thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. kari, another cold start. >> another cold start, another mild day. we can't even get out there and enjoy it because it's been so smokey. here's a live look at dublin right now. you can see the smoke that's with us as we start out on this thursday. it's going to be cold. look at these numbers. 37 degrees as you step out the door around the tri-valley. and then heading into the mid-60s by noon. a look at all of our microclimates show we'll be in the upper 60s and low 70s like yesterday. we'll talk about the incoming rain coming up. mike, you have a new look at oakland. >> i do. we saw all those taillights, brake lights at high street. you see flashing lights here. those crews have cleared from northbound 880. quick recovery through the area.

no problems as far as getting through the maze. the bay bridge has a report of a second fender-bender. i'll check on the status and show that to you coming up. so far the backup for the cash lanes is cleared. so is that crash over by is tsf saudi arabia's chief prosecutor announcing he'll seek the death penalty for five suspects in the murder of jamal khashoggi. 11 of 21 suspects are in custody and now facing charges. khashoggi's body has never been found. now to the unimaginable destruction left behind to our north. the camp fire still burning out of control in butte county. take a look at these numbers. the numbers missing overnight rows to 297. the death toll now stands at 56. 138,000 acres now charred. and it is just 35% contained.

today marks one week since that fire broke out. listening to the staggering numbers here, sadly, more than 10,000 structures are now confirmed destroyed. some people who lost their homes are already suing pg&e. they accuse the utility of negligence and blaming it for the devastating blaze. pg&e says it is too soon to tell what started that fire. right now we want to go live to "today in the bay's" bob redell in chico. >> you've been up there so many times this week. now we understand there are now concerns. tell us about them. >> reporter: red cross tells us ten people have been quarantined at the neighborhood church shelter in chico after they showed signs they might have contracted the norovirus. that's a 24-hour bug that's very dangerous. they have separated these people to a separate part of the property where nurses are caring for them, making sure they're staying hydrated with fluids

like pedialyte. what's happening is they eat, they can't keep their food down. again, it's a 24-hour bug. quarantined from the remaining 200 people who are sleeping at the shelter. it's been a week since the camp fire destroyed the town of paradise. just now people like mike are getting a look at what happened to their property. mike was holding out hope his home might have been spared until a friend sent him this video. >> my mom lost their house, my grandparents lost their house, i lost my house. my mom is upset because she lost all her childhood memories and stuff. there's no -- there's no proof of, like, my childhood. like the thousands of other residents of paradise, mike had to evacuate without much notice, escaping with his girlfriend,

their daughter and pets. coming up at 5:30, one woman has created a computer app to help connect people with their pets. this is something she just did because of the fire. it's an interesting story. see you then. reporting live here in chico, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> those stories give us so much hope and so much devastation. let's catch you up with what's happening down in southern california. firefighters are still working to gain the upper hand on the woolsey and hill fires. three people are dead. now, the woolsey fire has burned more than 98,000 acres and it's 52% contained. nearly 500 homes and structures are gone because of those flames. the hill fire is about 4,500 acres and 96% contained. the l.a. county sheriff says e people are heading home in malibu and sherwood.

a warning for bay area parents. all new numbers show the alarming amount of teens vaping in fremont. according to a survey, 39% of students at g.m. walters junior high school knew someone under 18 years old vaping. 29% say they believe it's easy to get cigarettes. fremont is holding a vaping town hall on that issue tonight. anyone can attend. it's at 7:00 p.m. at fremont unified school district. this morning there's talk about another transbay tube for b.a.r.t. that idea up for consideration. "today in the bay" pete suratos is live in alameda with what we can report right now, pete. >> reporter: good morning to you, marcus. b.a.r.t. is having fun with riders about how this will work when they tweeted out about this just yesterday. they're not calling it a tube right now but they're referring to it as the second transbay

rail crossing. we'll see where they go with that. let's talk about the benefits they believe will happen if they build this second tube. one of the big ones would be they're saying it would the mega region. another big one i saw that popped up was 24-hour service. the possibility of 24-hour service on b.a.r.t. of course, they're pointing it out as an option. doubling the capacity also. it could resolve some issues of crowding. of course, that's always a big issue when you talk about the number of riders on b.a.r.t. i did mention they have been going back and forth with riders about this specific issue. here's a tweet they replied to as far as b.a.r.t. running service on bridges in the bay area. they provided a rendering of b.a.r.t. on the bay bridge. of course, this is tongue in

cheek. now, b.a.r.t. does plan on -- officially they're saying they plan to build this tube in the next ten years. we'll learn more during their board meeting at 9:00 a.m. this morning. live in alameda, pete suratos, "today in the bay." >> we hope they got things worked out. a car crashed into a 30-foot tree last night destroying that tree and injuring a passenger. that crash happened at about 10:00. this is near a hospital in downtown concord. a female had to be cut out of that car by fire crews. weapon don't know the condition of the woman or the driver. police are investigating that accident. crab lovers, grab the butter. the bay area commercial du dungeness crab season starts. some 30 million pounds of crab will be pulled from the bay area waerts over the coming months. the season officially ends next summer.

for a lot of thanksgiving tables, that's a tradition. >> absolutely. i have mobile doppler radar powered up and ready to track the next storm. we're seeing the swirls of clouds, the area of low pressure and all the rain that's out ahead of that that will be approaching as we go into next week. we're also looking at clear skies as far as cloud cover. still a lot of smoke. we should see some slight improvement going into the end of the weekend and early next week as our winds turn southerly. we'll be looking at this moving by wednesday into thursday and there may be several waves of rain moving in. it looks really good as we check out the forecast and our rain chances for next week. i'll continue to monitor that with storm ranger. we'll have more on that coming up.

mike, you're tracking a couple of new crashes. >> we're talking about 880 at montague and 880 in old oakland. wait until chp gives me the update. they should arrive on scene shortly. contra costa county, no slowing. walnut creek at the interchange. upper freeway looks great. there is a crash reported at the bay bridge toll plaza. the first crash is blocking this entrance to the parking lot. it's not there. we do have a couple folks on the ride approach for cash lanes. we'll keep watching. walmart under pressure to get its employees a bump in pay. the action of south bay

congressman to make it happen. wall street looking like it's not going to recover today and the best black friday deals. still ahead, one company hands out guns as a holiday bonus. >> just really thankful for it. i thought it was really cool. at 5:25, we'll tell you why the owner picked those guns. you're watching "today in the bay."

happy thursday to you. good thursday morning. we're coming up on 5:13. as we head over to willow glen, it's going to be very cold this morning. as you head out the door, only 40 degrees at 7:00 and reaching into the mid-60s by early afternoon. now, that's about where we should be, but we shouldn't be seeing all this smoke. we'll talk about our air quality and upcoming rain chances in less than five minutes. highway 101, easy drive along the peninsula. as the sun comes up, you'll see the smoke in the air and more traffic. and a very good thursday to you. stocks continue to sink on wednesday. today doesn't look all that great either. i give you a heads up on pg&e before the bell yesterday. that looked like the right call because the stock fell more than 20%. facebook back in focus after a "new york time

"new york time "new york times" investigative piece. you remember facebook's mark zuckerberg originally said it was, quote, a crazy idea that facebook influenced the election. reporters say zuckerberg did not take an active role in meetings about the russia issue, in part because he was out on his so-called listening tour. the blog asked this morning who should be fired from facebook? it won't be zuckerberg. talks with china have started back up. we learned that from the chinese who say the two sides are in close contact. washington is a little less positive about it, saying chinese are offering the same deal they offered in the past. president trump and xi had a phone call earlier this month and they'll meet face-to-face upcoming in argentina. as we have said in the past

it's likely most black friday deals are available online same as at the store so you don't need to show up early. consumer experts say an analysis of prices so far show prices on small home appliance, home assistance like google home and home televisions. they advise you to buy the tv you want, not the ones on sale. they put the inexpensive televisions but a television is something you live with for quite some time and you enjoy laura and marcus on. buy the tv that consumer reports says you should buy, save up for it, rather than the super deal. walmart employees may see a pay raise in the near future. bernie sanders tweeted he and congressman are introducing new

legislation, it would ban those who buying back stock unless they pay them $15 an hour. amazon raged their minimum wage to $15 an hour last month. maybe you remember where you were five years ago today. one thing we know is a 10-year-old boy outer there who knows exactly where he was. myles scott, batkid story, captured headlines and hearts across the nation. today marks five years since the make-a-wish foundation brought his dream to life with the help of thousands of volunteers across the bay area. it was a spectacular day. the foundation says myles is now in fifth grade and he's still in remission from cancer. that's the best news of all. that led to that magical day coming to life. >> i remember that. >> it was such an amazing day, such a collaborative effort from people throughout the bay area.

it was just a beautiful thing. it was cool to have the nation witness that. >> it was one of those things where everybody was behind it. >> it kind of reflects the giving spirit that's here. look at the fires we had last year. unfortunately, there's more fire this year. but everybody really bands together. >> coming together. >> i love it. looking outside today, we're coming together to huddle up. >> it's cold out there. we've seen temperatures below freezing. in the north bay it's been really bad. not only that, we have the smoke and the worst of it moving into parts of the east bay as well as the peninsula and down to the south county. it's been getting trapped in some of those valleys. as we look at the temperatures as you get ready to head out the door, mostly low to mid-30s in the north bay. once again, a cold start on this thursday. half moon bay is down to 36 degrees and 33 in san martin.

bundle up as we talk about the potential of some rain in the forecast. and we're looking at storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar. of course, all clear this morning but we've got it going to make sure that we're tracking this incoming storm that's going to be approaching as we go into next week. we can still see a lot of clouds and the potential of some rain moving in. it's dry this morning which has caused the chilly temperatures to start out and then a big warm-up. we'll be up to 36 degrees as you start out at 7:00 and then reaching into the upper 60s later today. we'll all see the same temperatures like we did yesterday, very cold start. feeling a little bit better but you can't get out there and enjoy it. as we look at why we're going to see the rain coming in, here's a look at the jet stream. this is the flow of the upper level winds that carries those storm systems along with it. wherever the jet stream is lined up, that's normally where we see

storm track and rain. it's been well to the north since early october but we'll see it dip farther to the south. look where it will be right over the bay area going into next week as well as next weekend. some really good news there. as of now, the computer models are still all over the place with how much rain we're going to see, but with several waves possible between tuesday and saturday. there's the potential of getting at least an inch of rain. that was the euro model. here's a look at the gfs model. two different computer models to compare the amount of rain we'll see. and it's looking like at least an inch as well for parts of the north bay especially. as we look at our temperatures, still warm for this time of the year. we should be in the mid-60s. we'll be up to 70 by tomorrow and cool morning temperatures. rain chances coming in starting late tuesday but especially on wednesday. i'll have more on that. >> we got a little more information on the crashes or crash as reported.

chp says it's 880 at montague expressway looks like it's out of lanes. we haven't seen any slowing over there. no major injuries reported so we covered all those bases. silicon valley shows a smooth drive. we'll see san jose build up but we don't see any problems. isabel starting to pick up volume as well. we'll show you one more incident at the bay bridge toll plaza. we want to make sure you notice there's slowing for highway 4 from pittsburgh into bay point. the bay bridge toll plaza itself, we showed you the east parking lot and there was no crash. there's no camera shot. i had turned the emeryville camera toward the other parking lot but we consistent see a problem. there's a backup forming over the last couple of minutes, you see the fast track loading up. the metering lights were off. i did see slowing at the incline but i saw no crash. that's the good news.

take another look. the san mateo bridge. you can see smoke in the air but no problems on the road. that's good news. the peninsula is clear. back to you. >> thanks, mike. coming up, those dockless scooters falling into the wrong hands. we'll tell you about a scary incident in the south bay. plus, it's holiday bonus time. one company bucking the trend of handing out cash. instead, workers got guns. uhm next, what the workers thought about it. and 9 days sinm

elections .. numerous bay 5:23 for you right now. now to decision 2018. nine days since the mid-term elections. numerous elections are still too close to call. that includes more than a dozen in contra costa county this morning. starting this morning, leaders began manually hand-counting those ballots. just under 300,000 people started voting across contra costa county. just before 4:30 yesterday afternoon on the south side of washburn hall, police say a student was punched in the face, robbed of his cell phone by a group of students riding electric scooters. officers were able to find and arrest one but several others got away. the victim is expected to be okay. most companies give cash but one wisconsin-based company is

giving out guns for their christmas bonus. that company produces novelty glassware embedded with a bullet as if it was shot. this year the company says it's letting employees pick a handgun. one woman stands behind their decision to arm the staff. >> just really thankful for it. that concept behind why they wanted to do that was for our safety and our family's safety. i thought it was really cool. >> the company executives held a gun safety course before distributing the weapons. some employees opted to take a gift card instead. 5:25 for you right now. the views are changing in san francisco. the presidio will be celebrating the end of an iconic building with a demolition. >> the former military observation post remembered by many as the burger king with a view will be knocked down in a public ceremony today.

the presidio trust says the demolition will kick off a long-awaited project to build a park over the new twin traffic tunnel. this will connect the presidio to crissy field. >> for the first time in 80 years you'll be able to walk unimpeded from the birthplace of san francisco down to the waterfront. >> the work starts next year. by 2021 they'll cover the tunnels with scenic overlooks, trails and picnic areas. one week away from thanksgiving. >> good news for you this morning. your holiday dinner won't gobble up as much money as it did last year. the american farm bureau is out with its annual survey, which says the average cost of a classic turkey dinner with all the usual trimmings for ten people, plus leftovers, is $48.90. that's down 22 cents from 2017. a 16-pound bird is averaging $21.17. the lowest since 2014. >> you haven't seen my guests, that seems awfully cheap.

the cost can be better for some families in need. this weekend join us for the feed the need food drive that's happening this saturday. look at this map. all of us will take part. we'll be at various locations up and down the bay area collecting donations. marcus and i will be at the safeway on dunn avenue in morgan hill. 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. we'll go live for the weekend edition of "today in the bay." >> it will be fun. and the rest of the bay area team will be around the bay area. you can find more information for all of that right there at nbcbayarea.com. come on out. >> a lot of people annually come out and see us. it's nice. come on out. 5:27. coming up -- classes canceled for thousands of college students that cross the area due to the lingering smoke in butte county. we'll tell you which ones are closed in a live report.

animals in the fire zone are also in need of help. >> people have been looking for their animals. so, we wanted to play an important role in helping these people. >> up next, the help for animals coming from the bay area and across the country. a live look at the bay bridge toll plays sdmza. we'll have a check of the traffic and weather coming up.

right now at 5:30 -- fire crews are trying to get the upper hand of the camp fire in right now at 5:35, crews are

trying to get the upper hand on the camp fire in butte county. this is new video from overnight. that smoke causing huge problems in the bay area. colleges even canceling classes today. good morning. thank you for starting right here with us. i'm marcus washington. >> i'm laura garcia. across the bay area, another cool start and smokey skies again. >> we're dealing with very unhealthy air quality this morning. especially for parts of the east bay and over towards the peninsula. in san francisco, we take a look at the numbers and how much particulate matter is in the air. you're looking at measurements of 219, but it's the worst in parts of the tri-valley as we saw yesterday with the thick blanket of smoke overhead. here's a live look outside at fremont as you get ready to step out the door. yes, it's cold once again. we'll start out at 40 degrees and make it into the mid-60s later today. we'll talk about the improvements in the air quality and the weekend forecast as we head over to mike. you're seeing some flashing

lights. >> i did find the flashing lights over here in a parking lot. there you go. just beside the roadway. that crash was cleared from lanes as we talked about. also found these flashing lights, the metering lights. as we talked about, once that camera came back online from emeryville, we see those folks waiting. that keeps the span moving nicely but keeps the backup at the toll plaza. no problem for the maze. no problem for contra costa county. we have your predictable slowing and the rest of the bay shows a nice, easy drive. we continue with our microclimate report. this is a picture from noaa. it's before and after pictures of the smokey air. >> thousands of college students won't be in school today. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joins us in san jose. precautionary measure here, kris. >> reporter: yeah, definitely

student health is paramount for the chancellor at san jose state. in addition to canceling the classes, the university handed out 200 of these n-95 masks yesterday and they'll continue distributing them through friday as well. cal state east bay tweeted out that all of their activities are also canceled. that includes work. san jose state will be closed today and tomorrow. online classes, by the way, also included in that cancellation. san francisco state shut down at 5:00 yesterday evening. they'll remain shut down through saturday. my babysitter is a student here at san jose state. she told me she's worried about falling behind but it's good for the university to consider student and faculty health. on all three cal state campuses in the bay area, students will have access to dining facilities and health services and also they're getting those masks. over at uc berkeley the chancellor says, quote, we have decided the cancellation of classes is not at this point in

time warranted or necessary due to current aqi levels in berkeley. however, campus medical staff are advising that all of us limit our time outside and refrain from exertion while outside. doctors tell us they're seeing an uptick in asthma-related patients and other patients well enough to go home, they're staying in the hospital. >> some physicians are afraid to discharge patients because the outside air was more dangerous than the air inside the hospital. >> reporter: san jose state has ordered more masks. they are in short supply. we found families in the east bay who were trying to buy some and they came up empty. by the way, not all masks are the same. the one that you want to avoid, the particulate matter from the wood smoke, is the one with the little filter on the front. this is n-95. you can get them at any hardware

store. not a substitute if you're inside and one of these sensitive groups. not advised for children or people with beards. >> really need that seal on it. thanks. north of the bay area the destruction from the camp fire is adding up. today marks one week since that fire broke out in butte county. overnight the number missing rose to 297. the death toll stands at 56. 138,000 acres have now charred. it's just 35% contained. today marks one week since the fire broke out. a staggering number to report this morning. more than 10,000 structures now confirmed destroyed. additional crews have joined the search for victims and people reported missing. portable devices that can identify someone's genetic material in just a couple of hours rather than days or weeks are being brought in. so sad.

take a look at this photo. it's capittivating social media >> you see that cat outside a paradise home. it looks like that cat is waiting for its owner to come back home. we've seen a lot of heartbreaking scenes like this with animals throughout the fire zone. >> "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us live from chico from an evacuation center. so many people lost their pets and that's such a comforting thing if they could have their pets. >> reporter: true. we'll get to the pets but i want to tell you what's going on at this shelter. the county health department is keeping an eye on ten evacuees at the neighborhood church red cross evacuation center in chico they believe contracted the norovirus. those individuals have been quarantined and separated from the other 200 people sleeping here. while on the front lines,

firefighters try to contain the camp fire. this is new video from overnight. the fire has now advanced northeast of paradise, burning on both sides of highway 70. close to the national forest. cal fire puts it at 138,000 acres burned, 35% containment. they expect full containment in two weeks, november 30th. a number of survivors of the camp fire have posted pictures of their pets online missing, horses, donkeys, cats, dogs. some have been found, some still missing. amber is trying to connect them with their owners. on friday because of the camp fire she created an app called paw prints that allows people to plot on a map where their pet was last seen, along with breed and contact info. that way if someone finds their pet -- >> they can eislas easily put a

dot on the map. >> reporter: some have ended up here in orangevale. a veterinarian who has taken in five dogs who survived the fire but can't find their masters. s coming up at 6:00, we'll tell you how residents are finding out whether or not their homes survived the fire. those burn areas are still restricted. no one's allowed in. reporting live in chico, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> still such a trying time there. thank you. now to the latest on the woolsey fire. the death toll there stands at three. it's burned over 98,000 acres and 96% contained. a firefighter who battled the

fire was hit by a car and in the hospital with serious injuries. the hill fire is about 4,500 acres and 96% contained. the l.a. county sheriff says evacuation orders in parts of malibu are being lifted. people are also heading home in parts of the lake sherwood community near west lake village in thousand oaks. disney is reportedly facing a new legal claim from a woman who says her stay at the magic kingdom became a nightmare due to bedbugs. the l.a. times report she stayed at the disney hotel in april. her attorney showed some photos he claims shows bites and welts. that woman is suing the resort for physical and emotional damage. disney has not seen the lawsuit but calls the occurrences extremely rare. >> should i ask about the bug's life attraction? >> it might be too soon. >> all right.

we'll get over here towards northern california. at south bay peninsula, all looking great. the entire bay's commute looking really good. we have a little slowing, a blip showed up eastbound 580 around grant line road. i'll check out nothing unusual is going on there. we have your usual slowing west 580 at castro valley. this is more pronounced. just saw the sensors change. hayward and union city. this crash, though, on the map is northboundle 880 at hisperian. bay bridge toll plaza we have the backup with the metering lights. peninsula, all you see is a little haze from the smoke that's all over the place. >> it would be nice to get that blown out of here by the weekend. >> some of it's going to improve. other areas it may not improve all that much because we're

still looking at winds shifting around the bay area. as we look at temperatures, going to be in the low 60s for the coast. upper 60s for the inland areas. we may not see much of that sunshine at times. on sunday, i think more clouds will be moving in. it's also going to be cool with the coastal temperatures at 60 degrees. highs reaching 64 for the bay and 69 degrees inland. we have the meet in the street, castro valley light parade. that was rescheduled from last weekend. we'll see if it goes on this weekend. it's going to be in the upper 50s. right in time for the parade it's going to be all clear out there as far as our cloud cover. now, i've been picking spots based on where you can get some fresh air. if you really need to get away from the smoke, head to the sierra. air quality has been really good. here's a look at our sqauw valley forecast. mid-50s for the highs for the next couple of days. really cold mornings. if you head down paso robles,

they have improving air quality with 70 to 71 degrees. santa barbara, all clear there with highs reaching into the mid to upper 60s. we're going to see partly cloudy skies. l.a. also has much improved air quality over the bay area. we're going to see those highs reaching into the upper 60s there. we'll talk about what's going on here today with your palo alto temperature trend coming up in three minutes. >> thanks, kari. coming up, the widow of the sergeant killed in the latest mass shooting speaking out to nbc news. >> he tried doing what he would have wanted to do. up next, more of the emotional exclusive interview and details on the funerals of the shooting victim. the president once again taking on mueller this morning. why he feels more free to do so. scott, a karaoke session for the ages. this photo, kanye west and mark

zuckerberg going viral. kari weather tease

it is 5:45 and thursday morning. we're making it closer to the weekend. here's a live look outside in palo alto as we start out with chilly temperatures again. and a few clouds to start out during the morning. 46 degrees will be your temperature at 9:00. at noon, 60. 66 at 3:00 today. a look at all of our

microclimates. we're talking about great news in our forecast that's coming up in less than five minutes. heading over toward 101, san mateo bridge. the haze underneath those lights. we'll talk about where we have cleared up in the east bay. 5:46 for you right now. the private funeral for napa's elana housley. >> she was the youngest of the 12 victims killed in last week's bar shooting in thousand oaks. a celebration of life will take place at noon on sunday. her family is asking those that attend to wear bright colors. sergeant ron helu schlhelus' wi to the "today" show about her loss. >> it's hard. it's permanent. but you know what, he died doing

what -- what he would have wanted to do. and he -- he's in a better place. >> helus was killed when responding to the shooting at the borderline bar and grill. he's being hailed a hero. a caravan of migrants have decided to stay at a park. police intervened but others welcomed the migrants and even brought them food, water and clothing. the tijuana government is working to get migrants to shelter but for now many are choosing to set up camp in that park. president trump is once again lashing out against the man investigating him. >> scott mcgrew joins us. >> it's a witch hunt, we're hearing, no collusion, all the same words, but you're right, two things have changed. first, the democrats are a little more than a month away

from launching their own investigation. second, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell just quashed an attempt by republicans to protect bob mueller. in came the tweets this morning. the inner workings of the mueller investigation are a total mess. they have found no collusion and have gone absolutely nuts. a disgrace to our nation appear a total witch hunt like no other in american history. the phrase witch hunt comes from american history. there was an actual hunt for witches. the attack on mueller comes a day after the justice department ruled the pick -- president trump's pick of matt whittaker as acting attorney general was unconstitutional and comes after a remarkably bipartisan move to reform prison sentencing. republicans and democrats came together to adjust federal sentencing rules, moving them away from the get tough on crime sentences we saw in the '80s and '90s. >> today's announcement shows that true bipartisanship is possible. and maybe it will be thriving if

we're going to get something done. >> now, these reforms would allow judges more leeway in deciding some sentences and reduce the so-called third strike penalty from life to prison -- life to prison to 25 years. not entirely clear the measure has time to pass congress. as written now, it wouldn't be retro active. one of president trump's largest critics michael avanati has been arrested on domestic abuse. he's served as lawyer for stormy daniels and positioned himself as a defender of women. the victim in the alleged attack is a woman but police haven't specified who. he denies though charges. we'll be watching that and everything happening today. the president starting early with tweets. you can find me on twitter @scottmcgrew. >> thank you. new this morning, every picture tells a story. but this one right here could definitely use a little sound because kanye west tweeted this out last night.

you can see him in the middle holding the microphone. look there to his left, our right on the screen, that's founder mark zuckerberg. kanye says they sang back street boys "the one to remember". >> a lot of fun. looking live in st. louis. look at that winter wonderland. the big nor'easter planting itself over the east coast settling in there. same thing is at the white house right now. looks like a white christmas. a christmas card already in the making. first major snow along that region there. >> saw people in d.c. for the morning commute and in the evening -- >> this is early for snowfall like this. we'll be watching that. let's bring it back home looking at our air quality where it's been really bad. some of the worst of it

continuing through this morning. hopefully we'll see slight improvement as we go through the day. this is a reminder to wear your mask. we talk about these numbers. what does 248 means? it means it's very unhealthy. this is the amount of particulate matter in the air. we issue a spare the air alert when it's up to 150. it's unhealthy when it's 151 to 200. we're seeing air quality levels in this range, very unhealthy and very hazardous closest to the wildfires. be mindful of that. our high temperatures heading into the low 60s and 70s. as you're getting dressed, it's cold this morning. most starting out with 30s and 40s. grab a hat, maybe even a scarf to help keep you warm. storm ranger powered up, parked on san bruno mountain. that's the red radar scan you're seeing there. we are tracking our next storm that will be set to move into the bay area by tuesday into

wednesday. that's a look at it on satellite imagery. really excited about this because this could help improve our air quality and hopefully put an end to all the wildfires we're seeing far farther to the north. there may be several waves of this rain moving in as we go to tuesday, again on friday and possibly on saturday. but how much we could see? the computer models are still quite a bit all over the place. it does look pretty promising with decent rainfall totals. i'll be fine-tuning that. coming up for mike, you have a warning for the tri-valley commute. >> folks heading through the tri-valley into castro valley sometimes use a cut-through. let's show you all the speed sensors. they're looking pretty good and nothing unexpected. this closure goes on from yesterday. we had a fire between miles canyon and castro valley. that's your cut-through. a windy roadway. localings for the area sometimes use that. traffic should be light enough today where you don't have to. you can't anyway. it's still closed.

chp just confirmed that with us. they brought in the morning crew for the area. some mild slowing through the castro valley, hayward, typical. highway 4 through contra costa valley, that's the slowest drive. we have an issue for upper east shore, traveling towards central avenue, one crash may be blocking one lane. that's a concern. we'll continue to track that. hopefully it will clear soon. it will involve folks heading from richmond to san rafael bridge where the backup is starting to form. the north side, that's the good side. >> we'll take the good. 5:53. coming up, are you feeling the stress of the holidays already? you're not alone. the shocking number of americans who are overburdened by the holidays. coming from the fire zn

butte county. take a look at this photo nbc bay area )s kris sanchez shared 5:56 right now. a lot of images from the fire zone up in butte county. nbc bay area kris sanchez showed a picture of a horse safe after being rescued. there are ways to donate and help the animals in the area. you can follow kris, she's on social media. surgery is a better treatment for appendicitis than antibiotics. that's according to a new study

from stanford university. it showed patients given antibiotics alone were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital for things like belly pain. they also had a higher risk of having another bout of appendicitis. suddenly and surprisingly here, the long-term costs were 5% higher than the cost of surgery. new for you this morning, a big change for an iconic retailer and possibly a new trend as the holiday shopping season approaches. bloomingdales is about to sell tvs, washing machines. they're teaming up with lg which will have a shop inside bloomingdale's manhattan's flagship store monday. the lg products will also be available on bloomingdales.com. experts say more retailers are teaming up with brands this year as stores, including sears, close their doors. 5:57 right now. it's supposed to be a merry time of the year, but according to a new study, almost half of

americans aren't feeling very jolly this year. >> the financial strain of holiday shopping can kill the vibe. 70% of shoppers blow past their budget, forgetting hidden costs like travel and entertaining. >> nearly half of americans feel pressure to spend more money than they can afford. >> they say the best way to curb spending is make a plan to find the best deals and stick to a budget. switching gears -- people debate whether lebron james is the greatest of all time. >> this morning he may be a step closer to having that concrete proof of the title. last night king james past wilt ch chamberlin for the fifth position on the all-time scoring list. james has 31,425 career points. he needs 867 to pass michael jordan, who's in fourth place. the league's leading career scorer, you probably know this, kareem abdul-jabbar.

>> pretty big names there. well, parquor is not only ab activity for sports enthusiasts it's also a way for kids to deal with the ups and downs. >> it includes conquering obstacles by running and jumping. experts say the benefits are no surprise. >> exercise is good. exercise is good for the kinds of things we know adhd kids struggle with like cognition, executive functioning, attention, et cetera. >> it allows kids to work at their own pace, dr. collins suggests speaking with your family doctor before starting that sport. right now at 6:00 -- norovirus outbreak for fire victims in butte county. yet another problem for folks who lost everything. who is quarantined this morning. plus, a major jump in the number of people missing from the fire. a new study shows the

alarming number of teens vaping. our new look at the plan b.a.r.t. leaders are set to consider in the next few hours. what it will mean for your commute. "today in the bay" continues right now. good morning and thank you for starting your day with "today in the bay." >> let's check in with kari. another cool start. >> another cold start this morning. we've seen below freezing temperatures in the north bay and even for our inland valleys, dipping into the mid-30s this morning. bundle up. we're looking at a clear start in san jose. at we've seen the thick blanket of smoke. our temperatures heading up to about 70 degrees today. that's well above normal. here's a look at our air quality this morning. very unhealthy. grab a mask and try to limit your time outside today. we'll talk about our air quality going into the weekend coming up. mike, you have a delay getting to the bay bridge. >> i do,