taking a live look outside at the bay bridge and the east bay. it looks pretty quiet out there and calm. but there is more rain on the way after a pound -- after it pounded the bay area last night. it is thursday, january 17th. good morning. thanks for waking up with us on this special edition of kpix 5 news this morning starting at 4:00 a.m. >> it's been a very stormy night around the bay area, and it continues, including looking at some thunderstorms right now. mary lou joining us. >> yeah. so it's still active on hi-def doppler this morning with some isolated sthorms. and just checked on high definition doppler and some lightning strikes just across the north bay.

so we did have them popping up. so it's still hiv from hopland. you can see just to the west and northwest of hopland nearukye a that lightning strike there. so we are still tracking some light rain as well as some isolated embedded thunderstorms. so we're not over just yet. now let's show you here what you can expect with our coastal flood advisory. that is in effect from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. so coastal flooding is possible, low lying areas along the immediate coast as well as the bayfront, so sea water on the roadways, that is all possible this morning. so we do have a high surf warning, very rough surf, and we're looking at increased rip current risk. the swell builds 24 to 30 feet, breaking waves up to 40 feet or higher. so we are looking as we go through the day still the chance of some showers, some isolated thunderstorms as well. so not as widespread with the

rain and for the wind, but we still have that instability in our atmosphere with the post- frontal situation with our atmosphere here across the bay area. wout you can expect, taking you hour by hour on futurecast coming up. we'll also talk about the storm reports, and i'll show you that in just a few minutes. now let's check in with gianna for a look at traffic this morning. >>reporter: thank you. we're keeping close eye on the freeways, watching for any flooding left over from the rain. we are, though, dealing with some windy conditions this morning and quite a few advisories have been issued by chp. that includes thalitymont pass where traffic is in the green. we're seeing light conditions overall, 205 to 680, but that wind advisory in effect. so use caution as you travel through there. bay area bridges affected as well. here's a live look at caltrans. want to show you the venetian bridge where overall traffic is moving nicely. in fact, not a lot of cars on the roadway, so that's good news. however, again, we are dealing with windy conditions, so two hands on that steering wheel if you're taking any of our bay

area bridges. as far as traffic congestion goes, though, traffic is quiet here. it is a quiet ride across the richmond san rafael bridge. we'll show you a live look at that. so far traffic is moving okay through here, but we're still seeing that reflection off the roadways. so still dealing with a lot of slick surfaces in and around the bay area. let's jump over to the bay bridge toll plaza. so far so good as far as traffic goes, no delays, no troubles coming out of oakland into san francisco right now. you've got a few cars in those cash lane, but overall a quiet ride. but there is a wind advisory in effect for the bay bridge as well. and quiet conditions on the san mateo bridge. right now 15 minutes to travel on to 92 if you're going from 880 towards 101. so very relaxing drive through there. however, again, windy condition, so be careful as you work your way through there. we'll get a look at the south bay coming up in just a few i want m z minutes. kenny. >> thank you. 4:03 right now. all lanes are back open this morning on the richmond san rafael bridge after fierce winds last night. take a look at the damage. it knocked over a big rig that was towing this trailer. the big rig blocked two

eastbound lanes for almost four hours. amazingly the driver was not hurt and got out safely. in danville heavy rains caused a mudslide on goway near to be closed. drivers can use elportel as a detour. it's unclear when that road is expected to reopen. and parts of highway 17 were blocked off yesterday after 4:00 after a mudslide shut down southbound lanes near the glenwood cutoff. those lanes have reopened. in oakland a falling tree branch killed a man seeking shelter from the storm. heavy downpours and high winds took down a large branch on caltrans property along interstate 580, hitting a man in his 40s. his friends found him trapped, and by the time authorities arrived, it was too late. >> one of the branches of the tree had broken and fallen on top of this individual, and unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries. >> police say that branch was about 30 feet long. the coroner hasn't released that man's name yet. in other parts of the bay

area, the rain and winds have pummeled trees, toppling several in lafayette, emoryville and san jose. and with these rough storm conditions and the high winds continuing, more trees may be coming down a little bit later on today. and taking a live look at donner summit. the driving conditions were treacherous. we heard there was a thick sheet of ice covering the roadway while crews worked to get a clear. chain controls are in effect. chp asking people to avoid that area. again, visibility is poor and the roads are very slick. meanwhile, some drivers are choosing to ignore some warnings to tackle dangerous roads head on. seminole county continues to deal with -- sonoma county continues to deal with some flash flooding. as we take a look at video there, the water piling up. this is at the intersection of highway 121 and 12 last night. crews shut down the road, but some drivers still got through all that water. others not so lucky. this car was left stranded in

the intersection unable to get through the flood waters. you can see the water rushing right through the road. there is a flood warning for southeastern sonoma county until 10:00 this morning. and an suv also got stuck in the water but fire crews put in some elbow grease and managed to pull this one out. across san francisco slick roads and strong gusts have created obstacles on the roadways and damaged some homes on pine street near lyon. a giant tree fell right onto a house and crews had to cut it apart to get it removed. in brisbane, low-hanging power lines shut down san bruno avenue in both directions, leaving pg&e workers to fix that mess in the rain. and parts of the great highway closed overnight when it flooded. it has since reopened. >> a lot of people feel less comfortable driving in these condition, so there's less lyft drivers and less people driving in general, so that should be more rides for me.

and i feel comfortable driving in this kind of stuff. >> authorities say use common sense on the roadways out there and drive slowly. we just got these latest power outage numbers from pg&e in the past few minutes. the most outages right now are occurring in the north bay, more than 17,000 customers are in the dark this morning. thousands more along the peninsula, the south bay and east bay, and right now just one customer in san francisco is without power. and i'm emily turner live here at the live news desk. we have some breaking news this morning out of france. a university campus is on fire right now. you're taking a look at pictures right there. they're out of the university of lyons, their campus in valeurbon. right now those flames still burning. this campus was under an invasion. they believe the fire started in the roof where gas storage tanks were housed. they believe that some point, somehow those were able to

catch fire, it then exploded several times. they are evacuating people. at this point, though, we don't know if there are any injuries. but it is still burning, though they say they have those flames under control. again, this is coming out of france right now this morning. we will be following this throughout the morning to bring you the very latest. guys. >> thanks, emily. 4:08 right now. new this morning, u.s. and china trade talks are happening at the end of this month. the chinese government announced this morning that it will end its economy czar vice premier lu hey to washington on january 30th and 31st. the goal they say is to end the costly trade war. today's announcement comes after continued negotiations in beijing. both the u.s. and china have imposed billions of dollars worth of penalties on each look right now at capitol hill where that partial government shutdown has dragged into a 27th day with still no end in sight. democrats are increasing the pressure on president trump to put an end to it. >> as reporter marc liverman explain, they're threatening

one of his biggest speeches of the year. >>reporter: the president's state of the union address is uncertain. >> this requires hundreds of people working on logistics and the security of it, most of those people are either furloughed or are victims of the shutdown. >>reporter: house speaker nancy pelosi is asking president trump to postpone the annual speech to congress or deliver it in writing if the partial government shutdown isn't ended soon. >> he could make it from the oval office. >>reporter: citing security concerns, the speaker wrote that both the u.s. secret service and the department of homeland security have not been funded with critical departments hamstrung by furloughs. the white house hasn't responded, though secretary of homeland security kirstjen nielsen tweeted the agencies are fully prepared to support and secure the state of the union. >> democrats have made a marketing decision. >> and all your blaming and flailing -- >>reporter: as the two sides squabble -- [ chanting ]

>>reporter: frustration with washington is reaching a tipping point. >> kind of almost like there's no end in sight, and it's just nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to help. >>reporter: kelly starcher is furloughed from the i.r.s. she's just one of the 800,000 federal employees not getting paid during the shutdown. many are now relying on food banks and donations. >> january we just barely got the rent paid. haven't paid the car yet. >>reporter: if the shutdown isn't resolved by tuesday, most will miss another pay check. marc liverman, kpix cbs news. >> now, as the shutdown drags on, more bay area businesses are lending a hand. lefties ballpark buffet at san francisco's fisherman wharf is offering free meals to furloughed government employees. all you have to do is show a federal i.d. british prime minister theresa may beat a no- confidence vote in parliament wednesday by a margin of 19 votes, narrowly surviving the second attempt to oust her. this comes one day after the house of commons overwhelmingly defeated her proposal on how britain will separate from the

european union. just about 11 minutes now after 4:00. protests erupting in san jose as a disgraced comedian takes center stage. hear from some locals who say that the claims against louis c.k. are no laughing matter coming up. and taking a live look outside right now. things are calming down after the wild weather we saw yesterday, but we are not out of the woods yet. more on the weather coming up.

warning this morning about massive swells. while the surf was rough yesterday... waves are expected to reach 25 to 40 feet today. powerful rip currents will also be a threat. time is 4- , the neafers is warning about massive as well as. while the surf was rough yesterday, waves are goinged to reach 25 to 40 feet today. powerful rip currents also will be a threat. all right. 13 minutes after 4:00. and how are things looking right now, mary? >> okay. so we are tracking scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm up across mendincino county this morning. so it's still active, nothing

like last night. but we are still tracking a few showers out there and even some embedded thunderstorms. you can see up in mendincino county just to the southwest of ukiah we had a lightning strike. you can see those showers near cloverdale and also a few showers right over the american canyon area. so let's zoom out on hi-def doppler. these are all the storm reports. i wanted to show you this. we've had flood reports, trees down and very strong winds. so some locations with those storm reports here, this is lucas valley. at 4:40 yesterday a report of 98-mile-per-hour wind gust. that is hurricane force wind. so impressive wind gusts with this powerful storm system here. and other storm reports in san francisco, wind damage, the san francisco fire department reporting wires down, trees down. so a lot with this storm here.

now let's show you a live look with our sales force tower camera this morning with cloudy skies, temperatures are running in the mid- to upper 50s at this hour. so it is a mild start to the day. let's check out the winds out there. so a south/southwesterly wind at s.f.o. at 16. 19 at half moon bay. looking at 14-mile-per-hour winds in hayward, 17 in oakland, 19-mile-per-hour winds in berkeley, 18 in vallejo, 23 in san ramone. so things have calmed down, but it is still breezy out there as we start off your thursday. so here's what you can expect. we'll see scattered showers. so behind the frontal system yesterday we still have the chance to see more showers as we go through the day, the atmosphere is still unstable out there. an isolated thunderstorm it possible, and we did notice that lightning strike up in mendincino county this morning. breezy and seasonal daytime highs as we go through the day. futurecast, here we are as we put this into motion, this is at 7:00 a.m. and you can see that scattered

activity lighting up our radar screen. as we go hour by hour, here we are at 10:00 a.m. now, we'll see some sun breaks, also some showers, and then as we roll forward here this is at noon, and you can still see that activity lighting up our futurecast radar screen. so we'll see some sun breaks, also we'll see some scattered showers. this is at 4:00 p.m. and then as we go through tonight -- excuse me, tonight, looking at the clouds as well as finally catching a bit of a break as we go through tomorrow. a winter storm warning in effect for the sierra, heavy snow likely still, and this continues until friday morning, 24 to 36 inches of new snow, a blizzard warning as well for elevations 7,000 feet and higher. that does include lake tahoe. very dangerous conditions, whiteout conditions with very strong winds, so dangerous travel up across the passes in the sierra. n th upper 50s in san francisco, looking at 60 for a high in oakland, 60 for san jose.

upper 50s for fremont. here's that seven-day forecast, as we're looking at scattered showers, we'll see some sun as well, but an isolated thunderstorm is possible. we catch a break friday and for saturday, maybe could see on friday a few showers for the north bay tomorrow morning. but otherwise we're looking at mainly dry conditions. some showers with a weak front on sunday. and then check out next week with high pressure building in and that sunshine. now let's check in with a look on traffic. >>reporter: thank you. as mary just mentioned travel advisories for the sierra. it is going to affect your drive. we want to show awe live shot of what's happening on 80 here. this is near applegate. again, we have closures in effect. they are holding semis, large trailers especially right at applegate eastbound. westbound they'll be held at the nevada state line. and there are chain requirements in effect for both east and westbound 80 as you travel between placer county to the nevada state line on the eastbound side. westbound from the nevada state line to at least 2 1/2 miles east of state route 20. also check conditions for 50 and 88 if you plan on traveling through there. but, again, be very careful.

jumping a little closer to home right now, over to our maps, we do have a bit of a situation near saratoga. state route highway 9 at sanborne road a landslide has all northbound lanes completely shut down. also affecting southbound lanes as well. those are partially blocked. you've got traffic control in effect through there. not a lot of options for alternates, so try to avoid the area if you can. we have another couple of accidents starting to trickle in this morning. we're still dealing with slick roads out there. northbound 87 connector north over towards 280, this crash blocking at least one lane. also detective traffic signals reported. this is along westbound 84 connector over towards southbound 280. looks like they may actually be lying on the roadway over towards the center divide. so use caution as you travel through there. wind advisories continue as well 580, 680. we'll have a wind advisory through there. looks like traffic, though, is still pretty light as you work your way westbound, but, again, windy and gusty conditions. wind advisories as well for some of your bay area bridges, that including the bay bridge. right now a live look at the

toll plaza. traffic still very quiet, but be very cautious as you work your way across the span. same goes for the san mateo bridge where traffic looks good still in both directions. not a lot of cars on the roadway, but windy conditions there as well as the richmond san rafael bridge with a live look at that where traffic is -- not a lot of cars on the roadway here. that's the good news. drive times are okay, but, again, very windy out there. anne. well, popular comedian hit the stage last night in san jose to a soldout crowd. but another performance outside also gained some attention. [ chanting ] >> protesters standing right outside of the san jose improv where louis c.k. held a show. the controversy surrounding the comedian began a couple of years ago at the height of the me too movement when a handful of women accused him of sexual harassment and he later apologized. then just last month he mocked survivors of the parkland mass shooting where 17 people died. and during louis c.k.'s show witnesses say a fan hit a protestor, leaving him with a

bloody nose. several officers responded right away. >> it really angers me that he thinks that san jose is a safe place, that he can come here in our town, that we're not going to protest, no. not in our town. it's not funny here, it's not funny anywhere. >> i like to laugh, i like him as a comedian. i'm able to separate the artist from what he does in his personal life. >> despite the backlash, all three of louis c.k.'s shows in san jose sold out. san jose improv released a statement saying in part we see comedy as the final frontier and we don't censor artists. we want them to perform without scrutiny. we trust our audiences can decide for themselves what their limits are. 4:20. this morning we're learning a man with ties to the bay area was among those killed in a terror attack in kenya. al-qaida-linked militants armed with guns and explosives burst into a luxury hotel and shopping complex in nairobi on tuesday, killing at least 21 people. one of them jason spindler of san francisco. he is the c.e.o.

of the tech investment firm i- dev. long before he started his own company, he worked at the world trade center in new york city and survived 9/11. >> he stayed around and was helping to pull people out and get them to safety. he was full of energy. he had a vision, he wanted to change the world. >> jason would have turned 41 years old on monday. a suicide bomber killing four americans and at least a dozen syrians, the attack targeted a restaurant u.s. service members frequented. >> nikole killion reports the bombing raises new questions after president trump's vow weeks ago to remove all american troops from syria. >>reporter: isis claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in syria that killed four americans, including two soldiers: a man wearing a ede elf up in front ldiers had stop >> our fight against terrorism is ongoing, and we will remain

vigilant to its destruction. >>reporter: an american contractor and civilian also died in the blast in the northern city of manbij. in addition, at least a dozen syrian civilians were killed. the white house expressed its deepest sympathies to the families of the americans killed and wounded in the attack, while some lawmakers called again for president trump to reconsider his recent decision to withdraw u.s. troops from syria. >> take this as a warning sign of what to become. >>reporter: shortly after the attack was announced, vice president mike pence stood by the president's strategy. >> we're now actually able to begin to hand off the fight against isis in syria to our coalition partners and we are bringing our troops home. the caliphate has crumbled >>reportthat the ider pickt y indicate at isis trackingtold

s news we're looking into all that. nikole killion, cbs news, washington. time now it is 4:23. >> and president trump says he wants a space force. well, netflix is delivering. more on the streaming site's new comedy series coming up. and let's head outside and take a look in san jose. cloudy conditions there right now. but there is more rain in the forecast. it is 4:23. we're coming right back.

good thursday morning to you. want to give you an update on the weather. so hi-def doppler, we had that strong front push through the bay area, and that brought the wind and the rain as well as

the flooding. and you can see on hi-def doppler, we are still tracking showers and even thdetorms. po strikes right w. an'lab of what you can expthroughout the day coming up. gianna. >>reporter: we are still dealing with some of that flooding this morning, especially in the south bay. we're going to head to 87 right now northbound right at that northbound 280 connector. getting word from chp of this accident where a vehicle spun out. it's now facing the wrong way, stuck in the left lane and that's where we're seeing some standing water as well. so use caution as you travel along 87 this morning. kenny. >> thank you. 4:26 right now. famous singer sues her former assistant and a new series for actor steve corell. >> cbs news' chris martinez has today's "eye on entertainment." >>reporter: mar iah carey is suing her former assistant, accusing her of breaking a non- disclosure agreement, negligence and theft. the singer is seeking at least

$3 million from leanna lazaria who served as her assistant from 2015 through 2017. carlos santana is hitting the road this summer with his band, calling the three-month tour "super natural now." he's celebrating the 50th anniversary of his woodstock performance and 23rd anniversary of his album "super natural." >> "super natural" is right up there with michael jackson's "thriller" and the eagle's greatest hits. so that's great company to be with as far as, like, reaching many, many, many people's hearts. >>reporter: and president trump says he wants a space force. comedy gold for some. netflix announced a new workplace comedy show about the employees creating a sixth branch of the armed services. steve corell who played the boss for laughs in "the office" will star in the series. that's your "eye on entertainment." chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles. and the south bay got its

fair share of drama and headaches from the big storm. we've got a live report coming up.

live from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix 5 news. and a heads up for drivers -- this morning cre the storm has turned deadly with a mix of rain and wind, toppling trees across the bay

clear the power lines scattered across the bay area roads. the chains are in effect in the sierra with snow covered roads.it is thursday morning at 4:30 am. good morning. i am kenny choi. we are trying to get you off and going today with all of the drama, weather-wise, still lightning strikes. >> it is still going on, an active morning for sure on the hi-def doppler. zooming in on the point arena, getting hammered right now. you are likely hearing the thunder and seeing the lightning strikes. the atmosphere is unstable behind this strong cold front that pushed