means providence or fate. >> do you believe in that? >> that's just something koreans say to seduce someone. >> that was "past lives" which holds the number one spot in the ranking. it's followed by "oppenheimer" and "poor things". coming in at number four is barbie and number five, "the holdovers". we all have some catching up to do. next at 6:00, we are tracking incoming rain. that's right, it's set to hit the north bay first. here is a look at our radar powered by stormranger. meteorologist kari hall is timing out the rain and how long it will stick around. a surprise inspection at an east bay refinery after a year of health scares and flaring. we're live with the steps officials are trying to take to fix the problem. plus a humanitarian crisis growing at the southern border.

thousands of migrants, including many young children, joining a caravan on its way to the u.s. the response from lawmakers this morning. this is "today in the bay." good wednesday morning. thanks so much for joining us. 6:00 right now. we'll check the morning commute if there is one. i think a lot of people are off this week. if you are joining us, we're very thankful. you know what else is visiting us? some rain. >> much needed rain. we got a little last week and there's more to come, with at least two or three more storm systems that are developing out over the pacific and heading toward the bay area. so the first one you can see the swirl of the clouds and the green that's starting to make its way into the state. we are going to see it approaching parts of the north bay by later this morning. we'll be tracking it with stormranger. you can see the scan there. still, the rain farther to the north. as it gets closer, you'll be able to track it as well on your smartphone or the nbc bay area app, and you can have access to

stormranger as well. take a look at brentwood where the rain will start to move in by about 1:00 this morning, getting heavier between 3:00 and 5:00. that's when you're going to have a slightly heavier rainfall, as well as gusty winds and temperatures in the 50s today. parts of the north bay will see the rain earlier with some yellow in there, and some darker shades of green, indicating some heavier rain. that's where we will see the pockets of at least some steady to moderate rain that will continue into the early afternoon. and then for san francisco, parts of the peninsula, and the east bay, we'll see the rain moving in during the afternoon. tomorrow we're still seeing some spotty showers and the rain will gradually start to taper off tomorrow evening. we have another storm coming in right behind that, set to arrive on friday. as the rain arrives, make sure to download the nbc bay area map. you can use the interactive radar to track when the wet weather will arrive in your

neighborhood. mike, you had a hazard reported in san jose. >> had. it looks like maybe things are cleared in the shoulder, 880 at 101. that's in the area where we would first start to see a build. we don't have the build today. northbound 101 still moving at speed through the area. it's 6:02, we typically see the first burst cause slowing and then it eases up starting about now. but it already eased up, never had a backup. light traffic coming out of the south county. san martin, morgan hill, 101, almost every day shows a build here, which you know we can anticipate more slowing through silicon valley. but not today. and also the bay bridge has very light traffic flow, so we are talking about this week between christmas and new year's, traditional light flow. things may change later on. we'll talk about that coming up. later this morning, health inspectors will return to a contra costa county refinery after beginning a sneak inspection, which they say could last a full week.

"today in the bay"'s thom jensen joins us live outside the martinez refinery facility, and, tom, county health officials want to know what is causing dozens of incidents we've seen since late last year. >> reporter: good morning, laura. most of those incidents were flaring and the last one lasted several hours. and then there was that one incident that was very publicized where there was a white blanket of dust after a chemical release left on homes and gardens and vehicles in neighborhoods around the rchb refinery on thanksgiving day. health officials hope the latest surprise inspection will encourage the company to be for accountable and prevent future incidents from happening, and they want to look at the refinery's operations and public safety files. the council member plans face-to-face meetings with refinery executives to discuss the ongoing issues. >> the personal visit is important. i think to convey the severity

and the concern that we have. all of these accidents really demonstrate that there's something going on there in safety culture. >> reporter: the refinery also faces a class action lawsuit by martinez residents who say they're impacted by the chemical releases. the lawyer says the sneak inspection reinforces the need for constant oversight. county health officials say the inspections could last anywhere from days to weeks. meanwhile, a spokesman for martinez refinery company told me in a written statement this morning that the company is cooperating with all agencies and investigations related to the refinery and will continue to do so. we're live in martinez, thom jensen, "today in the bay." >> thank you for the latest. happening now, thousands of migrants are joining a caravan in central america making its way to the u.s. the group includes men, women

and children. it is now 8,000 strong, after an estimated 2,000 more joined in a single day. the caravan was last seen in the mexican state near guatemala. mexico's president will meet with u.s. secretary of state antony blinken today in mexico city to discuss potential joint solutions. longtime resident and immigrant advocate mike garcia says this comes after thousands entered through the texas border last week. he adds this humanitarian crisis is everyone's problem. >> it's just overwhelming, and people need to understand that. this is not a problem that's just our problem, because the folks aren't staying here. there's not enough resources for them. they're going other places. it's everybody's problem. >> texas governor greg abbott is installing more barbed wire on the border to discourage illegal crossings and busing more migrants to primarily democratic-led cities. making it in the bay is

expected to get a little easier, at least according to zillow. the housing giant is predicting bay area home prices will drop in the new year. it also says that san jose may even have the steepest decline in the entire country. take a look at the numbers. zillow believes san jose home prices will drop 6.1% in 2024. san francisco is expected to see a 4.8% decrease. so what's behind the big drop? zillow says mortgage rates are still high, which is leading to a market cooldown. >> theoretically i think it makes sense, that obviously our consumers have been concerned with interest rates going up, obviously prices are very high in our area, but the reality is the demand is still very, very strong, and what we've been seeing is buyers are still buying, they're just having to get realistic about their purchase price, and that has been knocked down a peg or two. >> it is important to note this is just a forecast by zillow, which revises its forecast regularly. the bottom line, the prediction could change. we're just days away from

the new year. no matter what your plans are to celebrate, it's important to stay safe. one bay area transit service is trying to help by opening its doors. muni is offering free rides in san francisco on new year's eve. it's an effort to stop people from drinking and driving. the free rides will be open from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. sunday night into monday morning. all muni gates will be left wide open during that time. let's take a peek outside. change in the works when it comes to the forecast. look at the seas churning out there. this is a live look near pacifica this morning. kari has a look at our forecast for today. actually, some of the beaches will be closed in santa cruz, we know, tomorrow. experts are expecting some high tides and storm surge. seacliff state beach, and rio delmar and areas on platform beach will also be closed. the closure will start tomorrow and go through thursday, which will be interesting, because it's re-evaluated on friday.

the national weather service predicts some beaches could see 25 to 30 foot waves. a lot going on in the weather department, kari. >> yeah, with that storm approaching it will make things very dangerous, and with it coming at the same time we get the king tides and we're approaching that season, the waves may be even higher than expected. it's bringing in gusty winds as we take a look at the structure of the storm system. here is the center of the storm. we can see all the rain pushing out ahead of that and it will continue to churn across the region, making dangerous swells and breakers that could reach 25 to 30 feet. so they do have to keep everyone back and away from the water, because it's going to be so dangerous there. and then we also have a coastal flood advisory for these areas in green that will peak at about 10:46 this morning. we may see some of those areas with the high tide coming up to about 7 1/2 feet as we go toward the next couple of days.

so some localized flooding, as well as big breakers, and also the rip currents and sneaker waves continue to be a threat. so you do need to keep an eye on everyone around you. as they close those areas, it's for good reason, because you have to stay so far back from the water. we'll continue to monitor that, as well as the timeline of the rain. mike has a look at how much you can expect at the gas pumps. >> a note for folks visiting town, what keeps me away from the water and the waves is the temperature of the water. on the roadways, let's look at the price of gas. contra costa county still leads our lows, $3.75, diamond gas and mart on oak grove road in concord. next up, san jose, their best, $3.83, quick stop right here happy hollow park and zoo. big difference for the price in san francisco, compared to the other counties, $4.29 is their best. either speedway or speedway express, both are on 19th avenue just about three blocks from

each other. on the roadways, we're looking at a smooth flow of traffic, green sensors dominating the maps. we saw fog in tracy, stockton, lodi. i've circled over on the left side in mill valley, southbound 101, a disabled vehicle reported, one of the only things on the grid right now. it's too far north for us to see on the golden gate bridge camera, so we'll take a look over here at the oakland drive. a smooth flow of traffic northbound, with taillights, light volume by the coliseum, continuing to the bay bridge with no backup. >> sounds good. thank you so much. 6:10. chances are you got a gift card for christmas. will you actually use it? ahead on "today in the bay," the amount of money researchers say is being left untouched this holiday season. and have you ever wanted to live in a cave? now is your chance. we're going to take you inside this southern california home on

the market and

good wednesday morning. we are under a microclimate weather alert as we track some rain and high winds arriving for this afternoon. in san rafael, we're starting out with milder temperatures, in the low 50s now. you should start to see the rain coming in at about 10:00 to 11:00 and getting heavier by early in the afternoon. i'm tracking this hour-by-hour for all of our microclimates in

the forecast coming up. we're looking at a very calm commute right now. with the changes in the weather, that will change for the roadway conditions. right now, san mateo bridge showing much less traffic than we typically see this time of day. it is about 6:14 and folks with traveling west on the peninsula. we'll talk about what build we see coming up. >> thanks so much. it is quickly approaching 6:15. wall street is set to open slightly higher, following a winning session yesterday. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 all gaining about half a percent. stocks are in the midst of what is known as the santa claus rally, the period made up of the last five trading days of one year and the first two of the next. tesla is planning a revamped version of its top-selling model y crossover electric vehicle to be produced at a plant in shanghai. bloomberg reports mass production could start as soon as the middle of next year. the new version of the model y

will have more obvious interior and exterior changes than the most recent update. that version added a wheel design and ambient lighting. tesla's shanghai factory now produces more than half of the company's global deliveries. amazon is starting to notify prime video subscribers they'll have to pay extra if they don't want shows and movies interrupted by commercials. they'll start showing limited ads on january 29th. customers who want to remain ad fee will have to pay an extra fee of $3 a month on top of their prime subscription or membership. they say introducing ads will help them invest in compelling content. there won't be any ads in content you rent or buy. americans are expected to spend nearly $30 billion on gift cards this holiday season, while most will be redeemed, many will go unused.

bankrate found nearly half of adults had at least one unused gift card worth an average of $187, or a total of $23 billion in unspent money. experts say it's wise to use your gift cards sooner than later, as inflation and inactivity fees can reduce their value. >> we have a box of gift cards. >> do you really? you better go through and use them. i've learned the hard way. >> you can regift it. >> that's true. >> i have one for toys"r"us, if you want one. they went out of business. that's what happens if you don't use them. trending this morning, a so cal home on the market on the rocks, literally. this is the inside of the home. we got pictures from zillow. it is a three bed, two bath home in indio. the design mimics the look of a cave. the seller is looking to get around $600,000 for the home,

making it the lowest price single family home within the gated community. so if you want to get your fred flintstone on, there you have it. >> a bit overpriced. if it's the cheapest one, it's still overpriced. >> it mimics leather. >> exactly. so no living in a cave, i suppose. you may want to find shelter, the rain is coming. >> we do have rain coming in. we'll be seeing more rounds of rain over the next couple of days as well. we've already put our microclimate weather alert in action, as we track this rain that's coming in later today. so we're just getting you ready for it. at least your morning drive is all dry, and we are starting out with a live look at the bay bridge. visibility is clear. no issues for the start of the day. we've seen a little more fog coming into parts of the delta, creeping in from the central valley. but much of the rest of the bay area is fairly clear. we are going to see some big waves along the coastline and that's going to make it

dangerous to be anywhere near the coastline over the next couple of days as the winds pick up, and the storm will be arriving, moving from north to south. we also have a high surf warning peaking tomorrow with times of off and on rain, so maybe that will keep people away from the coast as well. and then we'll have a new storm coming in on friday evening. let's time it out. we're going to start to see rain in parts of the north bay at about 8:00 to 9:00, and maybe picking up a little more just around the santa rosa area, to calistoga, at about 9:00 to 10:00. moving into san francisco before lunchtime and down the peninsula, with some light rain to start, and it may at times get a little heavier for the afternoon. at 1:00 to 2:00, it's approaching the tri-valley and moving into the south bay by later into the evening commute, and then starting to taper off for parts of the north bay later tonight. it's still going to be a steady rain for parts of the east bay, as well as the peninsula. and then we just see some

lingering showers into the day tomorrow, and then a bit of a break from late thursday into friday before the next storm comes in. once again, we do have a couple of storms coming in. the first round for much of the bay area from san francisco on southward looks to be about a quarter inch of rain or less. look at livermore, a few hundredths of an inch of rain. but then for the north bay it could be closer to one inch of rain around santa rosa, and then when the next round comes in in total, we could see a wide swath of at least an inch of rainfall, and possibly closer to two inches of rain farther north. and then the first round coming in with some gusty winds, so it's going to become a little more windy today, by about noon to 2:00 to 3:00, that's once again, as the rain will be spreading in. we could see gusts at about 25 to 30 miles per hour. the next storming in for your friday evening, and it continues into saturday morning. the rest of the weekend looks pretty dry. and then next week we'll be

tracking more storms, possibly some colder storms that may be better for our sierra snowpack, which has been really lacking here lately. and then going into next week, possibly about a foot of snow for some of those upper elevations, and even that's a little lighter than what some of the previous models were showing. so looking at the next several days, off and on rain. i know there is a lot of rain icons on there. it won't be raining the entire time. in fact, it is looking a little dryer for sunday. but then looking at san francisco, we are going to have the big waves along the coast, some off and on rain, and temperatures reaching into the low 60s. mike, it seems like it's been so light this morning, the drive around the bay area. >> seems like it, because it is. we're looking at a disabled vehicle, one of the only things on my grid, southbound 101 around the tiburon exit. you have activity that might be sticking into the right lane. stay in the middle if you can. wash out for flashing lights.

easy for highway 4. highway 37, no backup or metering lights at the bay bridge. we have a little slowing that showed up for about three minutes, west 580 out of the altamont pass. it's now back to green. we saw one minute added to the drive off of marsh creek down to 580, so vasco road now 18 minutes. i left this crash over here in castro valley on the map. it's off of 580. we don't have a lot to report, so i wanted to show my bosses i'm checking reports. a smooth drive for 101. not even slowing in the typical spot for san jose. >> nice and smooth on this wednesday morning. thank you. one of san francisco's most iconic spots is getting a makeover. ahead on "today in the bay," the changes being made at fort point and why not everyone is excited abouthe t

change is coming to a popular spot to view the golden gate bridge. the massive nautical looking chains at fort point in san francisco are being removed and replaced. crews began pulling out the concrete stanchions and chains last week and started replacing them with new rust resistant silver rails. the chains are getting loaded into giant bins to be hauled away and recycled. replacing the chains is getting mixed reaction from park visitors. >> it looks like there's history here, like there's been eons of

fishing and other boat traffic and everything. so, yeah, it kind of says a lot. >> those chains were kind of cool and gave it a look, right? but, honestly, these are further back, there's more space for pedestrians, feels safer. >> the rest of the concrete and chains will be replaced near the end of january. visitors should expect access issues when the project resumes early next week. the national park service says the chains were originally installed in the 1990s, so they're not considered historically significant. a week of celebration in unity under way in san francisco, the second day of kwanzaa. a nonprofit, the village project, is holding its second event for self-determination. the event will be at the bay view ymca at 2:00 p.m. many came together yesterday at city hall to celebrate the first day of kwanzaa. community leaders lit one of

seven candles, each representing a different principle of the holiday, like unity, self-determination, creativity and faith. events will continue in the city all week. kwanzaa is celebrated through january 1st. a lot more ahead at 6:30, including incoming rain headed for the bay area. we are under a microclimate weather alert. meteorologist kari hall is tracking when it's going to start really picking up, and how long it's expected to last. plus, a christmas morning fire destroys over 20,000 square feet of commercial space here in los altos. concerns still over the building or parts of the building collapsing this morning. we'll give you a live update from the scene and the beloved businesses impacted b thisy

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right now at 6:30, dry for now, but rain is on its way. here is a live look at san francisco, where it's going to look a lot different later this morning. our team is tracking the wet weather's timeline as you prepare to start your day. and at risk of collapsing. we're live with new details we're learning about a christmas day fire that ripped through a south bay mall full of businesses. plus, some bay area based social media giants are being put on the hot seat. the reversal some want the supreme court to make. this is "today in the bay."

good wednesday morning to you. 6:30. thanks for starting your day with me. i'm laura garcia. we want to check the forecast because rain is in the works. we really need it. kari is keeping her eye on the radar for us. >> we have not just one, but two or three storms coming our way over the next several days. and we're starting out with clouds this morning, not as much fog, and also that blanket of clouds keeping our temperatures a bit warmer. you can see the storm system approaching and it will start to bring in some rain for parts of the north bay for about 8:00 to 9:00 this morning, getting a little heavier as it continues to move into san francisco around 11:00 to 12:00, and also very spotty light rain in parts of the east bay that continues to roll its way across the bay area from north to south, going into the afternoon, and picking up for the evening for parts of the south bay as it starts to taper off in the north bay later tonight. then we'll just see lingering showers into the day tomorrow.

i'll be tracking that as well as the gusty winds and the big waves we're expecting along the coastline. and don't forget you can use the nbc bay area app to track the incoming rain. you can get access to our interactive radar, storm ranger. you can zoom in to find out exactly when the rain will reach your neighborhood. download the app and scan the qr code on your screen, and of course you can stay connected. mike, you've been tracking the impacts on the roads, and it's been so light out there. >> yeah, this is the impact of the end of the year, the last week of the year. we typically see a very light drive. there's so little activity, even the metering lights are not active at the toll plaza because there's no need. dry roads right now, but kari talked about the timing with the rain. and that will impact your drive, even if it's a lighter drive. likely the build will happen during the non-commute hours. we're looking at highway 4, highway 37, all at speed, same for the tri-valley, all the way over on the right, the only thing you see besides green sensors is that little corner,

the upper right corner, there's a little fog registering in tracy, lodi, stockton. very easy drive right now. >> thank you very much. it is 6:32. just into our newsroom, a deadly one-alarm fire in oakland is under investigation. it started this morning after 2:30 on partridge avenue. firefighters don't know right now what exactly caused the fire, but say it seems to have started in the basement. we'll continue to follow and bring you more information as we get it and it comes into our newsroom. a south bay community is now looking to rebuild after a christmas morning fire left a two-story commercial building with over 20,000 square feet destroyed. "today in the bay"'s ginger conejero saab joins us live in los altos this morning. you were actually there the morning that it happened. i know that there were concerns then of a possible building collapse. do we know what the status is now? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. well, the fire has been

extinguished, but concerns over the building or parts of the building collapsing, those remain. that's why law enforcement and fire crews -- or rather fire cars are patrolling the area to make sure they are keeping watch on this because there could be damage from that potential collapse. we actually saw a police car leaving the area when we arrived on scene this morning. that is the reason why eastbound lanes of this stretch of el camino real, they are closed down. they will continue to stay that way for a while. you can see the lights flashing there to kind of signal where. you can see much of the damage from sky ranger's footage yesterday. there were still hot spots that fire crews were working to put out inside the structure, and that was happening more than a day after the fire first broke out. we're told that is typical, because it wasn't a three-alarm

fire, crews worked very hard to control that christmas morning. the first calls from that fire happened right before 5:00 a.m. crews arrived on scene and called a two-alarm fire because of the collapse to the roof and hvac systems. the fire quickly grew to three alarms and needed support from nearby fire departments. fortunately, there have been no injuries or fatalities to what was a very aggressive fire. but its impact has been quite devastating for several small businesses, include ago martial arts judo club that opened about a year ago, as well as a dance studio that has been a fixture in this community. >> the building is gone, but we are still very, very much alive, and we will find spaces and we'll continue educating and nurturing our children. >> reporter: now, you're seeing a live look now. this is what i was saying, you can see flashing lights signaling where the lane is closed to the eastbound traffic.

now, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. if the building does not collapse on its own, fire crews are planning to demolish it, but we're told that that might still take a while, maybe about two weeks to even get things in place for that demolition to take place. this will be quite a road until really things close out, laura. >> thank you very much, ginger, for the latest. now i want to take you to the east bay, a live look in oakland where lanes of northbound 880 are back open after a woman was hit and killed last night. it happened just after 10:00 p.m. near high street. police say the woman was walking on the freeway. there was quite a bit of backup, as you can see, last night. it's not clear why she was on the road or if the driver who hit the woman stopped. new at 6:00, after decades, a man has been identified as the victim in an arizona cold murder case, and he might have ties to

the bay area. it all happened back in 1976. hikers in arizona came across human remains. the man had been shot in the head, and for years police didn't know who he was. but in october, police were able to use digital images of the man's finger prints and compare them to national databases. they identified him as luis alonso, orj feal from el salvador. they say he may have been living in las vegas or was in the navy here in the bay area. investigators need help finding his family. if you recognize him, call the majave county sheriff's office. there were back-to-back burglaries at a u.p.s. store. the first happened on christmas morning in oakland. police say the thief pulled up to the store in this lifted white ford super duty truck with no license plate. the thieves broke through the door taking several packages.

a burglar hit the same store around 4:00 yesterday morning, this time taking packages and a small safe. police are not sure if the same person or truck were involved. bay area social media companies are at the center of a supreme court case over free speech. california attorney general rob bonta and 22 other attorney generals called on the court yesterday to reverse an order that restricts how federal agencies speak with social media giants. the order comes from a lawsuit filed by attorney generals of louisiana and missouri that accused the white house of pressuring facebook, youtube and x to censor conservative viewpoints on the pandemic, election and other issues. an appeals court narrowed the ban but didn't overturn the ruling completely. a statement from bonta's office argues the decision saying in part, quote, dangerously restricts the government from addressing threats to public safety. the supreme court will make a decision by the end of june. let's take a live look outside. a bit of fresh air.

some fresh waves. i bet that water is cold out there in pacifica. you see the banner at the bottom of the screen, tracking incoming rain. kari is keeping her eye on the radar this morning. it's going to start in the north bay. will we all see the rain? >> we will at some point today and that's the reason we're under a microclimate weather alert. we track this storm coming in that's going to bring in gusty winds, and you can see the waves looking turbulent. that will get higher as the storm moves closer. we are starting out dry for most of us, but the wind picking up today will create big breakers that will peak tomorrow. where we see the areas in purple, even light purple, that's 25 to 30 foot waves, and it's coming at the time where we get king tides where it brings up the water slightly higher due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon and earth together. we are going to see that happening about 10:46 this

morning and the peak will be at about 7 1/2 feet, with localized flooding in low-lying areas. then the waves on top of that we'll see for tomorrow peaking, once again, big breakers. if you're going out to the coastline anywhere along our bay area beaches, do be very careful, never turn your back to the water, and keep an eye on everyone around you. mike, you're seeing a slight build in traffic across the san mateo bridge. >> just a slight build. some brake tapping going on. good spacing still westbound with the commute. so even though we've had that subtle change, it hasn't been any change on our sensors. the dumbarton bridge, the entire nimitz freeway readout shows you at the speed limit. that's how light the traffic flow is. we're watching for anything that could be an issue. no crashes, but kari's forecast, that does indicate this morning there will be a tougher drive starting in the north bay. we'll watch 101. easy drive right now. also forecast for 101, we know we have that closure for the

lower manzanita park and ride. we've had higher tides over the last few weeks, and then with the king tides and rain, this will likely get flooding. that will remain closed through the 28th, through the end of this year, just consider that an area to avoid. we may have crews on tiburon boulevard overnight. the last week of the year, overnight crews don't typically kick in because it's the end of the year. >> thanks so much. white house officials meet with the top israeli adviser as the war in gaza rages on. ahead on "today in the bay," we'll take you live to washington with more on the strategy to get more hostages home. plus, gearing up for the new year. the final preparations under way in the big apple ahead of the ball drop, and the record that could be broken in sin city. could be broken in sin city. keep it her

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good wednesday morning. we are under a microclimate weather alert as we track rain that will be arriving. for berkeley, we'll start to see the rain picking up around noon and continuing through 4:00, and even for this evening it's going to be off and on. look at those temperatures, not much of a change today. it's going to be cool and rainy and windy. i'll have more on that in a few minutes. and over here, slightly more, just a little more traffic. northbound 280 coming toward us, passing under 880 and 17. all of silicon valley pretty much like this, at speed.

we'll show you changes and see what you have ahead of you on the peninsula. >> thanks so much. it is 6:44. this morning, many are remembering the legacy of lee sun-kyun, best known for his role in parasite. he went on to win a screen actors award for that role in 2021. the actor was found unresponsive earlier this morning in a car parked at a central seoul park in south korea. police began to look for him when his family reported he left home after leaving a message that resembled a suicide note. officials later confirmed he died. lee was 48 years old. if you or someone you know is in a crisis, there's a toll free hotline for help in english and spanish. the easiest number to remember the 988. a quarter until 7:00 right now. to a live look in gaza, where the israeli military is expanding operations. it is moving its ground offensive into refugee camps and

asking people living in these large urban camps to move elsewhere. this comes a day after the israeli military chief says the war will last for many months. he says there's no magic solution to taking down hamas. attacks on gaza intensified around christmas day, with over 100 palestinians killed. since the war began, over 21,000 people have been killed in gaza, with 2.2 million people displaced in gaza alone. the u.n. warns over a half a million are facing starvation. a top advisor to israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met face to face with white house officials yesterday. "today in the bay"'s brie jackson is live in washington with more on that meeting. brie? >> reporter: good morning, laura. national security adviser jake sullivan, and secretary of state blinken met with israeli minister of strategic affairs, rob dermer.

they discussed efforts to bring home the remaining hostages held by hamas. israeli forces expanding their military operations into refugee camps in central gaza. another sign that their fight against hamas is far from over. >> this is a tragic, complicated situation, and it's going to get worse. >> reporter: the biden administration officials met with one of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's most senior advisers tuesday. on the agenda, efforts to bring remaining hostages home, minimize harm to civilians, and transition to a different phase of this war. the white house has urged israel to scale back, warning of the cost associated with a prolonged war. >> there's a most of long-term cost that's going to be associated unless the israelis start to dial it back. >> reporter: the u.s. continues to work with israel to improve the humanitarian situation. this 13-year-old's mother was killed, his dad is missing, forcing him and his siblings to

fend for themselves. >> translator: i don't know how to deal with this, but i know how to make my sister's milk. i change her. she hardly drinks the milk. >> reporter: calls for a cease-fire continue. >> the only way we can provide the scale of humanitarian assistance that's needed is if the fighting stops, if the attacks stop, if we can have safe access to deliver scaled aid. >> reporter: israel shows no signs of backing down and has vowed to keep fighting until hamas is destroyed. and u.s. and israeli officials also discussed planning for the day after the war does end, including governance and security in gaza, and a political horizon for the palestinian people, laura. >> we'll see how long this road is ahead. thank you for the very latest. happening now, preparations are under way for the new year's eve celebration in times square. one of the main concerns this year is safety. tensions are high across the country, especially because of

the war in gaza. local law enforcement will be on the lookout for what the fbi and homeland security are calling lone wolf threats. law enforcement is also telling those attending the large celebration to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. eric adams, the mayor of new york, says it's a balancing act. >> it's a really herculean task to manage that number of people without being heavy handed, but being protective. >> nypd preparing tight security, but note there are no credible threats. many couples may want to end the year with an official statement of love, for better or for worse. las vegas is set for an influx of couples wanting to get married on new year's eve. the reason is because of the day, 12/31/23, known as a special day, thanks to the repeating 1-2-3 pattern. being the end of the year, many venues are booked up and new

year's eve will be a showstopper. the number to beat is 4492, the single day record for messages in los angeles, 4,092 marriages, that happened on july 7th of 2007 or 7/7/07. a lot of people say seven is a lucky number. >> my parents' anniversary is july 7th. they got married a few years before. >> that's good that you remember it. i made sure to put it on the inside of my husband's ring, just in case. >> unfortunately, i'm the one who always forgets. [ laughter ] >> honesty, we appreciate your honesty, kari. >> what's the date again? you've got to make it easy. >> love is forever. >> you would never forget the status, that's good. >> it's always great. so if you're getting married today, you're probably very

nervous because we have some rain coming in. and then we also have this beautiful view of the moon out ahead of the rain. look at those waves there in pacifica. that is such a gorgeous shot. and i know we have this nice view, but we're telling people to stay away from the coastline today and tomorrow, because it will be very dangerous with those big waves that may come up a lot higher than what you were expecting, and the turbulence of those waves as the storm continues to move closer to the bay area. tomorrow is the peak of the high surf warning and we'll have off and on rain coming in as well. and then that's the first storm, with another one coming in on friday evening. we'll be tracking more wet weather as we go into the next couple of days. here is a look at the first storm. you can see the rain making its way closer to the north bay, and as we take a live look out in walnut creek, at least we have a dry start to our morning. the evening commute is looking soggy with the rain getting going here at about noon and

getting heavier between 2:00 and 4:00, with light rain continuing into the 6:00 hour. so let's time it out for everyone around the bay area. we're starting out at about 8:00 to 9:00, with rain covering much of the north bay, but it looks like it starts out fairly light, and then picks up with some gusty winds as we go throughout the day. at 11:30 to 12:00, it's moving down the peninsula and into the east bay. and for san jose, it may be a while before we really start to see wet weather. but it does look like it will have an impact on our evening commute while it starts to taper off in the north bay later tonight. going into the day tomorrow, it's off and on with spotty rain, but for most of us it will be a chance to dry out before the next storm comes in on friday. so looking at how much rain we're going to see for most of us, it's going to be a quarter inch of rain or less, from san francisco into the east bay, look at livermore and dublin, just a few hundredths of an inch of rain. in the north bay, it could be a

lot higher, approaching one inch of rain. when the next storm comes in, in total we could see widespread rainfall totals of over an inch of rainfall, and higher amounts farther to the north. and just keep in mind today, especially as you're driving through the afternoon, it's going to become a lot more windy, and some of those gusts near the coastline, as well as in some of our hills, will reach about 25 to 30 miles per hour, and then start to calm down later tonight as the rain becomes more scattered. so the next storm coming in on friday evening may be a little bit heavier and it continues into early saturday. sunday for the most part is looking dry, and then we may have a colder storm coming in next week, which is really key for sierra snow, because a lot of the storms we've seen so far have mostly been bringing rain. it's possible for next week we may see some snow developing, and it is desperately needed at this point. we may see another foot of snow possible for those upper elevations. so we're going to have a wet end

to our year, and even into new year's eve it's going to be partly cloudy, maybe a lingering shower. but drying out on new year's day. and then for next week we'll be tracking more storms ahead. but of course as we see all of that rain there, there will be some breaks in between. we'll be tracking that and letting you know how to plan your day. mike, you have a pleasant drive out of contra costa county. >> yes, very pleasant. it's very light. look how light the traffic flow is here, richmond heading over to san rafael. it's not just here. look at the green sensors, even over here in concord into walnut creek, on southbound 680, that entire stretch of contra costa county, which typically shows some of our biggest build, is not happening right now. carquinez and benicia bridge, richmond, a smooth flow of traffic through the tri-valley and east bay. happening now, pizza hut making layoffs in california. the franchises are planning to

lay off delivery drivers. it will happen just before the state law requires higher pay for food workers. in april, minimum wages will increase to $20 per hour. coming up next, the top stories we're following for you this morning, including a surprise inspection at an east bay refinery. after a year of health scares and flaring, the steps officials are taking to try to fix the problem. plus, at risk of collapsing. new details we're learning about the christmas day

welcome back. we'll get to the microclimate weather alert we're following in just a moment. first, we're moving you forward with a look at our top stories on "today in the bay." a deadly one-alarm fire in oakland is under investigation. it started this morning after 2:30 on partridge avenue. firefighters don't know exactly what caused the fire, but say it seems to have started in the basement. we're learning new details about the fire that destroyed most of a two-story shopping center and damaged several small businesses in los altos. we have a live look at the scene where all southbound lanes of el

camino between san antonio and sherwood avenues will be closed for the next two weeks. the building is considered fragile and could collapse at any moment. the fire department is preparing to demolish the structure. the cause of that fire is still unknown. later this morning, health inspectors will return to a contra costa county refinery after beginning a sneak inspection which they say could last a full week. we have a live look outside in martinez, where county health officials are hoping to find the cause of dozens of incidence over the past year. they want to look at tp refinery's operations and public safety files. in a written statement, the martinez refinery spokesperson says they are cooperating with all agencies and investigations related to the refinery and will continue to do so. we're keeping tabs on the forecast because rain is in the works. this is just a series of storms. >> we have about three storms lined up over the next week or

so. we're going to see off and on rain, and of course we know it at times takes a bit of a break. we'll see it moving in by this afternoon for much of the bay area, and then another storm on friday. i promised palo alto, and i didn't fulfill. there's a look at palo alto. no drama. great stuff. no metering lights at the bay bridge toll plaza. light traffic. when the rain comes in, it will change. >> in doubt. if you're sticking around, the "today" show is just ahead. we also continue "today in the bay" on roku and other streaming platforms. you can watch our 7:00 a.m. newscast next or see it online at nbcbayarea.com, or a smartphone app. a live good wednesday morning we're tracking powerful storms across the country >> that's right. and they're impacting millions of holiday travelers it's december 27th good wednesday morning. we are tracking powerful storm