed protest on campus. gloria students are calling on the university's president to stop massive budget cuts that will eliminate athletics and several degree programs. >> yes. on this afternoon, faculty, students and staff are planning to create a broken hearts valentine to show how the budget cuts that were announced

last month have caused them pain. now, you may remember the cuts are drastic. the entire athletic department is being eliminated, as well as 23 academic programs. university officials say it is necessary to close a nearly $24 million deficit, but the announcement has been met with protests. sonoma state is not the only csu campus that's dealing with budget issues. the system is facing a $375 million funding cut, on top of a budget shortfall of over $800 million. the board of trustees is concerned. >> it's so important that this board, the chancellor, the entire csu community and stakeholders come together for a show of strength, solidarity to remind californians what is at stake. >> and today at sonoma state, after making the broken heart, valentine faculty, staff and students plan to deliver a petition asking administrators to

reverse the cuts. one coach told abc seven news the petn has over 10,000 signatures. now let's shift gears and talk about the weather, because we're all experiencing that rain this morning, drew. >> yeah we are. today is a level three. we are tracking flooding. rain. the chance of a thunderstorm, strong damaging winds. and we are seeing several reports this morning of flooding on roadways. here's live doppler seven. we'll flip it on over, show you the loop over the past six hours. and you can see we've just been in and out of heavy rain all morning long, as this atmospheric river just sits on top of us. we've already seen 1 to 3in of rain this morning that is already causing some issues, so we'll flip it on over to our storm report. so far this morning, a lot of these focused in the east bay, along the peninsula and in the santa cruz mountains. and most of these are for water on our roadways. we'll take this one, for example, which is where lena howland is getting to. this is a flood report near castro valley. we're looking at one foot of standing water in lanes three and four of westbound 580. this is just

one of several reports we're tracking. you see a bunch of them around oakland as you approach the bay bridge. so just be aware. it's really hard to see where that standing water is this morning. so hydroplaning is a huge concern. spinouts. this morning gloria is busy tracking all of them. here's live doppler seven along wih satellite. the bigger picture. we have this warm front that's moving through this morning, supplying us with all this rain. a cold front will swing through here, and as it does later today, it will try and kick up a couple of thunderstorms. heavy snow is now falling snow levels around 45 5000ft. and with that heavy snow, we have chain controls on all of our roads leading to tahoe. this morning a winter storm warning is in effect. so here's future weather. we have heavy rain this morning. then we transition to scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. we'll be tracking downpours all afternoon and all evening, and these winds will be with us all day as well. we have high wind warnings along the coast, wind advisories away from the coast. just know these winds remain elevated from time to time. today we could

see winds in excess of 40mph. everything gets out of here tomorrow. that leads to a really nice weekend, reggie. we'll show you that on the seven day in a few minutes. >> thanks, drew. a fighter jet in freefall straight ina california harbor. up next, the dramatic moments when that plane took a nosedive and how the pilots survived. >> despite the current downpour. we know it's going to be clear and crowded for the busy weekend ahead in san francisco. a look at preparations underway for the nba all-star weekend. >> shops and restaurants in chinatown. also preparing for visitors. a look at what's on the menu and the meaning behind traditional chinese new year dishes. >> and here at 511, we're taking a live look outside again. looking at tahoe, you see that snow coming down? we'll be right back. >> the abc seven storm impact scale. today's storm is level three. that means a strong storm. look out for flooding, hazards on the road and possible power outages. stay ahead of today's storm with the abc7 news app. download it

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roads are slick today. be very careful when you're driving. we are tracking some flooding in castro valley on westbound 580 at redwood road. all of the lanes were flooded. now we're just seeing standing water in the three middle l, but this is causing some major delays. you can take castro valley boulevard to get around and try to avoid this mess. and in redwood city, after whipple avenue, before holly street, we have reports of a spinout crash. it is blocking the right lane. it is causing some minor delays on northbound 101. and this is a live look at our san jose 101 880 cam. it is slick out there in the south bay. we don't have any major delays heading towards the city, but just be very careful as we mentioned and just leave a little bit earlier this morning. you might have to drive slower because of the wet roads. >> it is a level three on our storm impact scale. you can see live doppler seven on the right hand side of your screen. we are covered in rain this morning, but if you're going up to the sierra, just know that it is currently snowing right now, so it should be a great weekend of

skiing. not the greatest time to head up at this very moment. drew is tracking the storm and we'll check in with him in just a second. new video shows the moment a fighter jet took a nosedive, crashing into san diego harbor yesterday. the navy says the two pilots successfully ejected before they crashed. this morning, that aircraft is still in the water. environmental and safety teams are working to mitigate any potential impact. and now investigators are looking into what caused the nosedive. >> its engine got more aggressive sounding and started making crackling, popping noises. and then it just stopped. >> those pilots were rescued by two fishermen before being picked up by the coast guard. they are okay, but they're being monitored at a hospital as a precaution. >> despite the stormy weather, the warriors are ready to kick off. nba all star weekend. we know that at ten this morning, they'll host a ribbon cutting for the union square pop up activations. now that area will have a basketball court and pop up stores throughout the

weekend. also at ten, footlocker is hosting a heart of sneakers event where there's exclusive sneaker drops, games, and giveaways. you'll even have the chance to see a few nba stars at 4 p.m. you can challenge world champion foosball player dana mar at the sfmoma and across the bay tonight at seven is the hbcu alumni cocktail party at oak stop in oakland. mayor daniel lurie is hoping this weekend will show that san francisco is open for business again. that was his message at chase center last night. the bay area host committee organized the event that included hundreds of people interested in not just the nba all star game, but the other events coming to the bay area. that included an 11 year old soccer enthusiast and poet who read her poem to the crowd. >> 630 in the morning, it's game day. i rushed out of bed. can't wait to play. but right now my dreams come true. i am soccer, i am a girl. i love playing the

beautiful game. thank you. >> officials expect hundreds of thousands of people from 34 countries to pack san francisco this weekend. >> oakland is hosting a few of the all star weekend events this morning. interim mayor kevin jenkins, alongside volunteers from multiple organizations, are hosting a community cleanup tore get ready. security, of course, a top priority. the nba is chipping in for police overtime. of course, oakland is grappling with a massive budget deficit. >> we'd 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 increase patrols along the freeways and oakland's busiest streets. the fbi is assisting opd and cracking down on sex trafficking along international boulevard. the alameda county sheriff's office is going to help with security around the airport. the action for nba all-star weekend tips off. tips off with the all-star celebrity game that happens at 7 p.m. tomorrow at oakland

arena. following that is the castrol rising stars event showcasing the nba's best young talent. that's at 9 p.m. at chase center. the state farm all star saturday night event kicks off at 8 p.m. at the chase center at chase center. the event includes the skills challenge, three point contest and slam dunk contest. and then sunday is the main event. the 74th nba all star game happens at chase center at 8 p.m. stars like steph curry and kevin durant will be there. fans can also enjoy the nba crossover fan experience that runs friday through sunday at moscone center, ad the all star concert series happens those three nights at pier 48. big names like zedd, the chainsmokers and flo rida will be performing. >> they've got some big celebrities coming into town. >> that's really a big deal.. >> yeah. >> it is huge. >> bring out the boots with the fur because. >> yeah, thankfully what's happening right now, it's out of here for the weekend, but today is going to be pretty messy. we have rain, we have wind, we have snow in tahoe. it's just a live

look at lake tahoe as the big flakes are falling this morning. we have heavy snow and this winter storm is just getting started all day today and through the morning tomorrow. we will have heavy snow so we have a winter storm warning currently in effect, snow levels down to around 6000ft. above that, we're looking at 2 to 5ft of snow. i mean, watch these numbers just pile up throughout the day today and into early tomorrow morning. some of these areas i mean kirkwood donner feet of snow. looks like the north side of tahoe sees more snow than the south side. but still we're looking at 1 to 3ft of snow even at lake level. so wait until this weekend to try to go to tahoe. it is a mess out there this morning. here's live doppler seven. we're looping this. over the last six hours we have just been inundated with heavy rain this morning. currently we're tracking downpours very scattered in nature, but we have a lot of reports of standing water on our roads this morning. spinouts, hydroplaning a big concern. we're already seeing numerous reports of roadway flooding. this is

going to lead to a slow commute this morning. the winds have been gusty, trees down and power outages are still possible throughout the day. and we're looking at the santa cruz mountains, especially the possibility we could see shallow landslides throughout the day. today, we've already sn several inches of rain in the santa cruz mountains, and more is falling as we speak. so a level three strong storm today for flooding, rain, strong winds and dangerous surf along our coast. here's future weather. we're still tracking downpours through seven. 8 a.m. this morning. then as we head into the afternoon, we have the potential for thunderstorms to pop up. we'll be tracking downpours all evening long as we head into tomorrow morning. the rain is much lighter and this storm is pretty much done by about 6 or 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, but rainfall totals will still add up. we're still looking at additional 1 to 2in of rain and many cities throughout the day today, so that will create some issues with flooding out there. winds are going to remain active all day today. a high wind warning is in effect along the coast. we don't see these winds calm down until tomorrow morning. we

will see surf increasing throughout the day. the high surf warning doesn't begin until 3 p.m. and really, tomorrow is when we'll see the worst waves. we could see waves in excess of 30ft along our coast. so here's the accuweather seven day forecast. just a stormy day today. we have an early morning chance before the sun gets up here tomorrow for a shower, but then the rest of valentine's day is dry l and dry for the weekend. for the chinese new year parade in san francisco. it will be nice and we'll keep it sunny early next week, guys. >> all right, drew, thank y. coming up to seven things to know this morning. >> the crowning of miss chinatown is a chinese new year tradition in

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try mucinex nightshift and feel the difference. to know this morning. number one, we are tracking a level three strong storm today. live doppler seven showing you we've been in and out of the heavy rain all morning long. that is leading to a lot of roadway flooding this morning and a flash flood warning in effect for the santa cruz mountains. level three all day today. later on this afternoon, we could see some pop up thunderstorms. >> and number two slick roads out there. there is some flooding in the roadways in castro valley on westbound 580 at redwood road, and right now the three middle lanes are still flooded. it's no longer a sigalert, but there is still very heavy traffic there. you can take castro valley

boulevard to get around all that flooding. >> number three, parts of santa cruz county are under evacuation warnings this morning due to the risk of flooding. that includes the felton grove, beth drive and parasite paradise. excuse me. park areas. >> number four, we are monitoring p-g-and-e's website for power outages. they are starting to increase across the bay area. we're waiting for an update from p-g-and-e's on just how many customers are now in the dark. >> number five, president trump says he's planning to meet with russian president vladimir putin in person to negotiate an end to the war in ukraine. a timeline for the meeting has not been announced. >> number six today, several oakland city council members plan to introduce an ordinance to fund the city's fire stations. the plan provides money to prevent more stations from closing because of budget cuts. it would also allow temporarily closed stations to reopen. >> number seven amazon is testing a new feature to help you buy products not available on its site. if customers using the amazon app search certain products not sold by amazon,

they'll be redirected to the brand's website to make their purchase. it's not clear if amazon will get a cut. now we're counting down to the 2025 chinese new year parade. we're just days away from the big event this saturday. >> as san francisco celebrates chinese new year. restaurantes china live is playing a major role in the festivities by serving up dishes packed with tradition. here's abc seven news anchor kristen sze. >> chinese new year is all about new hope, new prosperity, new beginnings, and a big part of all that is the food, right? so here i am at the acclaimed china live in san francisco chinatown with owners george and cindy chen. hey guys, happy. >> new year, kristen. happy new year, right? >> kuala gong xi fa cai gong. >> for all that. okay. and as part of all that is the food, it

has a role in ushering all those good fortunes, good things in, right? >> yes, absolutely. >> families on new year's eve get together. big families, they cook a huge meal. and ines, they america, you know, come to china life. >> and the thing is, do you only eat one meal during this period to celebrate chinese new year? is it just the one meal when we have all these good things, such as we have with thanksgiving? >> well. >> the most important meal is new year's eve night. that night the family absolutely gets together and make a big meal, but it's a two week celebration in china is actually almost like a month long. >> in chinese, new year is the best excuse to grab something to eat with those who are important to you. >> right? and san francisco's got a large chinese community. we have the big parade coming up, and it's a happy time.

>> we know it's going to be on abc seven. it's just a fabulous time. thank you for sharing some of this tradition. >> thank you for sharing a family meal or a close friend family meal with us. >> yeah, you for being here with us. happy new year, happy new year. >> and tomorrow the winner of miss chinatown 2025 will be announced. 13 women from all over the country will be competing to take home the crown. abc7 news anchor kristen sze also sat down with miss chinatown 2024 to talk about her experiences this past year. >> i mean, there are so many events as i was reflecting on this past year, it's coming so quickly to an end, just from going to local fashion shows of chinese fashion designers, going to galas to celebrate health organizations that are based in community, that

speak all the different multiple cultural languagese in the bay. it's just so many doors i would never even imagine existed. and it's thanks to this pageant. it's thanks to the chinese parade, and i just wouldn't change it for the world that is more priceless than the scholarship. >> abc seven is the official home of the 2025 san francisco chinese new year parade. you can watch the live parade starting at 6 p.m. saturday. watch it here live on abc seven and wherever you stream abc seven news. communities impacted by the palisades and newton wildfires last month are again worrying about their homes. coming up at 530, the evacuations in effect this morning over fears of

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now we are looking at the coast because there's a dangerous surf warnings closures in capitola and santa cruz, evacuation warnings overnight in the santa cruz mountains, and this morning, a flash flood warning in the area. >> and downpours overnight, causing many highways and roadways to pond. it is a messy commute out there. you're looking live at the golden gate bridge. keep your head on a swivel this morning and go slow. >> and here's what it looks like on live doppler seven. basically rain everywhere. >> good. good morning everyone. it is thursday, february 13th. >> we're going to start with the check in the weather and drew. >> yeah. and we've been in and out of the heavy rain all morning long with this accuweather alert. here's live doppler seven. we're looping this over the last six hours. and you can see we have had this atmospheric river just kind of sit on top of us this morning. many of us have already received an inch of rain. some of us in the santa cruz mountains have seen 2 to 3in of rain. so this morning we have the shield of moisture overhead, scattered downpours. the biggest issue we are seeing out there, there's a lot of

standing water on our roadways, and we do have a flash flood warning in effect for the santa cruz mountains. this does include santa cruz, the city as well, where we do have several inches of rain already this morning. more heavy rain is falling. we're likely seeing issues on our smaller streams and creeks and likely on our roads this morning. there's even the potential to see some shallow landslides in the area. the wider picture shows you a flood advisory in effect for virtually everybody. and what this means. there's a lot of water out there on our freeways this morning creating some issues. winds are also a problem. look at these gusts in the oakland hills gusting over 50mph. so we are at a level three all day today for flooding, rain, strong damaging winds and rough surf along the coast. so this morning we're tracking those downpours. this afternoon. we even have the chance of some thunderstorms rolling through the region. temperatures will mainly stay in the 50s all day today. let's check in with gloria. it is busy out there on the roadways this morning with all of this rain. >> yeah, it is really busy out there on the roadways. it's busy in the traffic center this morning becausee are tracking a lot of incidents

with these slick roads, and we can't emphasize enough today. you want to drive slower. you want to give yourself more time because of the rain. this is a live look in san rafael right now, and you can see that our cameras are a little blurry. that's because of the raindrops on the lens. and you can see that there are no major delays there in san rafael. but people are definitely driving. driving slower this morning because of the wet roads. and that's something you want to do today. this is a live look at our golden gate bridge camera. also, no delays here. we don't have any issues on the golden gate bridge. however, we are tracking some flooding over in castro valley and this is over on westbound 580 at redwood road. there are three middle lanes that are flooded. traffic is very heavy in this area. you can take castro valley boulevard to get around the flooding. and amanda, i know that you all will be reporting more on this, but this is a big issue there in castro valley. >> yeah. and gloria will stay on that issue on 580. that's where abc seven news reporter lena howland is this morning. she's live in castro valley right now

in that backup. lena. >> hey, amanda. that's right. we are kind of stuck in that backup on 580 heading westbound in the castro valley area, just off of the redwood road exit. i want to switch to our street view now so you can get a live look at the roads from our perspective, just to show you what a major backup this has caused in our area. this is where chp reported some street flooding at the redwood road exit, and that's exactly where we are right now. they did issue a sigalert earlier because of standing water about two feet deep across three lanes of traffic. we can see emergency crews here on the shoulder of the road, working through what appears to be possibly an accident. and there is also still some street flooding here. it does look like they have one to possibly two lanes of traffic shut down. still at this hour. this. and if you are trying to make it into the city, this is going to be one spot you will want to avoid at this hour, this

morning. then i want to show you some new video just into our newsroom showing some street flooding happening further down on 580 in the oakland area. this was taken just west of beaumont avenue. you can see drivers continuing to drive through this standing water. outside of this, even more street flooding has been reported in marin, alameda, redwood city and the san jose area. if you do have to be out in these conditions this morning are number one reminder is to slow down. make sure you are leaving extra room for other drivers around you. but if you can avoid if you can avoid driving today and you can work from home instead. today would be a great day to do that. for now. reporting live in castro valley. lena howland, abc seven news. >> all right, lena, take it easy out there now in the santa cruz mountains this morning, several communities are under evacuation warnings due to flood and mudslide risks. felton grove in the mountains could see as much as eight inches of rain 60 mile an hour. wind gusts could take down trees and a word for those

on the coast. >> 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 to. >> and the county is expecting particularly dangerous surf friday. >> and as this next round of storms comes into the bay area, you can track them using the same live doppler seven our weather team uses. you can find it by using your phone to scan the qr code you see on your screen. right now in southern california this morning, evacuation warnings have been issued for parts of fire ravaged la county. gloria. the area could see its most significant rain in more than a year. >> yes, and that is concerning. the heaviest rain is expected in southern california today. mud has already started to move down the mud, down the hills, and some of the areas that were burned by the fires last month, and residents have been preparing. the pacific coast

highway is closed in anticipation of the danger from the palisades fire burn scar. the sandbags are out. you can see them right there. and caltrans has put out concrete barriers in areas that could see the biggest mudflows. >> a lot of the houses without the vegetation around them have burned off, could slide down the hill very easily. i never dreamt in my whole life i would see such utter, complete devastation. >> around the area where the eaton fire burned. there are evacuation warnings. officials identified 88 homes in danger earlier this week. now, on this hillside, a green spray called hydroseeding is being used to help speed up regrowth of plants on the slope that will help stop mudslides. >> it's going to take several years for it to stabilize. >> architects, engineers everyone's been working together, i think, to try to help people rebuild. and i think there's a concerted effort to try to get people to rebuild. >> evacuation warnings are expected to last through tomorrow in los angeles county. even people who are not in

evacuation zones have been told that they should be prepared to deal with storm damage. amanda. >> all right, gloria, thank you. and san francisco's lengthy approval process for getting more resources to address the fentanyl crisis is now gone, and mayor daniel lurie is already putting his new power to use. during an event at city hall yesterday, lurie signed his emergency fentanyl ordinance. then he announced his first goal. the city is transforming a vacant building on geary street into a behavioral health crisis center. previously, the mayor would need approval from the board of supervisors. now, his office can start helping people off the streets faster. >> so this is a huge, huge step in the right direction for us to get resources out there on the street quickly to help reducee those open drug scenes. this ordinance allows the city to kind of filter through some of those would be bids and actually look at those orgs that can do that and get things going quickly. >> the new center will offer medical and psychiatric care.

for now, the building will treat roughly 25 people a day. you can hear more from mayor lurie today on gma three. watch at noon on abc seven. right after midday live. >> an escape artist eventually needed to be rescued. the group effort that helped finally secure a happy ending for a dog on the run. it looked like the loch ness monster, but i assume that was a dog. but first, a check on the weather with meteorologist drew. >> yeah, we have a stormy morning out there right now. here's a live look from our san rafael camera. you're looking at 101. that freeway right there. it's just windy out there. we have a lot of water on our roads this morning, and numerous reports of flooding on some of our roads. here's live doppler seven along with satellite. our atmospheric river is on top of us as we speak. this warm front this morning has brought several rounds of heavy rain, and will be in and out of the downpours all day long. here's live doppler seven the closer view showing you this kind of shield of moisture overhead right now, creating the light to moderate rain this morning. we do have a flash flood warning. this is a serious warning we're talking about in the santa cruz mountains, where we have

seen several inches of rain already this morning, with more heavy rain falling as we speak, we could quickly see some rises on our smaller streams and creeks. you really want to be aware of that? if you live in the santa cruz mountains, keep an eye on those water levels. they can rise really quickly. here are the storm reports this morning. numerous reports of flooding on our roadways. now we're starting to get some storm reports of debris flows in the north bay, for example, this one near windsor. we have a mudslide blocking a part of mark west springs road, and we're probably going to see more of this as we go deeper into the day as more heavy rain is out there. just be aware that it's getting tough to travel out there this morning. where it is also tough to travel is near tahoe. winter radar showing you heavy snow is falling. we have chain controls on all of our roads this morning. i wouldn't be surprised if from time to time we actually see a closure of some of our roads. that's how heavy the snow is falling with that winter storm warning. we're tracking that heavy rain all morning long. as we head into the afternoon, we'll transition to downpours that could contain some thunderstorms. that's something we'll watch very closely later on today. if

we do see a thunderstorm, we could see some lightning, even hear a clap of thunder. winds are also an issue already this morning. they're running perpendicular to a lot of our area bridges, so it's getting a little harder to cross them. you're going to be gripping that wheel a bit tighter. so the winds are active all day long. gusts over 30 40mph. we have high wind warnings in effect along the coast. the winds don't back off until tomorrow morning. but once the storm is out of here, we have a nice weekend on

♪ dreams begin here. welcome to the goodnight club. we have a traffic alert for you right now. the metering lights have just turned on at the bay bridge toll plaza. you can see a live look right here. roads are wet this morning, so you want to drive a little bit slower? give yourself extra time because of that slick commute today. it has been busy in the traffic center because we're getting reports of a lot of incidents. highway four

to san francisco. it's going to take you about 42 minutes. right now there's a live look in san jose at highway 87, and you can see that the morning commute is getting started there, but we're not seeing any major backups in this area. traffic is flowing despite the slick roads. however, we do have an update for you on this roadway flooding that we've been telling you about all morning long in castro valley. all lanes are now back open on westbound 580 at redwood road. however, it's still causing some big delays there. speeds are down about 30mph in that area. this was a sigalert. it has been canceled. and again, all lanes are back open, but traffic is still flowing very slowly there in castro valley. reggie aqui. >> attention, skiers and snowboarders, take a look at this. a live picture now from the sierra as we continue to track the storm. you see. live doppler seven on the right hand side of your screen. a winter storm warning took effect overnight. that goes until 10 p.m. friday. it's going to be a great weekend for skiing, but be

careful because it really won't be clear to drive until saturday morning. i know a lot of you will want to go after work tomorrow and do you, but just know that it could be some rough going. >> and frightening video. this morning shows the moment a train slams into an suv. this happened in utah last week. the suv was hit by a truck that pushed it onto the tracks. the driver tried to reverse but couldn't do it in time and luckily no one was injured. this morning, another potential benefit to the popular diabetes and weight loss medication ozempic. a new study shows it could help people reduce alcohol consumption. the study was small. it only involved 48 people with signs of moderate alcohol use disorder, but it found people using low doses of semaglutide glucoside for nine weeks saw significantly reduced alcohol intake. larger trials will be needed to determine whether it could be a new possible treatment for alcoholism.

>> pet owners are worried after a microchip company suddenly closed. texas based microchip and registration company. save this life, serve pets across the country and shut down this week with no notice. vets say if the microchips from save this life are scanned, the pet owners information won't show up. of course, that's a problem. if your cat or dog goes missing. >> now that i'm aware of it, i'm probably going to go home and look at it and see if it's my company or if it's a, you know, some company that owns all the other companies. and then if it happens to something, happens to him, god forbid. not if that's going to affect me trying to find out where he's at. of course, that's concerning. >> if your pet's chip is from save this life, you can reregister it with a new company. to find out, you can contact the vet or clinic that implanted it. >> a dog on the run in alameda is safe this morning after trying to make a swim for it. you see his head poking up there. the spooked dog had dodged multiple sightings for about a week until friends of alameda shelter says say that

she jumped into the water at seaplane lagoon to get away. alameda police say she swam for about 20 minutes before being trapped on some rocks nearby. kayakers helped an animal control officer safely bring her to shore. you see her there? police say they got her warm. she enjoyed a meal and then had her paw pads treated for minor scrapes. >> oh. >> poor thing. >> she's a cutie. >> she's been so tired. >> did it look like she was swimming very fast? >> you know what? >> she was trying to get away. >> get this dog in the olympics. you know? >> i mean, look, how fast is it? it could be, like, kind of an optical illusion. like the waves are going the opposite way. so it looks like she's swimming faster, but. >> and she's way out there. she is way out. it's impressive that she lasted that long in there, like, you know. >> glad she's safe. >> talented dog. an athlete. >> yeah. for sure. okay, so this morning, we're starting to get more reports of issues. mudslides now in the north bay. a lot of water on our roads this morning. we're at a level three for this strong storm that is overhead. a live look at a rainy view from our exploratorium

camera. our first issue is certainly roadway flooding. you can see numerous flood advisories. basically, everybody's underneath a flood advisory this morning. and what that means is that we've seen several inches of rain already in some spots this morning. heavy showers do continue so that water is starting to pile up on our freeways. still kind of hard to see where that water is since it's dark out right now, so really give yourself some extra time. it's really messy out there. gloria has been tracking all the accidents all morning long. lena howland is on 580 right now near castro valley, where there's a backup because there is a lot of water on the roads. live doppler seven is showing you over the last six hours, this atmospheric river just sitting on top of us, supplying us with the heavy rain. here's the current view. we're pretty much in and out of the downpours, the pops of yellow you see on your screen. it's just a messy morning out there right now. so our storm concerns. the highest one right now is flooding. we're seeing that on area roadways, spinouts, hydroplaning that's all an issue this morning. winds are still strong and they'll

remain active all day today. so trees down power outages are possible. we're already starting to see more power outages over the last hour. mudslides and landslides are a concern. we're starting to see a few of those in the north bay around windsor right now, with reports of mudslides on mark west springs road right now. and the potential is there even in the santa cruz mountains, to see some of these issues, because that's an area that's underneath the flash flood warning this morning. level three for flooding, rain, strong damaging winds and rough surf along the coast. so here's future weather. heavy rain this morning. we will transition to scattered downpours this afternoon. and there is the chance that underneath these downpours, we could see some thunderstorms popping up. so the risk of flooding is pretty much with us all day long. we've already seen 1 to 3in of rain. we're going to see about another inch in many areas. so the flood watch does continue for the entire region. just anticipate that we'll see more issues with water on our roads. that winter storm warning is in effect. we're just beginning to get into this winter storm. look at the snowfall totals like reggie mentioned just a few minutes ago. do not try and

travel today. do not try and travel tomorrow. you're going to have to wait probably until saturday morning before this storm system clears out of here. and that winter storm warning is done because some of our higher peaks. i mean, we're talking five, six feet of snow in some areas. so this is a big winter storm that's underway, probably the biggest so far this season. here's the accuweather seven day forecast showing you rain, wind, flooding here at home early tomorrow morning before the sun gets up here. a stray shower, but much of valentine's day is dry. that leads to a nice weekend. we have dry weather for the chinese new year parade in san francisco, and we'll keep it pretty sunny through much of next week. guys. >> what a change. okay. thanks, drew. new at six. two major retailers announcg the closure of stores nationwide. just how many jo-ann fabric and jc penney locations will be impacted here in the bay area? >> but first, more calls from hollywood for ai legislation. the video circulating, sparking new calls to regulate deepfakes. >> and a live look outside at 551, where it is raining along the golden gate bridge.

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alert for you this morning. we're getting a live look right now at our emeryville camera. there is traffic there, as you can see, west of the east shore freeway, and it is very busy out there. it's also slick on the roads today, so be very careful when you're driving. today you can see those headlights heading towards the bay bridge. if you are driving from highway four to san francisco, it will take you 42 minutes. and looking at your mass transit alerts for today, you always want to be careful. give yourself a little bit more time because there could be some delays. this is our san jose 87 camera and you can see traffic is flowing smoothly here. we don't have any delays in this

area, but people are definitely driving slower today because of the rain. and that's something that you want to do. we have that roadway flooding over in castro valley on westbound 580 at redwood road. they have reopened all the lanes. this was a sigalert earlier today, but speeds are still down to about 49mph, so it's still pretty slow out there if you're driving in castro valley. but again, those lanes have reopened after they were all shut down because of that flooding. >> all right, gloria, thank you. and today's gma first look. former talk show host wendy williams is talking about her guardianship. her dementia diagnosis and her fight for freedom. here's abc news reporter eva pilgrim. >> in this morning's gma first look, legendary talk show host wendy williams is fighting for her freedom. >> let's get started. it's time for hot topics. >> the former queen of daytime has been in a court ordered guardianship since 2022. and this morning on gma and streaming now on impact by nightline. wendy williams is opening up to abc's byron pitts. >> how are you doing?

>> how am i doing? i'm still in prison, so to speak. >> in 20-24 williams's care team announcing she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, which williams vehemently disputes. >> frontal temporal dementia. how dare you! >> her shocking diagnosis leading state court to deem her legally incapacitated. and we'll have much more with wendy williams coming up at 7 a.m. and you can stream impact by nightline. what's happening with wendy williams on hulu with your gma first look, i'm eva pilgrim, abc news, new york. >> actress scarlett johansson is demanding action from lawmakers over regulating artificial intelligence. in a statement yesterday, johansson wants laws limiting the technology for the safety of the public. this is in response to a deepfake video of johansson and other celebrities circulating on social media this week. maybe you saw it. the video implies they are interacting with anti-semitic remarks from kanye west. johansson condemned anti-semitism, but emphasized

that it was important to call out the misuse of ai regardless of the messaging. everybody. backstreet's back. all right. the iconic boy band will be taking over the sphere in las vegas to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their hit album, millennium. the into the millennium residency will play nine dates in july. the pre-sale starts tomorrow. tickets go on sale to the general public next friday. i can't believe that it's only going to be that few dates, right? >> i saw them when they were at sap center a few years ago. >> how was it? fantastic. it was it really good? >> loved it. i mean, it brings you back. >> okay. >> and that brought me back. >> it sure did. >> coming up on abc, seven mornings at six, we continue to track the storm making its way across the bay area. >> strong wind and rain pounding the north bay. we're going to take a look at the problems we're seeing from the latest storm, and what it means for your morning commute. >> and a meteorologist, drew. tim, we are tracking this strong level three

storm. live doppler seven showing you we have been in the heavy rain all morning long. flood watches are posted. a lot of water is standing on our freeways this morning, and a flash flood warning is in effect in the santa cruz mountains. we stay wet all day long.

now abc seven mornings live. >> now at six. an accuweather alert a strong storm is moving