from cbs news bay area, this is the morning edition . welcome back and good morning to you. as special edition of kpix at 4:30 this morning. heavy rain s and strong winds and governor newsom has asked the president for assistance with storm response in the state. we have justin andrews in fremont and lauren thoms at half moon bay . first let's go to meteorologist jessica burch with why today is a first alert weather day . >> we expect 2-6 inches of rain in most of the microclimates

over the next hours. with all of the downed trees we have been seeing, think about it as we have been in such a drought that the trees are foldable and dry and it's easy for them to fall. this high wind warning concerns me throughout the bay area with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour at times. look at what we see in san francisco in the next hour . the sa me trd atoad kland anmot diablo and it 'siminpactg the higher elevations in the lower elevations too. at the 10:00 hour and extending into the afternoon a different trend because the atmospheric river comes in the morning commute hours. the first alert weather day as we look at first alert doppler with widespread showers and heavier pockets of rain forming near san francisco, oakland and even friends into the tri-valley area . this will track east into the afternoon and pushes

south impacting big sur around the 3:00 hour . we will look at how that could impact the microclimate in your area. how are the roads ? >> not so good and it is definitely slick . this is a look at the dublin interchange and you need to be extra careful if you are commuting this morning . if you have the option to commute later or stay home, it's a good day to work o there with a laundry list of crashes and vehicle spinning out in lanes. it is tough in the early morning and overnight hours . coming up on the spots with ponding and flooding in the roadway and it is not as visible. this crash just cleared at westbound 580 where things have cleared and are moving nicely . at the

castro valley area, heads up on the southbound 880 where there is flooding in the roadway. a trouble spot is southbound 580 at 35 . one of the dangers from this storm is flooding a we could see a lot of that in the bay area today. in san jose near the guadalupe fleet river , how are things looking so far? >> you can see the rain is coming down and the wind is picking up . this is the guadalupe river and like you mentioned , a flood warning in place for the guadalupe river at the expressway here. this is an area we will pay attention to for the next few hours. i want to show you this graphic from the national weather service. you can see the area on your screen and you can see the line going into the orange indicating a mild warning for flooding . here are other

potential flooding areas. the city of san jose. ross creek at cherry avenue and their are other creeks on your screen. there is the neighborhood near the elementary school and there are areas to pay attention to. last week the city of san jose put evacuations in place along the waterways and have been trying to communicate the evacuation orders to those that are homeless and living along the guadalupe bay river . they continued the efforts last night and this is an area we will monitor closely. santa clara county recommends if you see downed trees to call 3-1-1 . but, gianna , you recommended staying vigilant. just driving here this morning , we hydroplaned a few times and we want to reiterate how important it is to drive slowly and be careful .

>> what she said was important with the roads . thank you for that report . here is a live look at pg&e with the map showing widespread outages and customers in the dark right now including more than 10,000 in the north bay and 2500 each in the east bay and peninsula . on the peninsula, san mateo county experiencing the brunt of storms on and off and there is a temporary evacuation point and resource center. lauren is there now , what are you seeing in the area? >> reporter: good morning. strong wind and plenty of rain in half moon bay. the county is warning the power outages are possible in this weather as well as spotty cell service . residents can come to the red

cross center to charge their phones and use the internet and escape the rain for a little while. there are sandbags available to help with coastal flooding. they are already clearing debris off the highway and i also saw giant waves across the coast with rather dangerous conditions this morning . we are under an awning and the rain has let up slightly . there are pools starting to form with conditions dangerous and high wind gusts along the coast this morning . >> take advantage of that if you have it in your area . >> and people living in niles county and alameda county are recommending that you should have left ahead of this storm. our justin andrews is in the

area where access could be . >> if you don't leave and have not already left , you will not be able to get in and out of the neighborhood. i want you to look at the conditions we are experiencing with the rain coming down. we are at the corner store and you can see how the winds are whipping and the flag is in the distance . the lights are on but as we pan to the left to niles canyon road, it is dark . we are assuming that possibly the power may be out because the traffic signals and traffic lights are out. you will have trouble getting in and out of your neighborhood if you have not left yet . in fact, alameda crews say they will not be able to get into the neighborhood. here is what we are talking about including niles canyon roads . this is the area they are asking you to leave . the

storms marching across the area with power outages that could happen and it may take days before power is restored if it does go out. they are warning of high winds and heavy rains which we are experiencing right now. they hope you have planned for this with an emergency kit and sandbags and evacuations . this is no joke and we have heard the conditions can be dangerous . in fact, we've been out here 30 minutes and the conditions have worsened as we have been standing here . we don't want a bad situation to happen to you and your family, take heed . >> justin, thanks so much . sacramento hit hard by the storms as well and they worry about flooding in the overnight hours as well. you can see the flooding with downed trees

taking down utility lines and cutting power to neighborhoods . the california office of emergency service had a warning for drivers. >> water quickly cuts evacuation routes and a car can float in 12 inches of water and so it is really extremely important you stay vigilant. >> reporter: the california national guard ready to respond across the state with a dozen high water vehicles and rescue helicopters on standby . stay with us as we are on the air

well, the 49ers were just one of the nfl teams honoring damar hamlin after he suffered a cardiac arrest while on the field and was on everyone's mind across the league. it

unify the nfl and fans as well . these are just some of the teams taking a moment to send positive thoughts as hamlin continues his recovery and doctors say he could make a full recovery. he has been sending tweets from his hospital bed cheering on the patriots and wearing his jersey and cap. >> to see the whole nfl in the whole country sit there and surround him with prayer is absolutely unbelievable . >> a community coming together and not only that but every community coming together because we love the bills that much. >> doctors expect him to be released from the hospital in the coming days. and we have more in the red and gold report . >> this is the volkswagen red and gold report .

>> the red and gold will host seattle at levi s stadium on saturday at 1:35 . the 49ers locking up the number two seed with a win over arizona and brock purdy with three touchdowns . he found the in zone seven times and with 10 straight wins for the 49ers. >> the 10 game winning streak is awesome. and the guy in the number two seed and everything is more amplified and i hope the guys are 100% focused on football and extracurricular activities are pushed to the side . >> anytime you win games, you are doing something right and if you can win 10 in the road, you're doing something right. >> with the red and gold

report, i am vernon glenn . a high wind warning throughout the bay area until 8:00 a.m. this morning . wind gusts at 40-45 miles per hour along the peninsula in the next hour . and it mount diablo closer to 50 mile-per-hour when plus and luckily that will start dying down into the 10:00 hour and by this afternoon the winds lighten up . the big stories this major atmospheric river that will not let up . this is what we are looking at with first alert doppler with heavier pockets of rain north of antioch and north of san mateo and we will see this through the morning hours . as we look at futurecast, this major system pushes through during the commute hours this morning . northbay around 10:30

and then it moved south . more rain expected in the tuesday forecast and pretty much throughout this week to the sueda ood tcthugut onalinwe atr seice low-lyhaing be careful this morning with downed trees possible due to the winds and heavy flooding throughout the local areas. i want to explain . it only takes about 16 inches of rain for your car to actually lose control and to sweep away only about a foot of rain . to add to that, two feet will carry away most cars. in the next 24 hours, we expect about 16 inches of rain in certain microclimates. we will break that down but like i said the heavier storms push through during the commute this morning . be careful and vigilant on the roads and we will have more on that in a bit.

>> and with the wind and rain coming down , you can see the water swirling around on the roadway. >> i am borrowing the radar to put it over the traffic map that you can see this morning. >> there is quite a bit going on and it is mostly because of the flooding . this is out of marin county into san rafael to civic center drive . flooding and a stalled vehicle blocking the right side of the roadway on the right lane . if you see standing water and not sure how deep it is, do not travel through if you don't have to. it is rainy in the area, so be

cautious as you work through . this is the camera at 500 86 at the dublin interchange . travel times not looking bad at 35 minutes at 205 to 680 . volume building as we get closer to the 5:00 hour. and trouble spot it was found 580 and that has cleared and traffic is moving better . also 280 at skyline boulevard, a trouble spot in the left lane due to debris in the roadway from an earlier crash. it is something to be on the lookout for with debris from the rain. and 238 at mission boulevard all the way up to pleasanton and not too far from where justin has been this morning . that closure has been in effect for some time . a live look at

the bay bridge where it is soggy . be careful as you get up early and get ready to go to work later inand getting the kids ready to go to school , get the kids the raincoat and the umbrella . tough to see this morning across the span . from 880 and 101 , you can see the wet weather coming down with limited visibility . there is lots going on this morning already and it's not even 5:00. amanda . and in the oakland hills strong winds causing trees to fall. the ground is saturated and some have major root decay . >> the tree can look healthy and the root system is decayed. i see that often. it is

saturated and there's a little crevice near the trees. it cannot be good with that much water coming out of the hill. it has got to be loosening up. >> if you have large trees near your home , you may ask a tree expert to inspect them for you . flooded out last weekend owner chris garrett says he's not sure when they will open back up but he expects repairs to take at least a couple of weeks . >> the creeks were overwhelmed and as a result they jump to their banks and diverted down the streets and into our buildings. they clogged the storm drains and then overwhelms the entire facility . and last week's storm took a chunk out of the wharf where it left the beach littered with tree trunks and litter . one resident got 5- 7 feet in his basement .

>> the cleanup will take some time and people have to be patient. it is something that will be with us a long time and it is no easy fix. it will take a long time to clean up. some have had to set up

the atmospheric river pushing its way to our coastline again with a series of atmospheric rivers one after the other we continue into the early morning hours. it's a first alert weather day because the storms comes during the commute hours and into the afternoon . at the 3:00 hour, it pushes south and then we get a break and then into tuesday, more showers are expected . the national weather service has issued a flood watch in the bay area until tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. . throughout the bay, be careful, especially this morning, as you head out the door . it only takes 16 inches of rain to sweep your car away and about a foot for your car to float. we expect six-inch is in the next 24 hours. i will time that out but be careful with that as we extend this watch into the early morning hours . you may have noticed more potholes on the roads made worse by the weather. one san jose road crew is working hard to fill them fast.

>> reporter: 2400 miles of paved roads in san jose. after 22 years on the job , the road maintenance team leader james williams has practically seen them all up close, just like this. >> the call we got was the complain of a manhole with asphalt missing on one side. >> reporter: right there ? >> that would be the hazard where a tire was blown out . we are here to clean it up and make it safer for the traffic. what we will do is open the bags with the shovels and place the material down in the missing area. we call it qpr or quick catch . it's a

self-contained rocket oil mix and once we put it down, we give a and isready to go when will be a nicefoace r peopleto dre . on >>there suwas a 500 possible to do list in the city and even more after the storms. but james and his crew do not just wait for orders . they are always on the hunt for new trouble spots. >> this is what happens when water gets under the surface of asphalt. it slowly degrades it and dries it out and then as traffic goes over it, it breaks up and turns into these tiny elevator tracks which break up . eventually the asphalt surface is loose and it breaks up into the small chunks that you see on your left. >> working on the road like this next to traffic is dangerous but it can be safer if the drivers slow down .

>> you hope they are paying attention and not looking at their cell phones. my life and the lives of my coworkers , slow down and pay attention . they felt 11,000 potholes every year and so giving them a break will help to smooth the road ahead for everyone. in san jose you can report potholes by calling 311 or using the 3-1-1 app . most potholes are fixed within 48 hours . and on this first alert weather day, we check in with bay area schools closed because of heavy rain and wind watches . and coming up at 5:00 we talked to at home insurance expert on resources available for storm protection . a beloved shop in east bay closing its doors after 60 decades. i will bring you the

good buys from customers and where you can still find them.

no thanks for joining us on this first alert wecht day. right now we are tracking this live first alert doppler. and

it is very active this morning with heavy rain. and of course dusty winds. i want to track that coming up, in just a bit. and we are live in the south bay, monitoring potential flooding areas including along the guadeloupe river. tracking the worsening conditions and recommended evacuations, i'll have a live report, coming up. and seems like these are also in the north bay, forcing an entire district to close this morning because of this. we'll check in with how bay area districts and hot spots are flooding, and how they are taking action to keep students safe. some residents are already dealing with significant damage to their properties. this morning we will talk to a home insurance expert on the resources available for storm protection. as you get ready to hit the roadways, definitely give yourself extra time. you are dealing with a lot of this out there. for