coming up on "today in the bay," wild weather is about to hit the bay area this morning and all across northern california. good morning, i'm christie smith live in san leandro. we finally have smooth sailing again on southbound 880 after a major closure overnight. we'll have that story coming up. and a homicide investigation is underway in san jose. good morning, i'm marla tellez. i'll explain what the difference is about this latest deadly shooting coming up. and it is going to be a stormy morning for you. it is thursday, march 24th, "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. it is straight up 6:00. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we have a strong rain system moving into the bay area. christina loren is tracking the system minute by minute.

>> now we are starting to see our first delays of the morning out of sfo. you have about an hour delay. yesterday we saw a ripple effect. so by the end of the day, even after the weather cleared, we were three hours late. so as we head throughout the afternoon hours, it is going to get worse before it gets better. in fact, it will get a lot worse. we have lightning firing off in the northern-most portion of the california coastline. all of that activity is going to continue to push south to our area. as we head throughout the morning, by 9:00 a.m., take a look at what we are looking at just as we wrap up the morning drive. heavy rain will have already come through santa rosa starting to spread to the east into the east bay at that time. then we'll see heavy rain for several hours. flooding, the potential will continue, of course, we have the threat for some strong afternoon storms. we'll break it all down for you, but first, you may have to get to work right now. let's see how it is looking out there with mike inouye. good morning, christina. that's a great note for the peninsula. if you don't have to do anything until midday, that's horrible.

a lot of traffic through san mateo. right now the altamont pass is where we are concerned with the wind farms. also christina talked about the wind developing in many spots near the bay area. just a 15-minute drive through the wet roadways. 580 and the dublin interchange, we are looking over here to the walnut creek interchange and the maze. smooth roads through this area as well. we have a couple issues with trees but none down on major freeways. a live look shows the toll plaza with backups in the cash lanes. we'll watch this throughout the morning, back to you. we are following the wet weather all throughout the morning. we'll take you live to the trouble spots as they pop up, but first we'll take you live to san jose for an update on a strange homicide that happened overnight. and it is the latest in a disturbing trend this year. marla tellez is at the scene of the crime. marla? >> reporter: good morning, brent. we are standing inside the king barry center. thes a little strip mall area right off the corner of bariesa and lundy. homicide investigators are still on the scene.

and they are focused in front of the hu nrvegs dy liquors where a man was shot last night. the corner pillar there of the liquor store was completely taken apart. an officer says they were digging for bullets that landed in the pillar. now the shooting happened about 9:10 last night. when they got here there was no victim or suspects. that's when it gets a little weird. then about 9:20, so ten minutes later, a man checked himself into a hospital with gunshot wounds. police say the man who was shot here drove himself to the hospital. he later died at that hospital about 1:15 this morning. police are not releasing his name. and they are not releasing any suspect information. now, when our photographer arrived on the scene this morning he saw some people wearing 7-11 uniforms being taken away by police, but to be clear the people were taken in for questioning and are not under arrest. now, to put that into perspective, the 7-11 where they worked is right here on the

other end of the shopping center. now, this is the 13th homicide of the year for san jose. we are not even into april yet. and all of 2010 san jose police reported 20 homicides. so we are on track to beat that, unfortunately. now, when i asked one of the investigating officer this is morning if he thinks the shooting is gang-relate d, he says it does not appear to be. bottom line, one man is dead and the suspect is still on the loose this morning. marla tellez for "today in the bay." 6:04 right now. this morning police are trying to track down a group of teenagers linked to a violent robbery spree in the east bay. police in discovery bay say the group of teens may have beaten up four teenagers in three separate robberies within a 24-hour period. officers say the group's first target was a 19-year-old pizza delivery man who was attacked on cullen drive late monday night. the next afternoon the group allegedly beat up a 14-year-old boy walking on lake shore circle before attacking a 13-year-old

and then a 14-year-old on the same street. in japan this morning shops all across tokyo are rationing things like milk rice and water. anxiety over radiation in food and water is high after officials say increased levels of radiation have been found in the city's tap water. the levels are not considered to be safe for babies to drink. meantime, radiation is still leaking from the damaged nuclear plant about 140 miles north of tokyo. and two workers have been taken to the hospital after they stepped into radioactive water and suffered burns to their feet. and people who live in northeast japan where the tsunami hit are still trying to get back to life as normal. nearly two weeks later about 660,000 homes are still without water. 209,000 homes don't have electricity. crews keep searching for missing people. japan's police agency says 16,500 people are still unaccounted for.

9,700 are believed to be dead. 6:05 right now. we have been telling you all morning to be careful heading out the door and hitting the roads on your morning commute. overnight rain caused flooding on major east bay freeways. christie smith is live where crews are working to clean up a trouble spot this morning. >> reporter: good morning. i'm happy to say we have great news for the morning commute right now. that's that the fast lane reopened on 880 southbound through san leandro. it was shut down for quite some time, actually since 2:00 in the morning, just reopened maybe five minutes ago. i got off the phone with a dispatcher who says it took quite a while because they had to let all the standing water drain off after the number one and number two lanes flooded overnight. there were three drains that were completely clogged between davis and marina boulevard. the dispatcher says it was not only flooding that was a problem

but they got a call about a car that spun out in all this and hit the center divide. that driver is okay but the downpour was so bad that crews couldn't even keep their emergency flares lit on the ground. they had people out here directing traffic around it. the number two lane reopened a short time ago. and, of course, the number one lane, this is certainly good news because 880 southbound can be a rough ride on a good day. so the latest here is that all lanes reopened again through san leandro. reporting live in san leandro, christie smith for "today in the bay." >> it also looks like the rain hasn't hit you yet. >> reporter: no, and i'm crossing my fingers that we'll be inside when it does. >> good luck. we'll let you get inside right now. thank you. as we wait for the next round to hit this morning, people all across the state are still cleaning up for the last round. one woman made a mad dash to the door while being pelted with hail in vak are mento sacramento

yesterday. other parts got hit with record-setting snow and powerful wind. officials say there are reports of minor damage depending on where you go but no reports of injuries. now from hail to spring snow in the sierra, several feet of snow have fallen since yesterday morning. icy conditions are forcing drivers to use chains and forecasters are calling for more snow throughout the rest of the week. and we'll give you a little sneak peek at what it is like at blue canyon coming up in a live report at 6:15. you know, this is the new snow on top of all the other snow. i mean, it has to be deep up there. >> you know what is nice is when you are inside already enjoying it. the tough thing is trying to get up there, although there's a lot to enjoy. and there's more on the way. let's check in with christina. those who do get up there today could get stuck up there as we head through the next couple of days as we continue to see showers. but today will be the worst. heading into your weekend, each and every day gets dryer.

by next tuesday our first full dry day with temperatures near 70 degrees. once i put that out on the table it may make today easier to get through. there's a silver lining to this strong storm cloud now pushing in to places like eureka where they are getting the heaviest of the rain right now. snowfall is coming down indicated by the white. we are watching the realtime lightning strikes because what's going to happen is the core of low pressure is going to move down the coastline as we head throughout the day today. and that unstable air mass, which is just offshore near eureka right now, will push over the bay area. the potential for strong storms this afternoon is a factor. heavy rain, we can already see it coming down in places along the peninsula. it is headed to the east bay right now, but the heaviest is not expected to come down until 9:00 a.m. over the greater bay area. once it starts it is not going to stop for about three hours. take a look at this. i advance your futurecast to noon. we are still getting heavy rain at that time. and this is just what we are

talking about in terms of the rainfall from the front. that has nothing to do with the potential thunderstorms that pop up and bring heavier downpours to places along the peninsula. and we have a good shot of that happening this morning up in the north bay. those areas really need to pay attention if you live north of redwood city through santa rosa, you want to keep tuned into the forecast today because we could see some of the strong storms and the storm prediction center in oklahoma has actually given us a small opportunity for tornadic rotation in our area today. so we are not taking this lightly. we don't want you to drop your guard. and we'll continue to update you. if anything happens we'll break into coverage to let you know about it right here on nbc. steady rain is pushing in across the area from santa rosa down to the peninsula. san jose is getting light rain. this will continue to intensify heading throughout the next couple of hours. i think if you are leaving right now you should be okay. you're going to get the best of the morning drive. conditions continue to turn south as we head through the next few hours. it is just going to get worse and worse and worse until about noon. then the lighter rain will start

to come down and it will be more spotty. not the steady rain, but watch out for thunderstorms. excessive runoff is anticipated in places in higher elevations. watch out on your way home. here's what's to come, the silver lining i keep talking about. warmer and dry by monday. sun and clouds tuesday. looking good on wednesday. and, hey, you know what? we'll end on a good note, we'll get to the word of the day to make it even better for you. the word of the day, make sure you are awake, alert, eggs. eggs is the word of the day. log on to our website at nbcbayarea.com and enter in that word of the day. you could win tickets to see the movie "hop." i know mike inouye wants to see this film, don't you, mike? i. >> i do. there's a jelly bean clip, you'll see that on the tv. those weren't jelly beans when i had a rabbit. highway 4 is slow in the westbound direction. and it is jamming up over towards loveridge.

a quick build over there. rainy conditions, you are wise to get on the freeways right now. you'll beat a lot of the weather. get into the office and stay there until the afternoon. the cartinas bridge and venetian bridges are looking all right, but the wind is picking up. gusty conditions here near vallejo. here's 101, you check the route there, we did have reports of a tree down on surface streets through lake county. it sounds like it is clearing through elm street. a live look at the bay bridge toll plaz sta shows wet conditions. here's a shot of puddles and the slowdown building up here. the metering lights will be on in 15 minutes from now. watch it crossing the water. 6:12 right now. still to come on "today in the bay," you'll get a look at the snowfall in the sierra in a live report. plus, more unions agree to cuts to help san jose meet its budget. and a live look outside this morning where we are certainly keeping our eye on bay area bridges. we'll heepkeg ck c meinorning e u.s.mmfoyoyo it will be a rough morning.

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good morning, everybody. a live look at the bay bridge approach this morning. a little soggy out there right now, but this may be your best time to get out the door. we'll take a look at the new storm coming our way in a minute. 6:15 right now. efforts to balance the budget in san jose are moving forward. three of the city's unions agreed to new deals. city engineers, architects, maintenance supervisors and city managers. all the unions have each agreed to take a 10% pay cut. the city firefighters agreed to a similar deal earlier this year but san jose still needs all 11 of its unions to take pay cuts to balance the budget. even then the city still faces a steep shortfall. we have an update this morning in the battle over gay marriage. proposition eight will remain in effect until the courtroom fight is over. that's the ruling from the

federal appeals court. two couples at the center of the fight against prop eight wanted same sex marriages to resume as that legal case is being appealed. but the court turned that bid down yesterday. meantime, prop eight supporters are also appealing a different ruling by a u.s. district judge. he had ruled that the state's ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional. 6:16 right now. the rain falling again in the bay area this morning, and as the latest storm heads east it will lead to a pretty solid snow pack in the sierra mountains. >> brian hickey is live at blue canyon where it is really beginning to pile up. and it is still coming down. brian? >> reporter: it is a solid snow pack by the numbers, but on the snow pack itself, anything but solid. look at this stuff, soft and deep. even here at 5,000 feet i'm hip deep in it. and it just continues to come down here at blue canyon. again, over the sierra crest, 7,000 feet, imagine what's going on there. it is even deeper at the crest

as drivers are battling their way through the conditions this morning. this system is a little different than some of the others that have come through in the last few days because of wind. this has a lot of wind with it. already starting to swirl around this morning, and we do expect the winds to pick up close to 100-mile-an-hour near the crest as the main brunt of this latest system bears down on the sierra. now let's talk about the snow totals because it is impressive. sierra ski resorts reporting over 700 inches of snow for the season. that's over 60 feet of snow that's fallen here in the sierra. on the ground right now, closer to 25 feet of snow. and it is no surprise that people up near the lakes area are coming up to second stories of their home and walking out onto snow. that's how deep it is up there. right now this season so far is fourth when you compare it to season totals that end in april. we are already fourth. so we could be on course to set new records here if the forecasts and the long-rain forecasts hold true and the snow just keeps getting deeper and

deeper. i might need a helicopter to get me out of here. back to you guys. >> just stay for a while and have fun. brian, i want to ask what the conditions are on the road, obviously you have to get to blue canyon. how were they for you? >> reporter: you know, we picked up chain controls this morning at colfax and then went to gold run. so it is moving around, but once you get through chain controls, if you are prepared for it, caltrans has done a good job grooming the road. they are keeping the snow smooth, but there's a snow pack on the roads not beginning anywhere any time soon. the winds, that's the one thing caltrans can't control, and the wind could be a big factor today. >> play it safe no matter where you are. thank you, brian. as you can see, a big wet system is rolling into the bay area to affect the morning commute. i want to go to christina loren who is tracking it for us. good morning to you. we actually have winds at very different speeds all across the bay area depending on where you

live and it could be a faint whisper of the wind or howling winds in places like fairfield with sustained speeds of 13 miles per hour. same in oakland, 20-mile-per-hour winds. this is just an indication of what's happening right now. we have an unstable air mass pushing in. low pressure system ahead of the front, the winds always pick up. so that's what we are going to see heading through the next couple of hours. then the heavy rain starts and the flood potential kicks in. what we are expecting throughout the next couple of hours is sustained wind speeds across the bay area to reach 20 to 40-mile-per-hour ranges. so you really want to take it east out there, especially if you drive a high-profile vehicle. tractors, trailers, anything to do with an suv. you are going to be running a risk this morning if you take it too fast this morning. as you can see, we are watching the frequent lightning strikes becoming more intense just off the coast here of eureka pushing south to ukiah. the core will push south near the bay area where we expect to see the lightning strikes in our

neck of the woods. associated with thunderstorms that could be very strong as we head throughout this afternoon. they are capable of producing pea-sized hail, gusty winds and dangerous driving conditions if you get caught up in one of the thunderstorms. torrential downpours will be brief, but very dangerous. as you can see here, the teddy steady rain is pushing in. this is the front situated right now all over the bay area. we are seeing some light scattered showers. this is going to intensify heading through the next few hours as the front continues to push in to the bay area and dig south. so by about 9:00 a.m. you can see moderate rain expected all the way from santa rosa down through gill roe. gilroy. that will continue for three hours. three hours of heavy rain creating very dangerous driving conditions. at noon you probably want to bring a lunch today or go ahead to go somewhere close by. we'll show you the good news here within this forecast. as we head through this weekend, particularly sunday, it is going to start to get dryer, warmer, feel better around here.

more like spring. 64 degrees on monday. warmer conditions. take a look at tuesday. that's the day that we finally lose all our possibility of rain. we have a 20% shot sunday and monday. i think we'll see mostly cloudy conditions, but tuesday, that's your day to make the outdoor spring plans. if you have been missing the vitamin d, it is back then. >> fantastic. i'll believe it when i see it. >> we have to let it soak in for a bit. coming up, why the fines could start piling up for pg&e. and there could be more delays on the ipad2. we'll look at that in tech news today. and a slower drive because of wet, windy conditions. the peninsula will be hit later in the commute. i'll explain that coming up. and we are keeping our eye on the snow really coming down in the sierra. a powerful storm hitting us here as well.

good morning, 6:24 in the morning. the south bay commute is just kicking off. we have an accident getting kicked out of the area, 280 at 17 where a car slid off the roadway at the interchange and was stuck in the mud. that is clear. the earlier peninsula was hit by rain and they will get hit again near 9:00. in the east bay, a new accident near northbound 880 approaching

auto parkway. watch this heading north of mission boulevard. then further north we have a live shot to see things shaping up past the san mateo bridge. the camera is shaking because the wind is picking up where the 880 and 92 meet near the interchange. here's what's happening near the peninsula. i said 92 by accident because i met the interchange and it is not my southern california picking up. out of 24 we have an accident with two lanes blocked at the toll plaza. here's a live shot at the toll plaza where the metering lights are turning on. we'll send it back to you at the desk. it is getting busy out there already. >> there's already a shortage of the ipad2s. scott says the wait for those will get longer. >> that's so-cal talk. i hate it. that's the data out of piper jeffrey, which definitely does a good job of analyzing apple's manufacturing processes. it says there's a problem with ipad2 supply, the components.

this exacerbated by the supply problems in japan because of the tsunami. this could stretch the wait for the ipad2 to seven weeks by the middle of summer. now apple doesn't comment on estimates like that but anecdotally there are still lines and waits outside of apple stores. a fascinating investigation this morning by the newspaper "l.a. weekly" looking bad at the old attacks on craigslist and congressional testimony claiming more than one-third of the sex workers who advertised in the adult section were underaged prostitutes. this morning some of the very latest people involved in the congressional investigation criticizing craigslist admit the statistics given to congress and wide he repeated in the media were made up for a good headline says one spokeswoman for the anti-prostitution group. if we give staytistings for the public with all the words and stuff that is actually accurate, i mean, we tried to do that with

our pr firm and they said they won't read that much. now craigslist has since shut down the adult sections but this goes back to one of the core criticisms against craigslist. it may have been more headlines than fact. thank you, scott. 6:27 right now. all the rain is causing more trouble along bay area hillsides. >> coming up, we'll show you where the ground has given way again leaving a home teetering dangerously close to the edge. good morning, i'm christie smith live in san leandro. two lanes on southbound 880 are back open after being flooded out. we'll have that story coming up. versus toyota. which is better? [ male announcer ] why do so many car companies compare themselves to toyota? maybe it's because toyota has more hybrids on the road than all other automakers combined. like the 50-mpg-rated prius, the best selling hybrid in america. and prius was also named a best overall value of the year. plus, every new toyota comes with toyotacare, a complimentary maintenance plan with roadside assistance.

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pg&e could soon be fined a million dollars a day. we'll tell you why. here it comes, that wet

weather that could make for a miserable morning commute. i'm bob redell. i'll have more on the storm about to wallop the bay area. good morning, i'm christie smith. more rain is on the way, but for now it is smooth sailing on southbound 880 through san leandro after two lanes were flooded out. that story is coming up. and a live look outside oakland this morning, again, the morning commute, a big factor as we now begin to get into the rain that should be coming through heavy. it is thursday, march 24th, "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. thank you for joining us. 6:30 right now. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we'll get caught up on the big storm hitting us. we'll check in with christina. we have a big storm moving in. i just want to show you what this storm, the strong es part of the storm is already doing to the northern california coastline. take a look at this strong line

of thunderstorms. all this lightning firing off here. this is the core of low pressure that will come through the bay area as we head through this afternoon. and, yes, we are expecting thunderstorms today. at this time, you just saw bob redell, you can see the steady rain is now starting to move in. we are also noticing pockets of yellow. that's an indication of moderate rain in some locations. and it is just beginning. we are expecting the most severe portion of this storm when it comes to rainfall amounts to start to move in over the next hour and a half. the more time you give yourself to get to the destination you are going this morning the happier you'll be and the happier your boss will be as well. here's what's governing the roadways, that's the weather. i told you about this accident, it is eastbound 24 opposite your main commute. and before you get to the tunnel, it is another spinout. this is the second or third i have seen over the second half hour. this is still in the lanes approaching highway 13. from what i understand, it is

still in the lanes from the chp report. we'll look at the vicinity, the maze area is watching for the effects of more flooding through oakland and the hills will be affected as well. a live look at oakland itself shows the camera shaking from time to time as the wind picks up for 880 near the san may a owe. mateo bridge. be careful, it will be slippery out there. if you make it to work, driving in could be rough just walking to the office. we'll check in with nbc bay area's bob redell live right now. we have team coverage, in fact. we'll check in with christie smith in san leandro with more details on a clog that happened on 880. but first, bob, take it away. >> reporter: well, laura, actually, we are here at 101 and 280 in san francisco. i do feel like we are on the trailing end, the leading edge, i should say, of the storm that meteorologist christina loren has been talking about all morning. i say that because within the past few minutes we have gone from a drizzle now to a heavier rain. and this is not the heaviest the forecasters are predicting. they are expecting that within

the hour we'll start to really get walloped here, perhaps an inch or two expected today by this storm that's coming in from the north into the bay area. hence the reason they have issued a flood advisory for small creeks and streams. noaa is predicting the major rivers cob could be overflowing. this is the los gatos creek trail where parts of the trail are under water. that's because upstream the santa clara water district released water from the lexington reservoir to prevent it from flooding. we also have been talking with the usgs. they have been keeping an eye on just how saturated the ground has been. and given all the rain we have had in the days leading up to now, it is very saturated, up to 95% in certain parts of the bay area. >> any additional water that comes from the next week of our storms has the potential to destabilize the deep hill slopes and generate landslides. >> reporter: jackie dwyer, one

of our viewers, went out to shoot pictures of mangled umbrellas in san francisco. we bring this up because it does bring up the issue of wind. and there's going to be wind today. that doesn't seem to be a huge part of the storm, the rain, but the wind gusts could be anywhere from 25 to 30 miles an hour. something you want to keep an eye on the you are going to be crossing the bay bridge in san mateo, the dumbarton bridge this morning, as speeding the crossing bridges to the other side of the bay is happening here. let's go over to christie smith now, my other colleague. >> reporter: good morning. right now it is dry in san leandro. the good news is that the fast lane has reopened here on southbound 880. it was closed for four hours. in fact, the number one and number two lanes were closed overnight due to flooding. so much standing water out here, the rain so heavy, that the emergency flares wouldn't stay

lit on the ground. they had to have crews out here directing traffic by hand. this is southbound 880 between davis street and marina boulevard. three drains were clogged on the freeway creating quite a mess. to make matters worse, a van spun out to hit the center divide. the driver is okay, but that certainly shows how dangerous it was. so caltrans decided to shut other lanes while doing the work. they got the drains unclogged, but it took several hours to get that finished. 880 is business cy on a good day and certainly the rain is expected to hit again. so something to keep in mind as you head out this morning. that's what we have from here, reporting live in san leandro, christie smith, "today in the bay." it will be a nice day to tell commute. thanks. >> trouble in the santa cruz mown things this morning. rain near mount herman caused another hill to give way. this is probably what we'll see a lot of around the bay area because we are just so

saturated. this one happened about five miles from another landslide that we have been reporting in scott's valley. the ground is still unstable there there morning, so we'll watch for these kinds of things. this morning stet regulators could decide to crack down on pg&e through fines that could coastal $1 million per day. the california public utilities commission says pg&e has not turned over enough of its safety records in the wake of the deadly san bruno explosion. specifically, the utility did not hand over pressure test records for about a third of its gas lines. the proposed fines would be the biggest the commission has ever issued against pg&e for safety violences. if the commission decides to fine pg aend e the punishment won't go into effect until pg&e depends itself on up monday. now the commission is also putting pressure on pg&e to create an opt out plan for the controversial smartmeter program. the move comes after growing complaint that is the wireless

electricity and gas meters may expose people to radiation. more than 30 local governments in northern california and central california have called for temporary bans on the devices until more research is done. customers who choose to opt out of the program will have to pay the costs themselves but the opt-out plan is required to be cost-effective. north bay police are looking for a murder suspect that has eluded them for several years. officers say that ricardo fuentes has slipped in and out of the santa rosa area to see his kids over the past six years. they say he changes his appearance each time doing things like losing weight or shaving his head and sometimes dressing as a woman. in january of 2005 fuentes allegedly walked into an apartment full of people and executed a man. a $2,500 reward is offered for his capture. he is considered armed and dangerous. a pretty dangerous storm is moving through the bay area this morning. it could be dangerous for all the mute commuters out there.

we'll check the forecast with christina. >> it is a storm to develop over the next few hours, and you'll be able to watch it if you stay with us. right now our winds are certainly picking up. right now we have them out of the southeast at 15 miles per hour sustained in fairfield. 12 miles per hour in concord. and we are not seeing the winds all that strong just yet along the peninsula, but that's all going to change. we are expecting the winds to continue to increase heading through the next couple of hours. therefore, a wind advisory is in place. we could see sustained gusts of 20 to 40 miles per hour with heavier gusts up to 60 miles per hour, especially associated with some of the stronger thunderstorms we are expecting to fire off heading through this afternoon. take a look at what's already happening off the coast of eureka. near ukiah and eureka we have seen 60 lightning strikes in the area. and we are expecting this very unstable air mass to continue to slide south heading throughout the morning hours. and thunderstorms in our neck of the woods once again, we saw that tornado touch down yesterday in the sacramento area. we didn't have any severe

weather in our area yesterday, but the potential is there for today. i know i'll be staying here all day long and jeff ranieri is coming in early because we are not going to drop our guard for a minute. if anything happens we'll break into coverage to let you know about it. as you can see, showers are becoming steadier right now pushing onshore where you see the deeper greens. a little yellow is embedded in here, that's the heavier rain starting up. we are expecting the bulk of the moisture to come through between 9:00 and noon. that's when it is going to be the most dangerous to travel our local roadways. but right now it is pretty dangerous, even with the lighter rain coming down. we'll find out just how bad it is with our own mike inouye. good morning, christina. you have showed the rain around the area near antioch and the cartinas bridges. a lighter volume right now with the usual slowdown to loveridge. the bay bridge toll plaza is gradually building. the meter gt lights have been turned on for 20 minutes. we see that to the middle of the

parkway. this is a slower build. folks could be taking their time. i felt like more folks were on the roadway earlier this morning. maybe it is evening out the commute. the slowing near eastbound 24, just a note heading to the city where bob redell is reporting, that's a usual suspect for flooding. none so far, but the rain is continuing to come down. coming up next on "today in the bay," we are going to get the latest on the libyan air strikes in a live report from washington. plus, a close call for an nbc reporter in libya. and we'll get an answer as to why a bombing suspect chose his alleged target. anngt pretty sample simple one.

a new poll is out this morning showing what people think of u.s. military action in libya. president obama is stuck between lawmakers who are criticizing that mission and americans who think we should be doing more. "today in the bay's" tracie potts is live on capitol hill where lawmakers are demanding answers from the president. tracie? >> reporter: good morning, everyone. lawmakers here want to know when are we going to get out of this and why are we in it in the first place? house speaker john boehner sent the president a letter detailing lots of questions that he and his party and others here have about this mission in libya. he says that the administration is sending mixed messages, that

there's no clear exit strategy, and now questions about what all of this is costing american taxpayers. they are also calling for hearings here on capitol hill about what's going on in libya. and new this morning, we have information from a new poll that finds 60% of americans say they back the decision to move in and enforce this no fly zone over libya. in fact, 20% of those strongly support it. also, almost 80% of americans say we should really be doing more going after moammar gadhafi taking him out of power in libya. as for president obama, about one-fifth say he's doing a good job, he's been decisive. almost half say he's been cautious and quite conservative about the whole thing. and more than one-third say he's been indesigh siff. indecisive. today the president will meet with his national security team to figure a way forward. richard engel had a close

call in libya. >> it is actually a plastic, it is a toy. >> several round of artillery hit close to a group of rebels during an interview he was doing yesterday. engel and his crew took shelter and none of them were hurt. the accused underwear bomber targeted detroit back in 2009. apparently it was because that was the cheapest ticket. the associated press says al qaeda wanted to blow up a plane over a city like chicago or houston, but they found flights to detroit more affordable. other passengers stopped the suspect from igniting explosives that were hidden in his underwear. this was back on christmas day of 2009. the associated press report goes on to say that the yemen branch of al qaeda does not share obama bin ladin's wish to target

symbolic targets making them the number one threat to the united states. this morning oakland police are working a tough case this morning. raw sewage is floating through some of the city's most notable neighborhoods. more than 350,000 gallons of the stuff spilled into the socill creek after someone broke into a manhole and loaded it with rocks and that caused the pipes to burst. oakland public works was able to pump most of the sue am out by 84,000 gallons ended up downstream. police say stay clear of the creek. so far no arrests. the giants' new reality show is about to air on showtime. it will answer questions like what does andre torres wear as he throws cinder blocks around in a field? >> it just works out true relations. he's the only guy in the game to do that. >> the first open sod of what's called "the fan choice" airs on showtime april 13th. we have a link to the full trailer so you can kind of get a

glimpse of what it will be like. go to our website, check out sports tab at nbcbayarea.com. it is 6:46 right now. the weather is chasing britney spears indoors this weekend. the pop star was supposed to perform outside the castro theater on sunday but instead she will tape a performance at the bill graham civic center on sunday at noon. the concert is still free but you have to get tickets. you can actually get the details about it at nbcbayarea.com. just click on the britney story on our home page. yeah, we are going to have an update from joni lynch who is probably one of the few people loving this weather. of course, she works for mammoth. we'll getup an update on how much snow they are expecting throughout the next 24 to 48 hours. and the wet systems continue to push onshore.

right now the winds are sibtly picking up in santa rosa at 13 miles per hour sustained. fairfield, 15. oakland, southeast winds at 18 miles per hour. they will continue to pick up as we head throughout this afternoon and the morning hours ahead of a very strong front of very well-developed systems already bringing very heavy rain to the northern-most portions of the state. so for today, we do have a wind advisory in place. you really want to keep in in mind driving high-profile vehicles, tractor-trailers, suvs, steady rain is intensifying. you can see the yellow and deeper greens, that's heavier rain coming down near places of san francisco. as you can see at this time, virtually the entire bay area is getting hit. most of this is light, the heavier stuff arrives later on today, but what we are noticing is a very dangerous pattern up in northern california on the coast between you rica eureka and ukiah. we have a lot of lightning firing off. we are expecting the same situation here, thunderstorms are going later on this

afternoon. maybe even by late morning. and you'll see probably some lightning today. we are very concerned with the possibility of some of these storms becoming severe and the potential for tornadic rotation in our neck of the woods. we'll be watching for that all day long. i'm not going to take my eyes off the radar. as you can see by 9:00 a.m. the bulk of the moisture is coming down, you can see the front draped near santa rosa and san jose. san francisco is getting hit pretty hard at 9:00 a.m. continuing throughout the morning hours up until noon, that heavy rain is going to continue. so the potential for flooding is why it is there. we are not equipped. the roadways are not equipped for this much moisture to come down as fast as we are expecting it. so the good news is we are going to get a break and it is coming soon. by this weekend we are talking about a nice, dry break shaping up on sunday. and that's going to last a while. tuesday looks like the nicest day in the extended period. 69 degrees. if you want that vitamin d, you'll get it on tuesday. we have to get through today

first. don't drop your guide, travel cautiously if you are getting the little guys to school. we promised you a mammoth update. dena, are you with us this morning? how is it up there? >> reporter: good morning, christina. we have just been getting dumped on up here. we have received over ten feet of snow this week, and we are expecting another couple feet by tomorrow night. this is really setting us up for a fantastic ski season. it is going to be a long one again, and you'll see the best spring conditions mammoth has truly ever seen. apart from the snow, there's always something going on at mammoth. this week is no exception. we have the roxi chicken jam. an all female snowboard event featuring kelly clark battling it out in slope style and half-pipe contest. we have a fun mascot contest and a free concert in the village saturday night featuring grammy-award winner la rue. great events here at mammoth,

but always check the road conditions. >> safety first. i like the way you think, dena. and i like the fact that your future is so bright because of the forecast and snow that you have to wear shades this morning. thank you very much. see you later. drive cautiously. we'll update you throughout the "today" show to let you know what's happening all day long. >> they may have a bright moon there or something, i don't know. mike inouye is coming up next to take the latest look at the roads this morning for your commute. and a shooting in the south bay turns deadly. i'm marla tellez, i'll explain the bizarre circumstances surrou sundrrinndg this latest homicide investigation coming up. g

coming up on 6:54, watch the conditions changing on the roadway. 85, 85, 101 and 280 are all heavier than we expected through the area. look at the bay bridge toll plaza backup heavily formed in the last five minutes. a big rush to the toll plaza with wet conditions. we'll get you a live look outside of 101 out of san francisco. bob redell is out there near the 280 interchange. very wet conditions here. no flooding reported for san francisco but the north bay, marin county, has a number of spots reported. the slick conditions along the peninsula will continue throughout the morning. we'll take another live shot out there, look at this, this is interstate 880 at kingvale. brian talked about the snow on the roadways, the roadways are open but serious conditions. bring the chains. this is a problem if you are planning on being sick tomorrow, make sure to bring the chains when you are sick. back to you guys. 6:54 right now. a manhunt is underway in the south bay right now. this morning police are looking for a gunman who shot and killed a man a few hours ago in san

jose. "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live at the shopping center where the shooting happened. there's some really bizarre circumstances surrounding this one. >> reporter: laura, good morning. yeah, we are at the corner of bariesa and lundy in king barry center where the focus of the homicide investigation is happening in front of the lundy liquors store here. the investigators have this taped off where a man was shot last night about 9:10. the bizarre thing here is that the man who was shot drove himself to the hospital and that's where he later died. he passed away this morning about 1:15. now police are not releasing his name or any suspect information. i asked an officer on scene this morning if he thinks this shooting is gang related. he says it does not appear to be. bottom line, one man dead and a suspect is still at large this morning. live in san jose, marla tellez for "today in the bay." right now we want to check in be with scott to get the

latest on wall street. >> we have the weekly jobless claims from wall street. good news for california, 5,500 fewer people applied in this state for first-time jobless claims. otherwise there should be lots of reasons the dow should be down. oil is much higher, for instance, some bad factory owners, but the dow is up 33 points. hey, here's an unusual use of movie cgi. which apparently we don't have, nevermind. i can't see the screen, but apparently you are seeing the -- >> you are just on there right now. >> okay, fine. >> okay. if we hear something we'll let you know. the ncaa tournament picks up where it left off. we are talking about the sweet 16 getting into action tonight. >> that's right. 16 teams left in the hunt for the national title. five of us still slugging it out for the "today in the bay"

bracket challenge. brent is in the lead with 50 points. i'm coming up next with 47. christina with 43. mike with 41. poor scott, i kind of was on him a little bit, but he's in last at 30 points. >> i'm in the top five. >> aim high, little bird. >> today's first game starts at 4:15. uconn takes on san diego state in anaheim. >> we'll be watching that. you know they have been off a couple days. we have to get back into action. you can take the bracket challenge, too. you have to have already filled them out because we are halfway through the thing, but you can track your progress. >> go to nbcbayarea.com. we have bracketology there at the bomb tom. we'll see if i make a comeback. i'm close, i'm in the hunt. >> the stakes are higher the farther in we are. don't forget to check the forecast all morning long as the rain and heavy storm comes into the bay area this morning. christina has updates all morning long. >> take it easy as you see the

wind shaking the cameras out there. look at the a bay bridge approach this morning. lots of folks are playing it safe this morning. 6:57 right now. have a great day.