rights now at 6:00, take a look at this. the strongest storm we've seen in years pounding the bay area this morning. >> a live look outside right now. the north bay really seeing the brunt of the action right now. but strong winds and rain are making their way to the south. >> we have crews scattered all over the bay braving those element. >> scott mcgrew is tracking school closiers, -- closures, mike inouye with the traffic. let's check in with christina loren. >> we have a really potent system as i widen out for you, you can see just how powerful this storm system is, really, really sprawling area here encompassed by that storm. here's the deal, that heavy rain

all the way up and down the peninsula we're getting those downpours. slowly and surely the system is going to impact san jose as we head through the next hour. we've already got that fierce wind out there and a lot more on the way between now and 9:30 a.m. it is going to be gusty out there. but you'll notice where the heaviest rainfall is and it's closing in on san jose, not yet reaching the east shore. out in livermore you're going to have to wait for quite some time. look at, this by 10:00 a.m., a lot of that heavy stuff is located right on top of the santa cruz mountain and as we head through tomorrow, even 4:00, still tracking showers, chance for thunderstorms. there's another system on the heels of this one. so we're going to take you through your day hour by hour, show you what to expect, how much rain we're expecting where you live and where it will be most dangerous as we head

throughout this afternoon. if you live in an area prone to flooding, you want to make sure you're ready for a lot of rainfall. >> a lot of people have been gathering sandbags throughout. let's bring in stephanie chuang. she's in petaluma with the pouring rain already causing big problems there, stephanie. >> reporter: that's right. christina mentioned earlier this is the windiest part of the storm we're in. i'm definitely feeling it now. the rain is pelting my face, i am completely soaked and concern for drivers is the ground being very saturated here. you looking at the onramp to 101 and offramp to lakeville highway where traffic is picking up. this is an area prone to flooding. last week all lanes of southbound 101 were actually closed at one point because of the flooding and the rain had begun the night before, the

ground had become very saturated. >> in the past, counties haven't had the luxury of having a modern system like this. we have it. this is going to be the first time we've had to exercise it in a real event and we're pretty optimistic we're going to be very successful. >> reporter: so far nothing major thankfully, but in petaluma overnight, firefighters did respond to a pair of wires that were arcing badly, probably caused by moderate wind. the fire department has responded to downed trees already. we've gotten an inch and a half of rain according to the weather center, and we'll seeing much more. >> okay, stephanie. we appreciate you continuing to follow what's going on out there. we're monitoring a couple of

downed trees, the first in north san jose at tremble road and first bay. we'll get an update of what's going on with removing that from the roadway. >> and the eastbound lanes of i-80 just reopened after a 2,000 eucalyptus tree came down. thankfully nobody was hurt. >> let's hope it remains that way. 6:04 right now. let's bring in "today in the bay"'s bob redell. there's a good amount of water on highway 101. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura and sam. what's happening here along 101 demonstrates why you want to be careful when you're out there on the roads this morning. you definitely want to watch

your speeds. when they hit the spot where the sign is, there you go, you've got a lot of water out there and it can sneak up on you. and it's not obvious until you actually hit it. i would get guest maybe an inch to 2 inches. when it rains heavy like it is now, this area tends to have water that will sit there for a while. you do run the risk of hydroplaning and spinning out. you want to be careful with your speeds pep p pup we came across penol and it was gusty and the bay bridge is the same situation. if you're going to work today, crossing those bridges, on the

road, you want to watch out for those situation and you do want to slow down. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you. >> and a live look at the bray keeping an eye on conditions and he'll join us in about ten minutes. >> schools all across the bay area of closed because of the latest conditions. >> scott, what's the latest? >> a growing list. we were talking to people in the newsroom about remembering if they remember schools closed for rain and none of them remember that.

here's a list of closiers. san francisco unified school district schools closed. so are all san francisco catholic schools, all south san francisco schools, all pacifica district schools as well as jefferson union. all redwood city schools k-8, and millb roo eek-8. so high schools, though are open. >> a number of closures in the east bay. aeld, albany, burkery. >> san leandro, west contra costa, union night connect.

>> the college of marin will not meet. san francisco city college is closed, no classes at san francisco state university. >> when we talk about the prn even if there are power outages, they will keep your kid. do check your district's wb site before you go to classes today. again, the farther north you go, the more likely the schools are closed. the farther south, the more likely they're not. we'll update any changes throughout the morning and and we'll have it scrolling by at all times. >> thank you very much, scott.

an updated school closure list scrolling at the bottom of your screen. >> and power outages, too. we would also like to see your weather photos, this as we give you a live look outside at a shaky bay bridge camera there. just send them to is isee@nbcbayarea.com. >> that's a really good point about the power outages. we've got you covered. if you lose power or you still have your 4g connection or you get cell service, you want to get on to nbcbayarea.com. we will have interactive radar

for you, we'll tell you what's going on around the bay area. and we're ready for that. we've actually double staffed just to make sure that we're prepared so we are expecting more power outages as this system really gets going. so remember that, nbcbayarea.com. can you also follow us on twitter or facebook for the latest. we just received a new piece of information, 3:40 flight delays out of san francisco. taking a look at the richmond san rafael bridge. at this point we're getting a little bit of a break from the really heavy rain up in sonoma valley. all this activity is pressing toward the south bay. it's going to be here before long. this storm system is a slow mover. we're talking about a good six

to eight hours of dumping rain once it moves over. you have to consider the fact that this system has been up in the north bay since 6:00 p.m. yesterday and finally made its way to the golden gate bridge. this is what you consider today. up in the north bay, now until 9:00 a.m. heaviest rain in oakland until about 5 paum and th this. >> up in the north bay, we've already accumulated 3.5 inches in petaluma. plus we're watching the rushing

river. here's mike. >> we have an update on the ferry system. san francisco bay ferries, to the city itself and pier 41 all cancelled this morning. oakla oakla oakla oakland alameda also called as well. the bay bridge toll plaza, a lighter vol um of traffic. the rain is going to. >> a look at your maps. overall the bay wet up in the north day but slick and slippery conditions around the rest of the bay.

>> and folks have had to scramble to adjust their schedules. (vo) nourished.

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>> reporter: once the wind comes up over the mountain, it's comes strong across our inland valleys. the rain has just begun in the past five minutes and it's raining side ways. so now that it's raining and you're headed out the door, couple that with the wind and it's a recipe for disaster. folks just have to go slower and that's a good thing this morning just because you don't want to be going fast with winds that are so gusty this morning. even this last check, 40 to 50 mile-an-hour winds right where i'm standing. it gives you an idea of how strong those winds are. even as we're seeing the high-profile trucks come through, they are going slow and i would advise you to do the

same thing. back to you. >> very good advice. stay dry, anthony. that's not going to happen. taking a live look at the richmond san rafael bridge. >> some people living in the bay didn't see or experience those conditions. we are tracking many of our location, including the golden gate bridge, which is seeing a pretty steady rainfall. >> that's right. it is starting to come in, 6:18. thanks for waking up with us, especially on a day like today, you want the latest weather information, that's exactly what we're going to give you. i want to show you what we're expecting from this system. it is a whopper and it's a wide, widespread system. you can see how sprawling it is, impacting a lot of the pacific northwest but we're getting the main part of this system, the front. let's go ahead and put this show in play and we'll be able to tell you what we are expecting as we get into your afternoon. as we take you through the 11:00

a.m. hour, you can see still getting heavy downpours. as it's coming in across the bay area, it will continue to until 11:00 a.m. with gusts up to 50 miles per hour. the wind is going to back off as we head throughout the day today, but the rain will not, which is why we have the flash flood warning in place. there's already a flood advisory in the bay area, which means it's already incurring with more later with the rain heavy at times. we're still tracking the chance for strong thunderstorms. this system as a lot of power with it. and we'll tell you what's in your back yard and what's behind it. first let's get you out the front door and here's mike

inouye. >> the pilons are separated from each other by one lane. northbound has one lane, southbound has one lane. chp is worried about folks being moved over to the side or visibility being an issue so they've given a buffer lane in case you drift over. the metering lights are turned off. we have only the fastrak lanes backed up. there's your backup for the f fastrak. look at the gusty winds as well. the upper east shore, no problem down through the tri-valley or for concord. the flooding reported for the north bay still there, north 101. bob redell continues to show us

that lake across lane continues to move northbound. we showed you how wet it is along the golden gate bridge. the winds, that's what this yellow is over here. higher winds reported on the eastern side of san jose. wet roadways but a light traffic flow. let's look at our camera in fremont where you can see the flags at the bottom of your screen, nearly perpendicular. the rain is coming down horizontally. big, big gusty winds all around the bay, especially if you're driving anything big or tall like an suv. slow it down if you have to -- no, because you can.

>> download our weather app. you'll also find live radar and alerts about winds, flooding and outages. download our nbcbayarea weather app.

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were out again last night. >> the two 49er fans accused of a brutal beating inside of a men's bathroom in levi's stadium are due in court today. they're accused of attacking a man in october. police say the attack was unprovoked. >> and overnight fire in oakland, at one point flames were shooting 30 feet into the air. the building is destroyed. >> the wind is raising the risk for events like that. >> hey, good morning to you. it is really coming down out there. the good thing is at this point a lot of people are well aware to the storm system. we're going to have to get the specifics from mike in just a

moment but as the overall volume looks lighter, take a look at all the water this is kicking up. if you're taking your little ones to school right now, you want to travel really cautiously. the last thing you want to do is going racing out the front door with conditions like this. now it's the greater bay area. the only places that are still dry, the tri-valley and santa cruz and that changes over the next hour. we'll keep you updated. here's mike and that drive. >> i think that was a golden gate transit because over here richmond bridge shows you an example of how wet it is. this truck and some some smaller suvs will get blown around

across 580 and now the rain coming across toward richmond, making it very soupy. as christina said, a lighter volume of traffic. the fastrak planes are slower so use cash. we see the peninsula shot. look at that water kicking up behind the cars. that will be a big factor for the morning. >> we've seen the rain really move from the north to the south but the strong winds already toppling trees in san jose this morning causing a number of power outages across the south bay. a live report is coming up next.

be careful out there. right now a strong and dangerous storm pummelling the bay area as you take a live look at the radar, see where it's hitting hardest. >> all lit up.

overnight heavy rain and gusting winds toppling trees making the commute dangerous. >> be sure to check the bottom of your screen as well. we're printing the very latest school and road closures. it's all running across our ticker. the brunt of the storm has been hitting the north bay all morning, heavy rain, powerful winds slowly making its way toward san jose. >> dozens of school districts across the bay area have closed, including the north bay, east bay and the peninsula. for a complete list of closures, check our web site, nbcbayarea.com. >> as of now, 190 flights in and out of san francisco have been cancelled and flights are delayed nearly four hours on average. no cancellations yet at san owe

say or oakland airports. >> already in the north day several lanes of high wait 101. it was the same story in several of the spots in the north bay. officials say do not try to. >> kris sanchez is live. good morning, kris. >> reporter: good morning to you. we have updated numbers from pg&e pip want to give those to you because i think it really illustrates the power of the wind in this storm. there are about 6,000 customers, home and business business all the way around the bay area.

nearly half of all of pg&e's outages this morning are in who are zondly but also brought down a tree. there was a tree about an hour and a half ago. this morning that tree fell, did not bring down any power lines but did block some of the lanes of traffic for folks headed to highway 101. but really an inspiration of how powerful the wind has been this morning. we did talk with one of the folks who was on that tree crew this morning. he said under perfect circumstances you want. >> today we will just have to wait and see what happens. that tree is now full of so that's the positive news, this morning, if.

>> folks who are walking or driving by bimay not have time to react. give yourself a safe driving distance. if you haven't done so already, get a battery powered radio and some flashlights. you are likely going to need them. >> got to know where all that equipment is. thanks a lot. >> and keep your wits about you this morning. this live look from the san bruno montan tops as folks waking up learn exactly what the status of the storm is. >> christina had just getting on. that's why. >> the work has not even begun here in the bay area.

i've been showing this picture it's coming into is he similar to this one with the highnd -- >> you're stand at 36 miles an hour, 36 in okay moon bay. it comes from the south and is pushing very rapidly to the north. you're going to get hit on your high profile i want to show you

where the efiest win sfrb. >> snchl. >> john: when it comes to the rain, the heavy stuff, the entire peninsula getting thos mild to would let me wipe them out and show them just snuchl the heavier stuff, 7:11, 6:43 in east palo alto. so if you're leaving right now, you're likely going to have to

drive through some very retch rouse condition kp south bay started to get clammed at that point. we keep those showers going through 4:00, take you into tonight, still getting rain. doesn't let up until we hit tomorrow and we're going to be talking about some thunderstorms as well. in addition to that, there's another system, this is the one approximatelyi approximatelying. >> powerful storm system. mike is tracking your drive. >> i noticed the storm really comes in at 7:11. i guess at that time it will get very slurpee.

oh, inform. >> look at oakland, the camera -- ooh. we'll get off of this camera and go to our pap. any bar that is a great little traffic for this time of day. the southbound is showing more volume and north 87 has the potential for trouble in downtown san jose. it's the north bay where the blue shows you the puddling and ponding flooding. bob reor.

>> that's up in the windsor area they're splitting across all lee pjs. >> and. >> thank you very much, mike. stick with nbc bay area dwrrnl pf pfrp. we'll be right back with more storm coverage.

♪

it is 6:41 and our microclimate alert coverage continuing. a live look from the bay area f emeryvil emeryville. 2,300 customers without power. we'll update you on that. >> in the sierra, blizzard-like conditions with possible

hurricane force winds. this was shot earlier from the caltrans area at the truckee scales. some of the mountains passes could shut down. >> we have flooding to watch out for, school closures, trees being toppled. the time is 6:42. we have our ear to the street. our team coverage win continue after period yours yours

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come. let's take a look outside, though, get you vantage points from all over the bay area, san rafael, the bay bridge and downtown san jose. heavy rains and strong winds make their way towards the south bay. >> our "today in the bay" team is joining us this morning. scott mcgrew will have updates on school closures, mike and christina tracking the conditions. >> and our team also braving the elements, helping you to get where you need to go safely this morning if you need to venture out. stephanie, it's even hard to see your face from under there. lots of rain coming down. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, sam. the hat has flown off, the hoodie has flown off because the wind has really been the story here. the rain has come down the last

three hours here in petaluma. it's been okay so far with the onville ramp for lake 101 where it's an area prone to flooding. but there are or areas -- firefighters had to respond to homes where there were a pair of wires arcing pretty badly and they've also responded to trees down in the city. marin county has a brand new operations center that will be put to the test in this storm. usually they have about seven people manning the dispatch and for this torm they've more than doubled that to 16. i want to show you video from what of course the ground had

become saturated and that is where the flooding begins. that's where we're live right now waiting to see if there's anything to happen. so far the good news is nothing. the latest numbers, as soon as last night, over 2.2 inches of rain. stephanie strong. >> northbound 101, lucky drive, we're a little south of stephanie where we've been seeing gusts of winds and it tom

african-american. >> standing water here at northbound 101 at lucky drive. you can't want to watch your speeds out there c had, off kous pochl depending how the conditions warrant but what you're seeing here is a lot of standing water, probably a good inch, maybe 2 inches of rain where the cars are coming through and you're seeing that splash of -- that burst of rain that comes up from their toward were your headlight heting in psh so your commute from this

vantage point right now is at the limit. our suspicion is a lot of people are staying home pause puerto rico court reporting, by the way, my photographer across the bay bridge and both of my cameramen reporting it is lighter on the way long isee at nbc area to give us a little perspective of what you're seeing right now. >> you're seeing a lot of the north bay this morning because that is where it coming down, but it is heading to the south bay as well. >> right, it actually starting up right here in the south bay.

san jose getting caught up in a few gusts but holding mostly steady. it's just starting to get active down here in the south bay. take a look at that richmond san rafael bridge. bob just told you his photographer went over that bridge and in addition to that really intention rainfall, we're getting really fierce wind as well. the rain is coming in so quickly, our roadways just aren't equipped to receive these kind of rain rates. and barometer is starting to flood in parts so you really want to cake it oo i know it saves cliche but, hey, it could save you a lot of property damage and a lot of money. it the holiday season, you don't want to do that.

the winds, we're talking about gusts at 50 miles an hour. we've had gusts to 80 above 2,000 feet. one of reasons why a lot of those schools are cancelled is we are expecting trees to go down. three years of drought will weaken the roots. so far this morning we've already seen that. as this storm system starts to get cranking, we're going to see more. showers in the night, only in the we're starting we light stuff now but by 9:11 that heavier rain moves in, about 20 minutes from now. by 9:00 a.m., still getting heavy rain across the board. 9:00, same deal. by 11:00, starting to see some

of that heavier rain let up but we'll see waves the moderate to heavy rain move john shore. for now you got to get through the wind and the rain and the man who can help you get to work safely, mike inouye. >> good morning, christina. we're going to show folks the richmond strafrl. >> you gave so much warning that people able o prep 580 crossing

into the north bay where you really get the conditions. the golden gate bridge, we also show you they prepared this extra safety factor, the lane between the north and southbound sides, a buffer lane. the map show shows at the north bay and the rin continues to come through this area. look at this. we have a lot of scattered reports, 76 in the chp system right now. most are them are maybe some rocks or trees down. in winsor, they may have to such down the northbound, a tree down for 116 around gil crest as

well. for most of us, a smooler drive but light vol um that -- well, the northbound route is showing a little building toward saratoga. i want to give you a live look here. the rain kind of breezed through the area and now more coming in. there's northbound. the water is kicking up and now, there you go, it's falling on the lens. that rain is coming through the area. even though it's a lighter volume of traffic, plan plenty of time because those conditions are tricky out there. >> be careful. thank you very much. >> the strong rain hasn't reached the south bay just yet but the fierce wind already causing problems. strong gusts toppled this huge tree on trimble near first in

san jose, causing trouble for people trying to get to work. >> including kris sanchez. she's in san jose this morning. crews have ultimately cleared that tree from the roadway so that's good news. >> yeah, there's a giant strstru those risks are what pg&e is focused on today. they knew the winds could bring down trees and power lines. the bulk of the power outages at one point this morning were in san jose. nearly half of the outages, nearly 6,000, were in san jose. the wind a powerful story for the area this morning. much of the outages have been restored. we know pg&e crews have been ramping up for the last region

and placed them into the central you can find pg&e online and on social media as well. the danger is trees could come down. if they come in the roadway, they blocked two lanes on trimble. >> kris, thank you very much. >> it's not a snow day but a rain day. that means thousands of bay area students have the day off. school districts are taking no chances, they've closed classes for the day. >> many, many close yesh. there is a long list here. >> if it because you never he d

heard, the montgomery elementary school today, talestoga joint unified will be closed today, they have not made a decision about tomorrow. all san francisco unified school districts closed today, so, too, are the catholic schools in the city. all pa only k through 8 in. >> alameda, berkeley, san lorenzo, west contra costa unified all closed this morning.

san lorenzo valley unified closed. college of marin, san francisco city college, san francisco state university no class. they are having class in the south bay, including the big one, san jose unified. >> we'll see how everything holds up in the south bay as the storm system does come farther and forth are south. >> it going to be tough for. >> can also check out our nbc bay area app. you can click on a weather tab and get up to the minute radar and of course fantastic reports from all of our meteorologists as well. we'll give you alerts about wind, flooding, outages as well. that's all at your fingertips on the bay area app.

>> and we're getting hot zones. >> yeah, some people are already in it. >> i don't know why these commuters are pulled over there. we'll ask mike in a minute. a lot of rain is accumulating and the roadways are starting o to -- right know dangerous conditions. you really don't want to be on the roadway if you can avoid it. >> that's right. if you can work from home, here's your chance. >> christina talked about the slowing at the san rafael bridge, very high winds illustrated by the flags. here in fremont, not slowing the

commute in the south bay just a bit. going from green to blue on the peninsula and in the north bay, here's palo alto with soupy conditions. very slick conditions but so far a lighter commute. >> we'll have updates every half hour. >> and our mid-day show. see you then. this morning, the west coast slammed by a once in a decade storm this morning. torrential rain, hurricane force winds, and massive waves washing away homes and forcing schools to close. we're there live. deeply flawed, former vice president dick cheney rips the new torture report accusing the cia of brutalizing terrorist suspects. >> what do we do? kiss on both cheeks, and say, please, please, tell us what you know? >> this as the current director prepares to face the camera today. a slew of messages from