10-15 degrees warmer because of the rain. >>james: here is a view from the james lick freeway. you can see the witness on the roads. a lot of reflection of of the headlights. give yourself some extra time. give yourself plenty of time this morning. scattered showers will persist although the bulk of it has already passed us. the heaviest of the rain is nothing but a memory. scattered all of showers here and there. gradual clearing through the afternoon. in the heaviest of the rain is to the east although we are still seeing some of it to the east. in some spots, light-moderate rain. light rain in antioch and the brentwood. walnut creek into the san ramon valley, the dean of some showers through danville and san ramon. all in all it is not too bad. in the south bay we have some rain near sunnyvale and call of cell and also near milipitas. one final stop in san francisco, we had some light rain over the marina district. that is kind of what we're seeing over the city of san francisco. very light sprinkles or even just heavy drizzle at times. this is translating into snow and the higher elevations. they are getting some snow at 3000-4,000 ft.. bring your snow chains, you may need them. we do not have a lot of accumulation and it will not be long lasting. temperatures are mild and the north bay. they are not freezing any more. mid-40s for most of the bay area. highs this afternoon will be in the mid-upper 50s. we will have your 7 day around the bay coming up in a little bit. >>erica: we are getting an initial reports of several standouts in the southeast. fortunately, most of those accidents have been pushed to the shoulders. on the approach to the bay bridge, traffic is backing up in some of those cash lanes. there are still no metering lights to deal with. a smooth ride on the incline and across the upper deck. this and the tail bridge is problem free at the moment. we have some wet roadways from end to end. the golden gate bridge, southbound 101, we are problem free coming out of the no. 8. top speeds out of novato cast off highway 37 and down to the wall so great. there are records of an accident on 680, a big rig when all of the roadway. emergency crews are headed to the scene. at last check one of the lanes was blocked. routine slow in coming off of the alta month passed. seeds have dropped down to 25 mi. per hour. we have reports of a stalled vehicle near davis street, currently sitting on the shoulder but it is a pretty narrow sold rpf you will want to be aware of that as you make is to use this morning. >>mark: after nine years the united states has officially ended its military campaign in iraq. it happened moments ago with officials lowering in the united states flag in baghdad signifying the official end of the campaign. nearly 4500 americans were killed and over 30,000 wounded. the ceremony was attended by leon panetta hussein's troops for their sacrifices. >> all of the men and women in uniform today, your nation is deeply indebted to you. you have done everything your nation has asked you to do and more curious your dedication, your commitment to this mission off has been the driving force behind the remarkable progress that we have seen in baghdad and across this country. >>mark: only a few thousand u.s. troops will remain in iraq but most of them will leave by the end of the month. >>darya: we are back with more in a couple of minutes to get you going on this thursday morning. here is a live look off from our roof on van ness avenue in san francisco. it is a little wet out there, you may want to leave some extra time for your commute. we will be right back. >>justine: the labor department has put up new unemployment figures and applications are at a three year low. they fell below 366,000. when applications go below three at 75,000 for an extended period of time, that usually signals that hiring is strong. right now, unemployment applications are much lower than they have been for quite some time. >> it is starting to look like the sluggish economy is starting to pick up. we have had three down trading sessions. dow futures are of 108 points right now. the dow was down 131 points yesterday. there are concerns about the european debt crisis weighing on the market siri the s&p dropped 14 yesterday and the nasdaq was off 40. we had a big drop in crude-oil prices and gold dropped. if we are also seeing the euro dropping against the u.s. dollar. below $1.30 for the first time in january. that will make exports more expensive european nations. >>darya: the holiday forecast is being upgraded regarding holiday-just a forecast that morality spending is to come. holiday sales for november into december are expected to rise 3.8%--from 3.8% from a modest 2.8 percent made in october. the number was revised upward after most americans said they were only have we done with their holiday shopping. >>darya: we are back with more in just a couple of minutes on the kron4 morning news. we are trying to dry out. we still have some red--what roadways. south >>mark: here is a live look from the james lick freeway. traffic is moving smoothly for now. let's get an update on the forecast. >>james: here is a view of market street in san francisco. this is a lot of layer. it has been raining all morning long. widespread rain continues to be a problem. scattered showers. the front has already cleared the area. this afternoon we're looking for conditions to get better as we head into the early morning hours. this is all we saw in terms of the rain this morning. we are still attracting some light showers near vacaville and fairfield. we are also seeing of light showers in antioch and brentwood. this is fairly fast moving. there was some rain in walnut creek a few minutes ago that that has already pushed out towards mt. diablo to. in the south bay, we have a band of light rain pushing its way toward san jose. it should clear the south bay before too much longer. many people are reporting just a light drizzle. it is nothing too intense. that is what we are seeing in a lot of other spots. light rain approaching alameda islands. that is the way their radar is working. will be tracking these hit or miss like pieces of green. temperatures are mild, the mid-40s. we have a pretty tight grouping of numbers. all in all, it is a mild day with conditions improving as we start to try things out. the clearing will begin in the north bay into gradually progressed to the south. the san jose area will probably be the last bit of the bay to see light rain. tomorrow, not bad. sunny, dry and mild. let's find out about traffic. >>erica: we are seeing some standouts reported in the south bay for portions of the 101. certainly be aware of that. we are contending with slick roadways. expect delays to actually start with slow and go conditions on the incline and across the upper deck. on the standard tale bridge, traffic is heavy westbound towards foster city. here is a look at the golden gate bridge, southbound 101 is showing heavy traffic on the stand itself but for the most part traffic is moving at the limit. on our traffic maps, it's a way free conditions along to 80. we do not have any major problems to report. the green indicates speeds over 50 mi. an hour. >>mark: will tran and has been driving around this morning to see how conditions are. let's check in with him now. >>will: i am going a steady 65. there is a light drizzle at this point. there are some pockets where a strong seller might come down but that is happening in upper hayward ended mid fremont. now that i am in milipitas, that is all gone. the the water on the windshield seems to be water coming from the roadway. the sky is dark, it looks ugly but the traffic is beautiful. people are giving themselves plenty of space. >>darya: police are stepping up patrols in sampras's go in the mission district because a recent sexual assaults. here is look at some surveillance video of a man who officers say is a purse of interest costs. two women have been attacked and sexually assaulted. all assaults happened along 24th street in the early morning hours between the three-6:00 a.m.. in both cases, the victims were attacked from behind. last night, police officers attended a meeting to talk about the recent assaults. a friend of one of the victims was there and spoke to reporters. >> she is healing quickly, physically she will be fine in the emotionally, it is too early to tell. >>darya: let's take a look at the description. police are looking for a black male in his mid-30s no more than 6 ft. tall. you can see its total here in the surveillance video here if he sees someone who looks like this, the police are asking to hear from you. >>mark: and alameda county sheriff's deputy was arrested on suspicion of rape yesterday. he was taken into custody during his shift at the county jail in dublin. he is accused of raping a woman and morocco while off duty. the more of the chief of police if says that the deputy knew the victim. he is now out on $125,000 bail. in danville, please all in for three men looking to be the owners of the marijuana dispenser that was raided by authorities yesterday after they say the dispensary was operating illegally. >>mark: swat teams also raided the danville home of the owner of the dispensary yesterday. if the manager was the only one chair, a 20 year-old, she was arrested. the three suspects are all loose and face various drug charges including the sale of marijuana. >>darya: we are back in just a couple of minutes to get you going on this thursday morning. will be right back. assists oasts its >>erica: heavy traffic on was down 92. we have a three car crash closer towards the high-rise blocking the left hand lanes. he conceded taillights beginning to slow down. if this is your commute, and on a couple of extra minutes. >>darya: in the national news, seven miners have been safely removed from a northern idaho mine after a rock burst. it happened at the lucky friday mine staff. here is video of the mines. there are not that many details about what happened or how, but we do know that one of the miners was taken to the hospital, six others were treated at the scene. but the miners were trapped or buried. this is one of the nation's deepest underground mines. two miners died earlier this year in separate incidents. >>mark: a $10 million donation to attend state university. the largest gift since the child sex abuse charges surfaced against jerry sandusky. the money will be used to bridge for research projects in engineering and other disciplines. the university says it will use in part to recruit and retain--were crude and obtained top students and faculty. >>darya: we are back with more in just a couple of minutes to. we are focusing on the weather as the storm moves out. here is a look at the james lick in san francisco. we will be right back. costs >>mark: here is a live look from the nasdaq this morning. here's a look at what we are expecting to date. a huge drop in the number of americans filing for unemployment. the smallest number we have seen in three years with only three of its 66,000 americans filing. dow futures are up 111 points. michael course, the clothing maker is one of the many companies going public. this is the biggest week for ipos on wall street in four years. >>erica: we are tracking the san mateo bridge as a potential hot spot. within the past couple of minutes i have seen several emergency vehicles including chp cruisers rushing to the scene. we're currently dealing with a three car crash blocking the left lane closer to the higher price. sluggish conditions amid stand backing up closer and closer to the toll plaza. looks like delays are only stretching to about four minutes. if this stays on the roadway, we could have a major hot spot on our hands. the metering lights have just been cycled on on the bay bridge. the way free conditions. 880 is your best approach. a look at the golden gate bridge, southbound 101 shows a problem free ride approaching san francisco although you will have to contend with a wet deck. on our traffic maps, no problems for the bayshore freeway. interstate 280 is a problem free in both directions. >>mark: we are tracking the kron4 weather., we're watching the weather around the bay area. yoli eceves is live at this very building with an update on the rain. >>yoli: in the weather is taking a pause for a moment. it was strictly for a while, back and forth all morning long. as you are coming into this city, damp weather and it is colder in this city that it is inland. out here in san francisco it feels colder than it was before. >>mark: let's get an update on the forecast. >>james: it will not be a long-lasting system. by this afternoon we are looking for the rain to exit our area completely. on the james lick, we have a lot of reflection on the roadway. damp roads and a general drizzle out and about. this is what we are expecting over the next 48 hours. today and tomorrow, we have morning showers and the afternoon clearing. tomorrow, it is going to be another mild day with tenders in the 60 degree mark. we will have windy conditions after this storm exits the area. we will get a north-northeasterly wind. here is the radar. most of it is to the east. it is a lingering near vacaville and fairfield. antioch in the brentwood are starting to get into the clear. they had some light rain overhead but that has since pushed off. all in all, things are improving by the minute. we have a really light rain. the south bay is lighting up a little bit on the radar but all of this is light in nature. from hall also to sunnyvale and cupertino, even portions of milipitas, we're seeing light rain. all of this is tracking to the south and east. we will expect that to exit before too much longer. here is what we are seeing in the sierra. at 3000-4,000 ft., the rain is turning into snow. here is where temperatures are at the moment. 44 does not sound warm until you compare the temperatures around the bay. a much milder morning. 47 san francisco, oakland, redwood city, hayward and san jose, everyone in the mid-40s right now. this afternoon, mid-upper 50s. we will be dealing with the cloudiness and more sunshine. we will eventually start to try things out. here is your 7 day around the bay. friday we're looking good. saturday and sunday, nice and mild. dry and mild for at least the first half of next week. >>darya: >>will: i am driving by the year for right now. i am want to call this a strong and drizzle. the roadway is slick. there are some sleazes with minor cuddling going on. be sure to give yourself plenty of space between yourself and the car in front of you. the rainfall is not very heavy, even at its worst. >>mark: new this morning, after nearly nine years, the united states officially ended its military campaign in a rock. just hours ago, officials lowered the u.s. flag in baghdad signifying the end of the war. nearly 4500 americans were killed and 30,000 ruined. leon panetta sent troops for their sacrifice. >> deployment after deployments, the families somehow withstood the strain, sacrifice and hard break of watching their loved ones go off to war. it's their loved ones fought in places like raimondi and elsewhere. today in particular, we remember the nearly 4500 brave americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. there are more than 30,000 wounded warriors, many of whom still struggle with serious the life altering injuries. >>darya: we will be back with more in just a couple of minutes. here is a live look fat the backups. a little bit of a wait tried to get from into san francisco. will be right back. >>mark: we are watching the rise on wall street. the dow is up to 121 to 11,000 t of 44 of the dow hasn't off 360 flints in the last three trading sessions. >>darya: a showdown in washington over funding in the government extending the current 2% payroll tax cut that americans have been enjoying this year the period fell house republicans have unveiled a massive year-end spending package that topped one trillion dollars but democrats want to pass an extension of the tax cut that expires at the end of the year for the bottom of funding for the governments. lawmakers are trying to avoid a government shutdown that would have been midnight on friday when the current stopgap measure expires. >>mark: democrats and independents are the strongest supporters of the tax break for americans. >>darya: we are back with more in a couple of minutes. here is a live look outside at the san mateo bridge which looks like it is trying to dry out. >>kimberlee: welcome back. we are following a major hot spots on northbound 680. the big rig went of of the roadway. emergency crews and the chp or on the scene. according to the chp the lanes will be blocked for the next couple of hours. delays northbound. also southbound, it is enough of a vigil hazard, we are seeing speeds backed up to the 58680 interchange. the bay bridge is an even on the scene yet. on the bay bridge, no problems to report. the metering lights are active. >>james: that the bill has gotten some pretty decent rain this morning. not terribly impressive, but we have seen barely a drop for the entire month of december. you can see where the rain is falling right now. you can see the last bits of that fine pushing through. here we are at 6:48 a.m.. we are still tracking some rain and vacaville. we had some light rain over hayward but it has moved out. we are still dealing with scattered showers throughout the south bay. all of it is light in nature. you can see it is just widespread intermittent activity. it will be another hour or two before we start to see the last of this in the south bay. the south bay will be one of the last parts of the bay to see a light rain. in the sierra, it is turning into snow. it looks like the rain has disappeared and pretty soon the snow will as well. we do not have a lot of accumulation, maybe an inch at best. mid-40s across the north bay. that does not sound warm, but ask anyone there how warm it feels. a lot warmer than yesterday which was at or below freezing. 47 in san francisco and oakland. this afternoon, low-mid-50s. for the most for your ride around 55-56 degrees the cloudy conditions. more >>james: for the weekend, things look pretty good. a pretty stable forecast as we head into the back half of the december. >>justine: we are hearing about some delays at sfo. moseley for our writing flights. >>mark: the memorial service for the oakland boy he suffered--who died in a shooting on november 20th eagle the help of the gospel church in oakland at 11:00 a.m.. this service is open to the public. there will also be block party in honor of the boy who would have turned to on december 28th. he was taken off life- support last friday after doctors said he had no more brain function. he was shot in the head and was one of seven people shot when attackers opened fire on a crowd of people outside of the liquor store. here is a surveillance video from the scene. police have detained six people on unrelated charges. they have not made any official arrests in connection with the shooting. >>darya: banks are now on track to repossess about 810,000 homes this year. that is actually down for highest foreclosure rate in the nation. >>mark: there could be a major shutdown for the bay bridge. grant lodes has details. >>grant: a major bay bridge closure is scheduled for presidents' day weekend. the crews are planning to close all of the westbound lanes of the bay bridge if it does not rain. the eastbound lanes will remain open. filene's would be closed for two-three days during the holiday weekend but the rain could postpone the closure or make it longer than a few days depending on when the rain starts and stops. this is a part of the ongoing construction project of the bay bridge. the $6.3 billion project is still on tased to open in 2013. >>mark: people looking for parking in san francisco can now use their phones to pay the parking meter. the pay by phone service started in the castro district yesterday. the service allows customers to use a smart phone afghan gives a reminder text message this meter is almost a furious off there is a 455 charge for each transaction. >>darya: we will be back with more in a couple of minutes to get you through this went thursday morning. we will be right back. >>mark: a big drop in the number of americans filing for unemployment since last week. 366,000 americans filed last week. the dow is up 122, still below the 12,000 mark. the dow has lost 360 points in the last three trading sessions. >> $10,500,000. thank you very much. >>darya: that was an option of all is a bit taylor's jewels. christie's is auctioning off her gems through tomorrow. a wedding dress worn in her second marriage to richard burton and sold for over $62,000. so far in total, the jury has brought in $137 million. >>mark: six more wedding dresses to go. we will be right back as the kron4 news continues.