the classic hollywood story. we meet the hero, the all-new nissan frontier hero faces seemingly impossible challenge. tension builds... the plot twist the hero prevails in hollywood, this would be the end. but our here, we are just getting started. introducing the all-new nissan frontier.

marry even marry even marry aen mare yaen marian ne marianne marianne skarp in order righ the snap and grab. are people willing and ready to head back out? plus the variant detected. should we be concerned? we asked one of our covid experts. and -- i'm so proud of you. i'm hoping for a wonderful thanksgiving to all of you. that is the veep. a business owner gets a special call from vice president harris while he was out on this thanksgiving, giving back to his community. good evening and happy thanksgiving. thanks for joining us on this special edition of nbc bay area news. i'm raj mathai.

>> and i'm janelle wang. we hope you're having a wonderful night. the meals are done, football is over, the attention now shifts to black friday. before the pandemic, we often saw this, people gathering, stores opening on thanksgiving night even before black friday. last year because of the pandemic there wasn't a whole lot of in-person shopping. this year more stores are opening back up, so those shoppers could snag those in-person deals beginning tomorrow morning. >> but here's a warning, you probably know this, it's not going to look the same, and this has nothing to do with the pandemic. it's all about security following this wave of flash mob burglaries, so is it worth it? will people show up beginning tomorrow. san francisco making some major changing with parking and almost every other shopping mall across the bay area, changes as well. let's bring in nbc bay area sergio quintana. sergio? >> reporter: it's unusually quiet in the

thanksgiving evening. i'm talking to people in line for those midnight black friday deals, but this year target, along with a whole lot of other retailers, are closed. target stores will not reopen until 7:00 a.m. for black friday, and it has announced it will be making close on thanksgiving permanent. walmart stores which stayed open on thanksgiving since the 1980s is also closed. the retailer will reopen for in-person black friday deals at 5:00 a.m. same goes for best buy. this is a move made during the height of the pandemic in order to flatten the curve of covid-19 restrictions. in the bay area, some shoppers are also uneasy about venturing out to do their shopping because of that recent rash of flash mob

robberies. those concerns are something leaders across the bay area are hoping to ease. >> it's on the news we see online. i see every time and then we have started doing things online, too. it's a little risky to come out and do doorbusters in the city, so that's why we're not doing it this year. >> the police are still out there. we are going to continue to make sure that there is a large police presence, that there are ambassadors who can help people as they come to the city, that there are additional resources and undercover folks who were out there and it's 24/7. >> reporter: now, san francisco mayor london breed says the increased police presence in the city's shopping quarters will continue at least into the new year and perhaps beyond. she's asking the state for additional resources. here in the state, sam ricardo says he'll be asking the city council for more funds to be

able to fund more license plate readers so they can help track anyone trying to get away from these incidents when they do happen. since we've been out this evening, we have seen police on patrol at every shopping mall we visited. reporting tonight in san jose, i'm sergio quintana, nbc bay area news. so what's open early? the earliest we saw was best buy at 5:00 a.m. a lot of shopping malls will open at 6:00 a.m. including the gilroy outlets, napa outlets, vacaville outlets, safr sapphire outlet, the great mall and more. westfield valley fair opens at 7:00 a.m., westfield san francisco opens at 8:00. this is a big change in san

francisco. this rarely or never happens. if you're headed to the union square, there are three free parking garages. the sutter stockton garage being one. >> that may help people feel more comfortable shopping in the city. take a look at our traffic cams in san jose and walnut creek. it's cold. perhaps take a brisk walk to burn off that evening meal before your late night snacks, that being us. you have two rubble rousers at home. did they get turkey today? >> yes, they did. they got a little boost. folks rushing off to those evening meals across the bay area. good traffic flow on the bridge, no problem there. we have to watch some of that

fog that's been forming in the central valley. that may try to spill to the west in solano and costa contra counties. those will be areas to watch with patchy fog, and remember those temperatures where we said it's a chilly night. if you're in the north bay, again, we could see patchy frost around santa rosa, temperatures in the 30s. patchy frost possible in the north valleys. for the weekend, you might be surprised at how warm the temperatures are going to get and the lack of rainfall in our 7-day forecast. we'll have a look at both coming up in about 10 minutes. a full forecast and warmer temperatures on the way for the weekend. >> and the 49ers game at the lehigh stadium as well. thanks, rob. download our nbc bay area app. it's a really good resource for our local weather. you'll get more accurate readings than your iphone, forecast tailored for your neighborhood.

as we research the new covid variant, it's spreading quickly among young people. south africa has seen an exponential rise in cases over the past week. the new variant is not just in south africa, either. it's also in hong kong and botswana. there is worry that the current vaccines might not be as effective against this variant, so we asked some of our covid experts about it. >> some of the antibodies that were developed may not work well against this variant. luckily the t-cell response is very widespread, so i doubt it will at all completely evade our immunity. it will not completely evade our vaccines, it just may be a little less to work with our vaccines. >> they're also worried it may be more trance -- transmissible,

but they're not even sure about that. we're seeing less cases this year than we did last year at this time. last year we saw 149 new cases a day. this year it's 59. last year hospitals were treating 71 covid patients, this year 18 covid patients in san francisco hospitals. janelle, this is a nightmare s scenario. you're putting your turkey in the oven and all of a sudden the power goes out in the whole house. we asked pg&e what happened, and they tell us it's the bird's fault. here's nbc bay area's marissa colorado. >> reporter: serving undercooked turkey was not how linda frankel

wanted to spend thanksgiving day with her husband. >> it's not bouncing back very well. >> reporter: not included in linda's turkey recipe, the ov on -- oven not once, not twice, but three times. 4,000 customers lost power today, starting around 10:46 a.m. >> power went out right in the middle of cooking turkey. it went out three or four times today. a little scary. >> reporter: why was it scary? >> didn't think we were going to have turkey dinner. >> reporter: they said birds caused damage to a key power line. >> birds cause damage to airplanes, but sitting on a power line should not cause disruption for so many people, especially on a day of celebration and a holiday. >> reporter: pg&e says by 3:18 p.m. the lights were back on in a community that's already used to dealing with high fire danger

and frequent power shutoffs. >> my dad is 80 years old. he just bought a generator because he worried about it. >> reporter: there is one thing this couple is somewhat thankful for. >> had we not had covid involved, we would have had six more people disappointed in our thanksgiving dinner today. >> the turkey is not bouncing back. >> no, it's not. there is a reward growing tonight for information about an attempted robbery in oakland. there is a $25,000 reward now for information that can help catch the person who shot a private security guard who was also a retired police officer. he was working with a news crew yesterday afternoon at the prime free clothing store. they were interviewing the owners about a recent smash and grab this week. that's when they arrived and shot the guard. he is listed in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery yesterday. the reporter was not hurt and

the equipment was not taken. it was a deadly thanksgiving morning in the east bay. a crash just outside of brentwood on vasco road. one person was killed, three cars were involved. look at the aftermath, just mangled cars there. the other driver avoided most of the contact and rolled down a ditch. he says it's a thanksgiving he will never forget. >> there was one dude in the truck, he was yelling and screaming his leg was stuck. and when i walked over to the other car, they was looking lifeless. >> it's tough to see there. the chp said this crash happened shortly before 6:00 a.m. no one has been charged thus far. thousands of families in the bay area are in need this thanksgiving. many pandemic-related benefits have ended and others are not enough to cover soaring food prices. nbc's bay area stephanie mayone

was there. >> i wanted to get food not only for me but my clients. they are mentally disabled. >> reporter: here at the martin luther king jr. center, people are picking up bags with turkey, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. non-profit organizations like samaritan house said the demand came early this year with food prices at 14% and families struggling to make ends meet. >> for a lot of folks who have really been working at the bottom of the economic ladder, they're not fully employed if they're employed at all yet. >> reporter: he said they're seeing a 40% jump in need this year compared to last year, and that was a record level. >> we're expecting to have this kind of economic stress going on for another year or 18 months, at least, then who knows? >> reporter: leaders across the nation have been seeing it, too, and have been doing their part

to close the gap in what seems to be an unending pandemic. nbc bay area news. and oakland gives to those in need. the home of chicken and waffles gave out 1500 meals and the good deed did not go unnoticed. vice president kamala harris called. >> every day, hopefully every day, to remember how much we have and how much we have to give even when we have almost nothing. you guys are doing that, and i'm so proud of you. i'm sending all the best wishes for a wonderful thanksgiving to all of you. and please just take care of yourselves and thank you for taking care of your neighbor, right? it's about loving thy neighbor. >> yes, amen. >> aww, the appreciation there.

the owner calling the owner of chicken and waffles. the salvation army volunteers delivered meals to seniors stuck at home today. about 4,000 seniors in total were able to get a hot meal this holiday. thanksgiving is all about football. we saw the raiders win today. we saw balboa high school win to lincoln high. and in the south bay, san francisco state played at home on thanksgiving for the first time since the 1940s against an old friend, fresno state. a proud spartan alum joins us from spartan stadium. >> reporter: it was a special day for the spartan community. they took their time away from holiday food to come out here and watch the old rivalry. it was nostalgic, exciting and a little bit crazy. long-time san jose state university cheerleader crazy george, class of '68, beat the drum loudly today.

the fresno state bulldogs on thanksgiving. the last time they played was at fresno in the '50s and at san jose in 1946. >> i love showing up on thanksgiving. happy thanksgiving! it's fun. >> reporter: crazy george and his bobblehead were popular attractions. he is credited with starting the wave, and his presence made the thanksgiving game even more special for alums and their kids. >> we grew up with him, and what better way to spend thanksgiving than with your family doing something fun. >> i'm from san jose high. we're used to a game on thanksgiving. now we don't have it so we're here. >> reporter: no big bone game, huh? >> they did it a few months ago. if it's not on thanksgiving, it's not a big bone game. >> the whole country gets to see san jose state university play and puts them on the map, so to

speak, so to play on this date is very special, yes. >> reporter: the san jose director says a thanksgiving day appearance is a big boost for the program. >> having this event here today, great for the program, great for the athletic department, great for the community to come and cheer us on. >> we're going to be a powerhouse, i know it. >> reporter: you have to give credit to san jose state. they did lose this thanksgiving day game, but came out winners in a lot of other ways. in san jose, robert handa, nbc bay area news. >> crazy george has been doing that for about 100 years. local dungeness crab has been a staple in the south bay area, but whales have kept local crab hunters out of the area. >> it may not be a thing

anymore. here's joe rosati, jr. there was a time when thanksgiving was a bustling time for san francisco crab fishermen. >> i unload anywhere from 12 to 16 crab boats. >> reporter: boats coming in, crab going out. >> reporter: it's full of crab steam and it's alive. >> reporter: but now when veteran fisherman larry collins survey the dock and fisherman's wharf -- >> this is dead, man. it's dead. >> reporter: -- the problem isn't a shortage of crabs but an abundance of whales. several years ago as a result of an environmental lawsuit, the state began delaying the start of dungeness crab season whenever whales are present in the fishing grounds. this marks the third thanksgiving in a row that fishermen couldn't crab in time for the holiday. >> we've been fishing around whales in san francisco for 160 years. all of a sudden the whale population is going up 7.5 paris

-- 7.5% a year, and we're not allowed to fish. >> reporter: they are questioning the regulations which were implemented in 2017, but they said that was during an unusual marine heat wave which may have impacted whale behavior. but last year the state said only one whale was entangled in commercial gear. >> the shipping industry kills more than 100 whales off the coast of california every year. you're going to get your iphones but you're not going to get your thanksgiving crab. >> reporter: the population of the endangered humpback whales have increased in recent years, a sign that protection is working. collins said recovery should mean that fishermen be allowed to crab. >> i want to save the whales, but from what i hear up and down the coast, the whales are saved. >> reporter: but the fish and wildlife says whales are far

from their restrictive levels. that will likely keep it in place for the foreseeable future. >> they are protecting the fishing community while balancing the presence of humpbacks. it will still be decades before it gets to a place, i'm guessing, before there will be significant change. >> reporter: this week crab lovers faced a difficult task landing dungeness for the thanksgiving table. at the fish company at fisherman's wharf, tanks held crab but not from the local waters. >> we have a limited amount of crab from the state of washington, and that's all we have currently. >> crabs kromm from the fisherman's wharf. >> i wish all the crab lovers in the bay area would speak up, because that's want only way we'll get crab for thanksgiving again. >> reporter: as for christmas crab, they said they would assess the situation again in

mid-december, leading a lifelong tradition riding the stormy seas. nbc bay area news. still to come on this special edition of nbc bay area news, it wasn't just here. thousands of people without power down in southern california, but the outages down there were done on purpose. straight off of your car and onto the black market, catalytic converters are a hot commodity right now that can cost you thousands of dollars to replace. our team is going undercover to see who is buying, and we're going to help you protect your car before you go to bed tonight. and later, miss the macy's thanksgiving day parade? we've got you covered. we're going to take you to new york city with all the highlights. you'll want an extra blanket tonight as our temperatures drop in the 30s in some area. watch for some patchy fog in the

tri-valley. a look at your friday and weekend forecast when we come right back.

okay, when you go to bed tonight, you might have a lingering worry about your car. maybe you have no idea. i had no idea. >> a lot of people don't know. we can pretty much guarantee in a few hours thieves will attack multiple cars in driveways across the bay area. yes, even on thanksgiving. they don't want to steal your whole car, just that thing underneath, the catalytic converter. take a look at the security footage from marin county last week. at 3:00 a.m., thieves jacked up this family's car, crawled underneath, sawed off the catalytic converter from the exhaust line. it takes about two minutes and it can cost you thousands of dollars. >> nbc investigator chris chmura went under investigation to see this crime wave and how to stop it. >> crooks have sawed off dozens of catalytic converters but many more are leaching onto a black

market. we're going to expose the gap and help you protect your car. from this east bay warehouse, kids against hunger volunteers fill bags with rice and dried vegetables to fulfill one mission, feeding needy children. >> most of our meals go to haiti to orphanages there. >> reporter: but over the summer, the charity hit a financial roadblock, the catalytic converter. >> it sounded like a sherman tank. >> if it sounds like this, your cat's missing. >> reporter: that unmistakable noise is echoing everywhere, sometimes multiple times in the same spot. just ask craig from pleasanton. >> in the past year, my cars have had catalytic converters stolen three times now.

>> reporter: but why? >> the thieves are cutting catalytic converters off of vehicles and then selling them for the precious metals inside. >> reporter: specifically rhodium, palladium and platinum. prices shot up recently. >> if you go for ten priuses, you just made 10 grand. >> reporter: this fraud analyst is tracing catalytic converter thefts. who is buying them and where do they go? they're shipping across state lines and internationally. >> i've heard about some of them being put in containers. >> reporter: to go overseas, u.s. exports in catalytic converters have roughly doubled since 2013. at the same time, converter thefts have skyrocketed. the processors, smelters and such aren't asking enough questions about where this surge of converter metal is coming from. >> it sounds like we have turni.

>> i think so. >> reporter: a group that represents front line cyclers told us they are following the rules, but the rules might be a problem. they're looking at who is selling it and whose car it's from. we're asking the state how to ensure that stolen converters don't sell. we have an alphabet soup of finger pointing. the bottom line? the code doesn't put any one agency in charge of keeping converter sales honest. so we decided to test the code ourselves. our team borrowed this used converter from a licensed auto parts store. next we visited or contacted ten recyclers and auto shops.

we got one unsolicited cash seller. he asked to meet on the street and then asked $70 cash, no questions asked. we declined. so we tried going online with it. forget the code. some out of state outfit said they buy used catalytic converters by mail. we got quotes for our loaner easily, like this one for $62 cash with no questions about how or where we got it. a measly $62. we also found lots of used converters on sale in california on ebay, craigslist and marketplace. even though they for bid most person-to-person sales. we asked where they got those listed. only ebay said they must be certified or listed as scrap metal. nevertheless, there is no state

agency to enforce it. some cops do enforce the code. but do they make risks in the black market? george gascon, who used to be police chief and d.a. in san francisco, wants automakers to start protecting them with an id number. we asked honda, ford and toyota. they all acknowledged the theft problem but didn't make any significant changes. >> if we don't get to the compliance, there is no question there could be legislative solutions to this. >> reporter: if you think the law should be stricter on car thefts, call your local rep. make some noise before your car does. the simplest way to protect your

car is to put it in a garage. if you don't have a garage, park where there is a lot of light and obvious cameras to hopefully scare off criminals. you can also get your vehicle identification number etched into your converter. some local departments are doing that for free. to ask when or where, call their non-emergency number, not 911. if a missing catalytic converter or any car issue is causing you trouble, call nbc bay area responds at 888-996-tips. >> chris, thank you. fascinating story. thanksgiving day with no power. we told you about the santa rosa power issue, but thousands of people in southern california had their electricity shut off on purpose. electricity companies cut power as santa ana winds started to pick up, and have been picking up. this is to prevent wildfires. you can see the fallen trees and all the damage there. most outages were in riverside county where 20,000 households

were without power. the kitchens weren't as busy today but the spirits were still high. >> it's become, you know, a fun activity. otherwise the kids would have been inside watching tv. look at them, they're having a blast. >> that's fun. just do it outside. smok whatever you need to do. high winds are expected to last through tomorrow. >> that is great. wow, it is really gusty down there. let's talk about the weather up here. warm days, chilly nights. some will be cranking on the heater tonight. >> same system that's powering up the santa ana winds. they're seeing a lot less rain than we've had the last few weeks. here it's the lack of wind that actually could be the problem when it comes to air quality as we head towards the weekend. right now a pretty clear view over san francisco, 56 degrees. wind out of the southwest at 5 miles per hour. san jose 53 degrees, mostly clear skies. a little more haze, though, as

you head over to the tri-valley in dublin. we'll have to watch for patchy fog in the tri-valley. if you look closely, you can see a little wind in walnut creek. the north bay hills compared to the last couple nights will likely mean the fog will have a better chance of trying to drift in from the east. another thing of high pressure is it doesn't really allow air quality and the wind to pick up and push some of that smoke that gets trapped in high pressure away from the bay area. moderate high quality tomorrow. we'll have to watch but dry conditions sticking around to the beginning of next week. this is spare the air season right now, not to alert levels but we'll have to watch that over the weekend and close to next week. you did see the camera view around walnut creek picking up on a little bit of the haze. we'll see if that fog drifts to

the west tomorrow morning when high pressure is around. usually those inland valleys see a bit of an east wind and that helps to bring in some fog at times early tomorrow morning. with the clear skies at night, they're dropping into the 30s again here around the north bay. 37 to start off the morning in santa rosa. upper 60s tomorrow. notice a temperature trend around the south bay. just in time for sunday, the warmest day of the holiday weekend stretch where we should see 70s around san jose. should be warm for the vikings-49ers game. not much wind and cooling to the upper 60s toward the end of the game. should be picture perfect sunday out of lehigh stadium. what isn't perfect for rainfall is high pressure. keeping that storm track way off to the north. the pacific northwest continues to have flooding concerns due to heavy rains. we're going to go through the end of next week likely without any rainfall as we get into

december. so both of the medium-range models there not really showing much, so it's great news that if this were a football game, we had a two-touchdown lead when it came to the rain we had a few weeks ago, but the rain circles are starting to drop off as the weather pattern dries up as we head to the beginning of december. the good news for your weekend plans, other than patchy fog, looks pretty nice in san francisco. a few areas on sunday, even lehigh stadium, could be seeing mid-70s. warm weekend, dry into next week. we'll have to watch to see how long that dry pattern lasts but this holiday weekend looking pretty nice. >> especially on that upper deck of lehigh stadium, it's going to be toasty. thanks, rob. >> thanks, rob. still to come, giant balloons, marching bands and plenty of celebrity sightings. did you watch any of it? the macy's thanksgiving day parade returned to its pre-paem

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did youiving tradition backn full bloom, the 95th macy's thanksgiving day parade. last year, remember, the route was shortened because of the pandemic. >> it was like in a one-block area. now it's back to its original 2.5-mile route. here's nbc's sara wallace. >> reporter: what a parade it was. everything just seemed bigger and better with perfect weather conditions, those 15 giant balloons soared into the sky. six new editions including tiptoe, a puppet balloon and baby yoda. the sound of music from ten marching bands. ♪♪ >> reporter: from all across the country. ♪♪ >> reporter: and 28 colorful floats decked out with

celebrities like nelly. perhaps the best sight, this. i can tell you as a long-time parade reporter, it wasn't just the same as a television-only event last year. we really missed you guys! >> it's amazing, everybody together again. >> it's wonderful. god bless new york city. we're back with a vengeance. >> reporter: locals and out-of-towners celebrating new york's triumphant return. >> it's awesome. the big balloons when you see them on tv is spectacular, but a lot bigger in person. >> it's a bucket list. we're just happy to be here. greatest city in the world. >> reporter: hard to tell who was more jubilant, the spectators or the participants. >> i'm so excited. this is my first time. i'm from the philippines. this is a first time in a parade. it makes me want to cry. >> it's so great to be in the

middle of millions of new yorkers and people from all over the place. >> it's a field of joy of all the people and the energy. it's so beautiful. >> reporter: only one small snag in the entire event when a handler's thread got wrapped around a tree and had to be cut, but even that w met by wild applause. nothing dimming this crowd's joy. and what would this tradition be like without the final float, you know, that guy in the red suit signaling the beginning of the holiday shopping season. >> i love santa. >> reporter: sara wallace, nbc news, new york. >> santa is in new york city. okay. thanks so much. up next at 9:30, the millennium tower isn't the only thing that's sinking in san francisco. a satellite map shows it's also happening to much of downtown sf. we investigate why it's happening. also giving thanks by giving

back. we're going to take you behind the scenes at glide memorial in san francisco. they did it again. they fed thousands of people this thanksgiving. enjoy the gift of being together. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test has the same technology used by doctors and detects multiple variants. so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. the classic hollywood story. we meet the hero, the all-new nissan frontier hero faces seemingly impossible challenge.

tension builds... the plot twist the hero prevails in hollywood, this would be the end. but our here, we are just getting started. introducing the all-new nissan frontier. enjoy the gift of being together. the binaxnow covid-19 antigen self test has the same technology used by doctors and detects multiple variants.

so in just 15 minutes, you can test, know, and go. available in stores and online. thanksgiving. thank you for joining us for this special edition of bay area news. we've been worried about the trouble of the san francisco area sinking and leaning for years. that's not the only place in san francisco. >> downtown san francisco one of the many trouble spots. here's investigator jonathan van becken. >> reporter: tom parsons is a research geophysicist with the usgs. he studies seismic operation on the earth's crust, and lately he's studying the phenomenon of

sinking cities. it turns out the entire bay area sunk as much as three inches in the last century. the cause? an extra 25 trillion pounds of concrete and steel, and everything else that goes with 78 million people living here. >> clearly the most dense and tallest buildings are centered in that downtown central area, and that's where we see the accumulation of all the buildings together. >> reporter: downtown, of course, is home to the infamous millennium tower. it is perhaps the single most recognized tilting building in the country right now. but the millennium has a lot of company. look at the ten buildings in downtown san francisco that exert the most pressure on the earth. the top nine all way more than 300 million pounds. but parsons' data suggests that

they're all sinking slowly, deeply, but none as bad as the millennium which is sinking entirely on one side. >> generally they go down vertically. >> reporter: the european space agency sentinel 1 satellite actually captured the phenomenon from space. you could see the financial district and other downtown areas show up in yellow, indicating ongoing settlement. all that weight, parsons says, is enough to influence an earthquake fall. fortunately the an andreas fault runs offshore, so the billions of pounds of development in the city is not likely to impact it. >> if you have a series of buildings, clearly heavy buildings all together, they begin to influence heech other. >> harry pulos is an interstate expert on tall building foundations. he says while there may be no seismic concern for staff sapphire, there has been little research about the collective impact of entire corridors of high rises on the earth below.

>> i've been doing foundation design for, i guess, nearly 30 years now, and it's not something that we're actually ever really thought about. not on the sort of area that you're talking about. >> anything that contributes to a lowering of the ground's surface is something we should be concerned about. >> reporter: parsons says he's studying new york because it's sinking, too. he points out that ground level and sea level heading in opposite directions is dangerous for coastal cities. >> when you have all this going on when you're right near the water line in some cases in san francisco, you have to worry about big storms coming up more frequently. >> reporter: san francisco building associations say they have plans to build up the seawall. in the meantime, tall buildings should be monitored for settlement for at least a decade after construction. joshua van der becken, nbc bay

area news. for the most part we spent this year with family and friends, but we should remember we're still in a pandemic. other parts of the country, though, are michigan, for examp are spiking 70%. to prevent the spread of covid here, doctors say talk openly about covid and vaccine status with your family and friends. that can help reduce safety concerns. >> what's the vaccination status of everyone. if most people are vaccinated or boosted or all of them are, you'll feel more confident. number two, did anybody get tested recently? it's not the holy grail but it does add confidence with groups getting together. should i open a window? do i need to have a filter. >> a lot of people are taking action with today being

thanksgiving, still others gathering in the next few days. we've seen moves to get tested or get those booster shots. santa clara county found 70% increase in people getting tested at the fairgrounds. volunteers held their annual event preparing hundreds of thanksgiving meals for those in need. turkey, mashed potatoes, the works. there was even mayor london breed who helped with the packing. >> we're incredibly thankful because last year we couldn't be here. you know, they were still here serving and doing what they could to help the community, so i'm just glad to be here. >> so what does it take to make all this happen? nbc's bay area's sierra johnson was here as volunteers put it all together. >> reporter: today was a big day for volunteers, as well as those eating these thanksgiving meals. that's because the annual

thanksgiving meal is officially upon us, and as you can see, those volunteers are hard at work preparing that meat for about 2500 meals. could you imagine cooking for that many people? it takes about 250 volunteers to make this all happen. it's been happening for years here at gliden. this year it was served like last year, outdoors, to reduce that spread of covid. really special for everyone involved. it really feels like a family. 10:00 those meals are started. it gives people time to eat, congregate and enjoy the rest of their day. here in san francisco, another weekend with glide serving thousands in the bay area. for the bay area, i'm sierra johnson. >> very nice, lionel ritchie in

the background. >> i know, nice music. downtown san jose is back with christmas in the park. you might recall last year organizers created a covid-safe drive-thru experience. people liked it so much that they're bringing it back this year, this time to cunningham park. tickets are available online. up next, black friday, from shipping delays to those rising prices. what to expect this holiday season if you're going out shopping.

watch this. can i please get the cheddar loaded cheeseburger combo? wait, i know that voice... (smug laugh) danny palumbo? from high school?! no, it's jack. try my $5.99 cheddar loaded cheeseburger combo with cheese 3 ways. get your running shoes ready. tomorrow is the official start to black friday shopping, and now the race begins. >> reporter: the mad dash for shopping this season is a tale of two holiday seasons.

americans are expected to shell out $859 billion. online shopping expected to spike 10% compared to last year as people order early to beat the rush. >> i'm doing my shopping online for sure. >> reporter: but the big numbers don't mean everyone will be spending big. high income house holds will spend five times more than low income households this season. hit hard with high grocery and gas prices, there won't be a record number this year, but expect to see people in record numbers shopping this weekend. mall of america is prepared to welcome thousands on friday. >> reporter: with the supply chain delays, do you expect to have more people? >> the key is if you shop in person, you can take it home with you at that time. that instant gratification is so important for shoppers.

>> reporter: and look for that special incentive when you go in stores. >> reporter: you may get a free gift card with purchases, but retailers really want to put more traffic in stores. >> reporter: what's landing a lot in bags is clothing, with consumers expected to spend $400 on average. stores are still scrambling to deliver that holiday magic. nbc news, bloomington, minnesota. >> reporter: americans did more than just eat turkey and watch football. a lot of money spent today shopping. the total amount shopping online today is expected to reach a billion dollars. adobe says shoppers are spending at least $3.5 million per

minute. did you shop at all today? >> no. i ate a lot. >> for the most part people were taking advantage of discounts on toys, clothing, laptops, tvs and sporting goods. chicago-based pinterest is sharing a lawsuit with its shareholders over workplace culture. the lawsuit alleges that top executives enabled racism and discrimination within the company. financial details of the settlement have not been shared publicly yet, but as part of the settlement, pinterest is relinquishing non-disclosure agreements with its employees. they are also donating for inclusion in the workplace. we have a hack that will help reduce your waist this holiday season. >> reporter: it seems like there is always some sort of celebration, whether it's a birthday, an anniversary or a

wedding. that means wrapping paper. but it can be recycled because it's paper, right? think again. because gift wrap is made of plastic, yes, even paper wrapping has some sort of fiber in it. it's also made with tiny pieces of aluminum and metal, not to mention the glitter that end up in the waterways, causing a big problem for fish and birds. it's time for your climate hack. >> i learned this from my mom a long time ago. save those bags you've been given in the past for future gifts. another great one is to buy cloth bags that can be reused for multiple purposes. here's the payoff. earth 911 estimates 4.6 million pounds of wrapping paper are produced in the u.s. each year. only about half of that gets recycled. by making a change, americans get 2 pounds of landfill each year. >> i don't even like wrapping

presents. it's so much work. for more hacks like this, visit nbcbayarea.com and click on our prices tab. rob, janelle, myself and you work thanksgivings all the time. we do. have we figured out -- i know my answer. we have early food, and then when we get home at 11:30 or 11:45, i usually hit round 2. >> the cranberry sauce. right after 11:00 news, i'll be into that. >> that's healthy. >> it has some good stuff in it. >> he's very fit. take it away, rob. >> if you want to go for seconds later on, we'll head for cooler temperatures in the morning. and a weather update that came out today did show slight improvements for the bay area. we'll talk about this and a warmer weekend just around the corner when we come back. we

foods or traditions that make thanksgiving uniquely special. right now there are thousands of people in the u.s. celebrating their very first thanksgiving learning from our traditions. nbc's drew wilder introduces us to a group serving meals to hundreds of afghan refugees. >> reporter: an american holiday that originated with different cultures coming together around food and family. this thanksgiving, that tradition writes a new chapter. >> i'm going ahead and packing you guys up so we can take the food to other hotels. >> rahid is taking meals to feed the refugees. it grew to about 1500. the first thanksgiving for thousands of refugees now in our country, many of them staying in the hotel where the food is being served.

and from the hotel window, a curious toddler looking down on a curious place. her family comes downstairs and they're welcomed with new blankets and stuffed animals. dad couldn't be more thankful to sthar in -- share in this holiday. >> if your kids are happy, you'll be happy. >> reporter: the meal is only a small part of this day. it's really about family time. only some of his family made it out of afghanistan. his parents are still there. they can't escape the taliban-controlled country. >> reporter: are you worried about their safety? >> of course. we're all worried about their safety. >> reporter: many of these families don't know where they're headed to next, but they're here nowand they're incredibly grateful for that. reporting in virginia, drew wilder, nbc news. well, president biden is wishing americans a happy thanksgiving. this is the second thanksgiving during the coronavirus pandemic.

>> happy thanksgiving, everyone. this is always a special time in america, but this year the blessings of thanksgiving are especially meaningful. >> the president and first lady dr. jill biden released their greeting in a video message today before they left for nantucket, massachusetts. they are visiting a station there to deliver greetings virtually to service members around the world. from our family to yours, have a very happy thanksgiving. there is so much to be thankful for. take care. >> vice president kamala harris and second gentleman doug imhoff are also sending greetings, wishing americans a happy holiday, reminding them of the many things to be thankful for this year. and governor newsom and the first lady are sending greetings to all californians. we should all be thankful for what we have. >> i usually say i'm thankful

for all friends and family. but now i really appreciate more than ever. >> it's the best holiday. >> we're going two years into this pandemic. let's talk about the weather. it's nice. thankful for that. if you're traveling this holiday weekend, no rain to contend with. >> also a slight improvement in the drought monitor that came out this morning. i want to point you in the direction of the north bay near oakland at the all-time worst levels on the drought monitor index. watch the color coding change right there in the east bay and the north bay. a drop by one category in severity earlier today. typically we should see this drought map change more rapidly as it goes into december, as we're now kind of getting closer to the peak of what ought to be rain season kicking in. as you can see in december, january and february, those are the big three months for rain for the bay area. but as you're about to see in the 7-day forecast, those

chances will be a little harder to find short term as we head into the weekend next week. conditions in the 40s around the north bay. mid-50s at this hour. 53 san jose. san francisco looking nice outside. 56, no fog there. inland around dublin up towards concord, we'll watch at 11:00 to see if some fog starts to set up. 43 degrees may seem chilly in dublin but it's colder. check that out. 29 degrees for thanksgiving evening and nights around the sierra. the east bay valleys may see a little bit of that drifting to the west in the morning. chilly start with mid-30s in santa rosa, but by afternoon areas south of downtown may see highs of 70s. as we go through the weekend, saturday's temperatures look exactly like what we'll see here tomorrow, but by sunday those numbers start to climb up even more. upper 70s, near 70 around the

south bay, down south toward morgan, we'll have numbers in the mid-70s. lehigh stadium sunday afternoon, you'll have temperatures in the low 70s, mid-60s by the first quarter. the bottom of your screen really doesn't have any rain chances, so fog will be the main concern as we wrap up the holiday weekend. no rain really showing up in the 7-day forecast, but the weather is extremely nice for your outdoor plans this weekend. look at san francisco. upper 60s for sunday, valleys, the averages will be in the low 70s but a few spots by sunday and monday. you could see mid-70s. we need the rain, of course. hopefully that changes as we head to the rest of the week, but we will wrap up this weekend with sun. if you haven't seen this,

stick with us. also some interesting comments from head coach kyle shanahan. stay with us.

boy, oh, boy. it was stressful to watch but in the end the raiders won, the raiders fans loving it. one of the most memorable raider wins in years. >> even flashing back a couple hours ago, it's like that. just like that, the raiders back in the playoffs. in texas, the cowboys and the raiders. derrick carr, by the way, his middle name is dallas. deshawn jackson are all fire goes in for the touchdown. the best-loved backup quarterback in the nfl comes in for the qb scramble. final minute of the game, they tied it with this field game, so

33-33, and guess what happens in overtime, it's good for the raiders. daniel carlson with the game-winning field goal. the raiders improve 6-5 on the season. the vikings host on sunday. >> does your family participate in black friday, cyber monday stuff at all? >> in what? >> shopping, no, he doesn't do that. kyle shanahan says he's focused on racing home after practice today, make thanksgiving dinner, then sunday's showdown against the vikings at lehigh. >> he said, what, black friday? we'll see you at 11:00. ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ (music) ♪ so i think to myself ♪

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