this is cbs news bay area with reed cowan. heavy rain and strong winds on their way toward the bay area. i am tracking the hour by hour tracking. >> we are also seeing damage

from the strong winds already , where trees have come down across the bay area, and where the risks still exist. you people try to protect their homes from all this rain, they were waiting hours to get sandbags to avoid the flood that we will get through this together, everybody. i am reed cowan. it is, as paul said, a first alert weather day. the latest storm bringing strong winds and rain. the ground is saturated. the potential for flooding. we are already seeing problems through many of our vantage points . you can see to the right, trees are coupled over in many parts of our area. slick roads in the center of your screen ahead of your evening drive time. we are just getting started. state officials are stepping up, putting out the very highest alerts. >> we anticipate that this may be one of the most challenging and impactful series of storms to touchdown in california in the past five years.

>> let's talk about this. governor gavin newsom has already activated california's emergency operations center. they are doing it at the highest level possible so that help can be there immediately. more storms falling behind this one . the state says it is going to be a hi antlers for at least the next 7 to 10 days. chief meteorologist paul heggen joins me now. >> we are still waiting on the heaviest rain to arrive. we have seen light to moderate rain across the bay area for much of the day this has been moving rapidly south to north, being pushed along by strong southerly winds. the main event, the heaviest rain and winds now in radar range showing up off the coast this will be moving toward the coastline about an hour from now and pushing west to east the evening. it's not going to be as long-lived as what we had on saturday , but the rainfall rates are actually going to be more intense. just outlasting quite as wrong. even a cloud to ground lightning strike offshore in the past few minutes. we do have possible

damage. futurecast shows it making its way in as we head toward 4:00 and 5:00, pushing pretty quickly across the bay area through this evening. this is widespread heavy rain. this band on the radar simulation, that cold front that we talked about during the rainy season. this is where the roesincludin thderstorm winsts , are going to be concentrated, and some of the heaviest downpours. it will sweep west to east and help diminish the most intense precipitation. it will be heavy for the rest of the night. a little break in the action in the early morning hours of thursday, but more showers likely as we head into the thursday morning commute. let's talk about the flood watch in effect, a flood warning for the russian river near kernville. a flood watch continues to tomorrow. several inches of rain, especially in the higher elevations. not only possible flooding, but also landslides, debris flow. trees will be coming down with gusty winds. sustained winds

right now about 40 miles an hour at half moon bay. 40 miles an hour in oakland. the wind gusts will pick up as we head through the evening. the high wind warning to 10:00 in determining. the strongest guest around 50 miles per hour. some of the highest elevations close to 70 miles per hour. be ready for possible power outages. santa cruz county's issued an a machination order for people in the white house canyon road in the daffodil lane area . we are talking to go directly. there are several other evacuations e at warn . inan francisco, puic wos where getting sandbag that you could try to protect your property. leslie? >> reporter: let me tell you, the rain has calms down a great deal since we have been out here . and just a few

minutes ago, we saw a truckload of sandbags coming back . let me tell you, this behind me of cars has been like this since it's:00 a.m. this morning. the people i spoke with said they try to came here yesterday, and they are trying to beat the clock on the storm. >> i came here like 8:00 in the morning yesterday. they said they were all out, so i left. when i came back around 12:00, it looks like they restocked , but i didn't have enough time to get the bags. i'm back here today. i was here two hours earlier. >> reporter: since saturday, the department has given out over 11,000 sandbags . yesterday, they could run out. they want to remind people that if you haven't had flooding in the past, you most likely don't need it now. we are going to hear from her residence about what they are doing to try to find alternatives to the sandbags, too. >> leslie, thank you so much. we know you are on the case .

we will continue watching that. in the baaygeing through hiwa blanches hof looding athth ar ged the last storm, including some along the canal in san leandro. part of this while crumbled from the west storm. today, neighbors are worried that it could be washed out along with the backyards. >> my wife and i are in total stress. we are sitting around waiting for a disaster. nothing to impede it as far as city agencies, county agencies. they are doing nothing other going to be downstream . all these people are going to be affected. there will be another half-dozen walls come down. what do you think that dynamic will create? >> that is frustration in that neighborhood.'s plan, while he feels those feelings, is to

hunker down and see what the damages from this storm. we did reach out to city leaders he talked about and were told they are aware of the problem, but kind of like you said, no word on any fixes at this point. across the bay area, the strong winds paired with already saturated ground means the trailer toppling get this one in contra costa county. you can hear the buzz of the sauce trying to open up the roadway. this is pleasant hill road near the taylor blue boulevard split. this was around 9:00 a.m. . all that this morning, a tree blocks two east brown lanes in santa rosa. santa rosa fired worked to clear this one out. we have to look forward to the afternoon and evening drivetime. it is going to be missed because of the storm. last night, paul said, if you can work from home, try to do that. b.a.r.t. said there could be 20-minute delays

because a wet weather. ys you can see in the quad box, will bottom left-hand corner, san mateo bridge looks like it is top and go pick you can see a lot in the bottom, i-5 80. golden gate bridge with a lot of fog. the advice is, those low. the water mixed with oil makes for a slick commute. be careful . don't be on the roads if you don't have to. stay-at-home. take a look at the freeway warning posted in several areas today. you can see it through the fog glowing. it says severe weather, avoids travel until thursday night. just plan your life accordingly to be safe. the highway patrol is echoing concerns about flooded roads and streets. this money, we talk to chp officer andrew barclay. >> it only takes about a foot of water to possibly stall out

a vehicle. he often, people interviews roads thinking they have plenty of clearance, when in reality, they don't. our biggest advice, especially today as we are seeing so much water gathering, if you are not sure of how deep the water is on the road, don't attempt to drive through it. >> the city of san jose has proclaimed a local state of emergency in order to better respond to storm events. they have issued an evacuation order to people who live near the waterways. we are talking about the inse mao ty has decled a state of emergency that activated the emergency center. pg& e are gearing up for potential power outages all throughout the bay area that could affect tens of thousands of us. anne makovec is following what they have to say. >> reporter: pg&e says they are ready , but it is a marathon as we come off last weekend's big storm. more rain in the forecast. pg&e has hundreds of workers at the ready, including repair crews, inspectors, and technicians

standing by in case of flooding, downed trees , and downed power lines. hundred moore's will be manning an emergency operations center. 16 crucial southern california edison are also here to help. crews from other west coast are on standby. pg&e says one of the most difficult parts will get into problem areas. >> the big tell us with the weather on the scale is good to be active, saturated roads, especially in the east bay hills, and on the peninsula about skyline . we are going to see saturated roads , trees coming down , and access is going to be very challenging for crews to get in and make repairs. >> reporter: another challenge may be flooding in underground vaults like in san francisco. pg&e says that makes it tough to access equipment. they are asking for patients as crews make their way around to get

repairs done. the son of a former lineman, i know it is stressful. thank you. some bay area schools are canceling classes for tomorrow because of that storm. that includes kids in the south of the cisco unified area, or tele-valley, pacifica, and san mateo union high school district. some students had early dismissal today to get students and parents all before the heaviest rain is wind to make sure parents and kids were safe. stay with us as the storm rolls through. we have live coverage on our streaming coverage, cbs news bay area. you can also find us for free on the cbs news app or on pluto tv general 397. we have also extended coverage on our sister station, kbcw, and kpix.com. if you lose electricity, we are always in the palm of your hand. still ahead, our roundup of today's other top stories, including why this crash had some people describing a miracle outcome , and now it's turned to a story of a

criminal investigation. jumping the map to washington.

while the weather rages, also does the newest catching up on other stories pick you see the crash. the driver in this crash itself the pacifica now chasing charges. the tesla

plunged down a clip on monday. a family of four inside their children had to be brought up there that miss. the highway patrol says the father drove off the cliff on purpose. 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicious of attempted murder and child abuse. his wife and two children are recovering. let's go to the u.s. capitol where house republicans are still locked in a stalemate over electing a new speaker . on the second day of the new congress , this is playing out. early today, republicans failed for a six times to have the gavel to california kevin mccarthy. they say they will take it up again in another couple of hours. massive layoffs coming to salesforce. the bay area software maker is letting go of about 8000 employees . that's 10% of its workforce. this is the largest round of layoffs in the history of salesforce workers who lose their jobs, we are told, will receive five months of pay. time for look at our forecast from first alert

chief meteorologist paul heggen. what a day it is. >> you can see the radar bug in the corner of the screen, the bright colors on the left-hand side of the image. that is a band of heavy rain that is going to be heading in. very poorly timed for when people are going to be on the roads. we are emphasizing that the best option is to work from home. the greatest amounts are just over an inch of total rainfall to about just under an inch . santa rosa picking up three quarters of an inch. san francisco about half an inch. just over a 0.10 of an inch in san jose. it gives us a sense of the flooding potential. usually, when the weather prediction center includes the bay area, we are in the lower end of the scale. marginal risk, maybe slight risk. it is a moderate risk for most of the bay area, which tells you are concerned . the amount of rain we are going to get in a short amount of time on saturated soil. there is a possibility of

thunderstorm wind damage , something we don't often experience in the bay area. marginal risk of severe area and close to parts of the bay area because there is unstable every offshore. cloud to ground light offsre. th cou pruce better for wind gu chnilly defined anything higher th miles per hour. land is going toe strong enough as we head through this evening in tonight. there is shower activity across the bay area. there is a heavy rain lining up just off the coast. we will zoom in. you will see the intensity showing up. this is the top of the color scale. the amount of water that is being squeezed out of the atmosphere. it is all heading for the coast to the bay area it will work across the bay area over the course of the next few hours. let's switch to futurecast. it is showing the rain, a good handle on where it is. the cold frontal band approaching about 7:00. we will already have saturated soil by the time the heaviest rain and

the strongest winds arrived. trees could easily topple over because the root systems can't grasp the wet soil . the heaviest rain is going to push farther to the east by about midnight or so , maybe taking it until 1:00 or 2:00. a brief bacon action before the sun comes through on thursday. more bands of rain across the bay area for the morning commute on thursday. often on rain, heavy at times, as we head toward midday and even into the afternoon . let's add it up. futurecast indicating on top of what we have already picked up anywhere from an inch to potentially 3 1/2 inches of rain for the northern half of the bay area. most of us around an inch or two. you might sounds say, that doesn't sound like much. it is going to fall in a short amount of time. the ground can handle much more moisture. what falls will run often cause of flooding problem. good 3-4 inches of

rain , possibly 4-6 in the santa cruz mountains. some of the top is gus topping 60 miles an hour . 35 to 40 mile an hour gusts will be common. strong enough to bring down tree branches or entire trees. as a winds gradually relaxed, they are still going to be a noticeable wind. by the time the high wind warning expires, the winds are going to be below 30 miles an hour for the strongest guests overall pick in the high sierra, this is a big snow maker. anyway from one to three feet. about 6000 feet . wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. treacherous travel conditions. looking outside at the moment , we are waiting am heavy rain to arrive. commuters in the mid to upper 50s. temperature-wise, we don't change a whole lot over the next several days. look at the first alert days we have highlighted but we will see

another round of rain on saturday. it's going to be moderate to heavy. not as strong as this one. stronger atmospheric river could had a real monday and tuesday of next week. the timing on that one in the strength still up in the air. a strong enough signal in the data that we are already highlighting the states as alert days. the flooding threat is going to continue. a parade of storms continues. the entire nfl coming together over monday night's scary scene with damar hamlin. here's a look outside before we had to break. check here are your cbs deals. have gotten so popular with everybody, because they can cut galleries by up to 70%, but they can be bulky and take up a lot of your counter space. you know those counters you're trying to declutter? well, i have your solution right here. this is the air whirl crisper, it's compact,

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the heaviest rain is steadily getting closer to the coast. we are going to be in for three or four hours of the heaviest rain in any particular location is a make its way across the bay area. the symbols on the map or the wind damage reports we have

already received not associated with rain or thunderstorm winds. just the atmosphere getting squeezed the power of the storm system. one of the more impactful once, non-thunderstorm wind damage being as the storm moves in. around highway one along the coast, a large tree is down blocking all lanes of california 1. we will continue covering this throughout the evening. buffalo bills safety damar hamlin remains in critical condition after going into cardiac arrest on monday nights game. the team says he is showing signs of improvement. as charlie walter is going to show you, the scare has had an impact on all 32 teams in the nfl. >> this is the volkswagen red and gold report. the nfl plans to play this weekend's games as scheduled following monday nights postponement . that means the 49ers will host the cardinals at one, 25. the league is, however, moving forward with

heavy hearts. all 32 teams have changed the profile pictures to pray for demar, a show of support . this outside of levi s stadium . everyone sending positive wishes his way right now. hamlin 's toy drive, which we began with a modest goal of $2500, is now in the millions with donations bring in, including christian the crappy, trey lance, and george killed kittle. still ahead, our bay area storm coverage continues . the whole team invested in making sure your site, including a look along the coastline . listen to that. the surf is expected to pick up even more.

we got you covered. more first alert weather up and down the coastline. a lot of you are bracing for dangerous surf. the storm surge is sending waste into the sea wall in pacifica. a high surf warning starting tomorrow with dangerous surf along the bay coastal areas. you can head over to our streaming service, cbs news bay area, right now for life continuing coverage of the storm. give me about 10 minutes. i will be out in this weather to continue this. you can find this on the free cbs news app or on pluto tv. we have continuous coverage on our sister station, kbcw 44, cable channel 12, andrews updates throughout the night on

kpix.com . >> updates throughout the afternoon into this evening into night. information is power captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight we're following several breaking news stories including the state of emergency just declared this california as a dangerous storm forces mass evacuations. plus we've got the latest on the drcaolt ri hn he gop fails to pick a speaker. widespread flooding forces residents to leave homes. drivers stranded with more rain on the way. republican chaos. vote after vote after vote. and kevin mccarthy defeated again. so what happens now? plus president biden weighs in. >> i just think it say little embarrassing it is taking so long. >> o'donnell: signs of improvement, new information tonight on the condition of buffalo bills 24 year old