some people are still waiting for their power to come back on. they've been without it all weekend. >> the windstorm we told you about all day yesterday is gone, but the problems are still here. nbc bay area's christie smith spoke with people in the oakland hills trying to make the best of it. >> reporter: in the oakland hills, russ taylor still remained without power most of the day sunday. >> all day yesterday, and half the day today. >> reporter: okay. >> so far. >> reporter: a neighbor shared pictures of the damage when a huge tree fell in the neighborhood early saturday morning, hitting a car and knocking down power lines. today pge crews were on scene working to restore power. taylor was hoping the lights would be on until late afternoon. he said he managed last night. >> we have a gas stove so i made some pasta and we had dinner by candlelight. we managed to cope. >> reporter: and it was a night he won't soon forget. >> it was so windy, i thought the house was going to blow down. >> reporter: crews also worked to restore power after another tree fell nearby. pg&e says extra crews and resources are in place, but people in the community say they're used to power outages with the threat of wildfires there. >> we have a propane generator with a couple of barbecue tanks. that's getting us by. my name is doing the same thing. >> reporter: ron cornell relies on his generator. it's been keeping his refrigerator going. he bought it to deal with potential shuts off. >> three years ago when we knew the psp's were coming. we've used it seven times now. >> hope they get their power back. if you are near the beach today or tomorrow, beware. the national weather service has issued a warning for sneaker waves through 1:00 in the afternoon tomorrow. sneaker waves are just that, they sneak up along the coast, and they can pull people and animals into the ocean, even at a couple of feet in height. the weather service warms that waters can look calm before a wave hits the shoreline. it's been a foggy sunday for parts of the bay area. take a look at this. this is san mateo bridge. can't even see the other end, really. sunny in most places. but if you're out there, drive carefully if you're planning to head out. all right. meteorologist rob mayeda joins us now. is that fog going to be sticking around for some spots? >> for the morning commute, especially north bay and east bay. but what we're also seeing is wildfires from the colorado fire burning off to the south of monterey. you see high pressure above acting like a giant lid on top of the bay area, and some of that smoke from the fire, the colorado fire ongoing to our south is drifting towards the bay area. well didn't think we'd have to show wildfire smoke futurecast this early in the year, but here you go. look what's happening down here near monterey. some of the smoke curling back towards the bay area and moving south. as we head through the day tomorrow. so i do think with strong high pressure, we'll have an air quality impact tomorrow. moderate around the bay area. but pour the east bay, we could see locally unhealthy. the hazy skies could have reduced visibility for the morning commute at times. contra costa and solano county. it's going to be a chilly start. you can see 30s and 40s to start off your morning. coming up in the seven-day forecast, finally some chances of rain as we head through the end of next weekend. a closer look coming up in about eight minutes. >> sounds good. thank you. crews are making progress on the fire burning between carmel and big sur. it shut down part of highway 1. right now the colorado fire 25% contained. about a thousand acres burned. last night at this time it was just 5% contained. serious progress there. it broke out friday night in the steep and rugged palo colorado canyon and rocky creek road area. this is in monterey county. roughly 500 people were told to evacuate their homes friday night. and those orders have not changed. they're still ordered out of their homes. cal fire says the lack of rain is obviously playing a role and having a fire of this magnitude in january. >> we should be standing here in the rain, and we haven't had rain in the past two weeks. it's definitely presents that challenge. but we're here. we'll mitigate it. and we'll take care of the business at hand. >> talking about a portion of highway 1 being closed. this is the portion both directions from near the entrance to andrew molara state park to granite canyon bridge near el carmel. santa clara county announced all workers in high-risk settings would need to get boosted by january 24th. that of course is tomorrow. if they're not boosted, they'd be reassigned from the front lines. hospitals said they would lose too many workers. so the county set up a waiver process, but the organization or department has to be the ones to apply for that exemption. santa clara county fire says 40 of its firefighters want waivers. speaking of vaccine, the children's museum is trying to make it easier for people to get the covid vaccine while offering a little fun at the very same time. part of the popular museum in san jose turned into a vaccination clinic today. and it welcomed anyone 5 and older to come on in, get a shot. as a bonus, anyone who did, received a family pass for up to eight people to enjoy the museum for free. people could either use the pass today or save it for some other time. >> it's such a special venue, and a happy venue for kids that we have scheduled another clinic for sunday, february 13th. and it too will run from 9:30 to 4:30. >> you heard the woman. the museum is offering more shots, more free passes, sunday, february 13th. if you have questions, we have answers. we have an article tackling questions about the pandemic. head to our website, nbcbayarea.com. click on covid-19 faq in the trending bar. as the threat of impending military action increases in ukraine, the state department is ordering families at the embassy and kiev to get out of the country. nonessential employees are also allowed to leave. there are reports russia is planning significant military action against ukraine, leading officials to call the situation unpredictable. there is also a warning urging people not to travel to the region because of the rising tensions. the committee investigating the january 6 insurrection is trying to get to the bottom of a bombshell revelation that the trump administration was prepared to have the military seize voting machines after the 2020 election. executive order uncovered by politico on friday was never signed by the president. it's not even clear who wrote it. but it would have authorized the defense secretary to seize voting machines in battleground states. this morning the committee chairman bennie thompson says the house committee has spoken to former attorney general bill barr about these allegations. >> to be honest with you, we've had conversations with the former attorney general already. we have talked to the department of defense individuals. we are concerned that our military was part of this big lie on promoting that the election was false. >> you might remember barr was a fierce defender of president trump, but then resigned in december of 2020 during mr. trump's continued claims of election fraud. it is that time. tax season kicks off tomorrow, and the irs warns a severe worker shortage could lead to significant delays. monday is the first day the irs will start accepting tax returns from last year. but there is still a huge backlog from 2020 because of the pandemic. deadlines to file have been extended in both of the past two years, you might remember. but it's still unclear at this point if the irs will offer taxpayers an extension this year. the irs believes most taxpayers will get their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically provided there is no issues with processing the return. we are learning new information about a deadly car crash in san jose that was initially described as a hit-and-run. police now say the driver involved only went a short distance away and did call 911. the accident happened around 9:30 on north jackson avenue. it was right in front of regional medical center. police say a man driving an suv struck and killed a man walking across the street on north jackson. the victim wasn't in a crosswalk. film buffs in san francisco are worried about the future of the city's iconic castro theater. they're urging the owners of the theater to continue showing movies. it might sound strange. >> but some believe the owners may stop offering movies and just provide live events. the owners, bay properties inc. is partnering with another company to upgrade the heat. >> and that has led to a concern. >> as a film lover, it's really important that we have rep houses to see all kinds of film and really unique programing. it's like an endangered species now. i have been watching the theater greatly for the past two years. i think it's an integral part of the programing. it needs to stay here. >> another plan says in the statement it wants to present all sorts of programing in the theater, including film, comedy, music, as well as community and private events. well, we now know who the 49ers are going to be playing a week from today for a chance to go to the super bowl. los angeles rams beat the tampa bay buccaneers in dramatic fashion today to set up next week's nfc championship game. tom brady led the bucs on a furious comeback, elaces a 27-3 lead. they tied with less than a minute to play. but the rams kicked the field goal on the final play. a field goal on a final play? that sounds familiar. next sunday the rams host the 49ers. it's going to be the third time the two teams have faced each other. kickoff is at 3:30 in l.a., the same stadium where the super bowl is going to be played. still ahead, the matchup is set, but it might be tough for the 49er faithful to get tickets for the game down there. the announcement today at sofi stadium. >> hey, what's going on there. plus, china is not taking any chances when it comes to the winter olympics. what the company ordered in beijing today, less than two weeks from the opening ceremony. dry conditions continue to start the week with some patchy fog. but then we're watching changes ahead in your seven-day forecast. when rain returns, and how much you can expect in the next seven to ten days. we come right back. ahead for us tonight, the sky-high price of used cars. why costs are going up, and the big impact it's having on customers. plus, tax season starts tomorrow. why refunds could be delayed this year. all those stories ahead on "nightly news." in washington, d.c. today, thousands rallied against covid-19 man nates. the defeat the mandates at the national mall was largely organized on facebook and online forums. many attending are people who oppose other pandemic requirements and restrictions as well. anti-vaccine activist robert f. kennedy jr. and controversial director robert malone were among the speakers. china is ramping up covid testing in beijing ahead of the olympic games. an entire beijing district is ordered to undergo testing following a series of infections in the capital. that district is huge. it's home to some two million people. people in other areas of beijing deemed at high risk of infection are also being told not to leave the city. china has had a strict zero tolerance strategy aimed at isolating every infected person. as we get closer to the start of the winter olympics, which is february 4. at-home covid tests can seem easy, right? you bring them home, open them up and follow the instructions inside. >> but if you can't see well, or at all, that simple task becomes so much harder. and it's what blind americans are struggling with. now we have an effort to make the test more accessible to the visually impaired. regina waldroup reports from chicago. >> reporter: at-home covid tests, they're a quick way for people to know their status. what if you're blind or visually impaired? >> honestly, i didn't even consider a at-home test. i didn't want to deal with the hassle. >> reporter: she is legally blind. so is her husband. taking the tests and reading the results requires vision, or someone's help. . there is a percentage of the population that is blind and visually impaired and these home tests are very inaccessible. >> you want a test to do at home that gives you that convenience. but unfortunately, the administration of the test if you're blind or visionally impaired is daunting. >> reporter: now tests available to all americans. but dr. crumbles says the most vulnerable among us is not being considered. >> from the time they open the packaging and have to attempt to read the directions which aren't in braille, to administers the test, they have to have accurate hand coordination. >> reporter: she said those with even mild impairments may have issues reading tests. and there are also concerns getting to testing sites. >> navigating to that new area, if it hasn't been registered on gps may give you challenges. >> reporter: so what can be done right now to make covid testing more accessible? disability advocates say start with instructions. have them in audio format or braille. >> a long with making the results more tactile with raised bumps that people can feel. >> people with disabilities, we are a part of this population. and a lot of times we're the most vulnerable. some people who are blind use video apps like ira and be my eyes. and what they do is pair you up with a sighted person to take you through the test step by step. >> all right. and that was regina waldroup reporting. the rams are worried that 49ers fans may once again fill their stadium when l.a. hosts next week's nfc championship. so two weeks ago when the 49ers beat l.a. at sofi stadium, there is a large number of niners fans in attendance, right? well, now comes word that the rams are restricting public ticket sales for next week's game to southern california residents. nfl ticket's site ticketmaster says sales to other areas outside the greater l.a. region will be canceled without notice and refunded. >> that is so lame. >> i know. not fair. estimated 1/3 to half of the stadium was filled with niners fans the last time they played. there is always a secondary market, of course. but it's clear the rams are trying to make this as difficult as possible for the faithful. they're nervous. >> they should be nervous. i haven't tried doing this myself, but i saw someone tweeting that they went on line about half an hour ago now. >> okay. >> and they got tickets. so hopefully they're going to get them as opposed to get canceled and get a refund. >> what's up with that? >> what is up with that. >> i don't know. what's up with anything. that's something about the rams fan base. they can't fill up the stadium. come on. >> we'll fill it up. show you what we've got going on outside right now. we do have hazy skies around san jose after a day in the mid-60s. now down to 61 degrees. talk a little bit more about some of the smoke in the air too coming up with our air quality forecast. 62 in san francisco. over towards the east bay, livermore 59 degrees. and you see more haze in the air around walnut creek. this is one location. the inland east bay at times. light offshore breeze bringing in a little smoke from the central valley. i think we'll see unhealthy for sensitive groups at times during the morning hours. moderate air quality around the rest of the bay area as we head into your monday. now again, this is january 23rd. we're talking about wildfire smoke. but it is still moving up from the colorado fire to our south. we're lucky that we're not seeing more intensity of that fire because of strong high pressure that smoke could get trapped around the bay area. right now most of it is higher up. but if you're in santa cruz county or monterey county, you may have to deal with smoke at times heading into monday. for bay area, our top concern will be the patchy fog setting up in some of the north bay valleys, the inland east bay. and for the afternoon, we'll see a few high clouds passing by. no rain chance just yet as we start the week. chilly start tomorrow morning. you'll want a thicker coat as we drop off into the upper 30s and low 40s by the morning. by lunchtime, mostly 50s and not quite as warm as the weather we had this weekend. a few spots did get close to 70 this weekend. tomorrow looks like mid 60s will be the top temperatures from san jose southward. upper 50s as you head over to san francisco and oakland will begin to see a bit of a sea breeze picking up for the afternoon. a little cooler on the coast. low 60s for highs in the north bay and around the tri-valley. so rain chances ahead. notice we have to go out ten days here as our best rain chances are in the seven to ten-day time frame. both of the weather models do finally bring the rain chances back. so this is how it should play out as we go through the week. dry conditions. fog probably the top concern or air quality issues. friday the first system comes through, but it looks too week to bring us any rain. we should get through next weekend with dry conditions. and then by the 31st, into the first couple of days of february, things start to look progressively better for cooler temperature, and those rain chances. the seven-day you're seeing right there really doesn't show the prime impact of that pattern shift, which really starts to get under way in the seven to ten-day time frame. it will be colder. that's good news. they have to bring more snow to the sierra. if you're happen to be looking at a ten-day forecast. but this is the seven-day forecast for san francisco. as you can see, patchy clouds, a little more mild by thursday. again, we're going see temperatures cooling off rapidly once you get out of next weekend. now that seven-day forecast looking dry. showers to the north as we head towards next weekend. hopefully this time next weekend, the seven-day forecast will start to look different with some rain chances and sierra snow coming back into the picture. back to you. >> that will be so nice. rob, thank you. we'll be right back. we learn about covid-19, the more questions we have. the biggest question now, what's next? what will covid bring in six months, a year? if you're feeling anxious about the future, you're not alone. calhope offers free covid-19 emotional support. call 833-317-4673, or live chat at calhope.org today. a funeral tomorrow for the alameda county sheriff's department recruit killed in a freeway shooting earlier this month. the service for 28-year-old david nguyen set for 10:00 in the morning at cornerstone fellowship church in livermore. it's going to be streamed live in the sheriff's training center youtube page. after the service, a private burial is going to be held in coma. nguyen was just a month away from becoming a sheriff's deputy when he was shot and killed while driving near the bay bridge toll plaza. no arrests have been announced. alameda county sheriff gregory ahern will be on today in the bay tomorrow morning for a exclusive interview ahead of the services. it could soon be easier for san francisco police to use surveillance cameras to respond to crimes. mayor london breed is behind the plan to change the city's surveillance ordinance. it would give police the opportunity to use cameras in realtime to monitor serious incidents or to monitor high crime areas. breed plans to introduce the legislation at tuesday's board of supervisors meeting, but also put this measure on the ballot, saying if supervisors can't agree on the issue, she'll leave it up to voters. if you're planning to fly out of oakland this week, plan your route carefully. we'll tell you about some roadwork that could make it harder to reach the airport, next. getting in and out of oakland's airport is going to be a little more difficult as the city does some construction around there. the city is repaving 98th avenue between empire and doolittle. cruise will be working from 8:00 at 9:00 to 4:00 in the morning. people are urged to use hegenberger road. back with a look at how the san francisco ferry building is getting ready pour the chinese new year. when you have xfinity xfi, you have peace of mind built in at no extra cost. advanced security helps keep your family protected online. pause wifi whenever for ultimate control with the xfinity app. and family-safe browsing gives parents one less thing to worry about. security, control and peace of mind. with xfinity xfi, it's all built in at no extra cost. some popular local merchants are preparing for the lunar new year at san francisco's ferry building. >> they're ready to ring in the year of the tiger that is on february 1. from now through february 13th, six merchants will be set up inside the ferry building, selling their products as a way to promote chinatown and small businesses. among those we saw today, golden gate fortune company. because you've got to have fortune cookies. >> you say fortune cookies when my kids around, they're there. >> i like to get a bag until i get one that i really like. >> i got it. all right. thank you so much for watching. "nightly news" is next. >> see you at 6:00. tonight some of the strongest words yet from the u.s. towards russia the secretary of state threatening a severe response from the united states if any russian forces enter ukraine, as we get new details about an alleged secret russian plot to overthrow ukraine's government the state department late today ordering the evacuations of embassy family members there. the manhunt for an alleged cop killer, accused of gunning down a texas deputy. and new york city's mayor calls for federal help after two officers are shot there. one killed thousands marching against vaccine mandates in washington today amid n