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 that

are low lying. now all of this rain moving through san jose in fremont. a closer look shows that also palo alto dealing with the rain heading up the peninsula to san mateo, that's where all the intense rain is falling. also hayward, san ramon and pleasanton. in san francisco, it is pouring there, pretty much all across the city as we see a lot of yellows an greens here on the radar. the concern of flooding along with gusty winds. let's check in with anthony to see if we have anything happening yet. >> i want to keep the viewers up to date this morning as you get going. we have a flash flood watch in effect. that's why we're talking about the heavy rain. this flash flood watch is in effect all across the entire bay and also for the inner bay, the low lying locations. street flooding possible this morning and also debris and mud flows as well. if you've got any pictures, send them on in to us.

you can tweet them, facebook, and send them in to nbc bay area. we'll continue to track this. mike is tracking spinouts. >> we're looking at a live look from the eastshore freeway. it's a sloppy look, you can see the flashing lights. your commute direction past golden gate fields. there's a spinout there. a car sounds like it hit one of the walls and left debris, likely a fender or a piece of the car. big backup forming already in the westbound commute direction. that sloppy look on the map, same thing. you'll see the slowing through berkley. we have a slower drive there as well. a crash in san francisco north 101. no lanes blocked going into the city. more spinouts near 92 and 101. you see the conditions we're taoing about. back to you guys. "today in the bay's" bob redell in the santa cruz

mountains amid a flash flood wash. first let's go to "today in the bay's" stephanie chuang. >> reporter: right now i can tell you, it's clear. i'm getting pelted in the face by the rain. the story here is not just the rain, but the wind is very strong at marina green where the water levels are looking high. there's the coastal flood advisory, 15 to 20 feet in effect through tonight. high tide hiding around 7:30 this morning at 6.2 feet. that's where a lot of the concern is in places like here and ocean beach. yesterday's storm is an overwhelmed infrastructure, talking possibly clogged drains. we didn't see any this morning in san francisco. but the story, also the wind gusts 20 to 50 miles an hour in the bay area. in the marin county area, people in the office of emergency services in san rafael are keeping a close eye, close

watch. in the town of ross, homes were flooded ten years ago. there are various gauges that will alert the office of emergency services if water is high enough tore concerned. >> so far a couple of crashes reported in roadway flooding. we expect to see more as the rain continues. i'm actually getting drenched. next report in about 30 minutes. >> you look pretty soaked out there. get to dry land if you can at all. >> let's go over to bob redell to see if he is miserable in the santa cruz mountains. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, scott and laura. our weather department has been forecast, and this area of santa cruz mountains would be one of the hardest hit with this rain. forecast anywhere from a half to 1.5 inches. from what we're seeing so far,

they seem to be spot on. on highway 17, the headlights are heading southbound. we've seen heavy rain. we've got mild wind gusts. it is cold out here. there is a flash flood watch for this area and basically for the rest of the bay area. you do want to be careful out here, especially if you're on highway 17 or any roads with steep 'embankments. trees coming down like this one that closed both directions of highway 17 yesterday. the backup in the southbound direction at one point was 2.5 miles long while workers cut and cleared the tree that measured 1.5 feet in diameter. a santa clara county park ranger told us they believe that tree and others had been coming down because of the drought. ha the roots were weakened. that's why they'll be surveying trees on the park land to see

which ones need to be cut down so they don't fall down at an inopportune time. reporting live atop the summit in the santa cruz mountains. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> you can stay up to date on the weather conditions by downloading our nbc bay area app. click on the weather tab to find the radar. today which should find out if an east bay teenager will stand trial for his the murder of his 9-year-old friend. 18-year-old william schultz who has confessed to the killing. he had been released from a county mental ward the day before the stabbing. he was invited to stay at a friend's home. that's when he allegedly stabbed the boy to death in that home. looking at the cause of a fire at a facility for the

mentally ill in san leandro. it broke out at villa fairmont just off interstate 580. firefighters were able to bring it under control quickly thanks to a sprinkler system in the building. one room in the building was damaged, but no one was displaced. 5:07. kari hall with an update for us. >> you can see the rain coming downside ways. that shows that that rain is wind blown and we've had gusts at times picking up to about 30 miles an hour, maybe a little higher in some spots. we are also tracking quite a bit of lightning moving in from the offshore areas and moving into the coastal spots where we've seen some light nipping, and it has been weakening as far as the lightning strikes. but that's great news. but we've also had quite a bit of heavy rain as we take a close look at what's happening around san jose at the peninsula and over towards the east bay.

that's where the most intense rain is moving through now, also approaching pleasanton and moving through redwood city. that's where you may have that water just standing on the roads. it's hard to see when we have rain coming down this heavily. as you head out this morning. you may want to allow some extra time to get to where you're going, slow it down and be mindful that, if there's water over the road, you don't want to drive over it. let's check in with mike to see what's happening as you head out. >> kari, looking at the roadway with water on it. that's not what kari is talking about. she's talking about poppeding and puddling. this is just the slick conditions for 101. look how slippery this must be for the drivers. folks are minding their business, staying in their lanes. look at your map. we have flooding reported right now around 880 around the montague expressway. you'll find flooding again. look at all this blue on either

side of the bay. that's where there's ponding and puddling reported here. we'll see the colors change through livermore and the tri-valley. as we move the map up, we see a bunch of crashes either in the san francisco or oakland side of the bay bridge. a couple of spin ourts reported including this one right west 80. as we look at the live camera, the earlier traffic break which happened a few minutes ago quickly cleared. they still have one lane blocked west 80 around golden gate fields. use caution. it's a tough one already. coming up, we're tracking the latest news out of north korea this morning. the country claiming it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. there are doubts. how the united nations is responding this morning. got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call 1-888-996-tips, or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. nbc bay area, we investigate. as a string of storms wrecks

havoc up and down california. heavy rain and snow is to blame for a tour bus crash in micro climate weather alert this morning. heavy rain and snow is to blame for a tour bus crash in yosemite yesterday. luckily no one was seriously hurt there. in the meantime, the sierra with more snow right now. san diego being hit with severe weather all this week. a man was actually able to paddle board down his street.

we continue to track a storm making its way through the bay area this month. this is a live sog guy look at san jose. meteorologist kari hall keeping track of our very active radar. mike inouye keeping an eye on the roads. it is very slick out there. we'll check in with them in just moments. we're also watching a developing story out of north korea. the secretive country claims it has successfully detonated its first hydrogen bob. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez with more. they've successfully completed other nuclear tests. >> this is a test that would expand north korea's nuclear reach, make it more accurate. so far only north korea claims it is true. the secretive nation claims, as you said, it is the fourth such test of a nuclear device. these are still photos of north korean leader kim jong-un signing the order for a nuclear test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device. we're unlikely to see video of

that because it happened under ground. the white house claims it cannot confirm the claims. this is footage provided by north korean media, citizens cheering as they hear the announcement of that test that represents north corey yoo yeah's nuclear reach and the expansion of it. it is video nbc news is working to independently verify, difficult in that nation. leaders in south korea met with the u.s. ambassador there and the commander of u.s. forces. they held talks about this threat as did the ambassador to japan carolyn kennedy who echoed the white house statement. >> [ inaudible ]. >> this is video released by north korean state media of nuclear engineering working at a nuclear laboratory. it appears to be quite old. the country has been under united nations security council

sanction since it first tested an atomic device back in 2006. the u.s. geological survey did report a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that south korea said was 30 miles from the site where the north has conducted nuclear tests in the past. the security council and diplomats will meet today in an emergency meeting to discuss what's next. scott and laura? >> all right, kris. thanks. twitter could be lengthening the length of your tweets. >> for that and more, landon dowdy live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> scott and laura, good morning to you. stocks could come under more pressure today. futures are lower again. investors keeping tabs on news that north korea tested a hydrogen bomb. the market snapping a three-day slump on tuesday. look for data this morning on private sector jobs and minutes this afternoon from last month's fed meeting. the dow rising nine points to

17,158, the nasdaq slipping 11 to 4,981. twitter may be ready to ban its decades old limit on the length of tweets. it may expand posts 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 limits by taking screen shots of texts and tweeting those. dorsey did exactly that on tuesday, tweeting a shot of a ten-paragraph text, about 1300 characters. samsung and apple are long-time rivals. the south korean electronics giant says it will make its latest smart watch, gear s2 compatible with apple's ios. samsung didn't say how the watch would be compatible. apple let's rivals create apps to work with its devices.

back over to you. >> landon dowdy and wall street, thank you so much. now we want to check in with meteorologist kari hall and mike, keeping tabs on the roadway. is this the strongest of the storms we're see? >> yes. this is the third one we've had this week and the strongest. more intense, lightning, heavy downpours and gusty winds to go along with that. o a lot of concerns this morning as you head out the door. let's take a live look at palo alto where people are moving slowly, but they are making it. if you do see water covering the road, standing water on the road, try not to drive over it because you just don't know how deep it is. that will be the concern, not the only flooding, but the possibility of trees toppling down and some lightning as this storm system continues to roll in. so the most intense of this storm is now moving in for parts of the south bay and the east bay as well as the peninsula where heavy rain is coming down. let's get a closer look at where we do see some bright reds.

let me look at the rainfall rates in san jose. when the rain is coming down this heavily, it makes it hard to see. take a look at this. 2.75 inch per hour. we won't see it lasting for an hour, but that's quite a bit of rain. very intense as it continues to pour. the main concerns will be the heavy rain and the lightning offshore starting to move into the santa cruz mountains. late this morning we'll stay have widespread heavy rain and flooding in spots. this afternoon into the evening, thunderstorms will be likely and some isolated gusty winds. we've already started to have those winds picking up. wind speeds at about 35 miles an hour this morning in los gatos, berkeley, san francisco and oakland. pacifica about 26. we may see winds increase with temperatures in the upper 40s to lower 50s. highs today reaching around 55 degrees for many spots.

we will still have these scattered showers lingering throughout the day and flooding concern continuing the go up so that flood watch continues until about 4:00 this afternoon. it will finally start to wind up and taper off as we head into tomorrow afternoon. let's check in with mike to see what's hang on the roadways. >> right now we're seeing the restoration of traffic flow. we had a traffic break south 880 at high street. there was another spinout reported there. they ran a traffic break to clear it from the middle of the roadway out to the shoulder. no major injuries reported. this is like the sixth one i've seen in particular on the live cameras. this traffic flow, restoring past the coliseum south. the bay bridge, seeing more traffic flow. the eastshore freeway in the distance, that's showing recovery as you travel west past gilman. still a spinout there, but mostly over to the shoulder, your slow lane is blocked now. the earlier spinout in hercules

eastbound 80, that's also cleared from the roadway. those are four on the shot we showed you. here is the rest of the scattered crash. look all over the bay, smaller incidents reported. this is one to watch for. watch for the crews as they arrive. you see the flashing lights, give them a lane. flooding will be an issue. more reports coming in. when you don't see mike on tv, he's updating our nbc bay area app. you can download it from the app store and google play. scott budman takes a look at how you can use this app during the micro crime mat weather alert. when we're in an nbc bay area micro climate al her, we made it easy to get the latest information on your smart phone. first click on the bar that says weather alert. that will take you right to what you need to know right when you need it. i'm scott budman. that's how to stay informed on the nbc bay area app.

the overnight decision from the alameda city council that could have an impact in your neighborhood. the city of oakland is

strenghtening gun control 5:23 on wednesday morning. city of oakland strengthening its gun control laws. yesterday the city council passed two ordinances. they require owners to store guns in locked boxes both in their homes and in their cars. they also banned large capacity

magazine. critics have threatened legal action if the ordinances pass. new information on a marathon meeting that ended two hours ago. the alameda city council tentatively agreed to revise rent control measures. last night early into this morning the council agreed to extend the current temporary moratorium on rent hikes. council members spent more than eight hours considering a number of long-term options, eventually agreed -- landlords and tenants into forcing them into arbitration, that's if the two cannot agree on any rent increase above 5% and instead banning evictions without just cause. the council voted to force landlords to pay relocation fees if they kick somebody out of their place. many at the meeting came in to support doing something to cap rising rates. >> double-digit annual increases which are really unfair to

tenants. >> council members anguished over 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. 5:25 right now. happening today, marin county leaders team up to brief locals about parking restrictions near muir woods. hundreds of cars typically pack along the shoulder on muir woods road. it's normally on weekends, making it pretty treacherous for people trying to pass. now the county has decided to limit shoulder parking to just 80 cars. the meeting to go over what's being done about the problem is being held at the tran valley community center in mill valley tonight at 6:30. coming up, another round of rain, mounting flood concerns heightened across the bay area. how communities are shaping up this morning following days of perpetual rain. live look outside san jose this morning. this storm packing a punch. we have team coverage to help you get out the door.

got a dip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call 1-888-996-tips, or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. nbc bay area, we investigate. joining us. i'm laura garcia

cannon. =scott/2shot= and i'm scott mcgrew in for sam brock. =scott/anim= now to our microclimate weather alert. =scott/topvo= good wednesday morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm scott mcgrew in for sam brock. our micro climate alert trying

to recover from yesterday's wet weather. another storm is drenching the bay area. downed trees, flooded streets. we've seen it all in the past few days. there's still more rain on the way. this is the golden gate bridge as the latest storm packs its punch. >> we have a micro climate weather team in place monitoring the radar and the worst hit spot so far this morning. we have "today in the bay's" stephanie chuang and bob redell monitoring what's happening outside. let's get to meteorologist kari hall. >> we see the storm system moving in. this is the third this week and the most intense. we are for the first time seeing lightning rolling onshore, and the previous storms haven't been this heavy as we take a look at some of the rainfall intensity as the storm moves just to the east of san jose and moving up 580 -- 680 rather and in to pleasanton as well, where we had to have very heavy rain at this point. haven't seen much in the way of

lightning, but flooding a big concern as we go through that morning commute. a closer look as you head from saratoga down toward morgan hill. we see some heavy rain. fremont, some bright red showing up there, showing a lot of energy in this storm system that could also produce some gusty winds and some small hail. as we go into the next few hours, it will still be raining, but there may be a few more breaks as we go into the morning commute. here we are at 10:00, 11:00. we still see the scattered showers moving through, and that could also enhance the flooding risk. anthony, are you seeing any reports of storms or flooding? >> in fact, you've been talking about the heavy rain. we've seen strong winds as well. san francisco we did have report of a tree down about 15 minutes ago in the mission area between fourth and fifth street in san francisco, actually on mission street. keep in mind we have the flash flood watch in effect for the entire bay area. that's going to lead to the

potential for minor flooding on the street, even potential for small creeks and streams to rise. the debris and mud flows because our ground has been so dry this year. keep in mind, as you go through the morning, that's what we'll be battling. mike tracking spinouts this morning. >> a number of spinouts, anthony, not really better, but some clearing as others pop up. we're looking towards the bay bridge toll plaza as we see the rain on the lens. on the roadways, tough to see. you can see the fast track lanes are slowing. we have a little lighter flow of traffic. we have the maps showing the slower drive as well. for the earlier spinout, west 80 at gilman, the lanes have cleared. the build starts from richmond toward university avenue. you see all these incidents, smaller crashes on the 880, another spinout. minor flooding in san francisco, off the sky way for eastbound 80. also 101 at octavia and alemany.

a smoother drive for the speed sensors. hydroplaning towards the dumbarton bridge toll plaza. in palo alto, the camera shaking a bit because of the winds. back to you. let's get to how things are shaping up outside. "today in the bay's" bob redell in the santa cruz mountains amid a flash flood watch. stephanie chuang is live in san francisco among concerns of coastal flooding. you look a little happier. >> reporter: a little hectic out here. the winds a big story this morning, very strong. you heard kari say some places see i seeing 30 miles per hour. the water level is pretty high and the boats are rocking. we have the coastal flood advisory for dangerous waves, 15 to 20 feet for tonight. in just two hours, worry about

high tide hitting around 7:30 at 6.2 feet. driving around the city this morning, we didn't spot any huge problem spots. one worry we have heard from people, including the chp, any clogged drain because of the last couple days of rain. in marin county, people at the office of emergency services in san rafael are closely monitoring the water levels at corte madero creek. the flood control district has pumps, motors, generators in place and worked to clear creeks, drainage ditches and pipes ahead of the el nino storms. one note, before we wrap up here, you the umbrella out. it's not that effective when the wind is so strong. just a warning, that regul. >> i think you're on coat number two, right? >> that's right.

>> so far this morning. let's check in with bob redell as well. he's up in the santa cruz mountain this is morning. the rain is coming down there as well. >> reporter: we were out here yesterday. you compare yesterday to today, we have heavy winds, mild gusts. it is cold out here. we have seen flashes of lightning. on highway 17, the headlights heading northbound into the santa clara valley. you want to be careful out there. a flash flood warning in effect. you're also going to see the risk of mud and other debris possibly washing on the roadway, and then the risk of downed trees like this one that fell down blocking both directions of highway 17 yesterday. it took quite a while for the workers to clear that tree. it was estimated to be about a foot and a half in diameter. at the worst point, traffic backed up in the southbound

direction for 2 1/2 miles. we did speak with a ranger with the santa clara county parks district who believes a lot of trees are at risk of coming down because they've been weakened by the drought. >> we saw a few today come down. you mentioned along highway 17. we'll see a lot more i think with the heavy rains. >> reporter: that's why the rangers have been and will be surveying trees at risk so they can identify those trees and take them down before they come down on their own. live atop the summit, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> you can enjoy our micro alert crime mat coverage as well, send your photos and tweet them to @nbcbayarea. you can e-mail them to isee@nbcbayarea.com. a south bay family finally getting answers after a deadly stabbing on christmas morning.

the three men you see here are now in police custody, all charged with the murder of jose marin. marin's family says he had just finished a late night christmas eve dinner with friends when he was attacked around 5:00 a.m. he died at the hospital soon after. marin's family believes it was a case of mistaken identity. east bay parks are increasing the number of security cameras to fight a rash of car burglaries, as many as one a day. the bay area news group says 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. >> talking about all the rain we're getting this morning. you think this rain gives you the excuse of hanging out in the shower a little longer, it turns out you're not alone. new numbers indicate many

californians are putting water conservation on the back burner. the state is asking for 25% savings. november was the worst conservation month since california set new restrictions. water agencies say we're not out of the woods by a mile. >> we're starting to see some inflow into our reservoirs, but we haven't seen that much yet. we really need this pattern to continue. >> the bay area, by the way, saved at a higher rate in november than the rest of the state at 27% above the state minimum. back to micro climate weather alert coverage this morning. let's take a live look at the golden gate bridge. look at all that ponding on the bridge as cars pass through there. meteorologist kari hall tracking the radar all morning long. there are still more storms to come. >> yes. this is the third of four we're expecting this week. this one looks to linger a little longer than ones we've seen previously. it's also stronger with intense lightning just offshore and some

very heavy rain moving through parts of the bay area right now, mainly the south bay and in parts of the east bay. as we get a closer look, we can see how wet it is out there. when you see the bright reds and oranges, that indicates very intense rain. let's get a look at just how heavily it's falling. this basically gives us an idea of the storms and where the most intense precipitation is happening. so rain at about 2.75 inches per hour. it's not lasting for an hour, but with it falling that fast and heavy, it creates low visibility, and the water just ponding on the roads and low lying areas. also up toward milpitas and fremont and approaching the tri-valley. let's check in with mike to see if it's slowing you down. >> not having as much of an impact as it did yesterday. in the bulk of the commute we had flooding on 280 through san jose. that doesn't mean you shouldn't slow. you should slow your speeds because traction is bad. we have tough visibility.

look at this camera shot here, we see the camera caught, a lot of traffic on the north 101 roadway. this entire area, the south bay showing blue, ponding, puddling, flooding reported. 87 coming up into downtown, 880 around montague and around the alameda just like yesterday. we had an earlier fender-bender as well, north 87 at kirter in. the rest of the bay we're seeing more cars but fewer crashes, a smoother drive, but still watch the spinouts. there are more folks on the road so you have to lower your speed and that's a consequence there. as we're traveling west 80 toward the bay bridge and the berkeley curve, a spinout earlier here as well. coming up, tech lovers get excited. the annual consumer electronics show gets under way today.

sneak peek at the hottest items and trends for 2016 next. we all know the saying - what

happens in vegas -- stays in vegas.. but this week at we know the saying, what happens in vegas stays in vegas. >> that's why i'll take you to vegas. >> this year, the consumer electronics show is making a splash. >> lots of reporters headed there. it starts in a few hours. it is closed to the public. "today in the bay's" jay gray managed to sneak inside and he wakes up early in las vegas to show us the cool things. thank you for doing that, jay.

>> reporter: scott and laura, it's worth it. there is so much just neato here. all the gadgets and gismos, a look into the future of technology that will affect us all. >> reporter: it's the gee whiz, wow, cutting edge stuff that will be jumping up and down to get our hands on. >> it will tell you your daily activity. this is kind of my day today. >> from your work outs to what you eat. soon you'll be able to buy cameras for your fridge and cupboard to let you know how much milk you have left, suggest recipes, what you have, even order the essentials. >> you'll never run out of the most important things again. >> reporter: cooking veggies the kids won't eat? put your smart phone into this stuffed animal and grab the smart spoon. >> he thinks the monkey is eating green beans, so he wants to eat as well. >> reporter: no mormon i canning

around when it comes to lost luggage, the blue smart has built-in gps as well as a sensor to tell me how much your bag weighs. there's technology that works while you sleep. home security, cool cameras, even this lays sser crown. still a big deal, soon even a fixed wing flier. >> you can use activity glasses and you'll fly like a bird. it will really very amazing. >> reporter: amazing, a word you hear pretty often here at the consumer electronics show. wearable and workouts also a big deal. activity bands, these from polar that will tell you just about anything. they'll tell you how you cleep, how you eat, how to work out. this one with crystal, it's amazing. the prices are going down and they're doing a lot more f. you work out, you need music. urban beats makes these things

you can take off, throw them in the washer, you sweat a little bit. cycling glasses. i've got to complete the goofy futuristic look. >> scott budman is joining jay in las vegas. we have all kinds of nbc reporters there. we look eel look for scott's report. north korea claiming it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb. there are doubts this morning. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez is tracking the very latest from our newsroom this morning. kris, whether it's true or not, the united nations certainly reacting this morning. >> they're not confirming what north korea is claiming, but they are holding an emergency meeting the day because this is a test that would expand north korea's nuclear region, make it more accurate. again, if it's true and so far only north korea claims it is true, the secretive nation claims it is the fourth such test of a nuclear device.

there are still photos of north korean leader kim jong-un signing the order for a nuclear test of a miniaturized z hydrogen device. we're unlikely to see video of it because it happened under ground. the white house says it cannot confirm those claims. this is footage completed by north korean media, citizens cheering as they hear the announcement of the test that represents an extension of norg korean's nuclear reach. it is video that nbc news is trying to independently verify. leaders in south korea met with the u.s. ambassador there and commander of u.s. forces. they held talks about this forces as did the u.s. ambassador to japan, caroline kennedy who echoed the white house senate. >> japan, partners and allies in solidari solidarity. we'll work closely together in the coming days. this is video of nuclear

engineers working at a nuclear laboratory. it does not appear to be very recent. the country has been under united nations security council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. the u.s. geological survey did report a 5.1 magnitude earthquake that south korea claims was 30 miles from the site where the north has conducted nuclear tests in the past. the security council and diplomats will meet today to discuss what's next. laura and scott? >> thank you, kris. happening today t so-called affluenza teen will return to the united states after fleeing to mexico with his mother. 18-year-old ethan couch and his mother were captured last week. the two fled to new mexico after the teen violated terms of his probation. he was on probation after killing four people while driving drunk. at the time of the incident, his attorney argued the teen didn't know right from wrong because of

his, quote, affluent upbringing. an appeal in the works after a judge allowed several san francisco police officers accused of sending bigoted texts to keep their job. city attorney dennis herrera will appeal the decision the judge made, ruling that the department waited too long to act. at least nine officers sent a string of racist and homophobic texts which first surfaced in 2012, but only became public during a trial last year. the judge cited a one-year statute of limitations. in his statement, herrera claims the judge misinterpreted state rules. 5:48. people have only about a month to voice their concerns about a controversial plan to bring oil trains to the bolero oil refinery in benicia, the plan calling for trains carrying crude arriving daily from can a

canada. the company and the public comment period ended on february 8th at which time the benicia city council will hold meetings to consider whether to issue that permit. 5:49. back to our micro climate weather alert this morning. seeing a lot of solo car spinouts out there. >> a lot of them, yes. >> all because of the storm. >> all about the weather today with heavy rain falling this morning. we'll see it off and on all through out the day. now the most intense rain is coming through. we've also had gusty winds. as we take a live look at the sierra blue canyon road, we do see it is snowing there. light snow starting to happen, and it will get more intense as that storm system, the third one of the week, moves into the bay area and then into the sierra. so we'll take a look at how much snow they're expecting there. a lot of rain expected here as we are under a flood watch. that continues until 4:00 this afternoon. there will be the concern of

street flooding, debris flow and mudslides all possible as this heavy rain moves through. we've also had quite a bit of lightning. the good news, the lightning has been weakening as it moves inland. we're not seeing a lot of that into the bay area. still very heavy rain, gusty winds and now most of that has shifted to the east of san jose but still affecting the drive as you head farther to the north, between now, oakland and hayward, there's heavy rain and bright yellows and oranges show you the rain is pretty intense. as we go toward livermore, heavy downpours as that continue to move in your direction. we're seeing some of the showers passing through the tri-valley and some of the spots where the rain will continue to get a lot heavier. so as we go through the morning, still some scattered showers, looking at a lot of yellows and repds here on the radar nor most of the bay area. scattered showers will continue off and on as we go throughout the day. it wopt be as widespread.

there may be a few breaks today. pretty much raining off and on all day. tomorrow morning at this time, it is still raining, and we will see that finally starting to taper off as we head into friday afternoon. the rain forecast brings us another inch or maybe even an inch and a half in some spots, like santa rosa looking at about an inch and a half on top of the rain we've already had. our temperatures will be staying the same as we go into the next few days. let's check in with mike to see what's happening on the roadways. >> kari, very wet as you showed from your radar. we're looking over here toward the bay bridge where we have the toll plaza metering lights and the backup. commute returning after a couple weeks of vacation. as we look at the golden gate bridge, the bay bridge has the backup and the wet roads, golden gate bridge has the water kicking up on the cars behind. we'll look down the peninsula

toward palo alto. minor flooding reported between palo alto, san mateo. another spinout reported, 24. the peninsula ones have cleared and the south bay hasn't had much of an issue. a burst of traffic north 101 and 680. back to you. don't forget inside our nbc bay area app, you can find tools to find out what's going on outside. meteorology rob may ada shows us how it works. here is a way to stay ahead of the storm whenever rough weather hits the bay area. go to our 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 dropdown list you can specify if you would like to know about lightning arriving in our area and if there's a dangerous storm

approaching, you can select that on our drop-down menu, from flooding to thunderstorm alerts. everything there for you that you can customize and get the information right to your mobile device minute by minute as the weather develops across the bay area. >> we'll be right back.

answer to the charges against him today. enrique marquez -- a friend of a friend of one of the san bernardino gunmen could answer

to charges against him today. enrique marquez, a friend of syed farook is expected to be arraigned, although investigators think he didn't take part in last month's mass shooting, he has been accused of buying two of the assault well upons used in attack. the charges include providing material support and providing false statements. the city of oakland's city council last night passed two ordinances that require owners to store guns in locked boxes both at home and in their cars. the city council also banned the possession of large capacity magazines. critics have threatened legal action if those ordinances pass. there is another vote happening today to repeal obama care. "today in the bay's" tracie potts is following developments on capitol hill where the white house is gearing up for a fight on that and president obama's new gun sale restrictions.

>> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad. >> reporter: the nra is calling president obama's tearful speech, an emotional condescending lecture. republicans aren't thrilled either. >> once again we see the president overstep his executive authority, and every time he has done this, it has not ended well. >> reporter: there's only so much mr. obama can do, redefining which sellers must do background checks doesn't change the laul. >> there's no change at all in the law. the president restated what has been the law since 1968. >> reporter: the white house is gearing up for a fight on that and obama care. >> we're willing to call their bluff. >> reporter: tonight the house votes again to dismantle the president's signature health care program. for the first time it could also pass the senate. >> the shame in this institution is it took 62 times for the will of the people to make its way to the president's desk. >> reporter: president obama

won't sign it. >> this is not going anywhere. >> reporter: the bill would strip millions from planned parenthood. >> where exactly are the women in these areas supposed to go to get a pap smear or to get a mammogram? >> reporter: president obama and congress at odds with his budget request just weeks away. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. an animal abuse investigation is under way after somebody apparently through a puppy from an east bay overpass. it happened over the weekend at the highway 4 overpass in antioch. x-raies reveal this 1-year-old australian shepherd will likely need surgery but he is in stable condition. contra costa county officials say the people who found the puppy may end up adopting it. turning the a tried and true method to slow the rate of car break-ins. car break-ins at east bay

regional parks averaged one a day. the district is buying cameras at a cost of $120,000. some parks already use the cameras. the new devices will cover dozens of entry points into 65 park systems. the bay area now under a micro climate weather alert as the third storm of the week rolls into the bay area. coming up at 6:00, we'll let you know what to expect as this system and other weather systems move through. i'm stephanie chuang live in san francisco where the rain has been coming down pretty hard all morning long. we've got a warning about some dangerous high surf. the details coming up in a live report. >> reporter: i'm bob redell live atop the santa cruz mountains where a flash flood watch is in effect. "today in the bay" starts now. very good wednesday morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm scott mcgrew in for sam

brock. a live look outside this morning at that very slick drive through san rafael and the drive through emeryville. the entire bay area getting slammed with another strong storm. the third in as many days, shaping up to be the strongest of them all. >> right now our live satellite radar shows where the heaviest rain is falling right now. look at that, right through the bay area. our "today in the bay" team is here in the newsroom and out in the elements to help you get where you need to go safely. let's start with meteorologist kari hall with a timeline for all of this. >> it's going to be off and on all day. we've seen the heaviest of the rain already moving through. as many people head out to work or school, it is already wet. as we take a closer look at what's happening, this is what we can expect, heavy rain and lightning offshore. a lot of that has been weakening. that's a good sign and widespread heavy rain continues with isolated flooding through late morning, and