rain, wind, thunder and lightning. we saw it all this weekend and problems are still sticking around this morning. i'm christie smith. we'll tell you what they are and who is still in the dark coming up in a live report. three years in the making, the trial for baseball's all-time home run king gets started today. we'll tell you what's ahead for barry bonds. and more evacuations in japan overnight. the latest concern and its stricken nuclear reactor. a live look outside this morning, it is exactly 4:30, march 21st.

this is "today in the east bay." good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. it is 4:30. we'll go right to our meteorologist, christina loren. good morning to you, scott. good morning to you at home. boy, oh, boy, we had a lot of action in the weather department over the weekend. this morning we are seeing more of the same. this week looks wide open for showers each and every day as the jet stream is taking a substantial dip and taking all the storms into the bay area. this morning we have a bit of shower activity pushing to danville from hayward. that's the case throughout the morning. the biggest concern today is the possibility of thunderstorms. you can notice a little lightning off the coast of san luis obispo. be advised with the unstable air mass overhead and thunderstorms are likely once again today. we'll take you through your full

forecast coming up. after all, it is a new workweek. back to you, scott. as christina mentioned the worst is over, but the rain is still sticking around. christie smith is out in mill valley. good morning to you, christie. >> reporter: good morning to you. it is not raining for us this morning which is an improvement because we were soaked all weekend. the effects of the wild weather this weekend are sticking around this morning. we are near the 101 exit for stenson beach. there's a little lagoon that's formed here on the side of the road from all the free-standing water from the rain. and thousands of people are still without power this morning across the bay area. right now it is more than 5,000 people, but that's down from the 33,000 that were in the dark this weekend from the powerful storms. downed power lines and toppled trees, but the worst was in the north bay where 3,800 customers are still without power this morning. they should be back up by noon

today along the peninsula. about 130 there without power. and in the east bay, about 660 customers without power. they should be back up by 6:00. reporting live in marin county, christie smith, "today in the east bay." the bay area is not the only one recovering from rain and wild weather. in tahoe highways 80 and 50 are back open. chains are still required. both roads were closed over the weekend. 80 for low visibility, 50 for avalanche control. highway 88 over donner pass is still closed. video from southern california, a group of people trapped on top of their suv as water rushes around them. they were brought to safety but may have to foot the bill for their own rescue. that's because they deliberately drove into the creek as the off-road driving trip. and parts of los angeles

county has fears of mudslides this morning. six homes in woodland hills are in danger. 30 people are still left, others choosing to stay hoping to ride out the torrential rains. today baseball star barry bonds is set to stand trial in federal court in san francisco. legal experts say the outcome of the case holds the key that bonds repairing his damaged reputation and will determine whether bonds has a legitimate shot of being elected to the baseball hall of fame. the 46-year-old home run king pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to a grand jury about steroid use more than seven years ago. this morning jury selection begins. that process is expected to last between three or four weeks. legal experts say if convicted it is unlikely bonds will search serve much if any prison time. new this morning workers from japan's nuclear complex

were evacuated after gray smoke was seen rising from one of the reactors. a plant spokesman says the company is investigating the cause. the smoke was rising from a spent fuel storage pool. plant leaders have been working to cool reactors and the fuel pools to bring radiation leaking under control. police estimate the death toll from the march 11th earthquake and tsunami will surpass 18,000. the number of overall bodies is 8,600 so far. the world bank says japan may need five years to rebuild. the quake and tsunami cost up to a quarter trillion dollars of damage. meantime, radiation at the tuck she ma nuclear power plant is a concern. contamination has been found in milk and vegetables. the japanese government has banned all milk shipments from the area but vegetables with low levels of radiation have been found far from the site. there has been precious

little good news from japan, but we have some this morning. a bay area desperate to get his daughter out of the disaster zone is breathing a sigh of relief thanks to one of our viewers. kimberly terry reports on the story for us. >> reporter: this man's 10-year-old daughter lives in the area where the earthquake struck just days ago. >> i started bawling and saw the images. i thought she would be gone. there's no way someone could survive that. >> reporter: tillman found out his daughter is alive and well through facebook. it took several days before he was able to get his ex-wife and daughter on the phone. they say food and supplies are limited and the threat of radiation from damaged nuclear reactors is worrisome. >> i said, do you need anything? she was like, no, we are fine,

everything is okay. and then when i talked to her mom she said things are not fine. my daughter was telling me that so i wouldn't worry. >> reporter: he checked into tickets to fly them back to california but they are up near $1,000. too much for tillman who lost his leg after he was hit by a drunk driver on his first date with lynn's mother. he became pushed under the car. he has a lot of family and friends willing to help when lynn arrives. she'll be arriving sooner than later after a donor contacted us after seeing tillman's story on nbc bay area. >> i just want to thank you. it is a blessing that there are good people out there still. i want everybody to give their positive healing vibes to all the kids in japan. >> reporter: tillman couldn't wait to tell his daughter and is honored by the generosity of a stranger. >> i'm happy and give thanks to mr. codell and his wife to get a

ticket for her. i was really worried about her. call your papa, i got you a ticket to come home. >> the donor is from the south bay and has five kids of his own. he says he would hope someone would help his wife and him bring their kids home if it was their situation. santa barbara firefightrigh can eric barber says this is his dog who barks to help find those stuck under debris. a $500,000 contract was awarded to redraw the county's

political districts. a new voter redistributing commission has ties to bruin cane, the uc berkeley professor and democrat who drew lines for his party in the 1980s. meanwhile, let's check in with christina this morning. we saw christie out there finally dry. >> i don't know if that's going to last all that long this morning. we have so the some spotty shower activity. it looks like we'll see rain each and every day. tuesday, tomorrow, looks to be the driest day of the week with a 40% rain chance heading through tuesday afternoon. another system on the way then. the reason we are seeing all the rain and it just won't quit is because of the significant dip in the jet stream. that's allowing all the storms to come right into the bay area this morning. that's exactly what's happening. we are seeing lingering shower activity pushing through danville, livermore, you are getting a little action just to the east in the foothills there. and let me step out of the way

to show you what's happening. we have a system of low pressure just offshore this morning. you can see the counter clockwise rotation. you can see the showers wrapping around. that's pushing that activity into our area. and this low is really not going anywhere. it is kind of staying stationary. that's been the case for the past hour. and as long as it sits just offshore here it will continue to drive this wrap-around moisture into the bay area. our biggest concern is when the sun comes up at 7:15 we'll start to see the breaks in sunshine. that's going to warm up the atmosphere. and thunderstorms will be able to develop because it will be warm enough. that's the next concern this morning. 46 in hayward. heading throughout the afternoon, we've got more and more heating on the way. so we'll watch the thunderstorms for you and keep you updated. we'll check the drive with mike inouye. good morning, christina. you had a busy friday for both of your shifts. we have the rain coming through this morning, so a lot of moisture in the area. the maze is looking good approaching the bay bridge toll

plaza. here's a life look out there, no major problems. no major puddling, great news for the morning commute. you may see sprinkles continuing. also pretty dense fog in spots. chp says to watch it through contra costa county. and north of livermore, danville and san ramon may get the fog as well. the altamont pass is moving smoothly out of the traci area. interstate 808 and 50 are open, but bring the chains. 84 near the dumbarton bridge is moving nicely. off 880, there are the taillights heading over the peninsula. no camera shake, calmer winds, but the rain is not completely gone from the area. we are definitely watching for the aftermath of the mudslides and trees down potentially. coming up, this is the debate fancy car people have. premium versus regular. are you saving money by filling up on regular? the experts weigh in. plus, new advice for parents of young children that could

save them in a car accident. you are looking at live pictures of the bay bridge. it is 4:14. 4:41. i was told that i was at risk for sudden cardiac death. i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight.

i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease. how did i not know that?

with gas prices rising each day there could be a way to save

money you may not have thought of. chris clackum is here with the ideas for you. >> reporter: possibly the best place to look to save money on gasoline might very well be in your glove compartment, specifically in your owner's manual under fuel to see whether or not your car is required or recommended to run on premium unleaded gasoline. >> it is recommended, then you can try a lower grade fuel. if it is required, don't think about it. >> reporter: don't try it if premium is required because it really can damage your engine. however, if it is only recommended and with premium costing up to 25 cents more per gallon, the savings can be substantial. the experts in the online automotive giant edmonds.com say engines of today can handle it. >> we used to have engines that would knock if you put in lower grade fuel so people were looking for higher octane, higher grades of fuel so that the cars wouldn't knock.

but now there's so much computization? a car that it basically tunes itself as it goes. >> reporter: if nothing else, you can at least experiment. >> if there's any drop off in terms of performance or hear anything unusual, you can always go back to the premium fuel. >> reporter: and back to paying $4 to $5 more for a fill-up. chris clackum, nbc news. christina loren is here with a look at our forecast. >> we are into this wet, stormy pattern, and it is not letting up any time soon. this is the first official day of spring, but it won't feel like it. we'll be warm up for thunderstorms to pop up throughout the day. we are already noticing lightning just offshore in the san francisco area. so once it starts to heat up this afternoon i think we'll see more of that activity, thunderstorms developing, and rolling onshore throughout the day. so we'll watch those for you. of course, we saw some severe thunderstorms on friday. and today it is possible to see

more of the same. so we'll be watching this very closely throughout the day. let me show you what's happening and what's creating this very unstable atmosphere. we have a low pressure system just sitting offshore. you can see the clouds and that moisture wrapping around that system. it is actually spinning up some showers in the bay area. and it is staying put. it is staying stationary. so as we head throughout the next few hours it will be enough moisture to get your roadways nice and slick just in time for the back to work morning commute. make sure to give yourself plenty of time. as we see temperatures climb as the sun comes up at 7:15 we could be in store for another round of thunderstorms throughout the day today and particularly this afternoon. so that's something you want to keep in mind. take that umbrella with you to work today. and take that jacket as well. our temperatures are only going to climb from the mid-40s up into the mid-50s today. it will not be a warm day by any means. and then we've got shower chances each and every day this week. so we'll take you through your extended forecast coming up. but right now, back to scott mcgrew. the stock market to try and

recover some of the mixed losses today. oil prices are higher on everything going on in libyan up to $103 a barrel. nicole lapin is here with more. good morning, nicole. >> reporter: you don't even need me. you uh just basically said it all. >> in other news, the golden state warriors extend their -- go ahead. >> reporter: all right. i really want to talk about the yen because you are of dispute with the yen. we chatted over e-mail with this. it is a story playing out today. you are right, futures are up sharply. investors specifically cheering that big takeover deal in the tell con sector. prices are near $103 a barrel after the u.n. air strikes in libyan. japanese markets are closed, it is a national holiday. it is the first day of spring, go figure. they get that off, how fancy. europe is trading in positive territory. there's a fair amount of economic territory with reports on home sales, unemployment,

durable goods, consumer sentiment. i can barely say it with so much going on. with a look at how much the economy grew last fall, the dow rising 83 points on friday to 11,858. the nasdaq composite also added seven to 2643. all right. here's what i mentioned a second ago. really going to watch this today, very closely. at&t dialing up a huge, huge deal. agreeing to buy t-mobile from deutsch telecom. this would make them the largest carrier moving it way past verizon. the deal will face a long anti-trust review, so t-mobile customers shouldn't necessarily expect any changes for now. but regulators are concerned fewer wireless players could lead to higher prices. at&t is looking to shift t-mobile viewers to higher fees but it may keep the no contract

plans. moving on to a a fun story, not necessarily a breakfast story, but the home of the monster burger is opting for lighter fare. hardee's and karl's jr. is adding an under 500-calorie burger to its menu today. they are rolling out a pretty unlikely marketing tie-in as well. i don't know if you read "men's health" magazine but they blasted these guys for serving burger that is are, quote, calorie and cholesterol bombs. now they are teaming up with them. >> can you say turkey burger? >> reporter: turkey burger. why is that funny? >> that's just funny. there you go. nicole lapin. >> reporter: listen, i belong where you are. they have way more vegetarian

options. >> nicole lapin, thank you for putting up with me. >> reporter: turkey burger. the golden state warriors extend their losing slide to four games. the wore yours warriors faced the mavericks on sunday. it was not pretty. dallas reigned three-pointers all day. the warriors guard monte ellis had 18 points, but that was not enough. the mavericks win 101-73. golden state visits the san antonio spurs tonight. coming up, newly-released video of the catastrophic wave at sea actually before it hit japan. plus new advice for parents about car seat safety. and this view from a car is pretty safe. 580 is not bad through castro valley, but here's where we have problems for the east bay commute and i'll tell you what to expect coming up this morning.

you are looking at a live picture of 880 in oakland. we'll check in with mike in just a moment. meanwhile, look at this video. the japanese coast guard released video of the tsunami wave toward the northeast corner of japan back on march 11th. several feet above the bough. the captain steers his vessel into it. the coast guard was three miles out at sea when it hit the waves. the crew members were told to hold on as it comes over the

crest here. i think we'll stick with the video. it is actually better to be at sea in a case like this. and then it goes on to hit japan. there you go, that rolling in. now we'll go to mike, it will be a very wet day this morning. good morning. >> good morning, scott. not quite like being out at sea, but we'll go over here next to the water, the coastal edge over the cartinas bridge and the venetian bridge. there's a fog advisory you are issued. you are watching dense fog through contra costa county. that's the case throughout the morning as the sun comes up. there's also a risk when the sun comes up as well. highway 4 has a smooth drive going through antioch and off the antioch bridge. a smooth drive down through concord as well. watch the east bay hills. watch the foggy portions. here's a live shot of oakland that scott showed you a few seconds ago. no major issues for the nemitz

freeway. there's a glow to the area because of the fog. we could see it develop here in oakland as well. back to you. there's new advice for parents of young children about when to turn your baby's car seat around to face the front. erika edwards checks in with that. >> reporter: many parents mark their children's first birthday by turning the car seat from rear-facing to looking forward. it has been the general rule of thumb until now. >> all infants and toddlers should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they are 2 years of age or until they outgrow the weight and height limits for their car seat. >> reporter: dr. dennis durbin is the lead author of the new academy of pediatrics policy statement. he says keeping children in the rear-facing position for as long as possible will help protect their head and neck in the event of an accident. >> we have seen many cases where children suffer serious injuries to their neck or their head when they have been turned

forward-facing. and those injuries probably could have been prevented had that child been in a rear-facing direction. >> reporter: even though they are older and bigger, kids up until age 2 should be able to fit in most car seats. >> the child obesity epidemic has already spurred car seat manufacturers to make design changes to their seats to accommodate heavier children. >> reporter: state child safety seat laws will not at mattically automatically reflect the change but hope to is parents will take it upon themselves to create new rules for their own families. erika edwards, nbc news. coming up, the trial over the killing of a well-known bay area journalist gets started today. we'll look ahead at the case. did the moon look bigger and brighter to you this weekend? we'll explain why.

the trial gets underway this morning against the home run