>> plus -- we all want it to be over. >> a bold new plan to stop this is "today in the bay." we're starting this wednesday morning with a live look at stormranger up in san bruno. it's scanning the rain right now. as you can see, and we're telling you, it's going to continue all week. thanks for making us part of your morning. i am marcus washington. >> i am laura garcia. we have live team coverage for you, and let's start with meteorologist, kari hall, who has been tracking this storm. >> yeah, you need an umbrella and warm coat. keep that hood on your head because it will keep you dry. it's a light rain we are seeing right now from marin on

southward. most of the north bay taking a break but there will be a wave of showers coming through. most of it light right now. as you are stepping out the door in santa rosa, temperatures in the mid-40s. we will see the cold temperatures throughout the day only reaching into the low 50s. there will be some breaks, i think, by this afternoon. we will see the rain becoming a lot less widespread and just a couple spotty showers here and there with another wave of rain coming in tomorrow morning into the afternoon. we will see more waves of rain on christmas eve, christmas day and beyond. we will talk more about that a couple minutes. vianey, how is the traffic? >> well, right now i want to give you a live look at some of the roadways out there. golden gate bridge, you can see it's moving along. the roads are slick and so far right now chp is reporting a couple spots of ponding water.

no metering lights on, and it's 6:01. you can see a live look through oakland. this has been a stop and slow go. the traffic right now is working to recover, so so far your bridge drive times from westbound 80 heading towards the bay bridge, you will see slowing. you are looking at about ten minutes. i will look closer at how the rest of the bay area drive times are doing in a couple minutes. >> thank you. team coverage continues this morning. steady rain keeps coming down parts of the bay area. today in the bay's cierra johnson joins us with a look at what people are doing to prepare. >> reporter: good morning. i want to start with directing you to the flags. it gives you an indication of how intense really the wind is right now for us standing in the rain, and the wind is making it chilly. the rain has let up just a little bit, but given what we

have seen the last week in the forecast in the days moving forward, a lot of folks paying close attention not only to the forecast, but to the pg&e outage map. we had crews capturing what they are preparing for in what could be stretches of rain. they said creek levels are relatively low right now, and the forecasted rain is not expected to cause flooding. crews have cleared the storm drains and removed piles of leaves from the flood-prone areas. >> we have a generator just in case the town goes dark. we want to be the central place where people know that we are open and we're safe. >> reporter: communities across the bay are keeping a close eye on this. this is the pg&e outage map. several communities saw pretty widespread outages last week, and so a lot of folks monitoring

those situations. so far we have not seen any large outages, but there were clusters in the richmond area. we are keeping an eye on that, and we are keeping an ear out if there are any intersections you need to be aware of because of the outages. again, right now the rain definitely coming down. that wind definitely coming down, both of which could be a little dangerous when it comes to having those power outages. we will keep you updated throughout the evening. >> i imagine the coming days will be worse as the rain continues to saturate the area. be sure and download the nbc bay area app. you can even use our live radar tracker and find out when the rain will hit where you are. president biden taking action against the omicron covid variant.

his new plan includes activating the national guard and free at-home testing kits for everybody. alice barr is live in washington. what is the response this morning? >> it's mixed. there are some in the public health community that feel perhaps the steps don't go far enough. there's not an appetite for any kind of stay-at-home lockdown orders, and that's not something president biden is suggesting and there are some public experts that think that would be appropriate right now. the hospitals were already slammed from the delta variant that never slowed down, and now they are facing a potential crushing new wave of these omicron cases. the availability of vaccines means we are in a better place to respond to what is coming. with the highly contagious omicron variant driving a new

phase in the war against covid, president biden rolling out a new battle plan. >> we all want this to be over but we're still in it. this is a critical moment. >> amid surging demand and lawn lines to test before christmas, the president announced new testing sights and a plan to mail at-home tests to anybody that wants one, and he is deploying fema to build overflow capacity. >> we stockpiled enough gowns, masks and ventilators to deal with the surge of hospitalizations among the unvaccinated. >> there will be break through cases of omicron. >> almost everyone who has died from covid-19 in the past many months has been unvaccinated.

>> now signs of the early pandemic re-emerge, from pro games being postponed and vaccine requirements for indoor public spaces. the president and top health officials insisting this is not march of 2020. >> we have vaccines. we have boosters. we have all of the science that demonstrates prevention interventions like masking in indoor settings work. >> president biden is facing sharp criticism for not acting sooner, especially to expand access to testing. the president defending the response saying omicron spreads more rapidly than anybody was anticipating, while insisting that the administration is ready. marcus? >> alice barr in washington this morning. alice, thank you. there are new limits atcvs

and walgreens testing kits. demand is surging with the omicron variant spreading across the nation, and they could be out of stock so call ahead. you can pick a free at-home testing kit at the county health services in contra costa and el cerrito. the symptoms in each case were considered to be mild. in other news, a college leader accused of embezelment is set to be arraigned today. having worked at the district for two decades. embezelment is tied to an awarding of a school solar

contract. nunez is now on leave and that investigation is on going. developing in elizabeth holmes trial, jurors are taking a break from the deliberations but will return tomorrow. yesterday at one point they asked the judge if they could take the jury instructions home, but the judge said no reminding them all deliberations must happen at the courthouse. after more than three months of testimony and all they have to consider, experts believe it will take a lot more to get to a decision. >> i would personally be surprised, given all the evidence we have seen in this case, this is 12 people that have to try and see it the same way. >> jurors will have to decide whether to come back the week after christmas or the first week of the new year if they do not reach a verdict by tomorrow.

we will bring you live coverage with legal analysis and a breakdown for what is next for holmes. a 37-year-old woman was last seen december 13th near the napa river trail. the fear is she was swept away from the napa river. today friends will start searching for her at noon. now to a live look at the golden gate bridge this morning. can you make it out? a lot of water on our camera out there, the lens. not a lot of cars, at least in that area. we will check that commute in just a little bit. today would be a good day to stay in, i think. >> yeah. >> actually, the whole week it will be raining. >> yeah, off and on. i mean, we will see the wet weather sticking with us. here's what to expect as we look live at the stormranger. it looks like we should be a break this afternoon into the evening. heavier rain will be back tomorrow. we will see an all rainfall

total about three inches. in the sierra, snow about four to eight feet. light rain on stormranger for areas like san francisco to the east bay and down to the south bay, but we are seeing more breaks in spots like the north bay. not everybody at the same time is seeing that rain. this is the kind of activity we will see as the storm system continues to move through. we will look at what is ahead coming up. vianey, any more problems for the commute? >> we have had a couple spinouts and fender-benders, and things are slowing down. it's 6:11, and it's typical for this area but it's raining. contra costa, alameda, look at this. westbound 580 to grant line road to 680 about 12 minutes.

your east bay drive times moving along quite nicely but definitely getting busy out on the roads. back to you. >> thanks, vianey. 6:11 right now. how about one last thing to remember when you travel? coming up, the tsa looking at making things easier and how your phone could help when it comes to future flight plans. plus -- >> welcome to "jurassic park." one of my favorite movies right there. the secrets about the evolution of birds tens of millions years old, and why some things, apparently, never change. first, rain barrelling through the area, and we want to make sure you are safe whenever you hit the road. see our full winter weather checklist to make sure you are not stranded in any storm. it's all right now at

nbcbayarea.com.

good wednesday morning. we are under a microclimate weather alert right now at 6:15 as you are heading out the door. it's a soggy commute to work as light rain rolls across the bay area. we will see this continue for the next several hours. we will see some breaks in the rain here and there. we will talk about when you may have that window of getting outside. that's coming up in a few

minutes. listen up tri-valley commuters, right now westbound 580 from grant line road to 680, things are slowing down because of a crash being reported near grant line road. please keep that in mind. you definitely want to head out now. a closer look at how your bay area bridges are doing in a traffic report coming up. a three-day losing streak fueled by the omicron variant here. in a letter delta is asking ten days to five days. the cdc not yet commenting. tsa says it will start supporting apple wallet ids at

two airports beginning in february. they have not announced which terminals yet. it could expand to two more states in march if that's successful. a machine will automate the process. travelers will tap a reader or use a qr code at security checkpoints. tsa will oversee the process. five of the companies dropping plans to send teams to the upcoming electronics show in vegas because of covid. organizers say the show will go ahead from january 5th through the 8th and there will be strict health guidelines in place. sony and google are still planning to attend. and the new ev chevy silver

still scheduled to be unveiled. the 66 million-year-old embree automatic fossil. researchers say it shows remarkable resemblances between dinosaurs and the birds. >> wow. >> that's pretty fascinating. >> when you think about that, that's 66 million years old. >> a long time ago. >> wow. >> yeah. and it's so preserved. >> yeah. >> fascinating. >> all right. okay. enough of that. something else is very fascinating, the rain.

after not getting very much rain, now we get so much. >> yeah, it's allowing storm after storm to come into the bay area and that's not changing anytime soon and i am excited about it. we are continuing to see the light rain moving through, and this is the kind of storm we need where it brings in beneficial rain but not a lot of problems. we are not expecting widespread flooding or wind issues. we are seeing light rain right now, and as we track it with m ranger, we have it parked on san bruno mountain, and that's the best vantage point. take a look at some of the light rain where the other radar site is right now, and it's coming over the santa cruz mountains into the south bay as this storm system continues to bring in, once again, that beneficial rain. take a look at what we have measured so far. bald mountain about an inch right now, and scott creek in

santa cruz mountains, an inch. we see santa clara valley, the tri-valley where you don't get as much rain, but it's still coming over the hills. there's still breaks in the rain. 4:30, not a lot of rain going on at that point. tomorrow morning we will see rain coming in, and that continues on and off throughout the afternoon. some of the breaks we will see over the next few days could last a couple hours, and so there are some chances of getting out there and i think we will see that this afternoon into the evening. in the course of the next several days, our rainfall totals will continue to add up and in all we are looking at about two to three inches of rain, and there could be spots that get more. it's still looking great for the sierra. the still coming down and we could see another 96 inches of snow in kingvale, and 98 in twin

bridges and kirkwood. that's amazing for the ski resorts that are continuing to see all the snow coming down. and then the next seven days, santa will be coming with rain as well. on sunday we will continue to see the off and on rain into the beginning of next week, and we will see colder air coming down. our unsettled weather is not going anywhere anytime soon, so you need to be prepared for just about anything into next week. vianey, you need to be prepared for a wet morning commute, too. >> definitely. chp is now saying in the report that the metering lights are on at the bay bridge toll plaza. things have definitely started to slow down a bit. this is a live look right now. of course it's slick out there in oakland. look at this camera. this has been like this, really, all morning. a little stop and-go action there. we have seen a couple spinouts

pop up overnight because, likely, from the rain. i have not seen any accidents reported near this stretch, and it could be just the building commute at 6:21. a few more issues from sonoma boulevard to lakeville, you are looking at almost 20 minutes. it's still dark out there so you may not see the ponding water, so you want to adjust your speed according to the conditions you are driving in. back to you. >> thanks. a full-on body-check when it comes to the olympic games, and the fallout for athletes. on instagram, kari and her mom were making bourbon balls.

they are good at it. it's a tradition. how are you getting into the holiday spirit? tag nbc bay area in your family photos and we will try and share them here on the air. you can share them on instagram or facebook. we'll be right back. ♪ i see trees of green ♪ ♪ red roses too ♪ ♪ i see them bloom for me and you ♪ on instagram, kari and her we'll be right back.

♪ so i think to myself ♪ ♪ oh what a wonderful world ♪

new details in the latest covid surge dealing a new setback to the upcoming olympics in beijing. the nhl is backing out. the players association agreed

to not send players to the games and the official announcement should come down to today. no games are scheduled right now until after christmas. the plan now is to use that olympics windows to reschedule postponed games. the 49ers have a tough task ahead to build on their playoff chances. the niners are riding high, winning five of the past six games. they would be the nfc's sixth seed if the playoffs were today. >> i will take four days of cramming. >> you can watch tomorrow's game right here on nbc bay area. kickoff at 5:20.

our anthony flores will be in nashville covering the game for us. coming up next on "today in the bay," the top stories we are following for you including college students across california forced to scramble as classes go remote when classes resume. the aim at keeping students healthy. plus -- >> the state of california to require all health care workers to get their covid-19 booster shot. the response from the california nurse's association. the mad dash to get to tahoe as the heaviest rain moves east. we will take a look at how the businesses are getting ready for the winter weather and holiday rush. rn about covid-19 the more questions and worries we have. calhope can help with free covid-19 emotional support.

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call 833-317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. right now at 6:30, rain across the bay area. we will continue to see on and off light showers this morning, and i am breaking down the timeline and how much rain you can expect, plus -- >> even if it's half as severe as delta, it could still lead to a lot of people in the hospital. >> governor newsom, the new rules he's announcing today right here in the bay area. this is "today in the bay." 6:30 on your wednesday morning. we are broadcasting to your television as we normally do, and we also stream online at nbcbayarea.com. thank you for joining us. i am laura garcia. >> i am marcus washington. want to take a live look outside for you this morning across the

bay area. you can see rain is here and it's sticking around. we are under a microclimate weather alert. just check out this video. this is from overnight. this is just the start of the things to come this week. >> get used to that rain. we continue our live team coverage. vianey is tracking the wet roads. you need to be careful out there, but let's start out with meteorologist, kari hall. >> we will see rain continue across the bay area with breaks, and as you head through marin county, still light rain. this light green on stormranger means light downpours. we are seeing breaks between here and there so you may be able to get to work but expect to turn the windshield wipers off, on and then off again. we are continuing to see this through san josé into gilroy right now. there are some areas where we are seeing some of the rain tapering off. this is all part of several

storm systems acting together that will give us several days of rain across the bay area. we are going to continue to watch this as we are going to see some pretty decent rainfall totals over the next few days. we will talk about that in a few minutes. vianey is tracking the impact on the commute. >> yeah, the westbound lanes, the number one lane here is blocked. notice the speed sensors turning yellow and red near this stretch and it's causing some delays. it's also still slow on northbound and southbound 880 lanes in the east bay. i want to give a look as well at the bay bridge toll plaza, and the metering lights are on and we are still seeing delays. it looks like that's about 25 minutes. they are working to clear that out and get it out of the way for now. again, it's along the westbound 92 area stretch and the number one lane is blocked for now.

so far west 80, 12 minutes to the bridge. i will have an update on the san mateo bridge crash coming up in a few minutes. >> sounds good. our nbc bay area stormranger is continuing to scan san bruno mountain as our team coverage. stay updated on our nbc bay area app as the rain makes its way into your neighbor. the cdc says in california the omicron is behind about 60% of new infections. that number is actually lower than what we are seeing across the nation right now. numbers from last friday indicate the omicron variant is responsible for nearly 3 in 4 new cases in the u.s. >> in just a few hours governor newsom will appear in the bay area with a new prevention push. he plans to order all health care workers receive the booster

shot. bob redell joins us live this morning. you are hearing from doctors and nurses and health care officials about this. >> correct. the california's nurses' association put out a statement yesterday saying measures to prevent covid are essential, and governor newsom's announcement expected later this afternoon, and he will announce california will require health care workers to get their covid-19 booster shot. with omicron on the rise we are taking immediate action to protect californians and make sure our hospitals are prepared. dozens of scientists are warning us about what hospitalizations might be if the rate of people getting their booster shot

doesn't increase, if it stays status quo. you can see a huge potential surge of hospitalizations on the left side in the middle of january, and if the number of people getting boosted doubles, the chart on the right predicts fewer hospitalizations. the head of the cdc spoke this morning on the "today" show. >> 20 times more likely to die from covid if you are unvaccinated compared to if you are boosted. ten times more likely to be a case if you are unvaccinated compared to if you are boosted. i think we will continue to see that those who are vaccinated and boosted will have less severe outcomes and less risk of mortality. there will be breakthrough cases of omicron, and they will be milder if you are vaccinated and boosted. >> the latest numbers from the state show deaths are trending down, but test positivity is rising again, now at 3%

statewide and that's up from 2.3% a week ago. a stanford lab said it found omicron in 70% of the covid positive tests it analyzed. >> thank you, bob. another story showing how fast the omicron virus is spreading, this involves more than two dozen breakthrough cases in the party at t farmhouse local in marin. half of the attendees since have tested positive despite testing and vaccination requirements. >> the likelihood that somebody in that setting is infected is higher now than it was before and if that person is infected it's likely the omicron variant, and it's likely they are more contagious to others. that's the reality we are living in right now. >> health care leaders say if you are not fully vaccinated or have chronic health conditions you should consider the risk

before gathering for the holidays. and uc students, for the time being distance learning will be back in effect. winter classes will begin remotely at least for the last two weeks. uc cal and uc merced won't return until here. at this point, uc davis will operate remotely only for the first week of the quarter. if you want to eat inside restaurants and bars within the city of oakland you will have to show proof you have the vaccine. an emergency ordinance was

passed last night. business owners have slightly different reviews on the new ordinance. >> i just heard from different bar owners in my area that they had a widespread of omicron breakouts among staff and clientele. >> the ordinance, i believe, is well intended but i want to make sure by the implementation of the new ordinance, we're not hurting, you know, many small businesses. >> the rule also applies to theaters, gyms, senior living facilities as well. exemptions include a trip to the dentist office or library. those new rules will take affect february 1st. taking a live look at -- can you get? mount rose, the higher elevation where the snow has been coming down. there's been a big rush to get up to the lake tahoe area.

locals there say they have got a lot of crews with heavy equipment from caltrans to help clear the roads around the clock now that the snow is coming down. one of two tire shops in south lake tahoe is warning you prepare your car before you come up. >> if you need something before you come up, please get prepared. it's not easy to get a flattery paired or new tires or chains. >> local businesses say they are excited to get the business booming after the ski season's slow start. can't say that now. they are getting a lot of snow up there and it will keep coming, too. >> that's great for skiers. >> if we find the opportunities to get up there, kari, do you think we will find them in the next week? >> it's going to be snowing off and on, so it will be dangerous

getting there. 93% of normal is the sierra snowpack. we're almost there and with all of the additional snow we will continue to see in the forecast, that will continue to go up. we are tracking it all with stormranger because it gives us a high resolution view of where it's raining and where it's not. it's not raining in santa rosa but in marin it is. we will continue to see light rain moving through for the next several hours making it hard for the morning commute, with the windshield wipers on and then you turn it off. we will see breaks in the rain late morning. i think we will see a bigger break in the rainfall this afternoon. we will take a closer look at the hour-by-hour forecast. vianey, you have a look at how the roads are moving? >> yeah, we have seen several spinouts and there is the ponding water. an update along the san mateo bridge, westbound lanes, there was an earlier crash blocking lanes and it's still causing

slowing through this stretch. another area we have seen really busy this morning is the east bay southbound 880. the yellow means it's stop and go, stop and go. i do want to give you a look at the san mateo bridge, and it's slow-moving but it's moving. only one lane was blocked so there's a way to get around that, and the southbound drive slowing down. >> thank you. coming up, the new legal challenge house lawmakers are facing as they try and connect the dots in the capitol siege. and plus a promise made is a promise kept. a real hero to a real-life hero

trying to protect his sister. markets have been open for just about 11 minutes now. a lot more news ahead. you're watching "today in the bay." hey, angie! you forgot your phone! hey lou! angie forget her phone again? yep. lou! mom said she could save up to $400 on her wireless bill by switching to xfinity internet and mobile. with nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and lou! on the most reliable network, lou! smart kid, bill. oh oh so true. and now, the moon christmas special. gotta go!

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right now at 6:44 on this wednesday morning, we are under a microclimate weather alert. light rain as you head out and the roads are wet. we are going to see this kind of weather throughout the day with some breaks. we'll talk about when you may have that opportunity to get

outside. that's coming up in a few minutes. a live look right now at the bay bridge toll plaza. the metering lights are on, but it looks like we are still seeing pretty holiday light traffic. the commute is wet. i will have a closer look at how the rest of your bay area drive times are doing in just a few minutes. soggy here. dry at the national capitol as new legal action is surrounding the committee investigating the january 6th siege in california. flynn is suing the committee. his lawsuit echos similar arguments made by other former trump staffers fighting subpoenas, some of which have been upended in court. flynn also says the committee is overreaching claiming flynn had nothing to do with the riot. the white house is not commenting and nor is the justice department.

and then one agency says criminals stole nearly $100 billion in funds since the start of the pandemic. agents have recovered more than $2 billion. hundreds of billions of dollars were sent through green dot and paypal. the secret service says they have more than 900 active investigations. one man on the road to recovery after getting covid has a message ahead of the holidays. paul castro spent more than a month in the hospital battling covid, and he was a personal trainer and considered himself healthy. when he got covid, he lost 40 pounds and currently needs oxygen to help him breathe. castro was unvaccinated due to a reaction to medication during pancreatitis. >> i do believe that you need to look at your family and look at everything around you.

you need to decide what you value in your life. >> after improving doctors say he can go home for the holidays. new details san francisco commuters can circle next october on their calendars. that's reportedly the start date for muni's subway light-rail. the new cross town underground extension to china town has been in the works for sometime now. the original goal was to open in 2019. the plans were updated yesterday and that project is also coming in at $200 million over budget. the cross town underground extension through china town. that has a ring. >> it does. this has a nice ring, too. tom holland is a man of his word. >> yeah, the spiderman actor promised a little boy that saved his sister from a dog attack in

2020 could visit the set of spider-man: no way home. we are getting a look at the visit. how fun! well, now that the movie is out the boy's father posted video and images from that visit. and he got to meet co star and oakland native. in 2020 he stepped in to protect his sister from a german shepherd outside of their home and he was bit and had to undergo a two-hour surgery. he's doing much better now thanks to your friendly neighborhood spiderman. what an experience for a kid. that's cool. >> can you imagine that, you hold on to spiderman as he leaps in the air. >> nice to see. >> it's nice to see some of the weather we are getting. >> yeah, we do need it. >> this is the kind of rain i

like. now, it's a atmospheric river because it does tap into some deep subtropical moisture, but it's not going to cause a lot of problems because it's a weak atmospheric river. what we are looking at today is light scattered rain. that will continue and we will get a break to let that rain comes in tomorrow. our rainfall totals could reach inch and a half to three inches across much of the bay area with some spots getting a little more. for the sierra about four to eight feet of snow. take a look at what storm ranger is picking up on now. we have our mobile doppler radar parked on san bruno mountain. we have seen the waves of rain rolling on through with some breaks in between. overall it has been pretty soggy out there and all part of the lodger system, the atmospheric

river. you can see the extension with the clouds extending all the way further to the south and moisture surging up to southern california and will most likely enhance the rain we will see going into the next couple of days. here's what we measured so far. bald mountain, we have gotten over an inch of rain. santa cruz mountains, nearing an inch there. and just a little less in concord with san josé measuring about 0.1 of an inch of rain. we see a lot of activity here at 9:00 with light showers, and then take a look at how it starts to taper off as we go into today. if you have outdoor activity, something you want to get done today, i think around 2:00 to 3:00, you will have much of a lesser chance in some of the showers moving through, as about 4:00 to 5:00. later on tonight more rain starts to sweep through. we are going to see some breaks go into the next couple of days, which may last a few hours. we are looking at off and on

rain in the forecast from christmas day and beyond. look at the timeline here. this is now through next wednesday. we could measure 2 1/2 to over 3 inches of rain in some spots. as far as the sierra, once again, four to eight feet of snow over the next week. this is going to be a very nice treat for christmas and also into next week with some colder air coming in. a look at our 7-day forecast, really not much of a warm-up. you want to make sure you have an umbrella, warm coat and maybe a hood because it will be chilly out there with some of the rain blowing around at times, but we will also see peeks of sunshine here and there, especially friday into christmas day. vianey, seeing any problems out on the roads? >> the east bay, this has been a hot spot. southbound 880 near 8th street, a new crash being reported.

notice crews on the side, it looks like we could see tow trucks and ponding water and this is causing a delay as well. over all the bridges are okay, but there was a earlier crash that blocked a lane and it slowed things down and it's about 14 minutes to get to the bay bridge from westbound 80. back to you. >> thank you. happening now, a successful connection in space. spacex dragon camera docks at the international space station. turkey, fruit cake and even christmas presents were taken to the astronauts. getting your hands on a covid test may be hard as the demand skyrockets. one bay area county trying to get help at no cost to you.

plus -- >> coming up, we will break down how some communities are preparing for more rain. you're watching "today in the bay."

6:55. welcome back. we are moving you forward with a look at the top stories here on "today in the bay," including slowing the spread of the omicron variant. >> contra costa today and tomorrow will offer free at-home testing kits picking one up at

the health department office. three omicron patients were confirmed and considered to be mild. josé nunez is the vice chancellor in a san mateo community college district having worked there for two decades. he is being accused of embezzlement. the search for a north bay woman authorities fear may have been swept away during last week's storm. she was last seen december 13th near the napa river trail. the fear is she was swept away in the river. today friends will start searching for her at noon. we're in this microclimate

weather alert with steady rain coming down across much of the bay area today. cierra johnson is live this morning with what people have been doing to try and prepare for not just this storm but a series of storms headed our way. >> good morning. yeah, folks looking ahead. the rain continues to fall right now. we are in san francisco. you can see in the distance how strong that wind is right now. the rain has let up a bit but we have a lot more days of rain coming, so crews were out last night capturing folks preparing. creek levels are relatively low right now and the forecasted rain is not expected to cause regional flooding but right now the crews are on stand by and they are clearing the storm drains and removing leaves from the flowed-prone areas. the pg&e outage map, this was

crucial last week when we had widespread outages. this week folks are keeping a close eye on it. so far no significant outages, but all morning those dots do remain over the community of richmond. there are outages there. we will continue to follow that. yes, all morning long the rain has been coming down pretty steadily and that wind strong. we will keep an eye on the flooding risks over the neck couple days as well as the power outages. cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> cleaning out the rain gutters, are we too late for that kari? >> you will have another chance today when the rain takes a break, and that's something you will want to do as we get ready for more rain to come in. it's cold and we have the light rain that continues to fall. as we go through the forecast, some breaks in the rain here and there. you want to make sure you are checking back for updates or have the nbc bay area app so you can get alerts as rain approaches your location.

so if you are out there in the line and you see the alert, and it's, like, okay, i have 15 more minutes. we will see more rain in the forecast into next week as colder air continues to move in. vianey, any problems for the commute? >> we have had several issues of ponding water, and now we are seeing issues on the san mateo bridge due to an earlier crash. one of the lanes is closed and two remain open. and the bay bridge noticing a delay there, 14 minutes. yes, the metering lights are on. east bay drive times, busy along southbound 880 and northbound 880, and a new crash from 238 to highway 84, 16 minutes. southbound lanes moving pretty good. you may want to start setting your alarm just a little earlier this week to allow the messiness of the traffic all week long. >> but it's so cozy to sleep in.

>> yeah. >> we're always here for you 4:30 to 7:00 monday through friday, and midday news as well. >> yeah, and we have a live news update coming up at 7:25 this morning. stay dry if you can. the "today" show is coming up, next. good morning fast and furious with omicron rapidly spreading across the country and christmas just three days away, president biden urging caution and vaccines >> i promise you, it saves lives. and i honest to god believe it's your patriotic duty. >> coast to coast, frustration mounts over those growing lines at covid testing sites, some hours long at home tests, still nearly two years into the pandemic. we'll have everything you need to know as the director of the