heavy at times. this is going to continue for the first part of your day. a little bit of a break later on and then heavy rain returns as early as tomorrow. we have a lot to go over. your full forecast just moments away. >> those wet roadways a factor in your morning commute. >> a live look outside right now near what appears to be the golden gate bridge, though it's hard to tell given the conditions. it is monday, december the 15th and you are watching "today in the bay." >> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> and a very good morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm sam brock. we begin with the microclimate weather alert. right now you can see all sorts of colors lighting up our radar

doppler. >> yeah. the rain in and trick in a just few minutes. >> look at a little break later on tonight but not this morning. no commuter getting a break at all. right now the showers beginning to let up a touch. it's been raining overnight. we still have ponding and flooding we've got nor round of heavy rain to get through as early as tomorrow. all the latest on that coming up, back to you sam and laura. >> we want to help you prepare for the rain. download our nbc bay area app for your smartphone, then click on the nbc logo to get to the weather paj. there you'll see the very latest

forecast hp police in full tactical gear may be getting ready to move in on a man holding several people in hostage in sydney australia. >> we've seen dramatic images of a air. >> what's the latest you can tell us right now? at least five hostages i understand have been able to escape. it was a ndt chocolate cafe. here you see one of the where o

go. video people are running out for their lives. you see the fully armed tactical ge gear. >> it's unclear whether the gunman let the people go or they managed to get away on their own. >> it's also unclar how many people are actually still inside of that cafe. this is the lindt cafe in the martin place district in sydney. he appears to be a middle-aged man carrying a back pack. what is the objective behind this hostage situation? the only indication of motive so far has really been this -- "tom deck lar's of faith used faux.

>> we will be ongoing and it will be based on our best assessment about how to get those people out safely, which is what does count most. >> police are upon terring. >> stephanie has been actively getting new information for us. there are reports that the siege began with at least ten people and fewer than 30. so it is an active situation. of course she's gathering more information for us in the newsroom. we will check in with her a little later within this hour. >> yes, keeping a close eye on that. stay with us as we track this breaking story. again, a few people were able to escape. you see the harrowing video right there, completely disoriented as they try to

figure out what's going on. so are we. we'll have an update in about half an hour. and when. >> the system has been in the works for near live a decade, hinging on receiving $5 million in funding from the government. the system is already being used by bart to warn trains to slow down before a quake hits. but bart is among only a few agencies who actually receive alerts from a prototype system. scientists testing the system got an alert 8 seconds before the 96.0 quake hit napa in august. scientists hope to expand the alerts to some schools sometimes next year. >> the heavy rain and winds from overnight coupled with last week's weather weather proved to be too much for this massive tree. right now it's blocking parts of

stone valley road in alamo. >> my goodness, that is a big one. bob redell joins us from they are still trying to clean up from last week's flooding. >> we're on the back side of lamar mobile trailer park here in 1 deborah is the manager. you're up early. based on your experience with last week, we see how high that is, based on the amount of rain we have, do you think the same thing is going to happen? you do. >> it will come over. i've been here since 1989. every ten years it floods. if we have extra high tide and extra rain, it just wipes us out. we have to wait until the canal

comes down so we can pump into it. >> i have to go get a hump to somebody told me it's every eight hours. so i guess we'll be waiting for about eight hours before it goes down. >> the fact that we've got not the same amount of rain. >> it might help. but we friday to put the sand w wag. >> is there a permanent solution? >> yeah, raise the site of the canal. if you look, the center isn't. >> they should start packing it um on on this side. put a fence there. the metal company isn't sledding because they put a fence back there. nobody came and helped. this is the first time the news

crew is here and now the city is here and that's it. >> reporter: deborah, i'm really sorry this is happening, i hope it doesn't get any worse than it is. reporting live, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> thank you very much, bob. >> it's saturated out there. we've been seeing so much rain in the bay area and yet more storms headed our way. a little bit of wind blowing our camera around. this is looking at the bay britch from -- bay bridge. this really makes up for some the totals that we lacked for

the past three years in the south bay specifically, where we are getting hit this morning. you really want to take it easy. we've had the heavy rainfall all the way from santia rosa all the way through marin county. wherever you're headed this morning, it will likely slow you down. you want to give yourself plenty of time and don't go racing out the door. >> the pressure cargo is terrible for driving. so here's what we're talking about as we get into your afternoon. we're going to continue to see their showers develop. some are going to be heavy from time to time, especially in the south bay where that front is right now headed. as we head throughout the second half of the day, we're going to focus on some thunderstorm development, especially in the high elevations, the coastal

mountains. pretty strong storm, definitely possible. you've got a lot of instability out here. this is all going to move on shore after we head to about 1:00, 2:00. that chance for form is enhanced. we'll tell you what we're expecting in terms of rainfall totals from this system and there's another one on its heels by tomorrow. we're talking about another round of heavy rainfall in the bay area. we'll get a little built of a drying out period, though. i'll show you that in your next report. first, let's check your drive and welcome in mike inwa. another busy one buddy. >> we're looking at wet roadways around the bay, the conditions caused things to back up early, the metering lights were turned on about ten minutes early.

we're going from blue to green, meaning wet roadways but not as much flooding in some areas. the earlier crash, a jackknifed big rig leaves things slow but the crash has been cleared from the roadway. again, wet conditions all around that area. the mission boulevard cross over, 880 be we have more flooding as you head up to weekend it's really starting to back unand the water really kicking up. even if the rain stops, we have the water kicking um on to the windshield.

>> the wiper blades working overtime. >> it's starting to feel procedural as well. >> it is 6:11 right now. a tough law about to get tougher. the new law targeting smokers in one peninsula city. >> and sony hires a tough lawyer but not to go after the hackers. we'll tell you who coming up. >> closed captioning provided by mancini mattress.

welcome back. we have a microclimate weather alert for the bay area. we're getting a break areas north of the golden gate bridge. as i drag that radar up, heavy rainfall south of the golden gate bridge, along the tri-valley, through the peninsula. how long will this last? i'll tell you in just moments but it's not the only system

we're track being thing this we. >> did you see that band of rain going on 580? 880 fremont have a slower drive south through this year but 680 is really the tough drive. we had the earlier jackknifed big rig, soggy conditions and we're talking about flooding as well. that's coming up. >> thank you very much, mike and christina. 6:15 this morning. we also have a look at today's top stories. a gunman holding people hostage in a sydney cafe reportedly got very agitated when five of his hostages escaped. it's not clear how many of his hostages remain but some are being forced to hold up a black flag in the window with an islamic declaration of faith on it. >> and last month a judge ordered miguel zaragoza to be out on his own recognizance, this after he was started near a private airport terminal in november where he had stolen a

truck and managed to drive it to terminal b. >> palo alto is going to beef up its ban on smoking. it's going to extend the band to all commercial areas, including downtown and shopping centers, as well as all dining areas. >> sony has hired a lawyer after being hacked. >> the lawyers now going after the hackers? >> there are some lawyers going after the hackers, but the one that sam is talking about is going after journalists. david boyd has written a letter to news outlets asking for their cooperation in destroying sony documents. he may be a familiar face to you. he represented gore in bush versus gore and he he was in the napster case and the united states versus microsoft.

journalists can use stolen documents in their reporting, they just can't steal them themselves. but in the case of the pentagon case or sony, it's fair game for reporters. some of sony memos reveal the head of sony in japan stepped in and asked that the onscreen death of kim jung-un be toned down. certainly sony's internal e-mails worrying about the international implications of a movie, that's probably news. north korea is a nuclear power, after all. but the script of a new james bond movie, is that news or just company property? "the interview" is not the first movie to depict the murder of a real world leader. in 2006 several american movie theaters refused to show the movie "death of a president",

the fictionalized story of president george w. bush. it will be interesting to see how people in theaters and television networks react to "the interview" as soon as it's ready to come out. >> it will be interesting to see if people will go to it, it's received a lot of attention. >> i a let interested. >> you get asked all the time? >> well, yeah. and they want to check in with christina loren. >> have your people ka my people. once in a while, like every five minutes, whatever it's raining, i like being able to do my job. you guys make me feel important so thank you. 6:18, let's get you out that front door and show you what we are working with this morning. and that radar is lit up.

that's right. everybody excited about the rain. the timing could be better, it could be much better, though it's going to clear up before your evening commute. usually you get one or the other, a rough ride to work or a rough ride home from work. they don't typically last all day or a day and a half like the one we had come through last thursday into friday. but this morning this system definitely dumping some decent downpours. we've already accumulated over an inch of rain from this guy in novato. the next half hour, 45 minutes the heavy stuff will be south of highway 92. it gives you an idea this thing is starting to clear out but it is going slowly. you want to give yourself extra time to work because your drive is going to be kind of tough this morning, especially on wednesday la. >> you'll need that umbrella for tomorrow as well, we'll get

partial clearing on wednesday and then late thursday into friday, another significant storm system comes threw. overall that storm window is wide open. we just need storms to come if and ride that storm yet stream like a con voir belt. we're father for anything that develops out there in the pacific. this does have a sub tropical moisture tap. still getting pretty good downpours all across the board. showers will start to let up after lunchtime but we'll have a chance for thunderstorms to develop as we head throughout this afternoon into the evening and you can see here another wave of moisture will come through between about 4:00 and 6:00. then we'll stay mostly dry until we meet back here tomorrow tracking another round of significant rainfall. so as you can imagine, traffic and weather go together. thanks for sticking with us to help guide you through these showers. mike's got all the latest. let's check with him. >> we have too much to enumerate every piece of information.

let's talk about the wet roadways all around the bay, slick conditions. watch for flooding first on the peninsula and now on the east bay as well and a tough ride through many parts of the tri-valley. wet roadways as that continues to build here. but looking toward southbound 680 where there was an earlier big rig jackknifed. that did clear. and 84 between sunol and the canyon area, we have reports of the hillside slippery, a mudslide there. i want to let folks know about

it some more flooding reported just getting off of the sky way. as it typical last week as well, your usual suspects. san jose, the conditions here, the water is kicking up off the roadway. the car in front of you may have deposit water on your windshield. so the rain might not be a factor, it might just be the wet roads. keep the headlights on as well. no big issues but we have slowing coming into novato. and again, up to and. >> we still have the backup going in toward the maze. that's a little earlier than we expected this monday morning. back to you. >> thanks, mike.

6:22. up next, a critical deadline for millions of americans in need of health insurance.

you're watching "today in the bay." >> a very good monday morning to you. christina will have a look at

the storm systems for the week. lawmakers may learn what changes should be made from the secret service review of the lapse in security. the white house ordered an independent review. the panel's findings are expected to be released today. >> deadlines to be aware of right now, a key one for those who want to get insurance from the health care marketplace. people need to sign up by midnight. that deadline applies to most people across the country. here in california we're an exception. people have until february the 15th to sign up or make changes to existing plans. the obama administration has set a goal of 9 million people signed up by next year.

>> opening bell just minutes away. we'll take a look at the numbers. >> plus breaking news to sydney, austral australia. an armed man taking hostages. we'll have more after the break.

sydney under siege right now. police surrounding a crowded coffee shop where an armed man is still holding several people hostage. >> and we have a lot of rain to get through this morning. the good news is we need the rain. the time cing could not be wors. as we head to tuesday, we keep the rain going. a break on wednesday but by friday the rain returns. >> and we're looking at a backup

at the bay bridge toll plaza. a new crash at highway 24. >> it was a terrible week for wall street last week. hopefully things can get a little bit better as we get under way. we have both the nyse there and over on the nasdaq as well, as business gets under way. >> good luck. a lot of changes on the market this morning. >> and a good monday morning to you. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. before you head out the door, we do have a microclimate weather alert to tell you about. another storm hitting the bay area, across the entire bay area. >> from the bay bridge down to san jose, your drive to work this morning is going to be slick. mike will join us with a look at

the conditions and christina is going to let us know where the rain will fall the hardest in just a few minutes. >> but right now we do have an update to breaking news this morning. it appears that officers are beefing up their presence in downtown sydney where a gunman has taken an unknown number of people hostage. >> stephanie chuang joins us. this area is of great concern, the u.s. consulate is just a block away. >> the u.s. consulate was evacuated right away. this is comparable to new york city's time square. in sydney it is 1:30 in the morning. this began over 15 hours ago. five hostages were able to escape the lindt chocolate cafe.

it's unclear whether the gunman let these people go or they managed to get away on their own. there are new reports now identifying the hostage as a 49-year-old man who is none to hold up political signs, that this may be a self-publicity stunt. the question, though, is of course why. the on real public explanation may be that the gunman is an islamic extremists. some of the hostages have been forced to hold up this black flag in the window. there has been more police presence in just the last hour or two, suggesting they may be moving in shortly. something very interesting is going on on social media, people trying to help those who may be afraid of backlash against muslims there after that whole thing. we'll have that in our next

report. >> thank you, stephanie. when we're not on the air visit our web site, nbcbayarea.com. >> in san rafael the rain coming down very steadily this morning. nonetheless, a difficult situation. let's check in now with christina, who has been tracking the latest on the rainfall. >> it's like pulling out a hat that you just found that you couldn't find for the last three years. the hat feels good. another system coming through towards the end of the week. basically dealing with rain all week long. i want to show you the all of

these cameras strategically placed. mike's got a couple trouble spots you want to know about before leaving. stick around, his report is coming up in just moments. right now, though, the heaviest rainfall on the peninsula. most of this south of 92 at this point. we got a lot of heavy rain moving over the tri-valley and east shore, south bay getting hit all the way through gilroy, san jose in the thick of it as well. this front is a slow mover. we're going to have to wait for this system to kind of move to the south. as it does so, though, we'll start to see improvement as of this afternoon. you will be able to get outdoors. it won't be steady rainfall all day long but your chances will be limited. even when the showers, the sunny stuff, starts to subside, we'll have rain move on. the temperatures on the chilly side.

temps in the 50s. and a chance for thunderstorms as we head throughout the day. an unstable air mass is going to push offshore. we could see pretty strong thunderstorms develop, hail and brief downpours. we stop the clock for you at 3:00. we'll get another wave of moisture through the evening hours, a break for the first part of tuesday and then the rain comes back heavy at times. more on this and the rain that we're expecting later on in the week coming up in my next report. as promised, it could be tough for you. >> good morning to you. i'm not going to drive each and every one of you to work. that wouldn't be wise. >> where but still slower drive. as we look at your map, it's not 92 that's the problem.

it's over off the castro valley y. the volume just starting to build. the blue background we're seeing is the same as last week, puddling and ponding, flooding in some spots, including the 8 interchange. it's san mateo on the other side of the san mateo bridge. 101 at third and whipple of of 101 in redwood city. at 17, a new crash there but nothing dramatic. the green here means damp roadways. as we look at the rest of your bay, the bay bridge toll plaza, we see the backup that formed earlier this morning because we did have a crash on the span, which cleared around 6:00. wet conditions, i.

>> let's see how things are faring right now. >> scott mcgrew is keeping tabs it for us. >> reporter: it's into the as bad as last week. the big board down. dow industrials turning positive this morning, 112 but a lot of negative bay area stocks. some of the ipos that popped yesterday turning to the red. horton's there and new relic. new relic gained 47% in its first day of trading on friday, horton works, an astonishing 64%. those companies losing a little bit of money today but, man, what a start for them on friday. >> oh, yeah, what a start, what a start. thanks so much. >> 6:37 right now. a world famous south bay restaurant nearly destroyed by flames is about to reopen the

doors. the holiday cheat

. you're watching "today in the bay." >> extra patrols covering a bay area neighborhood. a woman turned to her home over

the weekend to find someone had gone in and taken her jewelry. the home had been red tagged after heavy rain caused a mudslide there on friday. >> and man resa has two michelin stars, not to mention a celebrity chef. the restaurant's web site says it will be reopening on new year's eve and will begin taking reservations today at 10:00. there will be a special new year's eve menu for $245 a plate. >> no doubt that will book up quickly, too. >> a big step forward for california. congress approved a new system to give us a heads up before the next quake. >> and in sydney, australia, a gunman storms a crowded cafe, takes a number of hostages along with him. still trying to figure out how many. >> taking a live look outside.

wet weather causes a mass -- massive tree to come tumbling down this morning. (vo) nourished.

rescued. protected. given new hope. during the subaru "share the love" event, subaru owners feel it, too. because when you take home a new subaru, we donate 250 dollars to helping those in need. we'll have given 50 million dollars over seven years. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

>> 6:44 on your monday. right now we have a "today in the bay" microclimate weather alert. that is the fame esteemed doppler radar and it's all lit up right now. let's take you out to a soggy san jose and slick golden gate bridge. we'll check in with christina and mike in a quick minute.

>> but we begin live in redwood city where people are wondering if flooding will push them back utili out again? >> reporter: good morning. some homes were red tagged, people were forced out, they pumped the water out and here they are again facing this. you're looking at the canal that's on the back side of the property. as you can see, it's coming very close to cresting. this is the canal that crested last week because of the heavy rain and started dumping into the property themselves, which led them to a swags, there's nowhere else to go except down, which unfortunately where these homes rest. we just smoke with the manager of this trailer park. she's telling us that she's

anticipating and is afraid this might come over, which is why this morning she might be going to rent another gasoline pump. >> it will come over. i've been here since 1989. every ten year, it just wipes us out. we have to wait till the canal goes down. >> reporter: this is the scene earlier this morning. you're looking at a very large oak try that came down on stone valley way in alamo. that's because of the rain chp believes. as a result people who live up the street are shut off right now. we're not sure exactly how many. >> the manager of the trailer park is concerned, she said it's something that happens roughly every ten years when they get this flooding and she's frustrated the government hasn't

done anything as far as shoring this up. they feel like the city, the county, whoever, stay. >> thank you very, bob. in the meantime, another live look outside from the bay bridge from emeryville this morning. the rain coming down, making it tough for some people but also much needed. >> it is much needed for sure. tough commuting conditions for many just trying to get to work pb we've already had such success from this rain and there's more on the way. this is not our only storm system we're dealing with this week, my friends. that means it's a good idea for you to take preventive measures

at home. if you see something that would be an issue ged our wettest season typically takes place over the course of january to february. those are the wettest months. so keep that in mind, my friend and next week it's christmas. so you might have family answered fsh -- >> take it easy out there this morning. 55 degrees. that's your high today in the south bay. chance for thunderstorms later on and 51 degrees is your high

in the north bay today. coldest air of the season so far has settled into the bay area. let's talk about what's to come after this system comes through. we'll get another cold blast of air out of this system. we move you forward in time. i take you to the 4:00 hour today. the showers let up a little bit. we'll get one more wave of heavy rainfall between 4:00 and 6:00. a few thunderstorms are possible. then we get into your tuesday with another potent system on the way. another is on the heel was this that will come through wednesday and thursday. you want to keep that in mind if you are trying to travel. we'll be tracking that one closely for you. but the first three systems, this is your anticipated rainfall just through wednesday. an additional inch and a half in san jose. an additional 4 inches of rain, 4 inches in santa rosa. so the success stories continue to come in when it comes to digging out. it's going to take a long time. we still urge you to conserve.

i know it sounds bizarre but we still have to conserve. let's check your drive. it's rough out there. >> the early commute was really tough. over here in palo alto, we're showing you things aren't quite as bad. still that water kicking up off the roadway. some flooding reported in patches from redwood city around whipple and san mateo around 3rd. the volume building northbound. we had someone who hit their brakes and it caused that ripple back. the water kicking up north of 680. the green area means damp, wet conditions. the blue means more likely puddles and ponding on the roadway as well. your build for 85, 87, 101, typical pattern here. we might see a little less traffic surface roads because college students starting to get off after they finish their college finals for the last few

weeks of the year. and niles road, niles canyon area, we're looking at a slower drive. there is a rock slide in this area. but the earlier jackknifed big rig has cleared from 680. over here your typical pattern for hayward. it looks like a new incident, perhaps a stall over near the bay bridge toll plaza. oakland 880 shows a smoother drive, camera trembles a bit but not a big deal so far. and the bay bridge has the backup here. the water will be on the roadway, the rooster tailing going on behind the cars. watch it throughout the day. >> it really is still coming down in many parts. a live look at our radar shows you proof. look at the reds and yet ollowst

there. our today in the bay crew will be tracking that and we'll have updates as well during the "today" show. >> and download our "today in the bay" app. >> police in full tactical gear may be gearing up to move in on an armed man believed to be holding several people hostage inside a popular cafe in sydney, australia. >> it's a situation that's been building now for about to be 16 hours. stephanie chuang is monitoring the situation. we've seen dramatic images of terrified hostages just bolting for safety. >> reporter: that's right. this appears to be an isis inspired, loan-wolf attack.

so far they've been able to -- this man has a reported none criminal history. the gunman claimed there were bombs in other parts of sydney and he was demanding to speak directly with the australian prime minister. >> this is a very disturbing incident. it is profoundly shocking that innocent people should be held hostage by an armed person claiming political motivation. >> some of the hostages have been forced to hold up this black flag with white lettering, which is an islam being declaration of faith.

muslims groups have come out to condemn this attack. there is some fear con -- as it is approaching almost 2:00 in the morning. >> we'll have all the developments coming up at 7:00 this morning. you can also visit our web site, nbcbayarea.com, for the most updated information. >> and a strange side bar here to the hostage situation. it has to do with san francisco based uber. its automatic pricing feature sent fares skyrocketing for more than four times higher as the crisis unfolded. that has triggered a backlash that grew when uber first argued that its fair search would

enasking to see what would be free during the rest of the day. >> an recall earthquake detection system has been in the works for nearly a decade and hinged on receiving $5 million from the government. the system is already being used by bart to warn trains before a quake hits. but bart is only one of a few agencies who receive the alarm. scientists got an alert 8 seconds this ford. the 6.1 wake hit napa in august. scientists hoped to ex. >> sony is issuing apartment. >> you can steal stolen

documents in your reporting but you can write about them. a powerful lawyer, as powerful as they get, he's represented napster and the government in u.s. versus microsoft, been involved in the fight against prop 8 and represented vice president al gore in busch verse gore in the supreme court. clearly some of the people would rather -- they're probably just company property. it appears the script for the new james bond movie has been leaked. if a blogger publishes pieces of that script, is that journalism or is that just stealing? did he minds me if you write

about, it maybe that's journalism, but not publishing the whole thing. >> and it interesting with the hacks, all kind of behind-the-scenes looks at what's going on at sony, skirmishes with actors, writers. it is public interest perhaps but not necessarily new. >> that's the question. >> that's the thing. it holding a lot of people's fascination, as you said. >> 6:57 right now. final check of the day's top stories for you. >> judge ordered miguel garagoza

to be released on his own recognizance. >> in alamo, this tree is about four feet in diameter. crews are trying to get it out of the way. >> we've seen some violent conditions over the last few days. how is this system shaping up, christina? >> well, it's bringing in rain at a time we probably don't want it. there's more rain on the way tomorrow and a third system comes through as we head throughout the end of the week. so by all means keep that umbrella handy. you want your jackets ending up only in the 50s. and this rain could produce. >> let's talk about the bay bridge toll plaza and the backup here. the water not actively falling

but still wet roads as we look at your bigger area for the east bay. 580 and to 580, water on the road and a tree down blocking the road there. walnut creek slow and 680 and both of those freeways a slower drive. a look at the south bay, northbound route starts to build and will end with the san mateo bridge with is a little dryer and a lot slower than it was. >> one lucky baby in ohio has a very unusual birthday. >> little hazel grace was born saturday morning at a cleveland hospital at 10:11 on 12-13-14.

. the family says they feel so lucky and excited. they certainly have a houseful, they have four little ones in the family. >> we'll be back in 20 minutes. buenos días en noticia de five of them managing to escape overnight while others are still being held and their capter has unusual demands. >> captured, the third and final inmate who escaped from a jail in alabama back in custody. circling the wagons, sony pictures set to hold a key meeting with staffers as more stars are called out in a string