as promised, a wet and windy night. get ready because after this storm passes through, there's another one barrelling in right behind it. thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm diane dwyer in for jessica aguirre. it is raining. there's a wind advisory here in the bay area and snow? the sierra. this is just the beginning. we have team coverage tonight of the storm. jean elie has a look at the impact of the wind and the rain.

but we begin in the weather center with chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. >> rainfall in the north bay and slowly moving to the south. but one thing that's been constant is that widespread wind topping 60 in some cases. in berkeley with those streets wet and moderate to pockets of heavier rainfall that has been falling throughout tonight. certainly motorists taking it a little bit extra slow here with that rain continuing. let's look at the computer with wi winds. napa, 57. san francisco airport, 43-mile-per-hour wind gusts. also oakland. that will continue throughout this morning. we have that wind advisory for the entire area. it's picked up heavier rainfall

and highway 101 also on 280. and this extends over to oakland. on i-680. some of the heaviest rainfall we're currently monitoring was over the peninsula. we're finally starting to see rainfall here in the south bay with this slow-moving storm from palo alto right into san jose. now, one area that's been going all day long, that is san francisco with currently heavier returns across downtown. that's where we find jean elie who's braving the wind which is gusting right now up to 27 miles per hour. jean, what a big contrast from what we had this time last week? >> reporter: it's windy and raining. this is that sideways rain that gets you right in the face. not a lot of people like to be out in this weather. work crews have been out all night trying to free a barge, and their work paid off in this nasty weather. the crane is still here, but that barge is gone.

wind and rain returned making for slick roads and empty trails. >> feels good, the cool, brisk air. >> reporter: joe miller was about the only runner braving the weather. he stopped to watch a salvage operation on the bay. crews are hoping to move a dredging barge that is beached near the golden gate yacht club. with workers and heavy equipment in action, the coast guard is watching the weather closely. >> if the weather did get too severe, we would certainly look into pulling people off. >> reporter: as long as it's safe, the operation moves forward. the barge captain beached the vessel when it started taking on water. crews are shifting 500 tons of sand. one scoop at a time from a stuck barge onto another. hoping reducing the weight will allow it to move to a safer location for repairs. >> to make it lose weight and as the tide comes up, it's going to refloat. >> reporter: booms are in the

water to collect any harmful oil. all diesel and oil tanks are intact. the sooner crews get it out of the wind and rain, the better. around 10:15, the crew moved shavely to shore. the bay area forecast gets more interesting tomorrow. the port of san francisco posted flood warnings signs along the embarcardero, high tides, called king tides, may have the bay sloshing over its banks sending water onto walkways and the roads. now, those king tides will stick around three days. if this rain sticks around at this rate, we may see flooding. jean elie. >> it is not fun to standing there, so get inside. thanks so much. a live look downtown. look at the flags there blowing. the wind is a big part of the story tonight. there's a wind advisory throughout most of the area until 1:00 in the morning.

you see the wet roads. be careful particularly in this wind. the city of richmond says it will make sandbags available to all residents for winter storm precautions. you can get sandbags from 7:30 a.m. monday through friday. we'll keep you up to date. watch "today in the bay" starting at 4:30 here on nbc. jeff returns in just a moment with your detailed forecast including more on that snow and the driving conditions. only on nbc, an attack on the driver. nbc's cheryl hurd has the

exclusive video that police are hoping will help nab the suspect. >> reporter: the other camera records what happened outside the car. san francisco yellow cab driver twee says he's glad the camera was there to record what happened to him back in september. from the beginning, he says the passenger seemed agitated. she wanted to pay the fare with a $100 bill. he said the big was too big and about to get robbed. >> we went to a gas station. >> reporter: he says that's when the female passenger got upset. the surveillance camera shows what happened next. she attacked him and then ran off. >> the police actually came to us initially concerned that the driver might have tried to run over the passenger.

after looking at the video, it's clear. san francisco cases are almost impossible to investigate. in this case the video is good but they don't have a clear picture of the subject. hal says his company installed them just in case drivers do something wrong. he has a warning for passengers. >> if they do decide to do it anyway some are calling classically berkeley. the proposal invites 32 of the berkeleys to live with local families. any wrongdoing. the city's peace and justice significance. the constitutional right says neither man was charged with a

crime and both were tortured. both men are still at guantanamo. one, a chef from algeria. all new, the man who sternny madoff is speaking out for the fir first, the banks he choosing a will book based on the scandal. he did not mention specific banks or funds. he also claims his family had no idea about the fraud. his son committed suicide. madoff acknowledged guilt but there's nothing he's ever done.

new, united airlines is voluntarily grounding 96 of its 757 aircraft because the maintenance checks were not completed. united tells us tonight the problems could last into tomorrow. so it's a good idea to check your flight status if you're flying united tomorrow. here's a twist. social networking with a sinister twist. up next, why mexican gang members googling. >> they have a good chance of koj an offer. bring home a baby or get your money back. the bay area baby and thumbs up, up high in the mountains. jeff?

>> yeah, finally looking like winter here. vind more on that as we continue to track this. ♪

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new at 11:00, we saw the best of social media and its role in the egyptian revolution, but there's also a dark side. tonight a wake-up call about social media. mexican gangs now using social networking sites to scout out kidnapping victims. nbc's george joining us from san jose with the chilling story of a high-ranking executive kidnapped and killed in mexico. george? >> reporter: it's pretty scary to think that google searches could lead to kidnappings, even death. you're right. a wake-up call for all of us whose lives are on facebook and other social media sites. tip in your name and in a few seconds, the world can learn almost anything about you. and those with criminal minds are using this technology to commit their crimes.

>> the reality is that criminals are learning to use electronics tools. the risks are so far not much different. they're much more visible now. >> reporter: in one case a crime gang in mexico did a google search to find out more. >> basically a placard used by a limo driver. found out he was worth a lot of money, kidnapped him and killed him because they didn't get the money timely. that is particularly problematic. >> reporter: but tech analysts say it could happen to pin. >> really, it kpegives you information. >> reporter: they're putting personal data right into criminals' hands. it's something michael gidry is keeping an eye on. >> social media is changing everything.

i can find out everything about you by just a couple of keystrokes. >> reporter: now, keep in mind once your name is in cyberspace, it's pretty much there for good. social media are urged to use privacy. but they warn that may not be enough. >> thank you, george. president barack obama plans to visit the bay area this thursday. and at this point the white house will only say that he's meeting with leaders in the business and tech communities. and that's about all they're saying. here is the president touring a plant last may. as far as this week's visit, what we do know is there will likely be a traffic jam just in time for the thursday evening and friday morning commutes. the president is scheduled to land at sfo and then take off by 9:00 a.m. friday. we go in depth with an interesting guarantee.

the birth of a child is priceless, but getting there can be costly for anybody having a hard time conceiving. but now two bay area fertility clinics are offering a variety of financial options from buying treatments in bulk to a money-back guarantee. vicky nguyen shows us how one program really delivered for a local family. >> once upon a time -- >> reporter: everyone has a story. but the story of young gavin liner began the way only 1% of babies lives begin. >> this is a story. >> reporter: one in which his parents chronicled every step long before gavin took his first step. >> this is your first photo. not many can say they were photographed. >> reporter: kelly and jay struggled for years with infertility. >> the months turned into years. and before we knew it, half a

decade had passed. >> reporter: they know it's a gamble, an expensive gamble, costs tens of thousands. so they decided to use a program where they got six ivf cycles for about the price of two. the program promised 70% of their money back if ivf was not successful. >> we wanted to become parents, period. we thought, this is going to give us the most options towards that. >> reporter: they spent $28,000 for this option. a single treatment would have cost about $11,000. and a single treatment was all it took for gavin. >> five years of heartaek have been transformed into pure joy. >> if i think about the black and white numbers, it obviously makes your stomach a little upset.

when you see the baby you took home, it doesn't matter how much it costs. >> reporter: dr. hinckley treated kelly and jay. she says while they were successful on the first try, they're the exception. she says this program relieves some of the stress for couples because they know future attempts are already paid for. it makes each team less expensive and gives them the ability to try more than one kind in this field where success is not always guaranteed. >> reporter: it's offered at two bay area fertility clinics. to qualify, the woman has to be younger than 37, have quality eggs and meet certain weight and other medical requirements. just like the ups and downs of parenthood, infertility has its ups and downs which is why they're giving serious thought to conceiving again. >> we're having to save up again and consider how we're going to go about doing that. >> reporter: they have two frozen embryos.

but they'd have to start a new payment cycle. right now they say the priority is gavin. >> the roads we traveled to get you here, most of which were bumpy but in the end every bump was well worth it. >> reporter: because a baby bump is priceless. vicky nguyen, nbc bay area news. >> very interesting story. back to our top story tonight, rain and wind here in the bay area. and look at this. snow in the high sierras. a big storm packing a big punch. great news if you're a skier. a flurry of snow as you can see, about two feet. not surprisingly, chains are required at this hour on highway 880. are people going up there? let's check in with jeff. >> i think people will be able to maneuver this weekend. but if you're headed out

tomorrow, be careful. now, the storm system today has been so slow to move to the south. we started seeing rain in the north bay by this morning. it's only moved from 100 to 150 miles during a 14-hour period. slow by all standards. when it comes to wind, tropical, san francisco at 43-mile-per-hour wind gusts. we haven't seen too much rainfall here in the south bay so far. in the past 48 hours, an inch and a inch and a half in san rafael. the rainfall in the south bay. let's look at the radar now. the heaviest throughout richmond, vallejo, oakland, also throughout san francisco and south on the peninsula. this also goes for our east bay communities starting to get in on the rainfall. and these winds sustained now, 18 to 25 across the peninsula

including redwood city. and now san jose starting to see these returns. remember, when they're on wind gusts tonight that could top 60 miles per hour. current temperatures in the 50s, not too cold. as we head throughout tomorrow, the rain's going to stay with us. the while the storm pushes to the south, we'll still see a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms. ahead, another system by friday to bring us more rainfall. tomorrow still stays windy with pockets of rainfall. we'll also see breaks of sunshine at times. here's your time line. 6:00 a.m., the rain pushing to the south with that isolated chance of some rainfall near across the bay area for wednesday throughout the morning hours. that's going to continue throughout the afternoon and evening as well.

not as widespread and consistent as today. overall totals, upwards of an in for the morning hours, slick roadways, winds 15 to 30. and also dangerous surf as nbc's jean elie. get more on that online. otherwise, upper. let's look at the numbers. while the storm pushes to the south, we are going to see areas of sun at times, clouds and then an isolated storm. it's about time. we have had weeks of dry weather. only eight days of rain since january 1st. and what we'll be seeing over the next 72 hours when all is said and done with rain totals,

it's going to be remarkable. we'll see more in the three-day period than we've seen all year in 2011. >> okay. we're prepared. >> so rain each and every day, at least a chance. mixed bag with some sun. next dry day at this point looks to be on sunday. >> the hardest working man in the newsroom tonight. >> hey, it's about time. >> he's smiling, too. >> i'm happy. oming coming up, the new hih "jeopardy!" contestant. we'll show you. going to the bank without going to the bank... that's a step forward. with chase quickdeposit on your smartphone, you just snap a picture, hit send and done. chase quickdeposit. take a step forward and chase what matters. ♪ we just keep on keepin' on ♪ ♪ keep on

this is what you call a slugfest "jeopardy!" style. two champions and a computer named watson. >> tonight in game one of the man versus machine competition, the two human champions could only get $7900 between the two of them. watson earned more than $35,000. the team in the south bay was involved in building watson. this was a good night for the sharks and warriors. ♪

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inch the road trip is over. the sharks are headed home. music city, usa the final stop with the sharks visiting nashville. we were looking for country stars but found mike fisher, carrie underwood's husband. the sharks were down 1-0. second period. adding value. spinning in for the equalizer. his 12th. it goes to overtime where magic ensues. roberto gonzalez's husband, randy hahn. >> he brings it in. sharks get it out.

here's the breakaway! patrick marleau, scores! what a way to end the road trip! >> after seven games away from home, they return on a very high night. 2-1, the sharks take it in overtime. they host the taps at the tank thursday. the warriors with their final home game before the all-star break. the hornets visiting oakland. they're very much in the playoff mix behind chris paul. monta ellis would again have a game high 21 points this time. but paul putting on a magic show. he gets the ball here, starts a drive with a great fake. part of a run that had the hornets up by 15. but the warriors get a lot from their bench. and the starters heat up. monta, steals, moves ahead to steph curry. the warriors storm back for a huge 102-89 win. they play in utah tomorrow. the giants starting their

workouts in scottsdale today. and it's not game action but this is what we've wanted to see. yes, it just feels right. the orange and black out of the dugout in full uniforms with gear bags. it is real now. the giants stepping into the box and buster posey taking some of the first swings of spring. we love the crack of the bat first thing in the morning. businesslike mood but still joyous. meanwhile down the road in phoenix, the a's reporting today. they made a lot of moves to bolster their bull pen to complement andrew bailey. like the jintgiants. they even have an aussie import, grant balfour, a setup man out of the pen. the rais ce should be tight. when we come back, the ghivt cnesiail honor for someone who got his start right here in the bay area.

finally, the nation's highest civilian honor was awarded to 15 people at the white house. one of them a basketball legend, the presidential medal of freedom given to bill russell by president obama. baseball great stan musial, honored before a standout nba career including five mvps and 11 championships in 13 seasons with boston. russell with the college start here at usf. he led them to two national championships. but before high school, there were a few bumps in the road. >> when bill russell was in

junior high, he was cut from his basketball team. he got better after that. >> real good, in fact. >> he was almost cut again his sophomore year. i read about that. michael jordan also cut in high school. it happens with the great ones. >> he also sponsors a scholarship. >> bill russell, we like to say uniquely bay area. >> you like to say that? >> we do now. >> thanks for joining us. "the tonight show" is next with jay leno. good night. >> stay dry.