thunderstorm. so the atmosphere is still pretty unstable. we do have a trough offshore. high surf advisory and still a little rain into next week. i'll detail coming up. yesterday's storm packed a punch with thunder and lightning downed trees and power outages throughout the bay area. pg&e says all power has been restored to east bay customers. storm watch coverage begins with nick smith in the east bay where emergency crews were in rescue mode. >> contra costa fire crews were called there with reports of a young man entering the water. there were conflicting reports as to whether anyone had gone into the canal but crews responded out of an abundance of caution, because last year there were two teenagers that died in the area while trying to raft the creek. they say the results of the search did not produce evidence of anyone entering the water. >> in the rossmor area in walnut creek, they were dealing with loss of power. >> loss of power shut off service to this atm and caused area businesses to go dark. customer at this safeway had to leave the story empty handed. >> there were 40 people standing to see if the registers were going to come on or not and 40 grocery carts of shopping to put back. >> the power outage didn't only affect the residents of walnut creek, but lafayette and concord also saw their homes and businesses to go dark. >> now i'm stuck. >> the cause of the outages are not clear but i did speak to residents that they saw a bright flash of lightning and then everything went dark. and the santa cruz mountains, conditions are improving after a steady soaking down pour that lasted most of the night. how so much rain makes mountain driving very treacherous. >> right now traffic control trying to get people to slow down. >> california highway patrol officer says his presence on highway 17 is an added incentive for drivers to go easy on the gas pedal of them tend to slow down. >> this is what they should be scared of. a morning accident at laurel road. 57-year-old man behind the wheel of this nissan drifted into the northbound lanes and hit two cars. he died. the people in the four runner were seriously injured. >> at this point it's unknown why he lost control. the road is wet, however that may have contributed to it. however, at this point the investigation is still ongoing. >> reporter: while chp is helping keep us safe they are putting their own lives in danger. >> there was a person that was killed off the mountain about seven years ago. it was pretty tragic. we had another officer that was hurt as well in the same conditions. >> despite the risk, the officers like him.... >> we'll always have a unit on the hill, waiting to respond to a crash. >> for anybody who has taken the drive over the hill, navigating the twists and turns can be tough even on a best day. in san francisco a storm knocked down a tree last night in the heart of north beach. it happened just before 9:00 blocking all four lanes near columbus near broadway. >> i was driving by and all of a sudden this tree just fell down. it fell down on top of the roof of my car. that is pretty much it. i was lucky it didn't fall on my head. >> columbus was closed from broadway to green street while crews cleared debris. >> junction of state highways 12 and 121 is reopened this morning. tomas ramon reports. >> the rain forced -- signs throughout the town warned of flooding and standing water. these heavy rains affected highway 121 where it connects to highway 12 in schellville. they closed portion of both. some drivers indifferent to flooding, chp says this is the kind of driving that causes serious accidents. >> other things, they are going to hydro plain. they will loose control and slam in the railing or off into had into a ditch. >> we asked everybody to slow down. it's not scary not any water for a while. living up here, comes november if there is no water the well goes dry. >> all rain caused major backups in the area. chp is keeping a close eye on the weather in case of more flooding. >> take a look behind me. that fast moving water isn't actually in the stream or creek. its portion of highway 12. heavy rain saturated the roads earlier. high tide finished the job of flooding the entire junction. in mill valley a viewer sent in this picture through ureport. you can see a huge tree came down. it blocked access to maggie avenue in the downtown area. if you are heading to tahoe this weekend, that can be a challenging trip. this is what it looked like near the summit. they are removing the snow and chains are definitely required on 80 and 50. an accident the interstay. a viewer showed us a picture. here a traffic moving eastbound and the freeways are covering with a frosty white icing. it took a team effort to save a small dog stuck in creek yesterday. they rescued the dog from pine creek channel after at the report he was in trouble. we will be tracking the storm throughout the weekend. go to abc7news.com/weather to access our interactive live 7 hd where you get street level radar. >> in other news, search teams are looking for a plain that has been missing since wednesday. the san benito county sheriff's office was not alerted until thursday. it was scheduled to arrive on san jose airport. if the plane crashed the crash site is estimated to be in a ten-mile radius. coming up next, an army sergeant accused of a horrendous crime in afghanistan has been identified. the key issue to determine whether he faces the death penalty. >> how did they treat you in there? >> it was really rough, you can imagine. >> george clooney was arrested after police took him ♪ jif to go goes here, goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go goes anywhere ♪ jif to go goes here, goes there ♪ ♪ jif to go goes everywhere ♪ goes here, goes there ♪ jif to go, wherever you go ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ arm army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 civilians in afghanistan is back in the u.s. he is identified as robert bales. he is being held in a detention center in california. his lawyer says he may have been suffering from post trauma distress disorder. >> the family was counting him on not being redeployed. he and family were told that his tours were over and literally over night that changed. >> members of bay area afghan community will assemble in fremont to condemn the massacre and call for justice and an end to such atrocities. they plan to rally at 2:00 in the afternoon at the plaza at fremont amtrak station on fremont boulevard. they emphasize this is human rights rally not a muslim rally and hope that people of all faiths and background will join them. >> this morning, we're learning osama bin laden ordered an attack on air force one. he wanted to kill barack obama so joe biden would assume presidency. they called biden unprepared. information comes from documents seized by navy seals the night they killed bin laden. he was worried about the toll drones were taking on al-qaeda and he realized his organization brutal tactics were alienating muslims. they say attack plot was not a serious threat. san diego police say they do not expect any charges being filed against one of the cofounders of the children's invisible campaign. they took a man to a psychiatric hospital on thursday. he was in his underwear screaming at drivers. . >> after george clooney protested he was arrested. he and his father were among 17 people taken into custody. police pulled out the handcuffs after protestors protestors refused to disburse. clooney is trying to get support in sudan from slaughtering its citizens. >> we need humanitarian aid into sudan before it becomes the worst crisis in the world, immediately. >> he testified before congress about sudan and attended a state dinner with president obama. we are celebrating a holiday today. st. patrick's day so weather-wise. >> we're going to look at showers this afternoon despite the cold front that moved through the overnight hours. we are still looking at unstable air. this is view from sutro camera and we have fog in the north bay valleys. we have the mid-level clouds and showers down by salinas and snow has tapered off but i'll have the big picture for you in a moment. >> next, 49ers' secret pursuit. will peyton manning be wearing red and gold. larry beil has the details coming up. take a look. this incredible new security video takes inside a school when it gets slammed by a tornado. twister ripped off the roof. principal had earlier sent the students home at henryville high school but 80 students and teachers were think he is when the tornado it. it was a category 4 twister classified as devastating. winds were estimated at 206-270 miles an hour. >> they say the warning was 20 minutes. so good thinking on the teachers. >> it could have been a whole different story. >> that was a lot of lead time. still more shower activity but nothing severe around here. we have all sorts of weather. we've had the snow in the sierra and pretty good downpour throughout the overnight hours. we are looking at cloudy skies in the mountains with the winter storm warning expired, down through yosemite and mammoth where they are going to pick a couple feet above 6,000 feet. we picked up a couple inches here. you can see a hint of sun there. overall today we're going to see more clouds and the possibility and likelihood of more showers. higher elevations, a rain-snow mix. mount hamilton and mount diablo. unstable air still offshore. as we loop this most of the activity the green and oranges and reds. active weather well south of the bay. live doppler, shows salinas, gilroy looking at wet weather. light purple. that indicates the rain-snow mix. so the snow levels is coming down in the cold air behind the front. numbers still in the 30s from santa rosa, and fairfield with a lot of fog develop. numbers just in the mid 40s for mountain view and san jose. visibility, less than a quarter of a mile. santa rosa, novato, eight miles on the coast. be careful out there. with all that cloud cover it is cold out there. anywhere from 10-15 degrees colder. scattered showers today and tomorrow, spring, warmer weather arriving next week but i don't think we'll be done with the rain. look how quickly it pushes on through but we still have a trough offshore and that storm is generate high surf after through tomorrow afternoon. breakers up to 17 feet. very dangerous conditions there. here is a look at totals. inch and third in napa. three and a half inches in ben lomond. half inch in livermore. not bad. six-tenths in hayward. here is a look at the rest of nephew. by one, we have rain-snow mix and showers from napa, sonoma, contra costa county right through the 5:00 hour we'll see that rain-snow mix. things get quiet overnight and then by tomorrow afternoon, still chilly out there. with afternoon showers especially toward the sacramento valley. in erls the of the rest of the state. most of the inclement weather south of here. if you are traveling be aware of that. we are looking at cool numbers well below normal. 57 in san jose and scattered afternoon showers. you get heating of the sun and possibility of a sun. salinas, 56. and temperatures in the mid and upper 50s. chance of showers tuesday and wednesday. feeling like winter. >> i think we can live with it. thank you, lisa. >> march madness begins today with teams battling to get into the sweet 16. on women's side. ncaa begins with stanford and virginia against hampton. meanwhile, the 49ers is the dark horse in the peyton manning sweepstakes. here is larry beil. >> good morning. operating in super secret stealth mode, 49ers have worked out peyton manning and could be one of three finalists to sign the former colt's quarterback. manning missed all of last season. smith who happens to be represented tom condon, manning's agent. will they pay up to $18 million a year. hoping that he stays healthy. >> there is a dark horse in the race. most people around the league that denver and tennessee are the favors to land peyton manning. but if the 49ers were able to land peyton manning would be an immediate superbowl favorite. >> raiders cut one of their players. they still owe himd $6 million. >> munta ellis were back at oracle last night to face the warriors with the new team milwaukee bucks but the warriors decided they needed a dramatic move to improve in the long run, ellis joined golden state. munta on his return. >> i just want to get the win. i am not going to, it was great to me. this gave me my shot. so i just wanted to come out and try to get a win. number 11, munta ellis! >> warriors were thanking him for his years of service. wasted no time going to work, first basket was a jumper but it was all bucks. bucks by 13 at the half. clay thompson he was guarding munta had 19 points. munta down the lane, had 18 points. with a runaway, it was a rout, bucks 12020-98. >> we'll start with st. mary's losing to purchase due. matthew only three of ten from the field in this game. boilermakers all over the gales. lewis jackson had 18. purchase due was up by 11. then here is rob jones turn around. gales down by 2. three in the lead. gales up by 1. called for traveling on the baseline. purchase due gets it back. jackson fouled. makes two free throws, purchase due goes up by 1. they were down by 3 and jones for the tie, his final shot. gales eliminated 72-69. >>. >> you can hash it out a lot of ways, bottom line not guard your 3-point shooters, you to make those and we didn't. >> no, they didn't. lehigh taking on duke. putting on a show. a steal and slam, lehigh down by a deuce at the half. duke within 3. they broke it and hamilton throwing down. lehigh mountain hawks beat duke. and norfolk kyle snatching the air ball. up by 2. a chance to seal this game away. misses two free throws. last chance for mizzou, he gets a three for the win -- no. norfolk with a stunner, 867-84. -- 86 and hen 84. >> and watching this one against florida state. carl white the jam. with less than two minutes left, not going quietly. here is 3. down three seconds left. he is going for 2. he need a 3. he'll get a 3. 6666-63. >> -- 66-63. >> was that a block blocked shot? it was clearly a foul. no call. 58-57. >> we finish up in the rain at at&t park. san jose earthquakes practicing in anticipation of today's game against the houston dynamo. it's up and good. david bingham testing the wall at mccovey cove. splashing down, rain or shine. the game is on. >> that is wrap on morning sports. shu will be here at 5:00 and 6:00 and 11:00. have a great weekend everybody. i'm larry beil. next at 8:30. a missing mother and a murdered sister. clues found inside a gilroy veteran's car tying him to the crime. he is dead, too. >> also, what they have been hoping for, storms has dumped lots of snow in now on verizon's 4g lte network. double your data. 4 gigabytes for just $30 a month. with 4 gigabytes, you could send and receive over 400,000 emails. or stream over 1,100 songs. or use gps navigation for 34 continuous days. all the data you need to power your favorite apps. 4 gigabytes for $30. only on america's largest 4g lte network. now buy one samsung stratosphere for $99.99, get another one free. verizon. post-traumatic stress syndrome may be the heart of a crime in gilroy. the son is expected of killing his mother and little sister before killing himself. >> there is no one picture that conveys the pain of this crime. not the memorial for 11-year-old girl or somber face of bob vez. >> he a veteran coming back and this happens. it's something you don't want to think about but it does happen. >> reporter: police say specialist killed his little sister and then himself on wednesday. iraq war veteran shot his mother inside his car. >> based on the evidence inside the car, we fear the worst. we believe she is if not critically wounded, that she is dead. >> police are asking the public to remember if they had seen a green ford mustang similar to this one with washington state license plate. any sighting on tuesday or wednesday could help them narrow the search. jill gonzales duz did not know them but knew about the disorder. >> we may look healthy but we are not. deep inside we are hurting it's not funny. >> they have multiple deployments but it's revealed a new generation of problems. >> they go over there and they are killing people. it's not something they want to do and send them back again and lot of them crack up and they fall apart. >> specialist did two tours in the middle east. a spokesperson said the most recent tour in iraq was a voluntarily mission and specialist also took part this weekend military training exercise just this month. karina rusk, "abc 7 news." city employees in san jose have filed a suit to stop a pension reform measure from getting on the june ballot. the lawsuit claims the measure is worded in such a way as to ensure its passage. lawsuit requires the wording be neutral. city workers believe the measure violates their rights. the mayor has pointed to the pension as a big reason why the city is in the red. the measure has been approved by city leaders for the june ballot. >> president obama is again calling for congress to move america's energy policy in a new direction by focusing his weekly address on rising gas prices. the u.s. consumes 20% of the world's oil market but has 2% of the world's oil reserves. he had a says administration tighter regulation of wall street is helping expose people that drive up prices but he wants to end subsidies to big oil companies. >> next few weeks, i expect congress to vote on ending these subsidies. when they do we're going to put every single member of congress on record. they can stand up for oil companies or stand up for the american people. they can either place their bets on a fossil fuel from the last century or they can place their bets on america's future. >> the president says america's future rides on develop renewable energy to squeeze more miles out of every gallon of gas. speaking of gas prices, here what you can expect to pay today. statewide average for a gallon is $4.35 this morning. a month ago it was 3.90. in bay area, oakland's average price is 4.32. in san francisco, 4.40. >> if you are heading to the sierra, high gas prices aren't the only problem. there is a lot of snow on the roadways. ski resorts could get another 3 feet of snow. you have to get there. bring your chains. they are required on highway 50 and 80. george warren reports from don summit. >> after a mixed beak of a little snow and lots of rain nobody is complaining of using a snow shovel. >> good to get real snow. >> no matter how much we've been talking, late season storm seemed to catch some people by surprise people thought they might make it over the summit without tire chains. >> you are on the phone with your dad? >> i keep calling him back and pull backward and non-weatherproof boots. >> needless to say, people who make their living off of winter weather couldn't be happier. >> we finally got snow up here. i've been looking forward to it. >> and it looks like it's going to get worse the next couple days. >> worse or better depending on your perspective? >> it's better for me. >> with the snow level finally at or below 6,000 feet, every tahoe area resort is getting covered. crowd was light here but with as much as four feet expected on saturday looks like winner. >> this is perfect storm, storm is during the week and anybody can get out there. beautiful sight if you are skinot so much if you are driver but some people are both. >> bulk of the activity and scattered snow showers and no winter storm warning and santa cruz looking cloudy. we have rain along the central coast. we'll talk about that and the possibility of more rain for first full week of spring coming up. thank you. >> also ahead, what happens when art and technology meets technology. the extravaganza begins today ♪ so, this is delicious okay... is this where we're at now, we don't care anymore? we just eat whatever tastes good? excuse me? [ man ] like these sweet honey clusters, they're awesome so no way they're good for you. but i guess that's okay right? actually there's a half a day's worth of fiber in every ... why stop at cereal? ya know? cancel the gym membership. bring on the pork chops and the hot fudge. fantastic. are you done sweetie? yea [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. thanks for watching. it's 8:38 on st. patrick's morgue. you are looking at live mount tam cam. it looks kind of gray but lisa argen says it's going to be kind of mild relatively speaking compared to yesterday. she will have the full foreforecast coming up. >> technology for predicting weather is improving all the time but when you hear the forecast, you might not give much thought about the research behind it or the people that are risking their lives to find out more. dan ashley has more of the science of weather. >> dan:. >> you can see the updrafts. >> had is one of the most popular exhibits. >> the children can get into it and any exhibit that involves you personally is a great exhibit. >> dan: for the next week visitors will have even more opportunity to get involved in weather. as the exploratorium focuses on the science of severe storms. >> this one actually got struck by lightning. thee see these burn marks? >> we're simulating lightning and we have static electricity and we use this little wand to have lightning run to the bigger ball. >> dan: you can actually feel the electricity in the air. >> i felt a tingly sensation. >> the severe weather exhibit is partnership with noaa. it's the agency that operates storm chasing vehicle seeking out weather that most of us want to avoid. trying to get close but not too close. >> graduate student sean helps put them together. high-tech weather instruments on top. >> they can monitor the data in realtime. we can see with the wind and temperature and pressure and all of that stuff is doing. >> it features dramatic video and photos by the storm chasers. >> there is a lot of information just in the shape of the storm. how the storm looks. >> hail is one of the most dangerous things they face. some as big, some has spikes and it can come down hard. >> it's like an ice cube the size of a grapefruit. >> it's covered with battle scars caused by hail. >> the windshield has been replaced and that hail stone can break bones. >> all these weather exhibits are a preview of what is to come next year. they are opening a new building on the waterfront where they will collaborate with noaa on cutting edge research. >> ex important forium is featuring weather exhibits through march 25th and tomorrow will have a special day with all kinds of common stations and tours. we have a link at abc7news.com. just click on see it on tv link. we at this exact moment don't have to look any further than lisa argen to find out what is going on with the weather. >> lisa: we have a chance of severe storms later on today. some of that hail may be visiting us especially around santa cruz and points south. roof camera shows those clouds that look ominous out there. the cold front has moved on through and we are looking at colder air, unstable air as the trough flies to the south and east of us. more showers and possibility of a thunderstorm with some afternoon heating. all the ingredients of to bring us perhaps some more rain, maybe .05 inch of rain embedded in a thunderstorm. here at loop and you notice the front the main activity well south of the bay area, bakersfield picking up heavy rain. winter storm warning has been cancelled in the sierra nevada. this shows the south bay with the rain offshore and as that trough gets closer this afternoon, it's going to generate some showers. in fact the rain-snow mix could be a possibility around mount hamilton. here we are at blossom hill road. a few areas of light showers and that light purple indicating the mix. the skies cleared earlier this morning. fog and 41 in san rafael. 44 in oakland. upper 30s in the valleys. 45 in san jose and we are looking at less than a quarter mile visibility in nova with about quarter of a mile in santa rosa. 8 miles in half moon bay. you notice the big difference today with the cold front pushing through. we've got cold air in place. that trough pushes through and we could see afternoon showers, maybe a thunderstorm monday night. that will be a dry day and then maybe some more rain next week. so you can see that the front will continue to bring the heaviest weather well south of here, but it's also generated high surf for late tonight and into tomorrow with breakers you were to 17 feet. that is definitely a concern. and respectable rainfall, ben lomond still is possible, 2 1/2. >> and here is the rest of the afternoon, look at 1:00, marin, sonoma, contra costa county, santa cruz, rain-snow mix and active afternoon right through 7:00. notice the cold air is staying over mount hamilton and mount diablo and tomorrow afternoon, things are quieter but quite chilly and afternoon showers into the sacramento valley. the front continues southward. the snow with snow showers today. we'll seal them tomorrow but it won't impact you if you are headed up to the sierra nevada. it will be cool with the scattered showers. highs only in the mid to upper 50s for st. patrick's day. we can expect anything. that is what we have. cool weather, showers, some sun and still looking pretty unsettled next week but warmer. thanks, lisa. >> one artists and engineers come together it could result in the creators project. jonathan bloom explains why tens of thousands are visitors are expected to attend. ♪ >> in a warehouse at fort mason, ominous sounds of a choir surround the projection screen. animation is generated by the volume themselves. >> i think that is what it is. it's lots of people inventing things in order to help express themselves. >> mira is more than dozen aurtsz exhibiting at the creators project in san francisco. >> it's where art and technology collides demonstrates something magical. >> intel help organize the event and first time it's being held by the city by the bay. >> san francisco is really the heart and soul of technology. >> he helped create this giant living sculpture, he called it a machine with a personality. >> origin is interactive responding to movement. other exhibits respond to touch. >> i can change all the colors and move around. >> made of over 200 tiny computers, this tells a bigger story. more and more people communicate through machines but these machines laterally communicate through people. >> it starts to pulse and anything else i touch will take on that color. so i can copy it through my body. it's sending a current through my skin to do that. >> it's a bigger story, about the voices so often not had hurt -- heard. >> it runs saturday and sunday and fort mason. admission is free. there is still plenty of room on sunday. today is st. patrick's day and often it involves alcohol and aaa is offering, tipsy to. a tow truck will take you home for free up to ten miles. just call 1-800-aaa-help and say i need a tipsy to. britain is planning to legalize gay marriage. and they are celebrating with ice cream at ben and jerry's. it's called april ple ever after and marriage should be defined by love and commitment. the flavor in britain, oh, my apple pie is note available in the united states. sounds like a u.s. flavor to me. "7 on your side" is next. >> reports say we are paying down our credit card debt but we aren't. i'm michael finney. "7 on your side" ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ with the recession easing americans are racking up credit card debt. here is michael finney with results of a new study. >> you saw it last holiday season, i reported it sales were up, way up as americans went on a spending spree. as it turns out that confidence or overconfidence actually started well before the holiday. a new study commissioned by card hub looks back at credit card use in 2011 and finds americans had been racking up debt. >> you buy now, they went crazy but i would say we look back, the previous quarters as well of 2011. let's say on the first quarter, they paid down 25% less than they paid down a year before that. >> reporter: that is the ceo of the company. he says last year's added credit card debt was the third higher than the year before and hundred percent higher than in 2009. so what is consumer to do? he says, get real. >> prior to the great recession, your spending was -- with this economy, unless we get into another bubble you can't expect your spending to go back the way it was. >> reporter: he is right. but just because we have been in an extended economic downturn doesn't miniwe're going to get out of it anytime soon. so keep saving and putting together an emergency fund. coming up next, nature in the case article of san francisco's de young museum. time is running out if you want to see it. here are winning numbers from last night's mega millions draw. 28, 29, 43, 51 and 53, mega number is 7 but nobody won it. nobody won the big jackpot. tuesday's drawing is now $241 million. one of the most popular annual exhibitions at de young golden gate park. it's bouquets in the park. don sanchez shows us the results. >> it offers a floral perspective of great classical works. great african art and sometimes just a touch of whim sy. de young is noted for permanent collection. but this week it's all about interpretation. it shows off designs from 150 outs artists who draw inspiration from work. like. >> floral painting and emphasis is on the table setting. the taint painting of a tulip had culture comes alive. george oh keefe on canvas and display on a stand. a painting of a woman it has a texture of age and style. >> floral artists, this one and if you you like the garden club, this is their interpretation. >> they submit portfolios and cone steopts a panel of judges who take months narrowing the list of can exhibitors. they are looking for some special. >> i think creativity is the most important. their use of flowers and color. >> it's fascinating. >> she has been a judge for 26 years. the centerpiece is bamboo rain forest us is pinned order rotating carousels. most touching work is a tribute to the late john buchanan the director of the museum whose choice of exhibitions transformed de young to world class museum. >> it's up until saturday evening. san francisco's 161st st. patrick's day parade is going ahead as planned this morning rain or shine. it has attracted up to 100,000 people. it's the largest celebration of irish history on the west coast. it kicks off second and mark street at 11:30 and make its way to civic center plaza so the festival starts at 10 they will be chilly today. we still have possibility of showers. look at all the showers offshore from salinas to gilroy and heaviest rain is well down the coast. you can see around milpitas and high elevation snow around mount hamilton. scattered showers and chance of thunderstorm through the evening hours, mid and upper 50s. monday, spring arrives, no rain and a little warmer next week. thank you so much. thanks everyone for joining us. next newscast starts at 5:00. keep track of the latest breaking news on twitter and talk about it facebook.com/abc7news.com. happy st. patrick's da