so did mine. [80's music] what? i was an 80's kid. it only gets better when you switch and save with geico. right now at 11:00, bracing for the next downpour. we're still in the midst of a major storm system. doppler radar showing the rain still lingering, setting to plow its way back into the bay area. preparing you for round two. and good morning, and thank you for joining us for our midday newscast. i'm cierra johnson in for marcus washington. the overnight rain causing headaches throughout the region, people leaving their homes behind due to the flood warning. strong winds and rain causing drivers to hit one another, and

trees falling on power lines. that's just the beginning. let's go fo meteorologist kari hall, tracking the rain for us all morning. good morning, kari. >> good morning. it's nice to get a break where the rain can skrust soak into the ground. it is nice to see some breaks in the sky. i wanted to show you what's happening to the south of us. this atmospheric river has moved and stalled. as we get a closer look, in these last few frames we can see the rain is starting to retreat back to the north this is exactly what we were expecting as we are going to see the rain returning, especially for the south bay and some of those heavier downpours will start to creep back into the bay area, as well as the santa cruz mountains that will get additional rain later this evening. if you're wondering how much rain we've seen, it's been up to

4" of rain at the summit, lake curry and napa, on the border of sonoma county, had three inches of rain. almost three inches in fairfax. oakland and san francisco had .8" of rain. and we've seen those totals up to 1.75" in santa rosa, antioch 1.50, dublynn, 1.25, and about half an inch of rain in san jose. more rain in the forecast later this seeng once that second round of rain comes in. that's something we'll be watching. i'll have more updates on that, as well as how much sierra snow we could see. that's coming up in a few minutes. >> kari, sounds good, thank you. many people who live near wildfire burn zones are still away from their home. the good news, heavy rains haven't triggered any major disasters. nbc bay area kris sanchez joins

us from boulder creek with how much longer folks could be out of their homes. i know you have some signal issues so we'll hope you stay with us. good afternoon, kris. >> reporter: hi, cierra. the evacuation order sign is still flashing along highway 9 and the evacuation orders are still in effect. now work crews were out, clearing debris and other branches so that all of that does not cause flooding when the rain picks up once again. caltrans crews were out with bulldozers, trying to clear any roadways that were blocked. while we saw some debris on the roadway, crews found no evidence of a debris flow. however 5,000 people ordered out of their homes for their own safety will have to stay away just a bit longer as the hardware store in boulder creek, the manager said people were ready for the first storm but hopes they don't go home too soon. >> with the fires, when you see it coming, you know when to get out of here. here, it's a what if?

i think people will come back or maybe not leave because they think the storms are done but the big one came by but it could take a couple of storms before you get significant damage out here and some mudslides. >> reporter: work crews were still out because this is just the first round of rain. and they are still reinforcing areas to make sure that things don't overflow, things don't flood when the rain continues to pick up, as it did just in the last couple of minutes. we were at pg&e this morning where they've been ready to address any power issues. however, there weren't any major power issues because of this storm despite the heavy rain and those high winds. let's hope it stays that way. in boulder creek, kris sanchez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, kris. good news there. now to the north bay and more from another burn scar zone. nbc bay area pete suratos went on air with us bright and early, at 4:00 in the morning for an early edition of "today in the bay." he's back live in santa rosa, picking up our live team

coverage. good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you, cierra. we're still in that area of santa rosa, you see the burn area behind me. i spoke with santa rosa fire officials who said they were expecting an inch of rain per hour overnight. they say that's well under the mark and that's why there's not as much concern about landslides in this area. we did see some rain activity throughout the north bay today. we want to show you some of that video. this first video is a tweet from marin county sheriff's department, flooding around point san pedro. you tend to see flooding on nbd 101 when it rains. let's go to this tree into a bile home from rohnert park. there was an 89-year-old inside but we're told no one was hurt. downed trees and power lines at santa rosa overnight. that's where we saw the heavier

rain activity but not so much throughout the morning. here is santa rosa assistant fire chief discussing some of the current conditions. >> it's not only a relief for us as public safety but our community as a whole. absolutely, this community has been through a lot the last several years. with the glass fire loyal fresh in their minds, it was -- you could tell it was an unsettling, unnerving feeling for residents, realizing they may get an emergency alert for a flood warning just like they did for the evacuation warning following the fires. >> reporter: taking you back out live here to santa rosa now, lowenthal mentioned that the rain is good for the growth on the hillside. it looks like it won't cause any major damage to these burn areas. pete suratos, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, pete. the storm could not have come at a worst time for restaurants. the governor just lifted stay-at-home order for this

week, meaning outdoor dining can resume. we saw lots of people craving to eat something outside of their own home. >> come hell or high water, we're going to come out and eat since they're open. >> i think they just want to come out and support us. >> business owners are hoping for bigger crowds this weekend though many fear the rain may not help their cause. it's beginning to look like winter in parts of the north bay. geyser road in sonoma county, on the right a lot of the same cr roads near middletown where lake county meets napcounty. snow is being reported at elevations as low as 1,300 feet. if you're looking for the latest news or weather download the nbc bay area app. you'll get breaking alerts to your phone as soon as they happen. minneapolis police chief has

taken himself out of the running. chief arredondo says he's humbled to be named a finalist but is dedicated to his city. the search for san jose's next police chief began when former chief eddie garcia retired. he now serves as the chief of police in dallas. a developing story, bay point man facing federal charges this morning. authorities say he sent threatening messages to new york city area congressman and journalists. prosecutors say robert emke sent threats to hakeem jeffries. according to the charging documents, lemke is a retired sergeant with the alameda county sheriff's department. [ bell tolls ]

and not the best start for wall street this morning. the markets, all down. boeing is pulling the dow lower, but that's not why wall street is buzzing today. this afternoon, three of the most valuable companies in america will open their books to investors. all three located in silicon valley, and this happens, scott mcgrew, at a time when some very strange stuff is happening on wall street. >> you are absolutely right. so, to begin with, the three companies you're talking about, it's la, facebook and apple they report their quarterly profits after the closing bell this afternoon. that will be interesting. as for the strange stuff, cierra, you mentioned, you're talking about gamestop. gamestop is a long-suffering chain of strip mall video game stores that haven't made a profit i but the company's shares were up nearly 10y.0% this, as more and more investors, many of them young, many of them new to investing, raced to get into the stock

because it keeps going up. up 700, 800% so far this year. remember, we're only 27 days into this year. there's a complicated backstory to this. it involves shorts and puts and calls. the bottom line is, people are buying the stock because people are buying the stock and talking about it online. so not a meltdown. it's a meltup. more buyers there are, the more the price goes up, even if that price makes no sense, and more buyers come in. speaking of the internet, shares in etsy jumped for a short time after elon musk tweeted he kind of loves etsy. not loves, just kind of loves it. he made a tweet after buying a hat for his dog. if you're thinking there's something odd about a stock that jumps when somebody buys a hat for a dog, i don't think you're alone. cierra, i got to make this cool graphic. i've never had a hat for a dog graphic before. >> thank you, scott. if you think you have covid,

there's several ways to get tested. now you can do it from the comfort of your own home. we'll take a look at all the at-home test kits available and help choose what's right for you. and we'll take another look at weather. kari? >> yeah. last night, during the brunt of the storm, we had a wind gust in parts of the east bay, mt. diablo, reached 80 miles an hour. the wind is starting to calm down. we'll talk about this and the rain coming in. that's all coming up in the microclimate forecast.

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d r cars to get through and leaving some sidewalks inaccessible. bay area case numbers are totaling more than 364,000. nearly 4,000 people have died. and another 17,000 cases were added yesterday across the state, bringing the overall total closer to 3.2 million. more than 37,000 people in california have died. turning to our pandemic coverage, the weather only adding to frustration levels in san francisco when it comes to the city's vaccine rollout. this new drive-through vaccination site at ccsf will be as the storm moves thugh. san francisco mayor london breed says two other vaccination sites are locked and loaded and ready to go. the only thing they're missing at this point is enough

vaccines. >> so far the amount of vaccines we're receiving from the state and federal government is inconsistent and unpredictable. >> that same pinch is being felt elsewhere. the rollout has been slow, the state admits, and there are changes to improve distribution, including a more centralized station. >> testing still plays a key role in stopping the spread of covid-19 and almost a year into the pandemic, testing may get easier with more kits coming to the market for you to do at home. but how do you know which one is right for you? right now we're mostly relying on tests after people get sick or start showing those symptoms. what if we could test frequently and quickly to test for the disease? some say that's the key to radically lower the infection rate. vicki nguyen will show you how that's possible. >> reporter: no long lines to a testing site or visits to the doctor or clinic. get ready for covid test and

results at home. consumers have three at-home tests to achoose from. all have received the fda's emergency authorization. take your own sample and results appear in minutes. >> you're going to swab your nose five times on each side. >> okay. one, two, three, four, five. >> stick it straight into the bottom hole. twist it three times. >> one, two, three. there it goes, up the paper strip. i cannot believe this is a covid test. >> that's a covid test. so simple, so easy to use. >> reporter: results are easy to read and show up in minutes. a single line means the test is negative. two lines indicate a positive. my test was negative. this is definitely giving me pregnancy test flash backs. >> that's right. >> reporter: dr. michael mina, epidemiologist at harvard university and brigham & women's hospital says widespread and frequent at-home testing is the

best way to stop the spread of the virus. >> with an does the u.s. need to do to bring infection rates down? >> if millions of americans tested themselves at home twice a week, we would start to see dramatic reductions in cases in a month or two. >> reporter: that quickly? >> that quickly. >> reporter: dr. mina says the tests should be cheap, fast and reliable so people can test at home, find out if they're sick and stay home to stop the spread. research from slovakia shows when people tested themselves two weekends in a row, the infection rate decreased by 60%. >> i want to see that the government supplies these tests, makes the contracts with the companies and ultimately gets the american public these tests for free. >> reporter: but that's not happening right now. the abbott test is rabl online but costs $150 for a pack of six. you need a prescription and it's only available if you're experiencing symptoms. same with the lucira test, which costs $50 for one test. the ellume is $30 for a single

test and is available over the counter. that's expected to become more available in the u.s. this month. if i want to visit my family, is this the type of test i should take before i go? >> that will make that easier but i don't want people to use this as a reason to go see their family they're been distancing from. >> reporter: you spit into a vial but have to send the sample back to the lab and results take a few days to come back. they're available online from amazon and walmart. no prescription needed but they're costly. more than $100 each. where would you use a test like this. >> it's really designed for somebody who has a high suspicion that they have covid. they're already isolating. they're going to stay inside anyways so the time difference doesn't matter too much. >> reporter: dr. mina wants the government to rethink its approach to rapid testing, to use it as a screening tool. people say these lockdowns are

not working. we're seeing resurgence of the virus everywhere there's a lockdown. is testing the answer? >> it's not a silver bullet but it is a massively powerful tool that we're not yet using. >> that was vicki nguyen reporting. michael mina says these at-home tests, if you get a positive, a red light, don't go out. isolate. if we take them more frequently, dr. mina thinks that we would see a reduction in cases. he said the way we're using tests are too long because when you get a positive case it's too late because that person has been out and about already spreading the disease. telemundo is hosting a phone base for spanish speakers tonight from 5:00 to 7:00 to answer questions. we'll take another look at weather. it's been a wild ride these last couple of days. what is up next with this roller coaster?

>> let's just breathe and take a break. we're letting that rain soak in that we had during the overnight hours. as we take a look at storm ranger, not too busy right now. just spotty rain moving through parts of the north bay as well as just off the coast and the peninsula. but here is the storm. it is still to the south of us. and it's doing exactly what the computer models showed it would, move to the south of us, across the central cost and then start to roll back to the north. we see in the past couple of hours as we get a closer look, we can see all the rain that's rolling through. where we had the dolan fire over the summer. now we see the potential of mudslides there. we've been watching the santa cruz mountains for that possibility, and we've been also watching out for the potential that we could see some isolated flooding. overall, the rain turning spotty for today and the heavier rain returns tonight. in between, we could still have

some thunderstorms firing up, just very hit or miss, isolated thunderstorms. and we'll also see that chance for tomorrow. and where we do get those thunderstorms, there could still be gusty winds. we could wrap this all up with some snow on some of the lower elevation, down to about 2,000 feet, maybe even lower. i've highlighted all the burn scar areas. where we see the green is also where we still have the flash flood watches, meaning there's still that possibility that there may be some debris flows as well as mudslides. the reason why they're really watching the santa cruz mountains is when you have a burn scar, that has burned all the vegetation from those wildfires we had in august and then again just a couple of weeks ago. and so there's no vegetation. you start to see the rain falling. and all of those areas down the hill from where we had those burn scars and where we up withy rain and cause you the mud to slide down the hill into more inhabited areas. they don't want people in the

way of that because we don't know exactly when it could happen and it may even be several days before we see the possibility of those mud slides after the rain has moved out. we are still looking at more heavy rain. we're stopping the time line right here at 3:00 this afternoon. and we start to see more activity on the radar. and where we see the yellows and the reds indicates where we could have some heavier rain, which could be later on tonight as well as tomorrow. still some scattered rain in the forecast. kind of some hit or miss activity. it does become a lot more of the miss variety. we're not seeing as much rain as we head toward friday morning. that's going to be great once we see the rain tapering off. half to possibly one to two inches of rain. we've all been talking about snow in the sierra and all the resorts getting all this snow. take a look at how much additional snow they could see over the next week. the possibility of more feet of snow. we're not ton with these weather systems yet.

looks like we'll have a dry day on friday. saturday, a new system comes in, brings in some scattered showers and we'll see those off and on rain chances continue into next week. cierra? >> thank you, kari. innovative open, that's what bay area restaurant owners told kelly clarkson they did to stay open during the pandemic. the tactic they employed to stay open during these tough times. former president trump will remain suspended indefinitely. back on january 19th, the video-sharing platform said it would extend donald trump's ban not allowing him to live stream or post videos for seven days. now the company says it has extended that ban indefinitely. the company says it is, quote, staying vigilant and closely monitoring for any new developments. we're back after the break.

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restaurants throughout the bay area are just beginning that process of reopening. oakland's truffle shuffle is one of many forced to shut down and had to pivot. >> we would cook and donate a meal to, at the time, front line workers because the hospitals were so overrun. we were donating to hospitals. now what we do is for every ingredient kit sold we donate a meal to someone in need in our local community. >> owners of that east bay

restaurant appear on kelly clarkson show. and she has a surprise for them. tune in at 3:00 this afternoon to see what that surprise in that show, of course, airing here on nbc bay area. i'm kind of curious. i wonder what that surprise is. >> we'll see. at least we'll still have a break for most of us from the rain across the bay area. it will roll back in tonight. we'll be watching that, the return of the atmospheric river. it doesn't look like we'll see all the strong winds, but we may still have another round of heavy rain. and it continues into tomorrow, possibly a few thunderstorms and some snow on some of our bay area peaks. we get a break from the rain on friday and some more scattered showers will be back from saturday into sunday as well as monday. so the good news is that we're making up for some of those rainfall deficits and we're not completely done with the rain over the next week. cierra? >> thank you, kari. thank you so much for joining us. our next newscast is at 5:00. you can also get the latest information all day on

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