. >> catherine:there are hundreds of splinters and chunks of the tree scattered across simone nguyen's backyard >> catherine:here on brandywine road, just east of 280. >> catherine:she says she'd just walked into the backyard with her dog - when the sky erupted in a bright red flash. >> catherine:simone says what sounded like an explosion was followed by a rain of wood splinters. >> i had time to escape. and took my dog. and how sound the trees coming down all over. in my backyard. some of thousand feet up. >> catherine:the owner of san mateo's amore-amore restaurant is also an art collector >> catherine:several of the sculptures in her yard were also damaged. >> catherine:one large splinter went through a window and landed in her bedroom. she says she feels lucky to be alive. >> catherine:the rain started early this monring and that caused some head aches for the morning commute - kron four's terisa estacio was in the thick of it. >> reporter:tes: here in alameda, the rain took some people by surpise. especially on how hard it was at times, and how cold. >> reporter:here at the alamed

there were hundreds of splinters and chunks of the tree scattered across simone nguyen's backyard here on brandywine road, just east of 280. she says she'd just walked into the backyard with her dog - when the sky erupted in a bright red flash. simone says what sounded like an explosion was followed by a rain of wood splinters. >>: i sought him mighty tree and then exploded. i had time to escape. >> catherine: a neighbor is an art collector - and several of the sculptures in her yard were also damaged. one large splinter went through a window and landed in her bedroom. she says she feels lucky to be alive. >> catherine: as it poured here in the bay area. nearly a foot of snow fell in the sierra. which means that more and more ski resorts are opening earlier than expected. boreal opened this weekend, and had its best opening weekend in more than a decade. several resorts are reporting up to eight inches of snow. in the past 24-hours. it's the second straight monday for fresh snow in the tahoe area. to see when your favorite resort is set to open.just check our website - kron four-dot-co

the shock sent shards everywhere, some so big and sharp it could have impaled simone nguyen and her dog. >> i thought it was a bomb or something. and the minute it hit the tree, my tree, it goes really fast. the flare hit the tree, and i saw my tree, it flew up. it did not fell down but it flew up on the sky. >> nguyen said she is shaken up, certainly understandable, as is her dog by the violent weather and the lightning strike. >>> people heading to work at downtown san francisco got a soaking this morning. that's when the most intense rain passed over the city. meteorologist sandhya patel is tracking the storm right now on live doppler 7 hd. >> we're still seeing scattered showers, dan. let me show you live doppler 7 hd. i'll take you down to where you're getting a little bit wet right now. let's go to the peninsula and the south bay. on the peninsula around highway 280, we're seeing some pockets of moderate rain there. and as we take you up towards the north bay, we're also still seeing some returns just southwest of the glenellen area. we'll keep the showers in the forecast which is

. >> reporter: this is what simone nguyen's yard looked like saturday morning.ywhere, even on the roof all from a lightning strike. >> i saw the tree just exploded in front of me. and it took me a minute to express, that's a miracle. >> reporter: just before 8:00, her dog cocoa woke up early to go outside. as she was in the backyard in the corner of her eye, she saw lightning and heard an explosion. >> it hit my tree. and i saw a million pieces of my tree just blew up into the sky. >> reporter: she escaped inside and saw a big piece of her tree fell through her bedroom window and on her bed. you can see the glass shard everywhere. it'sest -- shattered everywhere. it's estimated this tree once stood 100 feet tall. >> it's something i've infer seen before. and it's a -- i've never seen before and it's a miracle she's alive. >> reporter: parts of the tree can be found throughout the neighborhood, including across the street. this piece is about 8 feet long and more than 100 pounds. >> you want to go back and take a look? >> reporter: her neighbor's fence has parts

downtown san mateo restaurant owner simone nguyen just took her dog outside when the sky turned red. then there was a bolt of lightning. it struck a 100 foot-tall redwood. >> i thought it was a bomb or something. the minute it hit the tree, my tree, it goes really fast. the flare hit the tree and my tree, it blows up. >> reporter: when the crown of the tree fell back to earth it send shards everywhere, so some long and sharp it could have impaled them. but they escaped harm. this flew through a bedroom window and landed where she was sleeping. >> i went back into my bedroom and saw a big piece of wood that sat on my bed. thank god, you saved me. either i'm here, i'm gone, i'm in my bed. >> reporter: there is plenty of broken glass inside. outside large parts of the trunk landed on the roof and in neighbors' yards. the fragments splintered, their shards sharp as a spear. >> i think this is a very close call. i think as long as she is okay today, i'm like. >> reporter: the dog is still trembling from the ordeal. they thank god and buddha for saving their lives. as violent as mother nat