another frosty night ahead. we are trackinger storm around the corner. and concern with omicron variant cases climbing worldwide. and hollywood heads to san francisco. the highly anticipated premiere happening right now. we are live on the green carpet. the news at 6:00 starts now. >> growing concern worldwide as the omicron variant starts to spread. >> it was identified fours weeks ago and spread to 89 countries. the w.h.o. says the cases are doubling in 1.5 to 3 days. omicron is spreading rapidly in places with high levels of immunity. global health leaders are not sure if it is because the strain is able to evade immunity, but

more transmissible or a combination. more cases of the omicron variant continue to be detected here in california. last month, omicron was detected in .1% of cases. this month, in more than 1% of sequence cases. there are 49 cases of the omicron variant here in our state. health leaders suspect that number is higher. >> omicron has been detected in all but seven states. you see where it has not in white on this map. not many. montana, north dakota, south dakota, oklahoma, indiana, delaware and vermont. omicron variant continues to make its way across the bay area. yesterday, officials confirmed the first case of the variant. so far, omicron is not found in san mateo. president biden is expected to deliver a major speech on tuesday focused on the new phase

of the pandemic. the president will announce steps the administration is taking to help struggling communities and how the team plans to respond to the challenges. he is also expected to issue another strong warning to the unvaccinated. he warned them of severe illness and death this winter. our coronavirus coverage continues on our web site. we have latest on the omicron variant and covid testing and mask mandates. all in one place at nbcbayarea.com/coronavirus. snl is scaling back the show. that news coming hours before show time. "saturday night live" will not fans allowed inside to watch the taping. snl is making the move because of the rise in covid cases. the show will limit in-person cast and crew. musical guests charlie xtx will not perform. snl is still on for 8:30 here on nbc bay area with paul rudd

hosting. a huge head pill outside san francisco's castro theater part of the premiere of the final movie in the matrix. fans hoping to get a glimpse of the stars, including keanu reeves. you might remember much of the movie was shot in san francisco last year. the film opens in all theaters and hbo max on wednesday. we will have a full wrap up from the green carpet at 11:00. if you stepped outside today and this evening, you know it is chilly out there. we have our traffic cameras from across the bay area. it is cold at all of those locations. rob is with us. some areas had frost this morning. >> right now in san francisco, not bad. 50 degrees. east offshore breeze at 13 miles an hour.

dublin is 41 degrees. we are almost in the upper 30 s in the tri-valley. tomorrow morning, patchy frost in the north bay and east bay and san jose waking up with frost. our attention turns after the dry win to the weekend. plenty of days on tuesday through thursday with the storm system coming in and could bring as much as 1 to 3 inches of rain across the north bay. you see the areas of purple. follow-up by more rain opportunities and wind as we go through the week. the potential is there for another round of heavy sierra snow. we did have 76 feet of snow come down across the central sierra. by the time we get to christmas day, we might super size it and double it again. the snow totals in the sierra with low snow levels. we will look at how low the snow levels get and the rain in the bay area coming up in 12

minutes. amazing, rob. amazing. more rain and snow on the way. probably talking about it, but download our free app. you can see exactly when you see rain where you live. take a good look at the video. police are trying to track this man down. a man was found with gunshot wounds at 8:45 on international boulevard. he was rushed to the hospital and in critical condition. the suspect is considered armed and dangerous. if you see him call 911. the surge of robberies in the bay area hit a student store. it happened at the uc berkeley student store. a man stole more than $1,000 of clothing and an employee tried to stop him, but got beaten up

in the process. university police are looking for the suspect. let's go take a live look outside now in san francisco. it is chilly, but beautiful. we are just seven days from christmas and the shoppers are out. a lot of people also out enjoying holiday themed events. here is christi smith. >> reporter: along chestnut street in san francisco, people were out dining or shopping or doing their part to support small businesses. >> like to support my neighborhood boutiques. >> reporter: online shopping is popular, but so is heading into the stores. >> the games and toys for the grandchildren online, but the last minute, i do like shopping. i like to see the people that are out and transact. >> reporter: businesses hoping with the week before christmas, plenty of people still have shopping to do.

the national retail association hopes to draw 48 million shoppers today on the super saturday. the final saturday before christmas. with strong holiday shopping numbers, people may not have much left to buy. people came out to chinatown to enjoy the festive atmosphere. >> amazing. really out here to greet you. >> the second annual china winter wonderland. over 1,000 kids will receive toys. we are offering free covid vaccinations as well. you will see a train running down grant avenue. you see snow which is awesome. >> hi! >> reporter: put on by non-profits and volunteers, there was plenty to see and do in chinatown and organizers hope people remember the businesses. >> we encourage the public to come out and patroniz local businesses. >> reporter: in san francisco, christi smith, nbc bay area. speaking of the holidays, a

busy day. post offices across the country and bay area today with the scenes in willow grove. they extended hours to accommodate people. this is the busiest of the season and december 18th specifically is the recommended deadline for priority mail to reach the destination in time for christmas. the first commercial crab catch of the season came off the central coast today. this is the first haul in monterey bay. fishing at big sur opened on thursday. due to the limited supply, prices are higher. bay area commercial crab season is set to start december 29th. the delay is due to the whales and sea turtles in the area that could get caught in the fishing gear.

coming up, covid prompting changes in the nfl. and helping families in need this holiday season. we will take you to the give away in the south bay. and 49 degrees in the south bay and san jose. we have patchy fog and low lying areas. we'll have more when we come back. hey, angie! you forgot your phone! hey lou! angie forget her phone again? yep. lou! mom said she could save up to $400 on her wireless bill by switching to xfinity internet and mobile. with nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and lou! on the most reliable network, lou! smart kid, bill. oh oh so true.

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we want to show you a live look at the green carpet outside the castro theater in san francisco right now. part of the premiere of the fourth movie in the matrix franchise. you might remember much of the movie was shot in san francisco last year. we showed you clips as we got them around town. it opens in all theaters and on hbo max on wednesday. we will have a full wrap up from the green carpet tonight at 11:00. three, two, one, zero. ignition. liftoff of the falcon 9. >> spacex launched another batch of satellites this morning. this launch from santa barbara was the 47th successful mission. there are now 2,000 in low earth orbit designed to provide internet access to under-served

areas of the world. the rocket used were reused for the 11th time today. in the south bay, people took time to honor fallen veterans this holiday season. ♪♪ >> los gatos memorial park hosted reads across america day. our own emceeing the event. he and others showed up to lay wreaths on headstones of veterans. he caught up with a father advocating for fallen soldiers ever since he lost his son in combat. >> i have been promoting the impact of the soldier's choice to serve. not only for the soldier, but families as well. something i did not recognize when i made that choice or adam. i did when he didn't come home. >> the event was one of thousands such ceremonies across the country today.

in the meantime, salvation army helped load up cars at the center with gifts and boxes of food. 400 low income families were treated to toys and groceries and toys and walmart gift card. >> there are many families that we hear from years later and the salvation army made a difference to them. the idea is we give hope to people that just did not have hope before. >> christmas give away was drive through again this year. the salvation army got help from the san jose sharks. and they endured the pandemic and spent more than a year in distance learning. now they are walking forward. grad week across the state. here is uc berkeley today. nearly 1,000 graduates receiving the ceremonial papers.

more than 5,000 guests at the ceremony. >> look at the smiles. i wonder if they had to layer up under the gowns. it was chilly, rob. >> you need a liner. it is chilly. when i look at the numbers, this is good for overnight low temperatures. it is just 6:00. we are already in the low 40s. parts of the north bay. christmas in the park. those folks bundled up at 49 degrees in san jose. east wind at walnut creek. we will see patchy fog. the tri-valley with a lot of traffic due to the outlet mall. the traffic is back. 41 degrees in dublin. chilly east/northeast wind at 10. in the sierra. this is where it was truly cold. down to 25. that will continue through monday and tuesday with road

conditions getting tough as winter storm warnings go up and snow starts coming back down. tomorrow morning, fog and frost around the bay area to start off. most of the fog in the east bay for early sunday morning. for the afternoon, chilly daytime highs with partly cloudy skies and upper 40s to near 50 in the north and east bay valleys. as mild as the mid-50s in san jose. that would be good at levi stadium. the temperatures for the 1:05 start with the falcons and 49ers and cooling quickly. fall and frost. the top concern of the weekend. not expecting any rain until we get to monday for the north bay with light showers passing by. it will probably bring air cold enough for air levels for 4,000 feet followed up by colder storms this week. tuesday into wednesday is when the first batch of rain comes in. it is not really stalling out. the rain bands are progressive. the rain totals while impressive, we think they will

be spaced out through time between tuesday, wednesday and thursday. as these totals ratchet up 1 to 3 inches by 5:00 on wednesday and the santa cruz mountains and hills with more than 1 inch of rain. progressively colder storms into next week and set the stage for lowering snow levels and showers at times with chilly sunshine next weekend. the sierra had about 7 feet of snow this week. future cast is going in the same direction by christmas day. notice the snow pack. this is good news. 98% of average. we will see what another several feet of snow will do with the sierra. a rain sur place. what went up will continue to climb for san francisco. dry for the next two days. tuesday through wednesday, more rain at times and gusty winds. valley temperatures staying

cool. tuesday through thursday window is the coolest. we could see snow maybe in the 3,000 to 4,000 foot range for christmas. it is an interesting december. storms keep coming in. >> we are getting normal. december should look like this. >> it is high on the snow totals, but we should see storms every two to three days. >> rob, thank you so much. thank you. let's look at green carpet of the matrix movie. that is hunter pence and his wife lexie. hunter pence is a former san francisco giant. he played his role in helping the giants win a couple of world series. he is on the carpet. someone has taken their eye into our camera. maybe she is famous too? i don't know. good to see everybody out there. >> what a fun scene.

all right of the still ahead, keeping players and coaches safe as omicron cases surge. the safety protocols coming to the nfl.

miss crawly, it's me mr. moon. i haven't heard from you in awhile, i'm starting to worry here. ♪ grab a brush and put on a little make-up ♪ make-up. ♪ hide the scars to fade away the shake-up ♪ you whoo. your destination is on the right. okay. whaaa! the controversial border wall is going up again down in texas. plans for the barrier were announced six months ago. speaking in rio grande city, governor abbott blamed president biden for border conditions and cited lax enforcement and he singled out drugs like fentanyl which is a deadly growing problem. >> the number one cause of death for that group is fentanyl.

joe biden has facilitated the death of those people by the open border policies that he has allowed to take place here in texas. >> the demographic group he was talking about was 18 to 45 years of age. texas received $45 million in individual donations for construction of the wall. the state is footing the rest of the bill. projected total cost still undetermined. covid has been causing chaos throughout sport. the nfl had to reschedule three games because of outbreaks. among those teams impacted, las vegas raiders. they were supposed to be playing cleveland browns today. the league will have more testing and also allow high risk players to opt out for the rest of the season. covid impacting the nba. brooklyn nets is the latest team to hit hard by the virus.

two of the teams stars had entered covid protocols. irving who is banned from home games because he is not vaccinated, was planning to return to the team for road games. he joins durant on the covid list that had depleted the roster. the nets have nine players in covid protocol which is more than half the team. let's transition from the real world invading sports to sports themselves. anthony flores. >> at least not tonl. a lack of star power for the warriors tonight. in seth curry and few players returned home to the bay before the game. stick around. sports is next.

welcome back. i'm anthony flores. seth curry is watching from the

couch in the bay area. he and the team flew back last night. it is more a rest and recovery. the warriors and raptors. capacity limited to 50% because of the covid outbreak in toronto. as expected, the raptors going at the warriors. fred van fleet with the bucket. raptors up 18 in the second. and showing off his range. he has a career high 21 points. the rookie becomes the playmaker. feeds for the flush. the warriors are down 25 late in the third. final update at 11:00. the big game for the 49ers tomorrow. maybe the biggest of the season. a win over the falcons gets them one step closer to locking up the playoff spot. they host atlanta tomorrow afternoon. the red and gold are in the driver's seat with the wild card.

they are sixth seed after winning four of the last five games. because of the surge in covid cases throughout the league, the niners had to go back to virtual meetings to prepare for game day. >> it doesn't affect planning. it effects the success rate. it is different on the screen. you are coaching things hard and getting things corrected. you are looking at faces on screens. i know through experience in the last year, guys don't learn as well. >> how are we feeling about this one? every time they are favored. we will see on sunday. don't for get to check out our friends at nbc sports bay area. terry is looking at me saying what are you thinking? of course they're going to win on sunday. they get you ready for the 49ers pre-game live kicks off at noon. post-game show follows after the game. power house match up in women's college basketball. stanford and tennessee. cardinal moving without the

rock. then at the end of the third quarter, the cardinal pushing it up the floor. jump throws it up for three to beat buzzer. she gets it. cardinal hand the vols the first loss of the season. 74-63. finally to the links. like father like son. that is 12-year-old charlie woods. that looks just like tiger. they are golfing together in the pnc golf for the firstmeince tt february. not a bad first round. they combined to shoot 10 under 62. they are three shots off the lead. that's a look at sports. more news after the break. when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online.

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♪♪ running here and there ♪ ♪ saying catch me ♪ ♪ if you can ♪♪ music to get us in the holiday spirit and children to heal and cope. that was the children's hospital music video. music therapy team gets ptients together each year. >> the rendition of "frosty the snowman." a positive note. >> see you at 11:00. chris chmura: you're watching an nbc bay area news special. tonight, nbc bay area "responds." female: everybody is just on standby. chris: brace yourself, passengers.

this year holiday air travel might be a mess. we're gonna help you win the rebooking race and show you how passengers are fighting back when there's money on the line. blane workie: we wanna help. and we feel good when we're able to get consumers their money back. chris: we ask and answer a thorny travel question. can a host put a camera in your vacation rental? maybe. we'll show you where they're allowed and not, plus, how to get a refund if you find a spying eye, also-- john lipschitz: well, i'm greatly appreciative of nbc and what you've done. chris: we help a covid survivor battle for long-haul care. his hospital and health insurance weren't communicating, even though they're the same company. chris: good evening, and welcome to our nbc bay area "responds" special. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. since we started "responds" here in 2016, we've helped viewers like you save or get back more than $5.7 million right there on the tote board,

and we do that by speaking up when viewers aren't