detonated the most powerful of weapons - a hydrogen bomb. but other countries have their doubts. north korea claims it has detonated the most powerful of weapons, a hydrogen bomb. other countries have their doubts. here at home, a meeting about rent control in alameda goes late into the night as people worry they can no longer afford to stay. more rain is expected in an already rainy week. "today in the bay" starts right now. very good wednesday morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm scott mcgrew in for sam brock. a rainy wednesday. meteorologist kari hall tracking the conditions for us. >> good morning. we're starting off with some rain. it has been very heavy as we take a look at this storm

system. it's just now starting to move in. something that's different from yesterday, a lot more lightning with this one and heavy downpours along with gusty winds. we're seeing bright intensities picking up on the radar moving from san francisco down into the peninsula. we'll be moving in there and approaching parts of the east bay as well. as we go into the morning, lightning strikes, gusty winds and potential for small hail, at least initially. so here is what to expect as that rain moves in, the lightning offshore moves in. by late morning we still have some widespread heavy rain and some spots where there could be some flooding. during the afternoon to evening hours, this could still be lingering with thunderstorms and some gusty winds likely as we go into this evening as well before it all tapers off and we get ready for the next round. i'll detail what else to expect. it's coming up in the full micro climate forecast.

let's check in with mike to see what's happening on the roadways. >> kari, clearly it's wet out there. we're liooking at 101 north of 680. look at the map as you come in towards 880. it's basically where the two roads come together. just out of lanes we see a number of flashing lights and slick conditions here. the blue on your map shows where you'll get more ponding and puddling as you see on the peninsula side. east across the bay. a smooth drive tore the bay bridge toll plaza. we'll talk about the bridges coming up. back to you. you can see with the weather a.m., downloaded at nbc bay area app. you can download the app from the app store or google play for android devices. new details this morning. in a marathon meeting that ended within the past hour, the

alameda city council tentatively agreed to revise new rent control measures. last night the council voted to extend its moratorium on rent hikes. council members spent more than eight hours considering a number of long-term options. they eventually agreed to give landlords and tenants -- force them into a binding arbitration. that's if the two cannot agree on any rent increase above 5% and instead of banning evictions without just cause, the courts will -- many in the meeting came in support of doing something to cap rising rents. >> double digit annual increases which are really unfair to tenants. >> council members anguish over the specifics of each measure. in the end they decided to ask staff to come back with redrawn measures to be voted on at a later date. investigators this morning looking to the cause of a fire at a facility for the mentally

ill in san leandro. it broke out at villa fairmont one of alameda's largest medical complexes. firefighters able to bring it under control quickly. one room in the building was damaged. a south bay family getting answers after a deadly stabbing on christmas morning. three men you see here are now in police custody, all charged with the murder of jose marin. marin's family said he just finished a late night christmas eve dinner with friends when he was attacked on north 26th street in san jose about 5:00 a.m. police found marin with stab wounds and took him to a nearby hospital but he died soon after. his family believes it was a case of mistaken identity. east bay bay parks have an increased number of car burglaries. the park district will buy 150 motion activated cameras at a cost of $120,000.

some are already up and working. the new devices will cover dozens of more entry points in the 65 park systems. big storm coming our way, another in a series hitting the bay area. let's check in with kari this morning. pretty strong radar look behind you there. >> yes. this is the third storm of this week, third day of the week, and this one looking the strongest of all we've seen so far. so as we take a look at what's happening on the radar, we've seen intense lightning just offshore, so we will see this starting to move into the san jose area and also for parts of the east bay and peninsula within the next few minutes. all of this bright red is some intense rain. it may be blinding at times if we're out driving. make sure your windshield wipers are working. you may have them up on high. as we go into the next few minutes, few hours, we'll see the rain rolling through. then it won't be as strong as we go through the morning commute, but still coming down. there will be some pockets of heavy rainfall throughout the

morning, early afternoon. you can see how long this lasts throughout the day with waves of rain moving through, a few thunderstorms in the mix, and it continues into this evening. i'll show you how much rain we can see. we'll take a look at what's happening in the sierra coming up in a few minutes. let's see what's happening on the roadways with mike. >> even though we ease into the workweek, today we'll zoo more traffic flow than last weekend. look over here. this is the san rafael bridge. the approach to the toll plaza, look at that right there, you can see it hitting the roadway, just a few cars. that's the situation around the bay. light traffic, the rain really playing a factor. there's the approach to the san rafael bridge toll plaza. water kicking up, slick conditions. dublin, we'll show you the off-ramp. folks making the off-ramp curves. there will be an issue as well. puddling, ponding, flooding and

slick roads for sure. >> a lot of spinouts yesterday. coming up, north korea claims it detonated its first hydrogen bomb. the announcement swiftly criticized by world leaders.3s hydrogen bomb. the announcement swiftly criticized by world leaders.3s hydrogen bomb. the announcement swiftly criticized by world leaders.s f hydrogen bomb. the announcement swiftly criticized by world leaders. north korea. =laura/ots= the

communist country claims it successfully detonated its first hydrogen bomb. =vo= that north korea claims it successfully detonated its first hydrogen bomb. that announcement from north korean television last night. the south korean spy agency and

other outsiders cast strong doubt. they say the explosives yield was much smaller than what a failed hydrogen bomb detonation would even produce. north korea has successfully tested other bombs in the past. those were the less powerful atomic type of bomb. hydrogen uses a different nuclear reaction and can be much more powerful. the united nations security council will hold an emergency meeting the day. yesterday the city council unanimously passed two ordinances in oakland, requiring homeowners to store the guns in locked boxes in their homes and in their cars. they also banned large capacity magazines. critics threatened legal action if those ordnances are passed. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me. >> the president teared up yesterday talking about the 20

first graders killed at sandy hook elementary in newtown, connecticut, three years ago. the president surrounded by victims and their families. among the number of changes, his executive order calls for more background checks and hiring more fbi examiners to do those checks 24/7. we expect to learn more today how a friend of one of the san bernardino gunmen will plead to the charges against him. enrique plrz, a friend of syed farook is expected to be arraigned. although investigators don't think he took part in last month's shooting, he is accused of buying two of the weapons used in the attack. the charges include providing material support to terrorism, making false statements. he could get up to 50 years in prison. coming up, the latest in electronics. what the computnsumer electroni show and the hottest gadgets of the year.

they've issued a micro climate weather alert. we've had a series of storms, but this is something. >> it's a dangerous situation today. that's the reason why we've issued that micro climate weather alert. as we take a live look outside as you head out now, we've seen the rain coming down in spots. it really is just getting started in san jose, but we've seen it a little longer around

san francisco. you can tell as you look at the camera that it's pretty soggy and we do still have puddles left on the road from yesterday, and more rain is coming down on top of that. so a flash flood watch is in effect as the heavy rain moves in today. we have the potential for street flooding, debris flow, as well as mudslides. that all a possibility as we go at least into early afternoon. here is a look at the radar. wow, it looks pretty intense there with all these bright shades of red. where you see the green it is less intense. of course, this will continue to move in. we've also been picking up on quite a bit of lightning offshore. it's starting to move into the santa cruz mountains. that creating even more of a dangerous drive this morning. a little more gusty than the previous two systems we've had. in las vegas, the winds have picked up to 39 miles an hour. berkeley, san francisco in the low 30s as far as the winds and

miles per hour, oakland 30, pacifica a wind speed of 26 miles per hour with the ground already wet. you just throw in some winds. it may make the trees easily topple over so that's a concern as far as power outages. the futurecast shows we'll be dealing with the rain off and on through out the day. even into tonight, scattered showers lingering, not much of a chance to dry out from this early morning heavy rain, and the rain will still be scattered as we go into tomorrow but not as intense as we are seeing now. we'll keep you up to date on that and how it looks as we head into the weekend. right now let's check in with mike. >> our palo alto camera looking at the wet roadways, well lit by the sign at the shopping center off university. the water kicking up behind the cars, still enough to get on the windshield on the car a number of car lengths behind the car in front. it will be slick in spots like this. foster city, the approach off the san mateo bridge, the

moisture affecting our view of the roadway itself and it will affect yours as well. just off 92 at 101, reports of a spinout right over here on the map. that's one of the situations we're talking about. we have one here, not a lot of traffic flow. the blue on the map is the ponding and puddling towards san francisco. another spin out eastbound 80, going through hercules on highway 4. watch for that on the shoulder and watch for that situation all around the bay. back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. don't forget inside our nbc bay area app, you can find great tools to stay updated on what's going on outside. meteorologist rob mayeda shows us how it works. >> here is a way to stay ahead of the storm with your own personalized alerts on your mobile device. go to the nbc bay area app and click on the icon on the upper left side of the screen and the gear icon on the upper right which will take you directly to our weather alert settings. in that menu you'll find a drop-down list of information

that you can specify if you would like to know about lightning arriving in our area or if you want to know about a dangerous storm approaching, you can select that on our drop-down menu from flooding or other thunderstorm alerts, everything there for you that you can customize and get that information right from your mobile device minute by minute as your weather develops across the bay area. i'm rob mayeda and that's how you can stay informed on the nbc bay area app. twitter could soon be -- >> for that and more let's turn to landon dowdy live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> good morning to you both. stocks could come under pressure again today. futures are lower this morning, investors keeping tabs on news that north korea tested a hydrogen bomb. the market snapping a three-day slump on tuesday. look for data on private sector jobs and this minutes from last month's fed meeting.

the nasdaq slipping 11 to 4 tho 891. twitter may be ready to abandon the decades old limit on tweets from 140 characters to as many as 10,000. twitter ceo jack dorsey isn't confirming the change but dropping strong hints. he says many people are circumventing the limit by taking screen shots of texts and tweeting those. dorsey did exactly that on tuesday, shooting a shot of a ten-graphic text which works out to be about 1300 characters. meanwhile, a new survey shows two-thirds of americans can't afford unexpected expenses such as a $500 car repair or $1,000 emergency room bill. bank rate says people are trying to make ends meet by cutting spending on other things, relying on credit cards or borrowing from families. they say this proves having an emergency savings kuks is more than a personal finance cliche. back over to you. >> always a good plan. thanks so much. it's 4:49.

we know the saying what happens in vegas stays in vegas. this week what's happening in vegas is making a splash around the world. >> consumer electronics show begins this morning. we'll get an inside look at the hottest new tech and trends. it's closed right now. it doesn't open until later today. "today in the bay's" jay gray managed to sneak inside. >> reporter: it's the gee whiz, oh wow, cutting edge stuff that we'll be jumping up and down to get our hands on. >> it will tell you your daily activity. >> reporter: from your workouts to what you eat. soon you'll be able to buy cameras for your fridge and coverage that will let you know how much milling you have left, even order the essentials. >> you'll never run out of the most important things again. >> reporter: cooking veggies. grab the smart spoon -- >> he feels that the monkey is eating his green beans so he wants to eat as well.

>> reporter: no mormon keying around when it comes to lost luggage, the blue smart is the first smart suitcase with built-in gps as well as a sensor to tell you how much your bag weighs and power to charge your devices on the go. there's technology that works while you sleep, home security, cool cameras. i don't mean to drone on, but they are still a big deal. smarter, faster, better and soon even a fixed wing flier. >> you can use activity glasses and you will fly like a bird. it will be really very amazing. >> reporter: amazing, a word you hear pretty often at the consumer electronics show. jay gray, nbc news, las vegas. >> scott budman is in las vegas as well getting a sneak peek. we'll look for his reports on the morning and evening newscast throughout the week. >> it's 4:51. we continue our micro climate weather alert coverage when we come back.

got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call phone 1-888-996-tips or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. nbc bay area, we investigate. that sound. like nails on a chalkboard. but listen to this: (family talking) that's a different kind of sound. the sound of the weekend. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop. it's always worth remembering...

that icing the cinnamon rolls is a privilege not a right. unleash the power of dough. give it a pop.

really big storm system coming through the bay area, carr. >> heavy rain one of the concerns. as we go into the next couple days, here is how much rain we can see. most of us have already gotten from .50 to one inch. there may be flooding in many of the streets and low lying areas, also four drainage areas. in the sierra, we're expecting another 4 to 12 inches of snow. maybe 15 inches around bear

valley. beneficial snow coming down, temperatures staying cold. we'll see the snow lingering throughout the rest of the week and weekend. mike is tracking several problems on the road. >> we'll start in the north bay, southbound 101. look at the rain on the roadway, slippery conditions. volume of traffic holding steady. we'll go here and talk about the two crashes. in san francisco, north 101 at alame alameda, a sand truck has taken out some sand barrels and left debris and the truck itself. this cleanup effort in the wet, rainy area. we have north 101 on octavia. sounds like a car went onto the embankment. a smooth drive for the rest of the bay, guys. we have a spin-out reported for eastbound 80. another spinout reported there. that's the word of the day, spinout. back to you. happening today, contra

costa water users will weigh in on a proposed rate hike. the district's board of directors are meeting to discuss plans to raise rates more than 3%. it would take effect next month. the motion may be decided as soon as today following the hearing. about a half million people in central and eastern contra costa county will be affected. >> a deal now in the works after a judge allowed several san francisco police officers accused of sending bigoted texts to keep their john. the city attorney will appeal the decision made last month. the judge ruled the department waited too long to act. at least nine officers sent a string of racist and homophobic texts in 2012 but only became public during a trial last year. the judge cited a one-year statute of limitations. in his statement, herrera claimed the judge is

misinterpreting state rules. marin county leaders team with the national park service to brief locals on parking restriction near muir woods. hundreds of cars park on the shoulder normally on weekends making it very treacherous for people trying to pass. now the county has decided to limit shoulder parking to just 80 cars. a meeting to go over what's being done about the problem starts tonight at 6:30. what if the world's most unpredictable country had the world's most powerful nuclear weapon? north korea says it has the h bomb. a live look at san rafael this morning. you're facing another soggy commute across the bay area. full coverage just ahead. got a tip for nbc bay area's vittive unit? call 1-888-996-tips or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com.

nbc bay area, we investigate. as the country announces it

successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb.. the emergency meeting set to get underway in a matter of hours to discu t all eyes on north korea as the country announced it successful lu detonated a hydrogen bomb. a meeting under way to discuss the developing situation. we continue our micro climate alert coverage. another storm bears down on the bay area. "today in the bay" starts right now. . thank you for joining us. i'm scott mcgrew in for sam brock. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we have a much higher weather alert. storms barreling through as communities are trying to recover from the previous system

that downed trees and flooded streets and highways. still more rain to come. a live look at the radar this morning. still very active as we get drenched with yet another storm. >> we have our micro climate weather team in place monitoring the radar and the trouble spots this morning. we have bob redell and stephanie chuang out live in the elements monitoring what's happening. first let's go to meteorologist kari hall. >> this is the third of this week and the most intense of the ones we've seen. we see also quite a bit of lightning showing up just offshore and approaching the santa cruz mountains. that may be a concern as we go into the next several minutes. also those bright red intensities here on the radar. it shows that the rain is really coming down, most likely at a rate of about .75 to one inch per hour. that could cause runoff and flooding especially on the prior drainage areas and streets