all eyes are on the san lorenzo river here in felton today. it gave its annual scare to the locals, but some of those who live along its banks decided to stay. the san lorenzo river gets a lot of runoff from the santa cruz mountains. add to that the atmospheric river that just hit, and the santa cruz county sheriff's office says it had no choice. we issued a mandatory evacuation order for the felton grove area. that is a very low lying area, flood prone area, but many residents declined the order. one resident told me off camera that this happens every year, and they know what to do because they're prepared, because they're used to it. they it happens every every year, every couple of years. but if you go down there, it's pretty, you know, the river is coming up quickly. so by noon the streets were seen standing water, but the san lorenzo was still within its banks, so residents stayed. that is the decision that is ultimately up to them. we can we can give orders and advice and advisories, but it is ultimately up to the families. the sheriff's

behind me is the san lorenzo river. and that was a cause for concern. earlier this morning at 7 a.m, the santa cruz county sheriff's office issued that evacuation order, not a warning. they issued an order for the low lying areas near the banks of the san lorenzo river. and so that order was lifted again at 2:00. but there is concern, they say, that some of the even though it's not raining right now, some of the runoff from the santa cruz mountains will still fill the san lorenzo river behind me. and so we're not out of danger just yet. just the imminent danger i is gone. thats why they lifted those evacuation orders. folks here say they lifted this every year. there is a warnings and orders because of the san lorenzo river. but for now, they've been spared. and the fingers are crossed here in the santa cruz mountains. yeah, that is good news. and, damian, as you mentioned, the authorities like law enforcement deputies and residents are used to this every year. do they prepare for it? have they made changes and modifications when they know a storm is co

you can see how the how swollen the san lorenzo river was earlier this morning here in felton with a debris down river. and so that prompted the sheriff's department to put out an alert on facebook, which reads in part, we're urging residents to evacuate immediately and move to higher ground. heavy rains and runoff have prompted evacuation orders for parts of santa cruz county. we are seeing flooding in low lying, flood prone areas and it continues a little bit from there. but the rain has let up, as you heard steve say, and as i'm confirming, the rain is letting up. and so residents say this has dropped. it's a sigh of relief for some folks who got up early, who are really awake all night because of the rain, who got up early to check the river levels and check on their friends. >> the water coming up here, suddenly it comes up really fas, and the local area down here in felton by safeway gets flooded out. and it's unpredictable when it's already high like this. and then you get another two inches real fast. it can flood and it goes up and down real fast. >> but the fear right now is

out to see for herself what the whole town of boulder creek was talking about, how quickly the san lorenzo river was rising. >> it is impressive, a lot of water very fast. >> reporter: for most of the past year, she says you could practically tiptoe across the river. >> normally i come down here when the water's really low. people are fishing and i've even seen kids swimming and stuff in here, but i've never seen it raised this high before. >> reporter: but it's not just something impressive to look at. it could be dangerous for people who live in low lying communities like felton grove. this morning santa cruz county sheriff's deputies posted notices of potential flooding from the san lorenzo and also went door to door warning residents to get out. they didn't have to warn jillian and coleman twice. >> this is our first winter in the neighborhood. so we're better to be safe than sorry. >> that's right before it comes in the garage. you just never know when it's going to stop. >> reporter: eric burkehoffer knows all too well what can happen. although most of the homes in the community were built

take a look at the san lorenzo river yesterday.compared to today, the water level rose so quickly it prompted evacuation warnings. luckily, those have now been lifted. the worst of the danger seems to be over. abc seven news south bay reporter dustin dorsey has spent the day in that area talking with folks who live there, and he joins us live. dustin. >> yeah, dan. and those folks that you just mentioned can't really feel anything but relief right now that this san lorenzo river that rose so rapidly didn't actually breach its banks, and those evacuation warnings and orders were lifted. but as you saw, it rose from just a few inches yesterday when we were here to several feet deep, and that had everyone on high alert. rain fell about as fast and as hard as the san lorenzo river was flowing thursday. living along the banks is usually a great place to be, but river road residents are not exactly reaping the benefits during this storm, as water rose faster than usual. >> typically it takes 2 or 3 days, but overnight we had rain all nig

rain fell about as fast and as hard as the san lorenzo river was flowing thursday. living along the banks is usually a great place to be, but river road residents are not exactly reaping the benefits during this storm as water rose faster than usual. >> typically it takes 2 or 3 days, but overnight we had rain all night long, so it's definitely higher. we're watching it consistently. so you know, it's rising. >> trevor medina and his neighbors in felton grove got word from the county early this morning that they were in an evacuation zone. river road completely flooded in 2023 when storms overwhelmed the river as rain fell thursday, medina was ready to avoid getting caught in floodwaters. this time. >> i'm right on river road and my window actually peers out just into the river so i can see the level rising and we can see it if it breaches. >> where's the point of concern level for you? >> as soon as it breaches, we're gone. >> just across the covered bridge. evacuating is not as simple. >> family's been here almost 50 years, so we've been through the storm of 8223.

we're right up in the san lorenzo river area.that has a history of flooding before. these residents here under an evacuation warning this morning. and, you know, along highway 17 whenever you take this commute, it's already a little nerve-wracking as it is. because it's a winding road. but this morning, definitely people are being, you know, advised to not exceed speeds of 40 miles an hour on the highway, plus you also have the wind and you have very large trees in this area so there's concern for that -- but right now -- [ inaudible ] >> i mean, in that area too is pretty tough to just get signal to our cameras. and our live shots. when we cover these areas. so again, just a reminder through there, there are flood watches and warnings in and around there. so just be extra careful as you travel out and about and we'll do our best to update with you that and you can see on bottom of your screen, we do have the latest information when it comes to any sort of road closures or flooding information. and the news of the day as you star

this neighborhood not only has flooding from the san lorenzo river, but also the zion creek. evacuation warnings have been issued since wednesday evening, and several people from this small community have already decided to leave. they're all too familiar with the threat. two years ago, this part of santa cruz county saw severe flooding where pictures show rescues were carried out along river road. people like eric birkhofer were up early. his pictures from the last major flooding event right at hand in his garage. >>>>that's right before it comes in the garage. you just never know when it's going to stop, you know? and then here it is. this is my little gate. i mean, it has to be expensive, right? it didn't do that much damage. amazingly, like i said, the house is built so that it can it can come into the garage. i have to move everything. >>>>while eric keeps an eye on the national weather service and water gauges for the river, others are wasting no time in packing and heading out. >>>>this is our our first winter in the neighborhood, so we're better to be safe than sorry.

and the concern is the san lorenzo river could rise in flood low lying areas. so let's get straight to chief meteorologist, paul heggen, who is tracking this system and these warnings that we just got in right now. >> yes, you saw on first alert doppler, the rain that's moving in as we speak. we'll bring up the map here. we'll take a look at the current radar perspective. i'm standing where most of the rain is at the moment. most of it is still offshore. some of the heaviest rain is going to take a little while to show up in view and make their way towards the coast. already, some of the rain is making their way onshore as we speak. it's going to spread across the rest of the bay area as we head through the rest of tonight. now the most widespread and the heaviest rain will fall overnight, early tomorrow morning. this is futurecast through 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. it shows the rain surging in on time. we'll see some pockets of heaviest downpours in the yellow and orange, and red indicating very heavy rainfall rates. if those happen in some of those spots with the mo

. >>> we're keeping an eye on the rising san lorenzo river in santa cruz county. the storm prompted evacuation orders earlier today. they have been lifted. our len ramirez is live in scotts valley. he heard from neighbors who were not taking any chances. hi, len. >> reporter: hi. the neighbors have been through a lot now. in our location this moment it stopped raining and that is news because this area has been pounded all day long. the heavy rain made driving in santa cruz county treacherous with pools of standing water seemingly around every curve and not every driver made it home safely. the boulder creek fire department was called out to this solo spin on bear creek road. the suv slid down an embankment, but the driver was apparently well enough to walk away and they were gone by the time the emergency crews got there. in nearby ben lomond a truckload of sand for sandbags was gone in no time. this couple grabbed some of the last of it because of minor flooding at their place. holly hoff came out to see for herself what everyone was talking about, how quickly t

due to the steady rain that we've seen from the san lorenzo river, the steady rising of the san lorenzojesse gary is live in the mountain community of felton, where now the rain has let up and the water levels are going down. good morning to you, jesse andre. >> good morning again to you. and yeah, you can see the hoods down and the rain has let up if not at all completely stopped, which is great news. you just see some puddles in the street behind me. but that's wonderful news. as the water level of the rushing san lorenzo river is starting to drop. now we're in the felton grove neighborhood of felton, where homes line the river about maybe a dozen or so homes that line the river. flooding from downpours is a common occurrence, and the evacuation warning issued door to door by sheriff's deputies and also on their facebook page this morning, had some people on edge. but now the rain has let up. the river, which had been at 14ft and rising about a foot per hour with just seven feet before it reached flood stage. well, it started to go down and that's a good thing. >> the last couple feet

the san lorenzo river can be both a blessing and curse depending on the season. >> i've been here long enough. i know which parts of my yard flood first. >> about a dozen homeowners living along the river's edge took precautions due to early morning rainfall. >> usually, i use rain as a background noise to sleep, so that's why i thought i'd go up there and sleep. but it kept me awake. >> the river was at 14ft and rising a foot an hour, and getting close to its flood stage of 21ft. that prompted the santa cruz county sheriff's office to issue an evacuation warning to county residents in low lying areas. >> they're going to need help getting out of their houses and getting their things to dry areas. every couple of years, they suffer some pretty bad losses down there in terms of property loss. >> california state park rangers closed henry cowell redwoods state park as a precaution after three motorists in south santa cruz county had to be rescued from rising waters. >> right now we're trying to on the side of precaution with our park closures to make sure that we don't have anyone gettin

i wanted to show you the san lorenzo river near felton was right around flood stage this morning. right now it's 13ft tomorrow, much better down to eight f feet. and we also saw some very high water on alameda creek near niles canyon. right now it's dropped out of flood stage to eight feet and tomorrow it's at five. we'll take hourly looks at this forecast and what's happening with the rain. i've got another update coming up in about 15 minutes. thanks, jeff. this latest round of rain is also causing more issues in the north bay. downed trees, slippery roads and flooded streets have kept first responders and public works crews busy. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in napa county. jodi, what are you seeing right now? well, gavin, we're at the intersection of highway 12 and highway 121 where you can see the highways look more like water ways tonight. the highways have been closed at this section all day. and this is just one of several trouble spots in the north bay. we need it. but i'm getting sick of it. that's how many are feeling as another round of rain batters the bay area. i

now, two of the rivers we're following right now is the san lorenzo river near felton, four feet currentlyt tomorrow, 8 a.m. up to 14.5ft. not quite flood stage, but it will be close. also, the russian river in guerneville. 14ft. but as we head through friday night, it's up to 25. flood stage is 32. but if we get a little more rain than anticipated, this will also be one to closely monitor. the winds going to be gusting tomorrow morning, 20 to 50mph that might take down trees, stays gusty through the afternoon. then eventually by friday we'll start to see that wind calming on down. so wet and windy here. and then look at this sierra snow tomorrow and just a day and a half. we're going to be picking up anywhere from 2 to 5ft of snow with some blizzard conditions. we'll get in on a break. once we hit saturday, we're going to need it. and then you can see just a slight chance of some rain on sunday. and we're dry next monday, tuesday and wednesday. this is going to be a very strong round of rain coming in tomorrow morning, so we're going to be all over that. okay. thank you very much. thanks,

you heard about the san lorenzo river, big trees here. as we come in closer. it crested peaked earlier this morning during the 8:00 hour. still, you can see right about 14.2ft expected to trend down for the rest of the day and into tomorrow. take a look at the rainfall totals over the past 24 hours, these numbers really adding up. boulder creek over five inches of rainfall kentfield over three inches, redwood city 2.63 and san francisco 1.67. and the winds are really whipping up. we still have wind advisories and high wind warnings in place. take a look at some of these winds. sfo during the 12:00 hour, had a gust of up to 62mph. flood watch continues through saturday evening, but of course the bulk of the rainfall is happening today, but the creeks and the streams are running pretty high. and we also have the high wind warning near the coast and right around san francisco until 10:00 tomorrow morning. other portions of the bay area, we have a wind advisory. so here's the radar imagery. look at these thunderstorms. as you can see here, just just outside of mod

san jose 1.41. showing you the river level, the san lorenzo river and big trees as we move closer to the felton areathey had a lot of rainfall this morning. the river peaked this morning during the 8:00 hour. now get down to about 13.8ft, and it's expected to trend down later on tonight into tomorrow. but we still have a very active radar. lots of snow piling up out toward the sierra. they have a winter storm warning in place. and then for us here in the bay area, these are all the storm reports. and a lot of these were from this morning. you can see just reports here up in the north bay out toward petaluma. and then in the santa cruz mountains, debris flow in the felton area, parts of the east bay as well, right around clayton. reports of a debris flow as well. that was during the 6:00 hour. looks like the coverage is starting to back off, but still some scattered rain. as you can see in portions of the north bay, there's some coverage from lafayette to concord to antioch, and then still showing you some activity right around san mateo, redwood city and palo alto. definitely impacting the afternoon

the san lorenzo river did reach just below minor flood stage in felton, and sheriff's deputies went through the neighborhood to alert residents of possible danger. >> it's unpredictable when it's already high like this, and then you get another two inches real fast. it can flood. >> well, the storm actually rained a little bit more than we thought, so we had our creeks rise a little bit faster than we were expecting. >> jason hoffman is spokesperson for santa cruz county, which activated its emergency operations center for the storm event. hoffman says due to the high surf warning, the city of santa cruz is taking the precautionary step of closing the santa cruz wharf on friday. >> especially tomorrow. on friday, we're advising people to stay off the beaches, rocks, jetties, cliffs anything near the coast at all is not safe. the words life threatening have been used by the national weather service. to us. >> the wharf is a major tourist attraction and valentine's day is sure to be a busy time. but these visitors from the redding area say they do understand why the wharf would need to be clo

san lorenzo river probably becomes a concern for flooding thursday afternoon. much more on that and the rest of the story coming up in the full story in a bit. >> thank you darren. >>> let's take you now to the white house. where elon musk held a news conference alongside president trump in the oval office to defend the work of doge. this is the first time musk spoke pubiclily. he has come under fire for acting too quickly to cut government jobs without full transparency. federal workers held a rally at the capitol. some critics accusing musk of a hostile government takeover. here is here response to that. >> the people voted for major government reform. and that is what 2t people will get. we are trying to be as transparent as possible. all of our actions are maximumly transparent. i don't know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the doge organization. >> in that meeting trump signed another executive order requireing the heads of federal agencies to partner with the department of government efficiency to shrink the size of the gover

the good news tonight, all evacuation orders have been lifted along the san lorenzo river in santa cruz county. this after authorities went door to door telling people to clear out. but we are just learning about new evacuation warnings along the santa cruz county coast. the sheriff's office issuing warnings for the rio del mar beach driver area because the high tides and breaking waves. the storm made getting around pretty challenging today. this is 580 in oakland. it flooded early this morning. you can see drivers going through several inches of water. this all made for some dangerous driving conditions. the down poor drainages overwhelmed storm drains. we did see one person braving the elements just trying to clear the drain. and the rain may be tapering off but the high winds do remain. it will be a little more scattered as we head through the rest of tonight. let's take a step back in time. radar replay the last 12 hours takes us back to when the next wave of rain was moving in. the second of two. one overnight came through. these scattered showers have been prowling the area throu

the sheriff's department says the incoming rain will likely lead to flooding, and the san lorenzo rivers expected to rise. officials are urging people to be vigilant and to listen to their warnings. >> coastal areas bracing for extremely hazardous conditions. and that does include those powerful gusty winds. let's go live now to ktvu. betty. you there in pacifica? how are conditions there right now? betty? >> well, mike, the rain right now has been steady and pretty moderate. we haven't seen the waves behind me jump the pier just yet here in pacifica, as we often do during a storm. but of course, all that is expected to change in just a few hours. there will also be a high wind warning going into effect overnight into friday morning. pacifica is bracing for rough surf, high winds and heavy rain to move in overnight and intensify thursday. waves could reach a staggering 45ft. >> and they are called flood barriers. >> ace hardware is seeing a surge in demand for emergency supplies as the storm ramps up. it's running low on items like heaters, flashlights, tarps and rain gear. >> tomorrow

in fact, evacuation warnings are already in effect near the san lorenzo river near santa cruz county. in santa cruz county including felton grow. beth drive and paradise park. we are also expecting some strong winds. and it could make a mess of the morning commute. so paul heggen is in studio right now to explain it all. >> the rain is falling on our rooftop. the heaviest rain will move in through the rest of tonight. so let's bring in our map on the floor and i will turn on the first alert doppler. the current view of what's happening right now. first let's put labels on the map. here is the current radar perspective. the heaviest rain is further offshore. there are still a few gaps in the moderate downpours but this will become more widespread and more intense as we head through the rest of the night. heavier downpours falling in the higher elevations of the peninsula as we speak already. here is futurecast. we will take you through 11:00 and you will see the rain just coming at us in waves. with some heavier downpours out lined in the yellow, orange, and red showing up from time to

backyards to rising rivers, we're live in santa cruz county where people living along the swollen san lorenzo rivere told to leave for higher ground. >> i've never seen it raised this high before. >> when it's time to go, it's time to go. >>> plus, an earthquake swarm rattling nerves in the east bay and the ground is still shaking. i spoke with a usgs seismologist about the impact to the local fault now overdue for the big one. >>> we love to celebrate. we love to give people food. we love to have a little kickback with everyone. >> the stars are heading into town and businesses around the bay area are ready to party this all-star weekend, how they're gearing up for crowds, rain or shine. >>> this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. >> good evening. >>> all across the bay area tonight this atmospheric river is having a major impact and the rain isn't done yet from flooding concerns to cancellations ahead of all-star weekend. we've got you covered. let's begin. this is a look at

they're worried about flooding along the san lorenzo river and big trees down because of all the windve seen recently. let's go and take a look at some video of the river. san lorenzo river running through felton has so far. it is staying within its banks, but there is an evacuation warning in place for the felton grove neighborhood neighborhood, which is not too far from where i'm standing right now. little earlier today, i had a chance to talk to some neighbors. they've lived here for 38 years. they have been evacuated more than a dozen times in the past and last night they win state in the motel just as a caution out of precaution. and this morning they came back to check on their house. >> we had to evacuate at least a dozen times as we've here. i'm not too worried about the flooding. it's training awful that was going back to andrea. but we get more rain and wind tonight. so we're going back a motel. >> all right. there are some additional evacuation orders in place a little further to the south in watsonville. if you live in kind of some of the low-lying farmland on the outside

we're watching san lorenzo river near felton in the santa cruz mountains up to 14.5ft, just shy of minor flood stage. that happens tomorrow. also guadalupe river going to 12ft. flood stage is up to about 18 19ft, so doesn't expect to get it there, but still quite a rise. and the russian river going to 25ft by friday night not flood stage, but still some extremely high levels expected there as well. okay. and we're talking windy not windy. it is looking like the wind is going to come in and pretty strong tomorrow morning. 20 to 50 mile per hour gusts. we stay with on and off gusts through tomorrow. and then as we move into friday as the storm exits, we'll see that wind move out. so i do suspect the wind tomorrow morning certainly could take down some trees, no doubt. okay, thanks. we'll see you in a little bit as well. all right. you can track the rain with our free nbc bay area app. you can get storm ranger data. the bay area'snly mobile doppler radar. now, storm ranger is super close to the ground, so you get a better scan of your neighborhood. you can see the rain and the fog. that app

not quite flood stage, but we're going to watch that one up towards san lorenzo river near felton. four feet now going to 14.5 by tomorrow. minor flood stage is 16.5. and then we'll get you up to the north bay napa river near napa. did get close to flood stage last week. we expect that at 17ft. minor flood stage 25 and on the russian river, 14ft, now 25ft. tomorrow night a minor flood stage is right there at 32ft. so not quite flood stage, but another time where it's going to be going up pretty high. and southern californinia gettin hit 2 to 3in on average. some of the mountains five plus. so they'll be looking at flooding and landslide threat, especially in the fire burn zones right there on the 7-day forecast. we dry it out saturday. slight chance of some showers on sunday. not a big deal. and then we're clearing it out monday, tuesday and wednesday. so yes, if these totals come in for the south bay tomorrow, this this is certainly going to be one of the strongest ones we've seen probably in the past two years for them. okay. thank you jeff. yeah. rain in the bay area tonight. but

you get to mark west creek, green valley creek, a san lorenzo river, socal creek. i mean, you name these are going to see some rapid rises overnight tonight. and of course, you've got trees coming down and power outages can be rough. start to the day. there's a lot of hot spots. yeah, no stuff. especially thing so saturated right now. the was saturday. so things really going to tip over easily tonight. thank you, lawrence. >> well, as the state is tack on a home insurance crisis, the california insurance commissioner is taking action to save what's known as the fair but it's going to cause someone kron four's. capitol correspondent eytan wallace has that story. >> well, a lot of says his action is necessary to save an insurance program. hundreds of thousands of californians rely on, but critics argue it's nothing more than a band-aid for a much larger crisis. it's called the fair plan described as california's insurance of last resort. >> the legislature created nearly 6 decades ago to service a temporary solution to provide insurance for homeowners who have not be

starting to talk about the san lorenzo river, possibly flooding. there may be socal creek, many other places around the bay area, going to see some rapid rise in many the creeks and the stream. so right now we haven't got into it just yet. just some light showers beginning to show up now. but there's plenty more on the way. in fact, this storm system not quite a bomb cyclone, but boy, it has intensified so much over the last 24 hours. and there it sits just off the coastline and on approach. we'll have more on that tracking that storm coming up in a few minutes. >> well, i worry about wind with the trees because we've had a tree fall in our house before. >> people in santa rosa bracing for the big storm in the continuing to clean up in many cases from the last storms. here's a look at some of the damage caused by a mudslide last week. this is on deer trail court in the fountain grove neighborhood. 3 homes where red tag, although since then people have been allowed back in 17 homes are still under evacuation warnings neighbors say that they're reall

and so far the san lorenzo river that runs through felt and that is staying within its banks.ut more rain, of course, is on the way. >> and the storm has been causing some power outages, but really not bad. and crews are getting people back online. you still have a few in san mateo county and union city right now. but considering what we have seen with the wind and the rain. want to bring in chief meteorologist lawrence karnow now lords. that's kind of surprising how yeah it really is. i mean, with all kicking up around the bay area, taking out to more power, just great. het'

now i do want to tell you that the san lorenzo river at big trees currently is just over 4.5ft.flood stage is 16.5. tomorrow at 8 a.m, it's expected to reach closer to flood stage. so it's going to be at action stage just over 14ft. pay attention to your officials. obviously, if you're told to get out, get out. here's a look at santa cruz camera right now where it is windy and it is raining and it is dumping in the mountains. this is from zephyr cove. at this hour, chain controls on all roads except state route four. here's a look at the sierra where the snow is starting to pick up a winter storm warning until 10 p.m. friday. above 4500ft, this is going to bring significant snow 2 to 5ft above 6000ft. it is going to be very difficult travel. temperatures right now in the 40s and the 50s. here's a look at the storm impact scale. it is a strong level three overnight into tomorrow. flooding. rain. thunderstorm chance, strong damaging winds and dangerous surf as we go. hour by hour 2:00 in the morning. watch out as we see downpours across the region. you're going to notice ponding o

with substantial rainfall overnight and throughout today, the san lorenzo river rose quickly, prompting some evacuation warnings from santa cruz county. we've just learned that all of those evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted. abc seven news reporter dustin dorsey back in the mountains once again today. and dustin, what's it looking like out there right now? >> well, thankfully, julian, that those those orders and warnings have been lifted. and right now we're getting some reprieve from the rain. things have calmed down. it's a big deal because the san lorenzo, it's rushing right now. yesterday we were out here just a few inches deep. today it rose several feet since then and things move quickly. that's obvious. so these residents are staying ready no matter what may happen, as rain will continue here into tomorrow. and this was the scene earlier today as we were going through river road and the communities here in felton in the area. neighbors in felton grove got one warning earlier this morning from the county that they were in an evacuation zone. river road completely flo

now, we saw damian trujillo out there at the san lorenzo river. it crested at 15.6ft this morning. right now it's dropped to 13ft and tomorrow we're at eight feet. some other spots. so we're going to continue to watch. here is also uvas creek, green valley creek, colgan creek and mark west creek. so if you live around any of those just be careful. tonight again still could encounter some water on the roadway. it's going to be hard to see with the pavement, of course being dark in that water, dark as well, and just don't drive if you can. don't drive into those flooded out intersections. thank you jeff, and take a look at this video just into our newsroom here. this is in southern california, an suv. you see it there being swept into the ocean. this happened this evening just a couple hours ago alo the pch, the pacific coast highway in malibu near topanga canyon. this is right in the fire zone. the burn zone there. it's unclear what exactly happened, how that suv ended up there. but an nbc crew did see the driver jump out of the car and run away from the water. also tonight, a lot o

and so far the san lorenzo river that runs through felt and that is staying within its banks. but more rain, of course, is on the way. >> and the storm has been causing some power outages, but really not bad. and crews are getting people back online. you still have a few in san mateo county and union city right now. but considering what we have seen with the wind and the rain. want to bring in chief meteorologist lawrence karnow now lords. that's kind of surprising how yeah it really is. i mean, with all kicking up around the bay area, taking out to more power, just great. hey, that's some good news. not some of the storm just yet. we've still got more rain continuing to fall and still. >> some strong winds kicking up around the bay area to you're looking live out toward the san mateo bridge, a wet right out there. very dangerous on local roadways today. rainfall amounts over these past 24 hours. so like we're talking about the santa cruz mountains over 5 and a half inches of rain and ben lowman kept field over 4 inches of rain. ross, more on the east bay over 3 and a quarter.

they were under evacuation orders as the san lorenzo river approached flood stage.hose orders, though, have since been lifted. now we want to go to the north bay and the heavy rain flooding roads here and also bringing down several trees. and we spoke with a family in marin county whose home was flooded during last week's storm. well, they are concerned that this more, more of this wet weather will lead to even more damage. >> i hired a team of people here yesterday that basically went into this open space and took out all of the wood and debris, and you can see piles of wood that we've created on areas of, of elevation. >> in santa rosa. first responders were standing by in case of flooding at the local sutter health care facility. you may remember earlier this month, floodwaters submerged cars in the parking lot and forced patients to be evacuated. and the risk? well, it isn't over yet, with more rain expected throughout the night. meteorologist roberto gonzalez has been tracking it all, and she joins us now with the latest on the situation. heather. >> you just p

. >> david johnson has lived across the street from the san lorenzo river for 15 years. he's watched it rise fast before, and he's keeping an eye out this week in particular. >> it's where it comes up. this is my flood warning zone. it comes up to that level on the bottom there. that's when i start freaking out. >> there's a chance that could happen this week. fountaingrove in the mountains could see as much as eight inches of rain, while other parts of the county could see six. another day in the life of mountain living. >> when it rains, it pours. it happens, it happens, you know. >> and there's nothing you could do but prepare and wait for the calm to return. in santa cruz county. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> we'll be thinking of those folks as the storm comes in, as the next round of storms comes across the bay area, you can track all of the weather using the same live doppler seven our weather team uses every day. it's available right now on the abc seven bay area app. just download it to get the latest forecast. where you live. >> in san jose. sky seven was ov

now watch out for the san lorenzo river. and so cal creek as well. but anywhere around the bay area could see some quick rise on your streams and creeks in the possibility of flooding, especially in 2 tomorrow morning. here's a look at some of the wind conditions around the bay area knows point raised there, seeing winds gusting over 40 miles per hour over the last 3 hours here. so pretty consistent there. and then we're beginning to see some of the winds pick up elsewhe. that's where we're headed now. we're going to see more of these are rain bands continuing to intensify as we head throughout the night tonight and early tomorrow morning. and it's been coming down up fairly decently across much of the bay area. and you get all the subtropical moisture coming in and you lift that over the mountain tops. and that's where we start to talk about some impressive amounts of rain before things are all said and done. but the main event, boy, a beautiful looking storm, very intense swirling off the coastline that is going to be pushing on shore, the least th

rivers were rising like the san lorenzo river in santa cruz county. there were evacuation orders for that area earlier, but they have expired. the sheriff's office issued evacuation warnings this evening for the santa cruz coast. those cover the rio del mar and beach drive areas. issues really started early this morning as paul told us they would. this was flooding on 580 in oakland where several drivers had to navigate their way through a couple inches of water, which can be deceptively dangerous. there were rough driving conditions all around the bay today. chp responded to crashes and spinouts like this one on 280 in san mateo county. downpours overwhelmed storm drains. wren avenue in gilroy was underwater. our crews spotted at least one person trying to clear that drain out. it was really hard to keep up with today. >> yeah. >> i think it happened as we expected, but some people got more than others. >> they did. >>> it was pretty well distributed across the bay area. a lot of times we see a lot of rain in the north bay and hardly any in the santa

authorities lifted evacuation warnings and orders in santa cruz county as the san lorenzo river reached just below minor flood stage in felton. the rain did trigger street flooding, as well as a mudslide in the community of soquel. and come tomorrow, due to the high surf warning, authorities are closing the santa cruz wharf. >> especially tomorrow. on friday, we're advising people to stay off the beaches, rocks, jetties, cliffs. anything near the coast at all is not safe. the words life threatening have been used by the national weather service. to us. >> the wharf can be a very busy tourist attraction, especially on valentine's day tomorrow. but the county is urging people again to stay away. in monterey county, an evacuation warning was issued affecting areas along the carmel river, right there along santa rita creek and bolsa knolls and salinas, as well as ralph lane in prunedale. sheriff's deputies say these areas are at high risk of flooding, and they are urging people to be ready to leave if the warning is upgraded to an order. and you can monitor the storm and find all of our wea

now i do want to tell you that the san lorenzo river at big trees currently is just over 4.5ft.lood stage is 16.5. tomorrow at 8 a.m, it's expected to reach closer to flood stage. so it's going to be at action stage just over 14ft. pay attention to your officials. obviously, if you're told to get out, get out. here's a look at santa cruz camera right now where it is windy and it is raining and it is dumping in the mountains. this is from zephyr cove. at this hour, chain controls on all roads except state route four. here's a look at the sierra where the snow is starting to pick up a winter storm warning until 10 p.m. friday. above 4500ft, this is going to bring significant snow 2 to 5ft above 6000ft. it is going to be very difficult travel. temperatures right now in the 40s and the 50s. here's a look at the storm impact scale. it is a strong level three overnight into tomorrow. flooding. rain. thunderstorm chance, strong damaging winds and dangerous surf as we go. hour by hour 2:00 in the morning. watch out as we see downpours across the region. you're going to notice ponding on

in fact, in felton were monitoring the san lorenzo river because boy, this rapidly rises right now at nearly five feet, 14.7 is expected by 8:00 tomorrow morning. so this is a big, beautiful area of low pressure tapping into some tropical moisture with it. the winds will ramp up, especially along the coast side with up to 70 mile per hour wind gusts. in addition to that, surface up up to 30ft waves. please stay away from the water. winter storm warning in effect, 2 to 5ft of snow expected in tahoe. don't expect to drive there until about saturday. 4050 overnight hour outside number tomorrow 63. once the showers taper off on friday, we've got no need for the umbrella through monday. mike. >> there you go. all right, roberta, thank you for that. the fabric and crafting store joann fabrics is scheduled to close more than half of its locations across the u.s. the embattled company first filed for bankruptcy in march of last year and was able to stay afloat by going private. but then last month, the company filed for bankruptcy a second time. the retailer plans to close 500 of its 850 stor

alameda creek, san lorenzo river, and uvas creek. those are now beginning to drop.ot more checks of this wind forecast. we'll have details coming up later on in the show. jeff. thank you. see you shortly. new at 11 relief in san jose. the storm trapped two people on an island in the guadalupe river near autumn and coleman avenues. firefighters pulled them to safety, along with two dogs and four puppies. you see the photos here. this rescue prompting response from mayor matt mahan of san jose. he posted on social media, quote, thank you for protecting our people and puppies. well, mayor mahan says city crews received 80 calls to clear debris and monitor floodwaters, including along lundy avenue, where many apartments near a creek flooded, forcing people out of their homes. nbc bay area's jocelyn moran is in san jose for us. well some residents on the first floor this morning woke up to water rushing into their apartments. furniture and other belongings are now damaged, and it could be a few weeks before they're able to come back in. tonight, many residents at this ap

an issue on the san lorenzo river by the time we get to, like, thursday night. that's new.n't done a lot of that down here yet. it's been focused up in the north bay. this storm will be a little different in that way. look at the rest of it coming up in a bit. i'll show you the wind. that's an issue on thursday as well. >>> a family in marin county has very good listen to be nervous about the rain moving in that darren was just talking about. their house that they worked incredibly hard on flooded in the last storm. wilson walker checked in with them today. >> about here. we're facing the marinwood preserve behind our house. it's very beautiful, typically, it's a little scary now. >> reporter: the gorgeous hillside behind his home delivered a nightmare during last week's rain. >> the water came from here and got stuck right here in the culvert. yeah, it's literally -- the hole is -- yeah. called 911 and we had the fire department here. everyone came. but they couldn't get it unplugged. >> reporter: the rain dragged on for another day when more debris came down hill, the wat

and the san lorenzo river near felton in the santa cruz mountains, four feet, going up to 14.5ft by 8 a.m. tomorrow. that is close to flood stage. we've got more looks at the rain totals that will hit over two inches. we're going to take you through the next several days. i'll see you back here in about 15 minutes. jeff, thank you very much. now, as jeff just mentioned, often big storms tend to spare the south bay. but this week's rain, it's going to be different. and that's why cities and counties and homeowners are beginning to scramble to prepare. nbc bay area's marianne favro is live in san jose with a look at how they're getting ready. marianne. well, it just started raining here about five minutes ago here in almaden valley. i'm on winfield boulevard, and i'm at the valley water station where you can pick up a sandbag. they are absolutely free. and this is just one of the ways that people are preparing for this atmospheric river. this is home for dozens of unsheltered people living near coyote creek in san jose. and while some have covered their tents with tarps, nearly all worr

the san lorenzo river could come into play along with socal creek. some of those creeks are likely to see some rapid rise with heavy rainfall overnight. that rain so far, very light that is now moving in. you see some heavier bands off the coastline. but this is a massive storm that is really just strengthening off the coast. that will be pushing a little bit later on. we're going to time out that storm for you and talk more about those winds. they're going to excessive. more on that coming up in a few minutes. all right. thanks. alerts. cruise along the coast today have certainly been busy getting ready for the big storm and kron four's lezla gooden has the latest from pacifica. >> here, the blazers start to really move in here. it's getting louder and much colder and we were able to catch up with people on the pier who says this storm is not stopping them. >> public works. crew in pacifica is prepping the roads, the place and all them on wednesday ahead of heavy and some issues on the pier say they came out here because of what the storm could brin

we're keeping an eye on the san lorenzo river, ben loman, scott creek, boulder creek, bonny doon, all over three. three to almost three and a half. and there is a back edge on mendocino county. but it's going to take a while to clear the area. and this is a heck of a low look at it deepen right there. so this is going to keep rain going. there could be there will be some breaks. but then we'll have off and on rain throughout the day. come on make it, make it, make it. there it is. the wind has been screaming oakland. anywhere from 35 to about 55mph. we'll still get some rain today, but maybe the system will scoot through pretty rapidly, but another three quarters of an inch to two should probably cover it. and in the mountains it is a winter storm warning. although last check it was raining at truckee, but winter storm winter storm warning goes until 10 p.m. friday. who'll stop the rain? well, mother nature will, but not for a while. heavy morning rain off and on. rain possible thunderstorms on the mild side with this. strong south southeast wind 50s to near 60. well, you better be bu

i think with this storm system, we're looking at the san lorenzo river, possibly flooding there have to watch out for socal creek as well. so all around the bay area is the possibility of some flooding issues. you can see the rain just beginning to move onshore. some of the stronger bands starting to slide in now. and expecting some of that to really intensify as we head through the night. this is really just the beginning of some of these bands moving through some heavy rainfall making its way into parts of san francisco. now, much more off the coastline of fact. this a very intense storm are what's called the warm front. the cold front is going to come through a little bit later on. that is going to slam the entire state. will talk more about that coming up in a few minutes. but parts of the north bay saw the most damage during the bay area storms last weekend. some residents are worried the incoming rain >> could create even more problems in santa rosa mudslide damaged 3 homes and threatened a dozen more 17 in the area are still under an evacuation warning and neighbors say little

from coastal waters to our riverbanks, river rise is a problem but evacuation orders along the san lorenzo riverd this morning, and those of you waking up in the east bay assessing damage from a lot of downed trees, this tree blocked traffic at skyline boulevard and brandy rockway, that was in oakland, that looks bad. this is a common problem across the bay area, older trees, saturated ground and then they fall. so far, no word that anybody has been hurt. >>> san leandro, people watching mudslides, large mudslides, you might remember it devastated this neighborhood two years ago, public works crews know it makes this part of the bay area especially vulnerable. >> we are always worried about mudslides or earthquakes, we had an earthquake today and you just don't know what is going to trigger something like this. >> you heard that homeowner mentioned an earthquake, that is because a series of earthquakes rattled the east bay because of the events yesterday. >>> a hillside gave way last week pushing a huge amount of mud into an apartment complex in fairfax, we checked in with a homeowner who is sti