dangero dangerous weather conditions, a san jose man in the crash and what he did earlier in the day that should have raised red flags. "today in the bay xwts sfar" st now. >> good morning. thank you for joining us. >> it's a very wet start to the day. we have a weather alert in effect. wind and wicked rains across the bay area. this is a look at several of the hd cameras drying out this morning. neighborhoods are dealing with localized floods, potential rock slides and now wicked winds not expected to let up any time soon. >> we have team coverage from the dangerous mixture of wind and rain and when the system is expected to let up. let's begin with meteorologist kari hall. can you give us a better picture? >> the rain is starting to taper off, becoming lighter across the bay area and the next concern will be the strong winds as the winds continue to pick up as we go through the morning and early afternoon we'll have the concern of some trees toppling over

because the ground is just very wet and it's very soft so weakening trees may fall over going through the morning and also causing more problems. wind advisory in effect between now and 4:00 today. gusts may top 40 miles per hour especially in the hills in the north bay and the east bay. now temperatures are in the upper 50s to lower 60s. we could see the temperatures fall as we go into the afternoon. by a degree or two. tri-valley, 57 degrees. east bay 58 degrees and san francisco 59. i'll detail that and a look at the wind forecast, also how much additional rain we're expecting. that's coming up in a few minutes and see how the roadways are moving with mike. >> see the camera moving in oakland. there you go. roof top across the coliseum shakes from the gusts of wind. roadway is moving but wet and slick and combination of factors and seeing that on the map here, a light yellow.

oakland hills and daly city and the peninsula hills hit with gusts of winds and the warning for folks and the wet roadways to the bay bridge. same thing for the richmond san rafael bridge. again, that light yellow highlights. darker orange. may be fog and green and blue is wet roads and puddling, as well. we have that puddling still left over from the rain. back the you. >> thanks. 5:02 right now. let's take a look at the aftermath from the heavy rain. so far, small floods and minor rock slides hit several communities but this morning the wind is picking up and causing major concern. today in the bay's chuck copala is live at the bridge. how are things locking out there? >> reporter: good morning, kira. it is windy and we're at the toll plaza on the east side of

the san mateo bridge and imagine the high section of the bridge. there's wind advisories here and for the bay bridge where gusts have been reported up to 40 miles per hour. and to the north of that, on the richmond-san rafael bridge, wind advisories this morning. be careful for the wind. some of the gusts on the east bay and north bay hills up to 50 miles per hour. chp closed a connector ramp in the east bay in pleasanton 680 to 580. twice this morning and then within the last few minutes they've reopened that. however, please be cautious. it can be prone to flooding in that area. cal-transays the rain is steady but slow. >> we are not getting a tremendous amount of run-off right now. surface flow could carry debris

or dislodge materials and might create bigger problems. probably a better scenario for the bay area hills. water comes, you know, rains for a day or so and then few days break and allowing the rain to soak in. >> reporter: again, southbound 680 connector ramp to eastbound 580 has just reopened within the last few minutes. however, you might notice chp patrol cars with a weaving pattern to try to minimize regulate the flow of traffic as best they can. you're not to pass them. as far as the commute goes, it's supposed to get better. the rain is supposed to get better and the wind easier but not until after the morning commute. reporting live in hayward, chuck coppola, "today in the bay." >> thanks. the coverage continues online. check your forecast and see your live doppler radar 24/7.

download the free app. another reminder to take it on the roads, but new this morning, the wet weather led to dangerous road conditions and as a result a deadly crash in san jo jose overnight. the wet roads were also a factor. it happened at center and singleton roads in south san jose. right by andrew hill high school. off the capital expressway. a witness living in the area heard what sounded like a speeding car and then a crash just before 11:00 last night. >> just three cars there. and no police cars. >> but this guy was -- >> very fast. he must -- yeah. over 50 miles per hour. it startled us. we were inside. we heard the fast car and sure enough. you know? we heard the bang. >> those witnesses ran outside and got to this volkswagen beetle first and tried to see if the driver had a pulse but the driver had died in the car right there.

paramedics took the driver accused of causing the crash to the hospital. he's expected to be okay. police say they were looking for that driver after reports of accidents shortly before the fatal crash. >> reported to be involved in other acts of reckless driving and accidents and we are putting those accidents altogether and trying to determine exactly what acts led up to this accident. >> witnesses and police say the driver who caused the wreck ran a red light. that driver is in custody. this as police investigate possible dui charges. also new this morning, a double murder investigation in oakland. >> no! >> why? >> witnesses tell us they heard screams in the area around 11:00 last night. this happened on the 800 block of 32nd street near the highway 580/980 interchange. police aren't saying much but

they tell us they responded to a report of shots fired and found two victims pronounced dead at the scene and officers have yet to say if they're still looking for shooters joirks another court appearance for a fremont man accused of trying to join a terror group in syria. a bail hearing is scheduled for today. federal agents arrested him in the summer when they say he tried to board a flight to turkey. they say he was planning to enter syria under the guise of helping refugees. but the fbi believes it was really to join an al qaeda linked organization. he once attended mission san jose high school and last week entered a plea of not guilty to supply material to a terrorist organization. we heard from chuck coppola trying to hold on. the wind whipping around and going on all morning in addition to more rain here, meteorologist kari hall with the latest

microclimate weather forecast and alert. >> even as the system tapers off with trains, the winds picking p closer to the bay area and that causes more of a pressure gradient and some stronger winds so a slick morning commute and scattered showers staying with us. soggy conditions and a wind advisory for the north and east bay hills and gusts topping over 40 miles per hour with su stayed winds 20 to 30. heading to the sierra for christmas, expect more snow there. at least another two to three feet of snow above 7,000 feet today. and the wind forecast once again shows the winds rushing in going into the sun rise and also before noon. we'll see more of this heading in to the day. into the next couple of days, another weather system moves in on christmas eve. i'll detail that in a few minutes. let's check in with mike to see what's happening on the roads. >> check this out. this is the camera over on the san mateo side and shaking

because of the gusts of wind and that's likely happening and not shaking so badly and winds and folks traveling westbound. we'll look toward the map ian the wind on the road weather index, as we. light yellow on the hills and peninsula across the area showing the camera. anywhere north of there with the gusty winds. slick roadways. that crash south 680 at sick more valley road cleared in the last couple of seconds. south bay. a quick look. we have the wet roads. rain recently in the south bay. back to. >> thanks. it is 5:09 right now. a painful reminder of the dangers overseas. six americans killed in taliban attack marks the deadliest attack in years. now the u.s. defense secretary is responding this morning. plus, a tragedy that could have been prevented. why investigators are now saying a massive landslide in china may have caused by human error. a developing story in china...

==kira/ots== it now appears human error led to sunday's mas a developing story in china. it now appears human error led to sunday's massive landslide that left dozens of people missing. cameras caught the moment of impact when authorities say a man-made mountain of soil and construction waste collapsed in the southern part of china. not far from hong kong. it buried or damaged more than 30 buildings and at least 80 people are still missing.

16 are in the hospital and so far teams recovered just one person who died. another developing story right now. six americans dead after a suicide bomber drove a motorcycle into joint u.s. nato and afghan forces yesterday. that marks the deadliest attack against americans since 2012. today in the bay tracy potts joins us from washington and the service men and women are always in harm's way. here's another reminder of it. >> reporter: exactly. in an area the u.s. is trying to pull back but clearly there are still concerns there and perhaps safety issues and raised as we mourn the death of the six americans. one of them we have learned this morning was a new york city police detective, detective joseph lin on the third tour of duty in iraq and afghanistan. a 15-year veteran of the new york city police department. we have heard from the police commissioner, commissioner bratton, the mayor, the governor all expressing condolences and

in all six americans and two were killed and two were injured plus an interpreter when that motorcycle invaded their patrol outside bagram air base and certainly raising questions now about the nearly 10,000 people that we are leaving in that region of afghanistan until the end of next year. president obama has said he wants to pull out and the war is officially over and leaving people there to train and assist the afghan forces trying to keep the taliban in check. they claimed responsibility for this. >> just another front where obviously we're still in danger there. thank you very much. 5:14 right now. i got about 125 christmas cards out yesterday. today is the last day to get guaranteed on time christmas delivery from u.p.s. >> bringing us some cheer this morning, and also the news before the bell, i guess, landon dowdy has more.

>> you guys come on. give me a break. always business. let's get a check of the market stocks. futures are higher and the markets rallying into the close snapping a two-day losing streak and a move in each of the past several sessions higher. we have data on third quarter gdp. the dow rising 133 to 17,251. nasdaq up to 4968. it is today the last day you can get guaranteed on-time christmas delivery from u.p.s. it's the company's peak shipping day. u.p.s. expects to handle about 36 million packages, double the normal daily value an up from 17 million 10 years ago. u.p.s. expects to deliver 630 million packages. surge in online shopping taking a toll. it may not be able to guarantee on time christmas delivery except for eligible for pricey

two-day shipping. notifying customers last week and changed the delivery estimates to three to seven business days. some of the goods and relies on other retailers, back over to you. >> thank you very much. and of course we are now just three days away from christmas. if we can't drill that in enough and as you can imagine last-minute preparations under way in santa's workshop this morning. >> bob redell drilling down in the north pole with the rush to get toys under the tree. must be busy right now, bob. >> reporter: of course he is. merry christmas to you, sam and kira. three days until christmas eve, thursday night. time is running out here at the north pole and the elves are scrambling inside to finish the toys. santa claus with the last-minute reindeer test flights. something that's never been seen before until now. >> oh. >> reporter: with christmas eve fast approaching, the main means

of repulsion are getting the reindeer games out of their system and already filling up on fuel. as for santa's bright, shiny, guiding red light? we are about to find out if he's ready for thursday night's trip around the globe. we have a look at rudolph's final test flight. >> come on, rudolph. big up. >> reporter: takeoff looks good. solid landing and -- >> redid great. he's ready to go. oh,oh, oh. have you been good in school? >> yes. >> i know. >> reporter: inside the elves workshop -- >> that's what your teacher and elves tell me. what would you like for christmas? >> skateboard. >> reporter: santa's receiving toy requests loud and clear. >> what do you want? >> i want an ariel. >> reporter: sometimes just loud. other times -- >> what? >> reporter: he can't make heads or tails. >> i'm hearing a lot of i don't

know. and i tell them i've got four bags packed. i think we are going to be doing good. we'll have great weather. oh, oh, oh! >> reporter: sam and can ra, about 0 degrees here in north pole and quite warm for this part of the world. but the forecast for christmas eve is minus 40 degrees which even here they consider to be extremely cold. >> that must be why santa has the hat, the gloves, furry outfit. all makes sense now. >> bob, we have a meteorologist, too, by the way. thank you very much. loving that outfit. 0 degrees, you would be crying on santa's lap, as well. >> yeah. >> frozen tears. >> you know, when we go to christmas eve, we'll be tracking santa on norad and see him live with the video around the world and really exciting. and also, exciting here in the bay area, all of this rain that

we have been getting and then it gets cold. here, as well. won't be 40 below but it will be a very chilly as we go into christmas eve and christmas day. a live look now. you can see that as the cars roll down the interstate, well, it is wet. you want the allow some extra time to get to where you're going and may need the wipers for the the rain is tapering off here in the past hour or so. just south of south jose, we have more showers moving through oakland at this point. so looking very wet and the wind forecast will be the main concern as we go through the day, the winds will be increasing as we go into the morning and early afternoon. sustained winds rolling on shore at about 40 miles per hour. as we go through 8:00, 9:00 and then starting to calm down just a bit but still pretty breezy an you throw in a strong wind with the saturation and may topple trees so that will be what we'll

keep you up to date with and watching for as we go through the afternoon. now, we do still see some scattered showers in the forecast. here's a look at the future cast. 7:30 this morning. many people on the road. maybe you'll be traveling for christmas and we'll still see the scattered showers at least for san francisco, further to the south. north bay, finally catching a break here and we'll see more dry weather as we go into tonight. still a slight chance of a shower tomorrow and looks like for the most part, the rain stays away and then the next round moving in on christmas eve. in the sierra, we still see the snow coming down heavily there and a lot of moisture streaming in with the next system we may have an additional two feet of snow in some spots so hazardous travel will continue for many people heading into seeing a white christmas this year. we'll have temperatures that will be turning much cooler on christmas eve and highs only reaching into the low 50s. more rain moving in and will move out on christmas day and

we'll have a dry start to the weekend. i'll have another look at the forecast coming up but let's see how the bridges are -- how they're doing in the wind now, mike. >> you have the wind advisory and making sure folks crossing the bay bridge, as well, be careful. likely to get caught with a gust or two and aftermath causing water on the windshield. you see that happening right here at the toll plaza and the gathering. we expect a good sized commute right now. oakland, as well. tuesday and december and christmas week. the camera shakes with the wind across from the coliseum and we see a smooth drive for the nimitz freeway. out to the maps and showing you the road weather index, anywhere south of there you're moving well. calmer but wetter through san jose. >> thanks.

we'll be right back. new results following an nbc bay

area inve at 5:24, we have new results following a nbc bay area investigation. the federal government is changing its position just hours after our story aired. we first brought you the story of sam mckasheb suffering head

trauma during his shift in west oakland and later died. but twice the office of worker's compensation denied death benefits to sam's widow. last week, we aired a story about did government's decision and the next morning the office called the attorney with a new plan. >> what? it was just absolutely amazing. it was -- it was as if they had watched the tv show, the newscast the night before and they reabouted to it. >> i'm thankful for nbc for helping us out and supporting us for this fight and also to the -- to cory and also for my family who's been very supportive. >> the office of worker's compensation declined our interview request but e-mails to say that when the program became aware of the denial of benefit it is director ordered a review of the evidence. the action that the government

is now taking will be on our newscast tonight at 11:00. if you have a tip for our investigative unit, give us a call or send us an e-mail. coming up next, we have been following it all morning, a persistent storm system continuing to blast the bay area. tracking the radar to see how long this storm sticks around. the rain seems to be doing that. meteorologist kari hall with an update in three minutes. not just the rain but strong winds this morning. several bay area bridges pounded as we speak. we'll tell you the advisories to watch out for coming up. joining us. i'm sam brock.

=kira/2shot= and i'm kira klapper in for laura garcia-cannon. good tuesday morning. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> i'm kira klapper. nonstop winds and rain and the brunt of the storm is not letting up just yet. so far neighborhoods dealing with floods, rockslides, slick roadways and now we have winds to contend with. >> we have team coverage from the impact of this dangerous mixture of wind and rain to when the system is expected to let up. let's begin with meteorologist kari hall. kari? >> the wind the main issue going through the morning. we are already getting reports of power outages in some spots, especially as the winds increase to 40 miles per hour. and that may be sustained with some higher gusts. the rain is tapering off. still very slick and very wet

out there. when you throw in winds an ground saturated and trees may be bending and snapping and will be a concern throughout the morning so soggy commute and scattered showers continuing. wind advisory will be in effect until 4:00 this afternoon. and the highest winds will be in the north and the east bay hills and then in the sierra, heading further east, we will have hazardous travel expecting another two to three feet of snow above 7,000 feet. i'll detail all of that and what to expect heading into christmas an the weekend. that's coming up. let's see what's happening as you cross some of those bridges now with mike. >> first talking about san jose and crossing this, underneath 680. a nice easy drive and you have a good amount of cars and a lot of rain having fallen this morning over in the south bay and showing you the map and that has the road weather index. i'm sorry. palo alto first. you see the university off ramp. not a lot of traffic here and

slick on the portion of 101 up the peninsula. this is the road weather index indicating road conditions. potential for fog there and the light yellow over here in oakland hills and the peninsula side where higher elevations might catch you in 580 through piedmont. we have that build again. back to you. >> thank you. more proof now of the slick conditions outside. at least what you can see of them. through a blurry camera lens. looking live at the san mateo bridge where a wind advisory for all drivers. >> see the camera shaking there. chuck coppola is near the bridge and bundled up. how are things looking so far? >> reporter: good morning. we just came across that bridge and i can tell you that going over that high-rise our photographer henry had to hold on to the wheel tightly with both hands making the way across the bridge. we are over on the other side

and fooster city and decidedly windier on this side. wind advises up for the san mateo bridge as well as the bay bridge where gusts can be up to 40 miles per hour. further to the north, richmond, san rafael bridge with wind advisory, as well. some gusts on the north bay and east bay hills in that area up to 50 miles per hour. in daly city, there's been some reports of landslide possibilities, a korean central presbyterian church in daly city with a parking lot in danger of sliding downhill. >> the church is, you know, it has slid before. so you always worry about that and a lot of cold and water and fractures off the land. >> reporter: later today, representatives from daly city and the church are going to meet to discuss how to shore this up

and speaking of shoring up things in contra kosta county, there's six sandbag stations to pick up and fill sandbags. it is a county of creeks and many people know that well. you will have to bring your own shovel, however. coming up in a few minutes, checking on the situation at the highway 680/580 interchange. connector ramp there was closed and since reopened. we'll check on that for our next update. i'm chuck coppola. >> thanks. microclimate coverage continuing online. check your forecast and see our live doppler radar. download the free nbc bay area app. with the rain here, it means snow in the i serra. thousands of people heading up to the mountains and be prepared with chains for your tires. at least three feet of snow fell yesterday forcing drivers to take it slowly.

right now, chains are required for all vehicles on 80 and 50 and the best advice is have a flexible window of travel dates. you talk about a contrast in conditions, winter definitely not waiting around this year on the west coast. east coast, what they're trying to do is beat the heat. you saw people running, playing golf. balmy doesn't begin to describe the weather for the eastern half of the country. forget dreaming of a white christmas. they're planning for a warm one. temperatures in some places 30 degrees above normal as opposed to being 30 degrees. christmas eve in boston expected to hit upper 60s and a welcomed change after last year's unusually harsh winter. >> last year this time, we were digging out a lot of snow. >> so far this december, temperatures on the east coast are more than 10 degrees above average. the same el nino pattern with wetter weather here driving the record temperatures. new this morning, this wet

weather, of course, is leading to dangerous road conditions and as a result a deadly crash in san jose overnight. police say alcohol or other drugs may have been involved but the wet roads also were a factor. this happened at center and singleton roads in south san jose off the capitol expressway. a witness living in the area heard what sounded like a speeding car and then a crash just before 11:00 last night. >> there were just three cars there and no police cars. >> but this guy was -- >> very fast. he must -- yeah. over 50 miles per hour. it startled us. we were inside and we heard the fast car and sure enough, you know, we heard the bang. >> those witnesses ran outside and got to this volkswagen beetle first. that witness tried to get a pulse but the driver in the car died right there. paramedics took the driver accused of causing the crash to the hospital and expected to be okay. police say they were on the hunt for him after reports of

accidents shortly before this deadly crash. >> our suspect driver has been reported to be involved in other acts of reckless driving and accidents so at this point we're putting those accidents altogether an trying to determine exactly what acts led up to this accident. >> witnesses and police say that the driver who caused the wreck had run a red light. that driver is now in custody as police investigate possible dui charges. 5:36, happening later today, the young mother accused of plowing a car into crowds of tourists on the las vegas strip expected to make a first court appearance. a bond hearing is scheduled for 24-year-old lakeisha holloway. police say she drove the car on the sidewalk near the paris hotel on sunday killing a person and sending dozens of others scattered and injured. her 3-year-old daughter was also in the car the entire time. investigators now say they have recently arrived in las vegas and were living in that car for a week but exactly what made her

snap still not clear. >> she had some disassociation with the father of her child. we don't know the exact event that caused her to snap. >> investigators say she had a suspended license and she said she was sober but under extreme stress because parking lot security guards at several casinos told her to move along. the child is in protective custody joirks a former san francisco gangster is preparing to take the stand for a second straight morning in his murder trial. on the first day on the stand, raymond chow claimed to be a reformed gang member. chow denied charges of killing a rival. he testified how he was inducted into the world of crime at the age of just 10 in hong kong. he joined chinatown gangs after moving to the u.s. in the '70s. the now 55-year-old says he changed his life around after getting out of prison back in 2003.

a man left paralyzed by a san jose police officer expected to talk about a substantial jury award later today. the man was shot in the back nearly a year ago by an officer. the officer says that she shot him because he was arguing with and moving toward a man while holding a knife. lam's lawyers argued that he was suicidal and threatening to kill himself. the man that lam was arguing with was a neighbor that was trying to talk lam out of hurting himself. a federal jury awarded $11 million saying the officer bore the most responsibility for that shooting. several san francisco police officers who reportedly texted racist and homophobic messages to one another will keep their jobs. that's what a superior court judge ruled yesterday and not disciplined because too much time has gone by. the department's one-year statute of limitations passed since they learned about this alleged misconduct. in an extremely disturbing

abuse case, as expected, prosecutors have charged a salinas woman and companion with murder in the deaths of two children. the district attorney yesterday laid out the case against tammy huntsman and 17-year-old gonzalo periel. police in redding arrested them after discovering the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl in a storage locker. investigators say they died in salinas and transported. the 9-year-old sister found in bad shape, as well, with broken bones and a need of urgent medical care. we now know the identity of the man found dead at a uc berkeley fraternity party over the weekend. investigators say jeffrey engeler had been drinking when he fell. he died saturday morning. he was a member of the fraternity. he transferred from uc berkeley to lainy ledge in oakland.

there was no foul play involved in the death. right now, the wind is actually been picking up. >> oh yeah. my car veering to the left this morning. kari hall with the microclimate weather alert. >> two hands on the wheel. >> absolutely. especially in the larger vehicles and crossing the bridges is going to be very dangerous in the day today. we have had wind gusts 40 to 50 miles per hour this morning, even as the rain tapers off but it's wetd, too. you have the risk of hydroplaning heading out especially in the south bay. the wind advisory continues until 4:00 this afternoon. in the east bay, north bay hills where the gusts over 40 miles per hour. and the wind kind of funneling through some of those valleys so that may create dangerous conditions, as well. sustained winds going through the next hour or so up to about 37 miles per hour. and we'll see that slowly winding down as we go through the day. i'll have details on that and a look ahead in the fork. how's it looking, mike?

>> roadways are all right as far as the volume of traffic being the way the holiday fell this year, we have a lot of folks trying to take off for much of the week and camera's shaking and roof top winds across from the coliseum and oakland hills. piedmont area is an issue and just look at the bay bridge toll plaza. across that span, same thing, wind and wet roads and the metering lights are on and a lighter build. a quick look at the map and see a smooth drive and the yellow indicates gustier winds. back to you. >> mike, thanks. 5:41 right now. making a list and checking it twice. santa's workshop is busy getting details ready for christmas and our resident elf bob redell is in the north pole. we'll go live to check in with bob in about five minutes. in a developing story: the u-s

defense secretary says the six americans killed in a in a developing story now, the u.s. defense secretary says that the six americans killed in afghanistan is a painful reminder of the dangers that remain there. a suicide bomber on a motorcycle rammed a nato patrol yesterday in a village near the bagram air base. a new york city police detective who also served in sirk among the dead and this is a 15-year veteran of the nypd.

he leaves behind a wife and three children. two other americans and an interpreter suffered injuries. happening later today, army sergeant bergdahl, the subject of the serial podcast heading to court facing a military judge on charges of dee sergs and misbehavior before the enemy. bergdahl admits to walking away from the post in afghanistan. the taliban held him and held him for five years. his release came in a prisoner swap. three taliban leaders are free now because of that swap. the court-martial could earn him up to life in prison. a friend of the san bernardino attackers -- >> -- accused of purchasing the assault weapons used in the massacres will be behind bars. enrique marquez appeared in court yesterday. the judge said the 24-year-old did not pose a flight risk but alleged conspiracy to commit terrorist acts presented a danger to the community. cyber hackers infiltrating

america's power grid, experts say it's a real threat. an ap report cites hackers breached networks controlling power plants at least ten times over the last decade. that includes bay area targets. the culprits have often been located overseas in far flung locations making arrests of the individuals very difficult. insiders say that some cases critical information may have been compromised that includes passwords and blueprints that attackers could use to knock out power to millions of customers. out out of jail an out of a job. martin shkrelli is not the ceo, dubbed the most hated in america removed from the position after being arrested on securities fraud charges last week. he allegedly misappropriated money to pay off debts at his previous companies. to that he pleaded not guilty

and resigned as ceo of touring pharmaceuticals raising the price of a life saving hiv and cancer drug by 5,000%. on a lighter note, when it comes to the business of gift giving santa is not the only one staring at a critical deadline right now. u.p.s. says today's the last day to get the packages in because they don't have access to reindeer and they have to try to guarantee delivery through their trucks and planes. u.p.s. expects today to be the largest single shipping day. overall, u.p.s. expects to deliver 630 million packages this holiday season. well, you know what? santa's reindeer plenty busy and don't have time to help. >> too many requests. >> last-minute preparations under way right now at santa's workshop in the north pole this morning. >> bob redell is live from the north pole with more on the frantic rush. we understand you have santa's ear and a lot of kids trying to go through you to get to santa.

>> reporter: if you want to figure out how to get on to the nice list, yes, come to me. merry christmas to you, sam and kira. this sleigh here in 72 hours, thursday night, christmas eve, must be filled with those toys and ready for takeoff and why inside those elves are scrambling to put those toys together with such a short notice. one thing, though, i don't have his ear on is getting inside of the toy shop and santa says it's a top secret operation. don't want the secrets to come out. hold on. i'm sorry. just a minute. i'm sorry. what? we have what? we have leaked security camera footage from inside san the's toy shop? that secret operation? this is completely random, you guys. i can't believe this. this is -- that's obviously a "star wars" light saber. one of the hottest toys for the christmas season. i don't know if you realize this. they test each individual toy to make sure it's ready for the

sleigh ride. i'm -- i'm looking at this. i'm not sure that's the right guy should be testing that. i counted three osha violations right there. hold on. hold on! i'm getting reassurances from the inside, that was an isolated incident. they'll have them ready in time. and -- really? he still has his job. >> wow. >> with santa's secret service sleeping on the job there? the elves get into the system? get the light saber, bob. >> most importantly, still okay and sam brock will get his christmas wish. >> thank goodness. i did have a light saber on the christmas list. >> i know. i peeked. i took a peek. no hoeverboards. >> rain and wind here in the bay area. >> yeah. absolutely. an you go out there with the umbrella trying to shield yourself from the rain and it's

one of those days where just flips upside down so watch out for that. also, you need to keep a tight grip on the steering wheel. take a look at this camera. shaking it around. wind gusts are the next concern as the rain tapers off. the storm center rolls over the bay area. and we're still tracking a lot of rain for parts of the south bay and east bay hills. it hasn't let up here and continuing to rack up more rain here in the san jose area and also from oakland over toward parts of the east bay in the morning commute. still plenty of green here on the radar. here's a look at the wind forecast. sustained wind at about 37 miles per hour. for the next hour or so. and then we'll see them tapering off and some spots a bit and continues as we go through the day. sustained wind at about 30 miles per hour for a prolonged period of time. may cause some downed tree limbs

and trees for that matter. some of the smaller trees and with the ground just soggy, that will make it a little bit easier for those trees to topple over. also power outages a concern. so be prepared for that. future cast shows more rain as we go into the rest of the day. mainly south of san francisco for the afternoon. north bay, you're finally getting a break and over 7 inches of rain and going into tomorrow, looks mostly sunny and then the next system starts to move in late tomorrow evening into early christmas eve. sier sierra, the snow is coming down and look at additional snowfall expecting going into christmas eve. may top another two to three feet and the rainfall forecast brings in more rain on christmas eve and look at how cool it will be in the peninsula. 52 degrees on christmas eve. on thursday. also 52 degrees in the north bay. we are looking at 50 on thursday. more of those showers and the

christmas eve storm much cooler and additional rainfall we may have even snow on the top of mt. hamilton and a lot more snow in the sierra. let's see when's happening as you cross some of those bridges with mike. >> we are hoping nothing happens. good for an easy commute and that wind, gusts of wind hitting you and the rain and road patch of rain hitting the camera lens on the hayward side of the san mateo bridge. sam coppola saying that the photographer has to hold on tight over that bridge. be careful there. look at the maps and the speed sensors without problem on the span itself. on the east bay. southbound 880 from the bridge to whipple and earlier crash with debris in the roadway and maybe cleanup or slowing to get around whatever is in the roadway and might be some fender parts there. looking at westbound 085, slow and the earlier crash cleared shy of the dublin interchange.

has cleared to the shoulder, a number of vehicles. here watch that. we'll end with the north bay camera. and the north bay with the wind. back to you. >> camera still shaking. next, firing back. republican candidates take aim at hillary clinton. why she has a target on her back this morning. ==kira/ots== presidential

hopefuls are

spanning at least five states today in the push to be nominated. decision 2016 presidential hopefuls are spanning at least five states today as tracie potts shows us, republicans as focused on hillary clinton as they are on one another. >> reporter: donald trump in a blue state focusing on hillary clinton. >> she is a liar. >> reporter: on lindsey graham dropping out. >> extremely sad. >> reporter: and the new attack on the media. >> i'd never kill them. i hate them. >> reporter: jeb bush a frequent target of trump -- >> family is so ashamed. >> reporter: bush said. >> it's not funny anymore. >> reporter: saying we're making the right moves against isis. >> no, we are not. >> reporter: chris christie way behind in the polls tells new hampshire the party needs to focus on clinton, not each other. >> i'm shaving the brawling for september of 2016 because it's going to be my job to make sure that hillary clinton doesn't get within 10 miles of the white

house. >> reporter: marco rubio also drawing distinctions of democrats and republicans. >> the democratic party is controlled today by radical elements that lean to the left that want to see more government control over our economy and our lives. >> reporter: today the top democrats are in iowa where voters will decide in just six weeks. nbc news, washington. >> hard to believe it's coming up so soon. thank you. new results following a nbc bay area investigation. the federal government is changing its position just hours after our story aired. we brought you the story of sam a year and a half ago and suffered severe head trauma during his shift in west oakland and later died from his injuries. but twice the office of worker's compensation denied death benefits to his widow. last week we aired a story about the government's decision. the next morning the office called the attorney with a new plan. >> i go, what?

it was just absolutely amazing. it was -- it was as if they had watched the tv show, the newscast, the night before and they reacted to it. >> i'm thankful for nbc, for helping us out and supporting us. for this fight and also to the -- to cory and also for my family who's been very supportive. >> now, the office of worker's comp declined our interview request and e-mailed to say when the program became aware of denial of the benefit it is director ordered a review of the evidence. the action that the government is now taking on this front tonight at 11:00. if you have a tip for the investigative unit, call us at 888-996-tips or an e-mail. and right now at 6:00, a weather alert. if you haven't heard, rain and strong winds making for some dangerous conditions out there on the roadways.

live team coverage continues in moments. plus -- >> i touched the man to check the pulse. i knew he was dead. >> that man a witness, tried to help but it was too late. the chain of events that led up to a deadly crash right in the middle of a quiet san jose neighborhood. "today in the bay" start s righ now. >> good morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm kira klapper. >> i'm sam brock. we start right away with the microclimate weather alert. gusty winds and rain impacting the bay area. you see the bay bridge camera shaking. a live look at san jose and the bridge where the cameras are bouncing along. >> the rain making the way out of the bay area but the bigger concern as the day goes on will be the potentially damaging winds. our "today in the bay" team is here. let's get to meteorologist kari hall. kari, we have seen gusts as high as 50 miles per hour out there.

is that right? >> that was on the san mateo bridge on the foster city side. going through the morning, we will have more of those high gusts and off on and on rain especially for the peninsula, south bay and east bay and see that the rain is pretty much steady over the south bay. and we can expect more of that as these winds continue to increase while the rest of the bay area catches a break, at least from the rain. our gusts may top 40 miles per hour or higher through 4:00 today in areas shaded in brown and includes the east bay hills and north bay hills and that effect until this afternoon. today's forecast brings it up into the upper 50s to lower 60s. no major change in the temperature from where we are now and the wind will be the issue that could bring in some downed trees and power lines throughout the day. i'll detail that and a look ahead to the christmas eve and even this weekend. that's coming up in a few minutes. see what's happening on the roadways now with mike. >> the conditions you talk about po