dry conditions and red flag warnings could make for a dangerous combination. this is a live picture toward mt. diablo where you can see just how dry the grass is out there. ktvu's alex savidge will join us in a moment with what fire officials are saying about the potential fire danger. we begin our team coverage with rosemary. what areas are impacted by today's red flag warning? >> the hills. it won't be just today. this will last until thursday morning for very dry gusty conditions. take a look at the map here. the areas shaded in orange, the north bay, east hills as well as the mountains into the east bay hills all the way down through the diablo range. gusts are expected to continue for today. it's just interesting to note that many of us not feeling the wind. it was breezy around the bay area yesterday. today, not so much but the gusts are still blowing even though we do not feel them, the wind gusts to 32 miles an hour

in the oakland hills at this hour. ten miles per hour, fairfield, 20 into the north bay, 10, 20. very dry conditions out there as we know, it's a record dry 2013. it looks like january may go down as the driest month on record. so the fuel is out there for the fire. also driving our temperature, we could see a few records this afternoon. coming up, i will have a look at what you can expect for your neighborhood. let's go to alex savidge who is in the oakland hills and spoke to fire officials about the heightened fire alert today. what did they tell you, alex? >> reporter: well, they are certainly concerned and are on a heightened state of alert. the winds, we've watched them pick up in the oakland hills. we're up on a ridge off tunnel road. firefighters are very concerned about this windy, dry weather and so are the people who live up here. with the winds whipping today, the warning is out.

fire danger is very high in the east bay hills. these strong gusts along with dry brush, a potentially catastrophic combination. leslie hunger who lost her home in the 1991 firestorm always gets worried about weather like this. >> it's a little bit of post- traumatic stress. you have that little kind of thought that that could happen. >> reporter: she and her husband with vigilant about brush clearance around their property and glad to hear the oakland firefighter -- fire department is on heightened alert. extra engines will be responding up in the hills. >> that gives me reassurance and the better cooperation between the berkeley and oakland fire department is reassuring also and i just think as homeowners we're more aware. >> reporter: during the next couple of days, the forecast calls for wind gusts topping 40 miles per hour in the high elevations. the lack of rainfall has firefighters on edge. >> this is a little bit scary to me as a career firefighter.

it's extremely dry. >> reporter: deputy fire chief mark hoffman says crews are carefully monitoring the winds and if things get bad enough, firefighters may start patrolling the hills to keep an eye out for any flareups. >> we'll go into the same protection mode we would normally do in the middle of the summer. this is what's unusual, it's january. >> reporter: calfire is gearing up right now by adding on an additional 125 seasonal firefighters. these are folks who normally would be working during the hot, dry summer months. and while firefighters are on alert, they also need help from the public. they say anyone who spots just the tiniest bit of smoke shouldn't hesitate to call it in. we're live in the oakland hills, alex savidge, ktvu channel 2 news. >> all right. thank you, alex. governor brown says a drought declaration is imminent and that means bay area cities are already discussing water

conservation efforts. last night, petaluma city council members weighed options including reactivating old wells and using recycled waste water to irrigate parks and schools. the city may ask homeowners and businesses to cut water usage by 15% this spring. so far no final decision has been made. the record dry conditions could even impact the price you pay for milk. dairy farmers in marin county say drought conditions have left fields brown, they've had to import hay from as far away as oregon. if the dry weather conditions, some small dairy farms could go out of business. >> it's an anxious and difficult time. so we -- we're praying for rain. >> the cost of importing feed could cause dairy prices to go up as much as 20 cents for a

half-gallon of milk. today, the 9th circuit appeals court refused to rehear the drake's appeal to keep operating after the lease expire expired. environmental groups applauded the court, saying that the opener of the oyster farm knew when he signed the lease that it was due to expire in 2012. new at noon -- hundreds of bird have been killed. and now residents are being warned that things could get smelly. janine de la vega joins us live. good afternoon, janine. >> reporter: good afternoon, tori. this pond is located at a waste water facility near redwood shores. every morning workers have been checking for dead birds. today they found five more which brings the total number

to 220. the u.s. fish and wildlife service has confirmed that dozens of birds swimming in the two ponds on the property of the south bay side system authority have died of avian. the ponds are a popular spot for local birders and they started to notice this around the holidays. once tests confirmed the outbreak, waste water treatment officials noticed the pond needed to be drained. this does not pose a threat to humans, just other water fowl. >> this is a natural-occurring thing at times and due to the weather this year and lack of rainfall, it's probably contributed to the factor about the avian outbreak around here. >> reporter: the ponds were created by the south bay system society to eliminate dust in the facility. the sbsa says the draining of the ponds will help rid the area of bacteria by drying it

out. there's a lot of bird excrement at the bottom of the ponds which may cause the area to smell. >> we have heavy equipment ordered to come in and help us turn that over and try to keep it fresh and lower the amount of odors. but people walking in the area, and nearby residents, they will have the potential to be impacted. >> reporter: it's unknown how long the bonds will remain drived. it tee pend on the weather and -- depends on the weather. while we need rain, it's not good for the situation. the weast were weast water facility will check the water for dead birds. the number is dwindling, over the past few days. reporting live from redwood city, janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. thank you. some san jose neighbors are concerned as police continue

searching for an arsonist. police have handed out a sketch resembling a man who has been caught on surveillance video either setting the fires or walking in the area where some have broken out. neighbors are keeping their porch lights. some have volunteered to stay up at night to be on lookout patrols. >> the only time i feel at ease is once they get him and we know he's behind bars. that's it. he -- he better turn himself in. >> police say patrols have been stepped up in the area and they are advising residents to call 911 if they spot the man and not to confront him. police have investigating the deadly shooting of a 19-year- old. it happened on dunbar on avenue and bell street. officers say they arrived on scene to find jose barbosa zamora dead. he was shot at the scene. this is east palo alto's first homicide of 2014. two middle school students were injured in a school

shooting this morning in roswell, new mexico. police say the shootert opened fire -- shooter opened fire after 8:00 am aberrendo -- 8:00 a.m. at aberrendo. the 14-year-old is in critical condition and was the intended target. the other, a 13-year-old girl upgraded to serious. the students was placed on lockdown and the students were bussed to a mall where parents could pick them up. the suspect was apprehended. no word if it was another student and no word on a possible motive. controversy over children's health verses better cell phone coverage. the plan to install a cell phone tower on the property of a contra costa school. a new federal audit says the cruise industry is working to improve on-board safety. we'll hear from one bay area congressman who says they are not doing enough.

there are now at least five -- rather, there are now at least 15 flu-related deaths in the bay area as more people fall victim to the potentially deadly virus. you can see the flum of cases -- number of cases in each county here on the map. the most recently reported deaths were two additional

cases in santa clara county, one in san mateo cuck and one in sonoma county. all four deaths were due to the h1n1 strain. in santa rosa, extreme measures are being taken at a senior living complex to reap the residents healthy. the lodge at pollen creek has closed its dining room, canceled group activities and asked residents to remain in their rooms. visitors are discouraged. this follows several cases of the stomach bug, norovirus, and the threat of a flu outbreak. >> my personal opinion, it's overkill. you know, it's for the safety of the residents. so you can't blame the administration for their going along with the health department. >> the facility declined to give accounts of how many cases of illnesses they've had but expect normal operations by the end of the week. in petaluma, the bay area's largest slaughterhouse is recalling more than 41,000 pounds of beef.

the rancho feeding corporation says the recall was put in place because the cows were not inspected by the usda before slaughter. the beef was produced last wednesday and shipped to distribution centers and stores across the state including six locations in the bay area. and for a full list of the meat products that have been recalled, go to ktvu.com and look under our web links section. california community college students face new eligibility requirements for a popular financial aid program. under the new policy students receiving a board of governors fee waiver will have to maintain at least a c average. they must also complete at least half of the units they attempted during two consecutive semesters. if they don't, they risk losing their fee waivers. foster youths are exempt. additional exemptions may be considered. the rules take effect in the fall of 2016. the university of california is shifting its

academic calendar for the next school year to avoid a conflict with a religious holiday. the davis school nup reports that because the jewish holiday rosh aasahanna, the winter break will be reduced from three weeks to two weeks. the change effects all seven campuses. south san francisco police are looking for a man who walked naked into a girls' locker room in a high school. a man in his 40s wearing no clothes went into the locker room at south city high around 5:30 last night and exposed himself to five girls who were changing after cheerleading practice. they say he did not touch any. no one was injured. he left without saying anything. anyone with information is asked to call south san francisco police if you have information. two proposals regarding affordable housing is expected to be discussed today at the supervisors meeting.

one plan from scott wiener would allow developers to build more units in a new building if they increase the percentage of affordable housing in the project. the other proposal from eric marr would make it more difficult to create more apartment buildings in tenancy in common units. there's growing concern that the plan to clean up the midmarket corridor is actually pushing homeless to new areas. people who live and work near civic center say in the past six months they've seen an increase in homeless people. >> there's like drugs, people pooping on the floor in front of you. >> if you have a complaint, we want to hear it, if you just give us just the least bit of patience, we'll get it figured out for you. >> city leaders have not reduced the number of those living on the streets, they say. the number remains around 6,000 over the years.

a bay area congressman is calling for a passenger bill of rights for crew customers to be better informed about safety on the high is seas. a federal audit obtained by our washington bureau says cruise lines have been taking steps to improve safety, including higher deck rails and improved medical treatment. but john gary mendy said -- garamendi said all crimes are not being reported at sea. >> one of the wealthiest unions around, they are making a pile of money. they should be providing safe, secure accommodations. >> more than 10 million americans will go on a cruise this year. cruise lines international association says cruise lines are complying with all safety laws. some la fayette parents are upset over a plan to install a cell phone tower on an elementary school campus. if the city council approves, the 16-foot tall at&t cell phone tower would be going up

at the catholic hool on hamlynn road. at&t said it is needed to improve coverage in the area. the school is not commenting but some parents we talked to this morning said they are worried their children's health would be at risk. >> the church is making a monetarily based decision that might end up harming the kids. >> i'm concerned with so many places that more logistically, i think would be suited for a cell tower that they continue to consider schools. >> i've already made my concerns with the church. i don't think it's a good idea. there's other parents that agree with that as well. >> a lot of those parents are expected to voice their concerns tonight during a meeting at the veterans memorial building in la fayette. the city council is expected to make a decision next month about the tower. outside our doors, wall-to- wall sunshine. for many of us, 10 to 15 degrees above the seasonal

average giving you a live look there outover the bay and the golden gate bridge. it's a nice day to be lounging in areas like half moon bay. take a look at this. 72 degrees right now in half moon bay. who else in the 70s? oakland, checking in at 71. widespread mid- to upper 60s around the bay area. san francisco, 67 degrees. mid-60s walnut creek. 66 in livermore. but before we go, i have to point you to the north bay, take a look at these numbers. what a difference, 56 in novato, 56 in santa rosa. it has to do with the wind. we're talking about the very dry gusty conditions bringing us the heightened fire danger. take a look north easterly winds. we have the downsloping winds and they warm on decent bringing us the warmup there. novato and santa rosa, these winds are coming from the south, not getting that same dry, gusty, wind. also along the coastal range, east of half moon bay, i'm

seeing a north easterly gust. that's really driving the temperature at the airport. ridge of high pressure in control of the weather pattern. you can see the circulation around the ridge of high pressure bringing us the northerly winds, keeping the storm track well to the north and fortunately, there's no -- up fortunately, no rain in sight -- unfortunately, no rain in sight. if you are just joining us there's a red flag warning that will last until thursday morning for our hills. north bay hills, east bay hills including the diablo range. temperatures for today, upper 60s near 70. it will feel line spring. 67 for san rafael. 69 for san francisco. 70 degrees for san jose. 71 morgan hill. 73 in santa cruz. mostly sunny skies, temperatures will be warmer as we get into your midweek on wednesday holding on through thursday. with your bay area weekend always in view, showing you temperatures begin to fall into

the weekend. partly cloudy skies. we do have a system that will bring our temperatures down. still remaining warm for this tim of year-- time of year. what's missing there is the rain. no rain in the forecast for the weekend. >> it's nice to have the sunny, mild weather. >> yes. >> but we need the rain. if you are thinking of going to seattle to see the 49ers play in the nfc championship this weekend, it will could. you. according to stubhub tickets to the sunday game between $398 to over $5,000. while there was much controversy over the seahawks policy to ban sales to california, ticket prices through the seahawks is about the same. but don't forget. you can watch the nfc championship right here on ktvu if you don't want to go up to seattle. kickoff is at 3:30 sunday afternoon. stay with us immediately after the game for our live postgame show "point after." well, los angeles county

sheriff's deputies at the home of justin bieber. we'll tell you about the felony search warrant served and what detectives are looking for. you do enough flying around. that's why we give you real big club card deals. this week, honey nut cheerios are just $1.88. that's a sweet deal. brew up a great cup for less. starbucks is just $6.99. and lean cuisine entrees are just 2 dollars each. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life.

stock markets rebounding putting it on track for the best day of the year. gains were led by the technology sector, especially intel. it's up almost 4% after analysts predicted demand for pcs will stabilize this year. taking a live look at the big board, the dow is up 109. the nasdaq is up 69.

1.7%. s&p is up 19. the economic recovery has been good for california's biggest public pension system. the sacramento bee reports that calpers portfolio grew. the paper reports that despite the gains, the pension system still face as shortfall of more than a hundred billion dollars and may consider an increase in contribution rates next month. right now, the los angeles sheriff's department is searching the home of the pop singer justin bieber. the sheriff's department says it is looking for evidence in an egg-tossing vandalism case involving the popstar. bieber is at the home and being cooperative. he's under investigation for allegedly throwing eggs at a neighbor's home last thursday. the search warrant is for a possible felony case because the damage to the neighbor's home exceeded $400. coming up at 5:00, water

concerns grow in more bay area communities. praise for a drought. with governor brown getting ready to make an official declaration, ktvu grews are talking to -- crews are talking to grape growers about how they will be affected. that's at 5:00. thank you for making ktvu your choice for news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. we're always here for you on ktvu.com and you can follow us on twitter and facebook. have a great day. [uncle]this is hopscotch,okay?

uncle go one,two,one,two,one two,one. [niece]okay! [uncle]okay? [niece]one,two three,four,five,six,seven,eight! [uncle laughing] okay,we go the other way,okay? [niece]one,two,three,four,five, six,seven!

[uncle laughs]there's ten spaces,you want to try again? [uncle]yeah?

elizabeth stanton: voluntourism. that means traveling the world while giving back to local communities. that's me, elizabeth. and today, my friends and i are taking a very special tour to africa, vietnam, nicaragua and las vegas. we'll discover what life is like in different local communities and hang out with some awesome families. the girl who lives here is stephanie. hey! (mumbles) she live here with four of her siblings and her mother, and she helps her family out by picking berries and mint. then we'll spend some time giving back... bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop... ...to find out how special a voluntourism trip can be. and you're coming with us. we have several different continents to cover. so, if you're ready, it's time to voluntour.