Threat as well . Thats right. The storm system is 150 miles away. These are back to back storms. The ground is saturated. In advance of the storm system a Flash Flood Watch has been issued from the National Weather service for excess runoff tomorrow. Maybe the potential of mudslides as well. You want to watch the hillsides closely if you live near any of those. We have a flood advisory for San Francisco as well. High tide tomorrow morning 7 30 as the storm arrives, waves as high as 20 feet will make it dangerous. Stay away from the beaches for the next two days. When does the rain arrive 3 00 a. M. To 5 00 a. M. Wednesday morning. The heaviest rainfall tomorrow morning and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. The confidence is up storms like this will continue the next three months. El nino ranks as strong as 1997 as of today. The north bay is taking a direct it will. Marin county has seen rain and wind. Hillsides are saturated and the chance of localized flooding is on the rise. Terry mcsweeney is live with us at the site of a sandbag station. Reporter sevenfoot high pile of sand behind me a third of it gone. They have sandbags here as well. People in the north bay pay el nino storms very seriously. Theyve seen them before. This creek is flowing calmly tonight. But cynthia knows what it can do. We had three feet of water in our house. We ended up having to build a new house five and a half feet taller. It was the very same storm that did this to geurneville. And so does woody baker cohen. One of the numerous creeks monitored here is where cynthia lives. You can see how quickly it spiked today. There are gauges that will alert us if the level of the streams have risen to a flood level and if the rate of rise is high enough. Reporter at the 2 00 a. M. Club the sandbags are up. They usually go up if the water comes up the storm drain. This is a storage unit. Without the sandbags and the plastic and plywood everything inside is ruined, gets wet. Reporter the Marin County Office of Emergency Services encourages everyone in the county and in the bay area to register your cell phones with your local office of Emergency Services. You can get a reverse 911 call. Terry mcsweeney, nbc bay area news. Some heavy rain and snow also to blame for this tour bus crash in yosemite, the bus slid off a road near highway 41 this morning. It was teetering on the edge of the hillside. All 54 people on board had to be extricated out of the bus. No one was seriously hurt. A large tree toppled on highway 17. Crews had to chop up the tree and remove it. In the north bay, a downed tree took out a utility pole that left hundreds of people without power in mill valley. In the sierra, snow is expected all day again. Today the region was hammered with heavy rain and snow. This is Placer County near donner summit. You can see some foggy and dense conditions there. And then we want to show you all the snow on the ground in blue canyon. That is off i80. This is from earlier today. The drivers had a huff time getting up to the mountains. Chains are required on highway 50 and i80. As the storm hits stay up to date on the conditions by downloading the nbc bay area app. You can download the an from the Apple App Store or google play for android devices. North korea claims it successfully detonated its First Hydrogen bomb. That announcement from north korean tv a few hours ago. That report has yet to be verified. The news alert came out an our after the usgs detected a 5. 1 magnitude earthquake in the peninsula. The u. N. Security council will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow. The white house says it is monitoring the situation. If the report is true, north korea would be one step closer to having a Nuclear Missile that could reach the u. S. Since 2006 north korea has successfully complete lead the nuclear tests. New at 11 00, a south bay family is it being answers after a stabbing on christmas morning. Marins family says he finished a Christmas Eve dinner with friends when he was attacked in san jose at 5 00 in the morning. Police found him with stab wounds and took him to a nearby hospital but he died. The family believes it was a case of mistaken identity. Courtrooming skyrocketing rents and evictions is the challenge before the Alameda City Council only the. Jean elle is live in alameda where the meeting is still live at this hour. Reporter housing is an emotional issue. Tonight, tenants and landlords degree its crucial that the City Council Get this issue right. The housing crisis draws dozens of people to an emotional meeting in alameda as a temporary moratorium on rent increases is set to expire, the council is looking for a permanent solution to slow soaring rents and increasing evictions. We just living day by day. Reporter in october mel is hoping that the city votes to protect tenants. It has been very stressful, really, going through this. And finally when the holiday is over, we survived but now, the new year, facing this reality now, for this eviction. Reporter the housing debate turned physical at a meeting in november police made arrests. Tonight the council considered three ordinances by limiting annual rent hikes by 8 and limiting evictions, ordinances that would expire in 2018. This landlord says it is expensive to maintain ageing rental units he believes that the rules are needed. Control double digit annual increases which are really unfair to tenants. Reporter while city leaders work to hammer out a deal, lindsay is taking a long view. Its not going to go on forever. There are a lot of units in the bay area that will be built in the next two, three, four, five years. Things are going to change. Reporter but there is a lot to consider. The city council could vote to extend the temporary moratorium on i evictions and rent hikes while it debates the larger issue. Just into the newsroom, the city of oakland made decisions in the debate over gun control. Just in the last few minutes we learned the City Council Unanimously passed all ordinances that include requires owners to store guns in locked boxes at home and in their cars. The city council banned large capacity magazines. Critics had threatened legal action if the ordinances passed. Every time i think about those kids it gets me mad. President obama tearing up as he announced executive action on gun control. He was talking about the 20 first graders killed in new town, connecticut three years ago. The president surrounded by victims and their families. Among the changes more back ground checks and the hiring of more fbi examiners to do those checks 24 7. Next at 11 00, the musthave tech gadgets of tomorrow on display today, well take you into the c. E. S. Including an app that could change how you grocery shop. Are fit bits really tracking your health accurately . As the bay area sees strong storms is there confusion over Water Conservation . Why californians may not be doing enough. Im meteorologist jeff ranieri a fast rise of water on the russian river. Should stay out of flood stage but isolated urban flooding tomorrow. Here in vineland, new jersey where progresso light soups are made, well never give up our cheddar, our cream, and especially our bacon. So we figured out a way to add rich ingredients like this into 22 light soups, all with 100 calories or less per serving. So if you want to eat light and not give up rich flavor, do what we do. Make it progresso. Amaze you and simplify your life. Tonight a glimpse into future technology meant to amaze you and simplify your life. It will be unveiled tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics show. Olivia sterns has your ticket. Fit bit keying you focused. For americans, hoping gadgets are a key to a better life, the Consumer Electronics show are full of promises. Help you build a better you. Trying to shed pounds . These new ear buds track your vital signs and coach your workout. If you can work out in the right heart rate zone you get your fitness results faster. In the kitchen smart appliances with cameras. If im at work i can see whats inside the refrigerator right now from my smartphone. Reporter and bmw with a first look at the car of the future . Our version of the future. Your car warms up, triggers the garage door and backs out. Kia showing off its model with a virtual valet, one touch to the smart watch and your car parks itself nearby. But coordinating the gadgets will not be simple. We will have a complicated world. Nothing is going to talk to anything else. Reporter technology making your life easier or more difficult depending on who you ask. Olivia sterns, nbc news las vegas. Fit bit is saying that the wristband heard rate monitors are off. Customers in three states including california filed a Class Action Lawsuit today. They say the charge hr and surge models do not and cannot consistently record accurate heart rates during exercise as advertised. Fit bit says it stands behind its technology and plans to fight the lawsuit. Who did it and why . An animal abuse investigation after someone threw this puppy from a highway 4 overpass this weekend. The dog will likely need surgery. Animal services say the people who found and rescued this puppy may end up adopting him. Back to the weather. Scary moments for a couple who ended up stranded in the San Francisco bay. They parked on frontage road last night near eastbound 180 and fell asleep in their car and woke up to find that high tide swept the car into the water. When the tide receded they drove away. Are you take more time in the shower . That is what may be happening in bathrooms all across california. Nbc bay areas ian cull is in the mountains where it was raining hard earlier. It doesnt take much to break the habits does it . A little bit here and a little bit there. But state water officials warrant to remind people still to conserve every drop of water that you can. Todays showers across the bay area may have you thinking it is okay to take a longer one yourself. Not indulging any more . You cant do that. We love our state. Reporter others confess. I dont add on enough to feel guilty but there is a little bit less anxiety when you are taking a shower and having to, you know, while its raining outside. Reporter numbers released today show more of us might have the same idea. In November Californians used 20 less water. Its the worst conservation month since june. It will take more than a few storms to get us out of it. Reporter the state is averaging 26 water savings for the year. But lakes and reservoirs are still low. Here is a picture of lake shasta last week. We are starting to see inflow to the reservoirs but havent seen that much yet. We need the pattern to continue. Reporter we did better than the state at 27 . Thanks to people doing what they can. Save water in the toilet, you know, the old saying, if its yellow let it mellow. Reporter and you know the rest. State water Officials Say theyll never more about the winters effect on the drought by summer. Ian cull, nbc bay area news. San diego is getting hit with a Severe Weather as well. This is some crazy video. A man paddle boarding down a street in ocean beach. That is a neighborhood along the beach not far from sea world. Wow. Thats crazy. Dont need to be in the ocean. No. Thats crazy seeing the guy on the paddle board. Were not expecting that tomorrow. But we will see isolated areas of urban flooding with this second round of heavier rainfall coming our way. In the past half hour you can see instability detected off shore with one lightning strike. That lets us know that the instability forecasted will come through tomorrow with a possibility of thunderstorms. Lets zoom in on the cold front. A copious amount of moisture with this. The atmosphere is pretty wet. Its not going to take much to trigger the heavier rainfall coming our way. Beginning immediately tomorrow morning, if you have a commute planned 5 00 to 9 00 a. M. The roadways will be slick. San francisco, some heavier pockets and also for the north bay. Lets get to the timing on the futurecast. 11 30 tonight the bulk of the heavy rainfall is off shore. Then its an overnight event just like yesterday you can see for the north bay at 3 00 a. M. Santa rosa, and napa and halfmoon bay starting to see the heavier rain. And as the cold front crosses thats when we find the gustiest winds. The heavier rainfall will last through 5 00 in the morning but were not done after that. Instability back behind the store that will have liisolated fires through 5 00 in the morning. That could continue through 10 00 tomorrow night. Heavy rainfall in the morning, a thunderstorm chance throughout the rest of the day tomorrow. Thursday morning another system lines up off shore. It is not as strong but the ground will be saturated. Well continue to watch for the flooding concerns. How much wind are we talking . By 4 00 a. M. Its going to be gusty. Trees could be come doing. 41mileanhour gusts in santa rosa. And 37 in san jose. Rainfall totals not only in north pay and coastal storm but for the south bay, twoday rainfall totals coming in over 1 inch. And gilroy, over 1 1 4 inch. And close to 1 1 2 in santa rosa. On wednesday, no big variation in temperatures. 56 in san jose. San francisco also low to mid50s. North bay, east bay and trivalley we continue to see the 50s, napa with 55. And the same goes for the trivalley. Up across the sierra, snow will come back. 3 to 6 inches possible over the next four days. Recapping it for us, we have a strong storm on wednesday, a slight chance on thursday morning and as well for saturday. With all these storms coming in theres no better way to track the weather than with our nbc bay area app. Kerry hall has more on that. Heres a way to get personal alerts when rough weather hits the bay area, go to the app and click on nbc bay area on the top left and the gear button on the top right. On the drop down menus hit the alert settings and select anything from lightning to flood or thunderstorms and it alerts you when those things happen in your area. Im kerry hall and thats how you stay informed on the nbc bay area app. Of course we are on twitter and facebook. Send us your pictures if you are able to take a photo safely. Are you downloading the app right now . I have it downloaded. I have it too. 140 characters may not be enough. The potential change for twitter. And we have jimmy. Kristen stewart is my guest tonight. Music from cage the elephant. The greatest show, its good. Lift its 140character limit. Vo twitter could be tweaking the length of your tweets. The ceo hinted today it may lift its 140 character limit. The new limit could go as high as 10,000 characters. That is the same as direct messages on twitter. The change may take place in march. A decision on whether the nfl can use the soccer fields next to levis stadium will come on monday. The judge overseeing the case says that work for super bowl media camp can continue while he reviews the lawsuit. The Youth Soccer League uses the field. The group says the nfl will ruin the grounds. A scary moment tonight for steph curry. E a bow and arrow a broken guitar while the rainwater washes away who you are we go over the mountains and under the stars we go over the mountains and under the stars [ ] what about defensively, you shut down the lakers how do you have each others back out there . Whats up with all the water pouring . How could it not be all fun and games when you are 332. Geraud moncure here in the Comcast Sportsnet studios. No kobe bryant or Deangelo Russell for l. A. Klay thompson played laker killer in the first half. 22 points, 36 for the game. Dubs scored 62 in the first half. Third quarter a scary moment. Steph curry hits his shin on roy hibbert and comes up limping but he goes back in the game. Moments later, corner three ball. Ring it up. The dubs didnt need him town the stretch. The dubs win big. The 49ers are hoping that Colin Kaepernick will be healthy next season. He will undergo surgery tomorrow for a thumb ligament in his throwing hand that was injured in the loss to the seahawks in october. Mike shanahan had an interview with the 49ers on wednesday according to espn. That meeting is now on hold but talks continue between the sides. Shanahan has been out of coaching since 2013. And jared goff heading to the nfl wasnt a surprise but his top scoring target kenny lawler is moving on. He is going pro after catching 13 touchdowns this past season. Lawler caught 52 passes, most on the squad, for 658 yards. A couple of big holes to fill next football season. Thats it for sports. More news after the break. Here in vineland, new jersey, home of progresso, we love all kinds of chicken soups. But just one kind of chicken. Its white breast meat chicken every time. Because white breast meat chicken releases its flavor into the broth and absorbs more flavor from it. And in vineland, its all about flavor so if youre not going to make your own chicken soup tonight, do what we do. Make it progresso. Will be a mess. Be sure to start your day with last minute advice from jeff on tomorrow morning. Worse than yesterday morning because the ground is so saturated. A strong punch of weather coming our way. The rain is about an hour and a half away from beginning to move into the bay area. A few lightning strikes already detected. The first batch by 3 00 a. M. , north bay and coast. And most of the bay area around 5 00 a. M. In the morning but not only that well have a chance of scattered thunderstorms throughout the afternoon as well. The wednesday storm system, thursday morning scattered rain and the same thing on saturday. Those two storms are weaker. Once we get over that system, the flooding threat will be past us. Watch today in the bay. Well have your weather and traffic together starting at 4 30 in the morning. Drive safe. See you tomorrow. Steve from studio 6b in Rockefeller Center in the heart of new york city, its the tonight show starring jimmy fallon. Tonight, join jimmy and his guests kristen stewart, michael shannon,