>> hello. you are watching getting answers on abc seven. we talk with experts about issues most important to the bay area and we get answers for you in real time. today, we are on storm watch as the remnants of the first ever level five storm on our exclusive abb's -- abc 7 storm watch rolls through. heavy snow to the sierra. in about 10 minutes, we will be chatting with scientists from uc berkeley's central sierra snow lab for an updaten evel in le tahoe d nrancconot

aftermath of this storm but still cleaning up from the powerful system that hit on new year's eve. mayor london breed other our pa at the san francisco standard will be digging into the finger-pointing in about 20 minutes. our abc 7 where the team is working around-the-clock, tracking the rain we are seeing today. the storm has been downgraded on our exclusive storm impact scale but we may end the day with a bit of sunshine so we are checking in with spencer christian for the very latest. spencer: we are looking in for sunshine. we have a few scattered showers but let's talk about this atmospheric river first because this is the system, this plume of moisture that's been flowing into the bay area for days and will continue for a wino. this is the plume of moisture on the river that our latest form -- there are more storms lined up in that direction as well.

this atmospheric river is flowing in our direction and will continue for several days. here is our composite image over the last 12 hours. we have had wave after wave after wave of rain, some of it very heavy. it's beginning to lighten up and lose some of its intensity. more showers moving in our direction and some are falling as we look at live doppler 7. some activity in the north bay where all three counties are wechat the moment. the rain does not blanket all areas but it is falling rather steadily. in between santa rosa and sonoma county in napa county, that is one of our wettest spots at the moment. give you this little view of the scattered shower activity so we still have wet spots and dry spots and in between these showers, it would be nice if we get a little burst of sunshine somewhere. over the last 24 hours with the level 1 storm we have yesterday, we have strong wind gusts as you

know. here are some of the guests in the hills -- gusts sfl had 60 miles per hour and nearly 60 at oakland and we have a flood warning in effect until 3:45 just over a half-hour from now in virtually all of the east bay, all of alameda county and contra costa county. in the wider picture, a flood watch in effect until 4:00 p.m. and all of the other parts of the bay area. the entire bay area is under either a watch or a warning. a coastal flood warning is in effect until 4:00 today and we have elevated wave heights up above the 25 foot level and they are all over 20 feet high. the warming goes into effect until 3:00 tomorrow.

large breakers could reach heights of 25 to 30 feet and some have reached that height already. roads may be closed in low-lying areas. on we go to the sierra where the weather storm warning remains in effect until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. four inches to eight inches of snow above 5000 feet and higher up around 6500 feet. one to two feet of snow. an avalanche warning for the sierra backcountry. that is in effect until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. avoid travel near the avalanche terrain. in the bay area right now, surface winds, quite a difference from yesterday when we had those powerful, damaging gusts. wind speeds at the surface are under 20 miles per hour and even about 1000 feet, we are looking at gusts of 25 to 28 miles per hour. 24 hour temperature change. 405 -- four or five degrees

cooler. core temperature readings are in the low to mid 50's in most places. looking toward the golden gate, there is your blue sky and sunshine is breaking through as we look northward and northeastward. it 50's at santa rosa, napa, fairfield, concord, livermore. as you look across the park daryl from our rooftop camera, light rain and showers and dry periods likely tomorrow but showers will linger. a series of storms moving into the bay area on saturday. here is our forecast animation at 4:30 this afternoon, going into the evening hours. a few pockets of showers and a couple waves of showers coming in later tonight it will not be widespread rainfall so it's not going to be a very wet evening. overnight lows in the upper 40's. high temperatures tomorrow under some flashes of sound but with the chance of more showers.

upper 50's to about 60 and as we look at the accuweather 7-day forecast, this is so important with the rain we have had already. move i on saturday, and then level two storms on sunday, monday, and tuesday as well as level 1's on wednesday and thursday. with this much rain coming our way on top of what we already had, there will be lingering concern about flooding and mud sliding and all the problems we had with yesterday's storm. >> power outages, to pg&e crews are working to get the power back on for customers around the bay area and we want to take a look at the outage map. all of the dots indicate where customers still do not have power. pg&e says some places might not even have an estimated time of restoration. joining us live to talk more about this is megan mcfarlane. thank you so much for being with us. we appreciate it. megan: thanks for having me.

>> how many outages are there right now? megan: 66 thousand custo still without power. the hardest hit areas are the peninsula, east bay, and the north bay. we saw this storm becoming really intense. >> how do you prioritize who gets their power restored first and when? men i t restoring power, it is all driven by safety. one of the challenges we are facing in the field is access issues. heavy rain, the soil saturated, downed trees, which are creating road closures in some of the hard-hit areas. before they can make assessments or repairs, they have to have access and that has been a problem for us. >> 80,000 people without power, down to 67. what has the day looks like for you all as far as working to restore power for people? >> across all the yards in our

bay area, crews were up and at them at first light, getting at them in the field, accessing outages and making repairs i'm getting the power back on for customers. it has been an all hands on deck situation for pg&e and we have all of our crews activated and we are bringing in crews from other areas to get the power back on for customers. >> you mentioned some of the challenges that come with trying to navigate this and get power restored to people. how are you meeting this challenges? what would you say is the biggest challenge you have right now? megan: access issues is the biggest challenge that we have in some of the remote areas. might block road. on the north coast, we have been working with caltrans. our management crews are working with caltrans to clear some of the debris in the road, to pitch in and get the roads back open for caltrans and also for pg&e.

pg&e can access the outages where we need to make repairs. >> i know you have been preparing for this storm over the weekend. is it better or worse that you all expected once crews got out there and are seeing the damage two? >> --damage two? -- today? >> it's about what we were expecting. before the storm hit, we were presaging equipment and getting everything ready so when the storm did hit and ready to make repairs right now. >> they told us we can expect more rain for the coming days and you have people who are right now thinking more rain. i still do not have power. what would you say to customers who might be concerned about more outages or want to know what they can do to make sure they are ready? >> we would say we know how frustrating it is to be without power. a lot of our crews were in the

field making repairs. at home, they do not have power, their families do not have power, and we are committed to getting the power back on a not hometowns. i would say right now, please to the pg&e website and sign up for outage alerts. we are hit hard by these thunderstorms and you can get real-time information on when the power will be restored. >> thank you so much. thanks for making time. megan: thanks for having me. >> next, we will continue our storm watch coverage with a look at the sierra. we have an expert from the snow lab joining us to talk about lab joining us to talk about what he i had no idea how much i wamy case was worth. c call the barnes firm to find out what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ call one eight hundred, eight million ♪

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chp is warning travelers to avoid driving around lake tahoe. the area is dealing with massive amounts of snow thanks to the atmospheric river that rolled through. i want to show you this video from soda springs p the central sierra snow lab shared this with us. nearly 10 inches of snow in just the past 40 hours. someone who has been tracking all of this is andrew schwartz who is joining us now. thank you for joining us and welcome back to abc 7's getting answers. >> thank you for having me on. >> that picture is amazing and illustrates how much snow you have in that area so let's talk about snow levels. how much are you seeing right now? andrew: it is snowing quite a bit right now. the heaviest we have seen all day but in terms of what is on the ground, with last night circulation on top of what was already there, we are looking at about six to 6.5 feet so pretty good for this point in the year. >> how much more is expect it? andrew: --expected?

andrew: another six to 12 inches. there's going to be quite a bit of snow falling over the next several hours. we are expecting another this weekend and a couple more into next week so we could be looking at some very large snow totals over the next seven to 10 days. i don't want to give exact amount because we are not quite sure yet but upwards of four feet or even double that if some of the forecasts come true. >> a significant amount of snow. what does that mean for the public? are there dangers or warnings they might need to heed? andrew: you mentioned in the first part of the segment here. road travel is completely hazardous right now. anything going over the sierra, even in the areas where it has been raining, it's really probable.

is going to encounter that as well as. it is not all winter wonderland and there are things to worry about as well. >> i'm glad you shared that. there are some things to think about. a lot of people are thinking about what this means for our drought. i want to bring out the drought map because we have seen the impact of all of the snow in our area really making an impact here. what would you say? a few weeks ago, you were here. we would take about 60 feet of snow if i am correct to get us out of the drought. if you feel like that, how close are we to that goal? >> we are still at that point where we need a lot of it. that being said, this is absolutely fantastic. the state right now is 174% of average for our snowpack. compared to this time last year, that is all the way down into the southern sierra as well whereas last year was in the northern and central sierra. a lot of the western u.s. is getting that much needed water

for the areas that need it the most. i think right now, we are looking quite optimistic. i don't know if this will be the year to take us out of the drought completely but it is looking like the snow will keep flying and we might come out of it a little bit as long as this spigot doesn't turn off. >> do you have an idea of what it would take? is there a certain number in your mind? andrew: it is s because every area needs its own different amount. at this point, realistically, it will take probably at least two years of above average precipitation for us to come out of this if not three or four. as far as it goes, we are on track to do really well as long as the precipitation keeps coming in and if we can see that happen again next winter or the winter after, we can really start talking about coming completely out of the drought. >> what does it look like for the rest of the winter? what are you looking forward to or expecting? >> the forecast

for the foreseeable future is looking very wet which is something we did not see last year. that is very exciting for us. i think i have used the term cautious optimism a lot and i am starting to slide purely into the optimistic phase because we are seeing the water continue to come then. as far as the rest of the winter, once we get out a month in advance, it is kind of hard to tell but as long as we keep up with the wet january and hopefully that will carry into february, we will be looking pretty good for this year. >> what is the most exciting thing about this for you? watch the snowfall. thank you so much for all the information you are sharing and all the work you are doing. we really appreciate it. >> thank you so much. >> have a good day.

up next, a showdown with city hall. the national weather service firing back after san franciso mayor london breed said the city was not properly warned about the new year's eve storm. i'm jonathan lawson the new year's eve storm. our media partners will be here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. the three what? the three ps? what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and was a smoker, but quit. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65, retired, and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80 and i'm on a fixed income.

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hey thanks for having me kamasi. okay, so how did you first learn about this? yeah you know, i think it's important to remember the context setting in, you know, businesses and residents that were barely picking themselves up from the last heavy rain that slammed the city on new year's eve. they were all wondering why the city wasn't as prepared as it had been during previous rains. so of course, you know, um, when we're all watching mayor london breeds emergency press conference on tuesday, she opened her remarks by effectively answering that question by claiming that officials were misled by the national weather service. but you found the national weather service said. not so fast. we did what we needed to do. um what did you find as far as their communications with the city of san francisco? yeah, so we took the mayor and city officials claims to the national weather service, and they responded by sharing that they actually communicated the dire

nous of the situation as you mentioned 10 days before it happened. they told the public that a significant rain event that would bring high impacts and hazardous conditions was coming. and in the week leading up to that storm kamasi. they also emailed local officials, daily briefings and presented at the city's new year's eve planning meeting. and that was on december 28 3 days report came so the intel is there. what they showed us. you think this is a situation just evolving information, or do you feel like it was pretty clear what city the city and its residents should expect. yeah, that's um that's certainly what the city officials position is here. they said. it was a dynamic situation and i can certainly you know it's easy to take shots at the mayor now, but we can certainly empathize that weather models are, you know, pretty dynamic and fast moving, but the warning was there, and it's still not departntf emergcyme's the yeaelv

leealld leone ach them for comment last night, the mayor's office and the department of emergency management both said that they critical of their national weather service partners, but they do stand by their interpretation of the intel and that they thought or they did not anticipate this. much rain would come. look at this video of what people went through. they might say, okay, this back and forth. it's cute or whatever . but what about being prepared for the next time? what about the communication between you know these agencies that we rely on for our safety? where do you think it stands right now? yeah they city officials have a lot of questions answer after they're done responding to this current storm, i think what really matters here is that you know, residents have been saying for years that their neighborhoods are routinely flooded even when the weather

isn't this bad. so i think this nit being switched, it misses the point. >> where do you think the communication goes from here? what are the next steps you anticipate with this relationship? >> both sides are being very cordial with each other. they certainly -- i don't think the national weather service appreciated taking the blame initially on tuesday but i think really the focus has got to be on the city it's integrated sewer system which has been litigated for over a decade and projects are only now finally underway to get those updated. until that happens, these floods are going to keep happening and that is the big take away people should remember. >> talk to me more about that. you have done a lot of research preparing for this article, following up and seeing where this goes, but talk about the city it's system and -- city's

system and issues people have been complaining about for years. >> i spoke to the businesses who told me they have gone through four of these types of floods in the last decade. really, it doesn't take an historic weather event to have this much letting happen. the reason behind that is the sewer system, just like the city, is also antiquated and old. we are one of the only cities outside of downtown sacramento that funnels sewage water and storm water in the same drains are the pipes get really backed up and if the water doesn't -- from the outside, it comes back up from the inside. >> we appreciate the research you have done. thank you so much for joining us. kevin: thanks for having me. >> we will have much more on this story on abc 7 news at 4:00, insider, and we will be here to explain san francisco's underlying challenges that make

it really difficult for the city when severe weather rolls through. we want to take it to the north bay where sonoma county officials are concerned about potential flooding, issuing an evacuation warning for residents who live near the russian river. our reporter spoke with people attempting to leave as the river continues to rise. >> as the russian river swells with more rain on the way -- >> two weeks ago, the river was down to like a foot. looking at it now, it's crazy. >> sonoma county issuing an evacuation warning to all residents living near the river to jenner. >> don't recommend coming out here for any reason. >>f four years ago, most of them were underwater. last on the russian river flooded, it was so serious, there was no way in or out of the city except by watercraft. >> no power, no heat running short on supplies.

cold and cranky and you wondered why you stayed behind. >> her partner and their dog not taking any chances after living through the mass flood in greenville. >> drugstores will close. basic necessities will close down and the fire department will be awfully busy doing rescues so you are kind of on your own. >> deciding to book a hotel for the next two nights in santa rosa, after losing power wednesday night. >> get a good nights sleep and make sure we have our cpap machines plugged in. >> businesses bracing for history to repeat itself come lighting sandbags across the front doors and closing up shop to get out of dodge. here on the bridge, this is one place officials are watching closely as the russian river continues to rise. if you do have to evacuate, be sure to take all the essentials with you including medication. abc 7 news. >> thank you so much for joining

us for getting answers today. we will be here every weekday at 3:00, answering questions with experts from around the bay area. world news tonight is next. tonight, chilling new details in the murders of those four college students in idaho. what the affidavit now reveals. also, at this hour, the stalemate on capitol hill, day three. republicans unable to agree on a speaker. congress paralyzed. and the remarkable turnaround tonight for the buffalo bills star. first, the suspect charged with murder in idaho, smiling in court today. and tonight, what that 18-page affidavit reveals. including where the suspect's dna was allegedly discovered at the crime scene, and how they linked it to his family's home. and for the first time, we're learning when a roommate who survived this says she saw in the hallway, describing the suspect and what he said. kayna whitworth in id i.d. the stunning turn tonight

for that buffalo bills star, damar hamlin. the team saying he is awak