i don't know. i'm really scared about it. i don't know. hopefully our house is protected. >> looking at an unprecedented weather event. levels of rain reaching historical levels. >> pull together as a community and make sure everybody is safe and has somebody to lean on the they need help. good afternoon. it's audrey asistio. >> i'm raj mathias. many years since we've had storms and flooding like this.

we are in a microclimate weather alert. >> talking about flooding, landslides, power outages, everything, everything as this atmospheric referring hits us. our exclusive radar is parked atop san bruno mountains. we have crews from the north bay, to the south bay, to the east bay. we're ready to bring you the latest. >> let's show you the heavy downpour in the north bay. this is 101 in san rafael. in richmond, crews laid a tarp over a large crack in the hillside. last night the city issued a voluntary evacuation warning to people in about 15 moems nearby on seaview drive. >> high winds may be to blame for large pieces of glass falling ornt the street. this is fox plaza on market

street. let's take a live look across the bay area. you can take a look at slick roads, possible ponding on the highways. be careful if you have to drive anywhere in the next few hours. >> we've got a long night ahead of us. let's start with chief meteorologist general ranieri. take us through this evening. >> i think, as we've been looking at the data tonight, the big headline that sticks out is the storm system overall is speeding up. i think that's going to limit our rainfall totals. a little good news on that front, but the ground is so saturated that that's why we think we'll run into some problems over the next few hours. you can see that expansive storm that's now beginning to slam the coast. let's get you to the weather wall, and we'll get you a closer look, all the details on this as we see it right now. the thing that's speeding into this storm, like the other

storms you've seen over the past week or so is the atmospheric river, that subtropical moisture that's taking the storm and boosting it up. let's get you a closer view at the radar. the worse is it of it is beginning to hit right now. you can see the yellow, the orange and the red. that's the intense rainfall that's starting to move up into the north bay, now beginning to hit san francisco right on down the coastline. we'll take you into this and put the track on it so you can see how it's moving and when it's going to get to you. with this quicker clip of speed, it's going to be moving really, really fast towards vallejo by 5:16 tonight. certainly heavier rain. hercules before that at 5:04. moving down to san francisco, you're getting drilled right now with the heavy rain all the way down the san francisco coast. that's also moving right here off towards the east. sf, foster city, oakland, hayward, walnut creek, continuing to see the rain as we

move through the next hour. let's move towards a closer view here, and i wanted to show you near the san francisco airport, pacifica, loma letta park. we'll see rainfall rates that are .50 to .75 inch per hour. that's the type of rainfall rates that may set in some of the flooding issues. maybe even some landslides. that's why we're really concerned about this storm front as it moves through tonight. a lot of rain, short amount of time. you haven't really seen much here through mountain view, san jose or milpitas so far today. the line of strong rain is moving your way, very heavy rain for the next 30 to 40 minutes. here is how it looks in the timeline. 5:30 towards the east bay and south bay. as we hit 8:00, we'll continue to see bands of rain from the north bay, peninsula, towards the south bay. by 11:30, we may start to see it break up a little bit, but then

we're going to be in for another round by tomorrow morning of heavy rain at 6:00 in the morning. that's what we're going to undergo tomorrow. these on again and off again periods. by tomorrow night we start to see this thing leave us. i talked about the inrah fall totals, the speed of this becoming much faster. it's like a car that we thought yesterday was maybe going to go about 50 miles per hour. it's going about 30 miles per hour or rather a car yesterday we thought was going to go about 30 miles per hour, it's now speeding up to about 50 miles per hour. so with that faster speed, we're seeing the rainfall totals limited. by 11:30 tonight, we're looking at 1, 2, maybe 3 inches here. most of the bay area in that one-inch range, in the north bay the two to three-plus inch range. tomorrow's totals we're looking at 1-3 inches in the bay area.

flood watch from the north bay to the south bay i think anyone living near a creek, stream or river, that's where you have to watch out and be on high alert tonight. that's when we could see some of those streams, creeks and rivers overflow their banks. the largest concern with the river at this point will also be the russian river, looking to reach 35 feet. as we head to thursday and friday, flood stage sunday and monday, could get up to 40 feet. that's considered a major flood towards guerneville on the russian river. you've been through this before. you have to make those plans now to prepare for what could be a major flood coming your way. >> that's a really good timeline and baseline of what we can expect in the next 24 hours. >> it's very specific and will help a lot of us. as just mentioned, the north bey will be one of the hottest hit areas. a lot of people on high alert. threats of flooding and mudslides are very possible. >> let's bring in nbc's christie smith who joins us in voes.

christie, where are you and what are you seeing? >> we're in the downtown area. the rain really started to come down here in santa rosa within the last hour or so. we're not experiencing the strong winds just yet, but it's that expected combination that is such a big concern. that's because the ground is already so saturated, really across the bay area but also particularly here in the north bay. earlier today, in fact this morning, when santa rosa fire shared some photos. it was a tree down on highway 12. they responded along with police, and they removed the tree. this was over near farmer lane, but it kind of gave an idea of sort of the conditions that they were concerned about with this storm. earlier today there were people out getting sandbags.

crowds were big enough that the city had to refilm the pile at least twice. this video is from earlier today. we saw people in the pouring rain as early as 40 minutes ago. we spoke with a man before the storm about his concerns for his property. >> we're prepping. it's a horse ranch, 35 head of horses there, and we're up by the laguna. about half of our property is under water. luckily, the barns are the higher part. >> reporter: of course, we also ran into flooded road signs out there today. we're told the santa rosa fire department has their swift water rescue team prepared today to respond to any rescues and water-related emergencies. also they say to help river communities if needed. in traveling around, of course, we didn't see many people out today for obvious reasons and

did hear a number of calls of trees down, particularly in coastal communities. christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> we mentioned christie is getting hit right now. that's where it's starting. we'll check back with you in a short while. governor newsom declared a state of emergency. this could be one of the worst storms to hit the entire state in five years. >> they expect major flooding, mudslides, power outages. prepare for power outages. get your flashlights ready. charge your phones while you can. stay home if you can. if you have to drive, make sure your car is ready for the rain. finally look after your community. >> check up on your neighbors, particularly your vulnerable neighbors. your elderly neighbors, folks that may be bound in home. really important that we help each other stay safe. >> like jeff mentioned earlier, they expect coastal areas, rivers to get the worst flooding

and are watching burn areas as well where mudslides will be most common. >> let's head over to the east bay. >> va lena, what are you seeing out there? >> we're right at the bottom of kill care road, one of the roads asked to evacuate. we've seen people come down here to get sandbags. this group behind me is a group of neighbors who filled a whole bunch of sandbags for other residents in the area to have quick and easy access to grab and go. now the questions for many residents tonight is whether to stay or leave the area. the county says because of the severe rain in the forecast and already saturated soil and runoff from last week's storm, they want people to leave low lying areas before the storm gets too incense. these aren't mandatory.

some residents have already decided to leave. >> the damage is already so bad up there from the first wave, i can't imagine -- it's already soaked and the road is compromised. the bridges are compromised. i think even a little push is goichlk to make it that much worse. >> reporter: these areas have already experienced flooding and landslides during last week end's storm including niles canyon road. the sheriff's office is going door-to-door in this area urging residents to leave ahead of this storm. i talked to them just moments ago. they said it's about a 50/50 split on those willing to stay versus those who say they will be leaving the area. i spoke to the county moments ago who says they're not sure if these evacuations will become mandatory, but they're strongly

suggested. live in sunol, velena jones, nbc news. >> i see a number of people behind you very busy. you mentioned 50/50. 50% of the people there are deciding to leave. 50% are deciding to stay. for the ones deciding to stay, did they tell you why? >> reporter: they say, you know, they've lived here for a very long time. some people feel safe in the areas they're located, especially the areas on lower kill care road. i spoke to the county moments ago. they say this is not for a specific section of this road. they want everyone to leave this area just in case. but some residents say they feel safe. they've put their sandbags around the area and they think their home is going to be intact after the storm passes. a lot of residents telling me they're more concerned for people who live up this road, further up the hill there which is the main concern which we

have saline flooding and the landslides in that area from last week end's storm. our entire nbc crew is posting updates on the storm including damage throughout the day and key road closure information. we'll also be talking about school closures later in our coverage. you can follow us on twitter for the latest updates 24/7. our handle @nbcbayarea. our handle @nbcbayarea. we're backn two minutes. i - life is uncertain.

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call our warm line at (833) 317-4673 or live chat at calhope.org today. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we're tracking the storm system barreling into the bay area. on top of the rainfall, i wanted to show you the wind gusts. you can see on this map here all the bay areas in this magenta cover. we're seeing wind gusts from 30 to 50 mil per hour across the mountains through the lower elevations, up to 25 in

calistoga, 28 at mt. diablo. we will be seeing trees come down tonight. this may also help to get some landslides going. we get the trees coming down and things might just start coming on down the hill. of course, that's the big danger tonight. we're in the worst of it with some of the heavier rainfall from the north bay down the coast. i've got to tell you, this thing is picking up speed and fast. overall rain totals may be limited. with this heavy, heavy rainfall, you we could be running into problems. you can see the rain over san rafael continuing towards the east into richmond, vallejo, martinez and concord for the next 30-40 minutes. heavy rain san francisco and daly city off into oakland, hayward, pleasanton as well. off to the south, we haven't seen a whole lot in san jose

towards livermore, but all this will be pushing your way as we roll through the next hour. i showed you this earlier, but in case you missed it, i wanted to make sure anyone that knows anyone that lives up here near the russian river in guerneville, it's expected to reach flood stage, 35 feet thursday and friday. sunday and monday the chance here of 40-foot rise on that river -- reaching up to 40 feet which would be considered major flood potential. a lot of folks up there, you are used to it when we get storms back to back. you have to make plans for potentially major flooding as we head into sunday and also monday's forecast because, again, this is kind of a marathon we're in, not a sprint. once we get past this storm system, we get a break on friday. second one saturday and sunday. potentially a third one by next monday and tuesday. so it's going to be this on-again, off-again pattern where we're continuing to track

the wind, the rain and potentially landslides here across the bay area. >> good analogy on that marathon and sprint. you mentioned a short while ag gee the speed of the storm is going faster than previously expected which that should help us in terms of flooding, if it goes through the bay area quicker? >> i don't want to say we're out of the woods on flooding when it comes to the bay area because the ground is so saturated. a lot of rain in a short amount of time could bring us some of that flash flooding. we or out tracking with our crews. yes, overall totals tonight look like they certainly could be limited. we're not thinking the overall totals this evening would be close to what we had with the storm system as we hit last friday and saturday. it is strong, but again, a little shred of good news, the speed of it, yes, may be tamping down the rainfall totals as we head through tonight's forecast. again, everybody, please be

careful out there. we've got the wind on top of this. it's a lot happening here as we head through the next couple hours. >> encouraging though, just a little slice of good news perhaps. thank you, jeff. our scott budman spent his entire day in san jose looking for any problem spots out there. >> scott joins us now in san jose. scott, where are you exactly and what are you noticing? is it raining where you are? we saw christie smith in santa rosa and it was coming down hard. what's your status? >> it hasn't been raining here in san jose all that much since early this morning. we have had some rain. i'm just off the guadalupe river which has overflowed one of its barriers. earlier today we saw lots of evidence of the heavy wind. we saw a street light pole that had been blown over by winds not far from that in the south part

of the city, we saw tree branches that scattered overrode ways and were being cleaned up. we saw a cleanup crew that were busy all day long, on duty getting calls to clean up things and try to keep branches and trees and palm fronds off of cars and houses. they're doing what they can. a lot of the focus, by the way, is on water. i mentioned we're at guadalupe river. a lot of public officials have said they want to make sure san jose avoids what happens in 2017 with massive flooding. they say they're trying to clean things up, keep the homeless away and keep their fingers crossed for whatever comes for the rest of the evening. >> scott budman, thank you for the update. it's not the time to be driving, we know that. we'll keep reminding everybody. a lot of the freeways right now, even when i was coming in, pretty empty. a lot of people not going into work. a lot of companies saying work from home. >> that's a good call.

it's important to stay safe. we had to drive in the rain. i was on 101. it was difficult. it was hard to see. let's take a look outside right now. you're looking at the road. you see all that green there, that means that the roads are looking pretty good, all the green on the roadways. you see a couple of hazards here and there, but it looks like, as raj mentioned, a lot of people are listening, they're staying home, off the roads. >> it's encouraging. >> this is from this past weekend, drivers became trapped in flooded underpasses. chp says you should never drive into standing water if you don't know how deep it is. if you encounter pools of water on the road, don't panic. >> the natural impulse and inclination is to hit the brakes and swerve. the best thing and the only way to get out of that is to remain calm, maintain the vehicle driving in a straight line, take your foot off the accelerator so

the tires slow down enough that they're able to get back in touch with the roadway and regain traction and you'll be able to drive straight through that. >> if you run into a mudslide, rock slide, standing water, get to a safe spot and call 911. it's not just rain here. that means a lot of snow in the sierra. so much that it's dangerous to drive to lake tahoe right now. the snow is going to be great for skiing and boarding, but hang tight for a few days before you try to get up there. we'll have an update from the lake tahoe area in just a moment. here is something you can count on even if the power in your house goes out, you can live stream our newscast on your phone by going to nbcbayarea.com. you can watch on our free app. of course, you can find us on roku, select the live tv tile on your home screen, scroll down to channel 133 to find us. if you have a samsung tv, go

welcome back. let's take a live look at the radar as we continue to track our microclimate weather alert. a little while ago it was off the coast. look at that, audrey. it's now right in the middle of the bay area. the green is to the left over the ocean. that yellow and shades of red is over the bay. you see san francisco in the middle of your screen. jeff is tracking all this and where it's going to go in the next couple hours. he'll join us with an update in just about five minutes. can we take a pause for a minute? wow. brief break and rainbow. this is video from this morning in san jose. hope you were able to catch it. wet won't have the chance to see another one of these for a little bit. let's take a look at what's going on in lake tahoe. this is a camera shot from palisades tahoe. the ski resort september us this video. the wind is going to be damaging for here in the bay area. the snow up there and strong wind in the sierra.

>> take a close look at video, you can see how hard it's blowing earlier. the ski lifts swaying back and forth. the palisades resort say the winds on the mountain may go above 90 miles an hour. heavier snowfall may fall tomorrow as the winds die down. >> if you want to go skiing, do it in a few days or perhaps next week. >> yes, not right now. we're still under a microclimate weather alert tomorrow morning. that means our "today in the bay" crew will be on early. make sure to join us for a special edition of "today in the bay" starting at 4:00 in the morning. before 4:00 a.m., this is the beginning of a long night right now. with that said, kira clapper is in the studio working on our 5:00 newscast. she'll join us next. we're back in two minutes. stay with us.

all the windows last night in the storm, they were shaking like crazy. we had to hold the window down to keep it from vibrating. >> we're prepared for any type of weather emergencies we encounter over the next two days. >> when it rains, it pours. we want rain, but we don't want it all at once. the news at 5:00 starts right now. thank you so much for joining us. i'm kira clapper. >> i'm audrey asistio. state officials are calling it unprecedented. the endless series of storms stacking up. the second major one coming right now. >> this new onslaught of rain coming so close after the weekend storm could bring new flooding, new landslides and new power outages. all day crews have been hard at work clearing downed trees. you can see debris all over this road in santa rosa. >> sandbags are in high demand

right now. cars lined up at 6:00 in the morning to pick up some at the public works operation. the building ran out around 11:00 in the morning. a new shipment came in at noon. >> we have reporters spread out across the bay area covering this storm. we're going to begin with our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri who is tracking the storm's latest movement. >> hey there. we've been putting a good perspective on this. it's not about the storm tonight, but a series of storms over the next 7-10 days. that's why we have evacuation places open. you can get sandbags, all of those -- again, it's going to be a series of different storms. the one tonight, we're seeing changes on its overall movement as we've been combing over the data this afternoon. the big headline i've been talking about is the storm is speeding up. so through this evening, that is going to limit our overall rainfall totals tonight. butt'