more tornados tonight. this time in california. at least three twisters reported north of sacramento. good evening, everyone. there are no reports of damage or injuries tonight. >> fortunately the storms hit sparsely populated areas. the tornados blew through glen and boutte counties. one touched near durham, a rural community south of chico. leslie brinkly is here with the latest on the storms. >> it is amazing to see the video of these tornados undulating and touching down around 6:40. that's when three twisters hit a largely agricultural area south of chico.

there was hail, lightning and dramatic funnel cloud formations. the tornados spun out over boutte, glen and calussa counties north of sacking is a. san francisco state meteorologist grew up in chico and he said he has never seen anything like this. >> the shape is a classic funnel shape coming down from a good, healthy thunderstorm and reaches the ground. you can see the debris kicked up by the tornado and spun around. it is magnificent. fortunately not lying the devastating ones that hit alabama and missouri recently in joplin. the wind speeds were measured close to 200 miles an hour. the ones you get in california are never anywhere near that strong. they might be in the 70 to 80, 90 miles an hour. >> each year only 6 to 12 tornados form in the whole state of california. march is the peak month. tornados in may are rare. but he says the bouttes in the

region are the closest we have to a tornado alley. >> after a cold front has gone through, and the way those winds get organized is they blow around the bouttes and it tends to be what it takes to get a tornado to spin up under one of the thunderstorms. >> this man witnessed it. >> you can see the funnel forming and actually touch the ground. >> boutte county supervisor was driving home from sacramento through the worst of it. >> minor damage. everybody is okay. >> in the end there were even rainbows. >> quite a rep paw 2004 -- repertoire. there was a roof that blew off a barn, so we are very lucky this happened in the empty spaces. >> it is just remarkable. >> incredible pictures. and sand jaw patel is -- sandhya patel is covering the storms that are moving across the area. >> wild pictures. the right dynamics came

together and a cold front went through. a strong upper level low started to move into northern california, and we had wind coming from different directions. at the surface out of the southeast, and then a loft out of the southwest. you get the wind from two directions and it creates wind shear and rotation and you have rapidly developing thunderstorms which were responsible for spawning the tornados. this was an area as lesley just mentioned that is used to tornados, although we don't get many tornados. the topography creates a favorable environment for tornados. and here is where we saw the tornados, one sot of hamilton city and there were possible other tornados as well. but nothing in comparison to the violent tornados in the midwest. >> indeed. sandhya, thank you. speaking of that, america's heart land -- heartland continues to clean up over the past few days. look at this from the oklahoma

city area. it shows the tornado tearing apart a big rig. the driver here survived. but eight people died and 70 others were hurt as tornados tore through several towns. the death toll now stands at 125 in joplin, missouri. officials estimate sunday's tornado injured 900 others and destroyed 8,000 buildings. it ranks as the single deadliest tornado to strike the u.s. since 1950. other news, and an east bay man running for governor in nigeria has been released after disappearing earlier this week. cal state east bay professor has been caught up in a chaotic election involving allegations of fraud and even murder. alan wang is live at cal state east bay. and alan we understand he spoke with his wife on the phone tonight. >> yeah, she says he sounds to be okay. considering the charged political atmosphere in nigeria, his disappearance was a very serious concern.

he has been in marketing for 25 years. when they called on him to lead, he was compeled to go. cal state east bay professor left his family in the comfort of his home to run for governor in the home state of nigeria. >> i am literally torn several ways because on the one hand it is important for him to be here. on the other hand i realize he is holding something his people need. >> on a wave of democracy spreading across the middle east and africa, he has dual citizenship and offers real hope and change. but the stakes are high. so far he believes there has been an attempt on his life that killed his advisors. and this week he was arrested for accusing his inkoel bent opponent of orchestrating the

shooting attack. he was released after the u.s. state department stepped in. >> what did he say happened to him? >> i refuse -- refused to ask. the less i know the better for me. >> but now he is appealing in court, trying to prove massive election fraud after being defeated last april. campaign advisor says the poll gave him a 76% advantage going into the election. >> they were limited to the main cities. while it was taking place in the lot. >> they built their hopes on a change of government. and they tell you to your face that that is what they are expecting. >> it was a painful decision. they accepted the consequences for them and their five american born children. >> i know my husband is very, very dear to me and my

children. we need him here. i think the people need him more. and that was a real hard place to come to for me. >> and professor steven ugba has decided to stay in nigeria and appeal the election results. in a sense, his entire family is bearing the weight of these people who believe he can change their lives. reporting live in hayward, alan wang, abc7 news. >> thank you, alan. a 17-year-old high school senior died in a shootout this afternoon in east oaknd la. police say two teens were firing at each other a few blocks from the teenager's school. it was castle wood leadership prep. they are not releasing his name, but he was scheduled to graduate in two weeks. no word on what was behind the shooting. detectives in los angeles say they are satisfied after witnesses to the beating of giants fan bryan stow saw

police lineup. the s.w.a.t team arrested this man, ramirez, on sunday. ramirez's parole officer told the lapd he resembled one of two men that appeared on a sketch on billboards across los angeles. you can compare those two images here. a picture of ramirez appears on the left alongside the sketch. stow remains unconscious and in critical condition at san francisco general hospital. san francisco police are facing more criticism from the city's public defender over their use of pass keys to enter suspects ease homes in residential hotels. this comes after their office released surveillance videos like this one. it shows under cover officers acting inappropriately. a deem tee public defender -- a deputy public defender said they would not act the same way in tourist hotels. >> and let's be clear. these are people's homes as much as anybody else's homes. there is no different

constitution for these people. >> i know in all of these hotels they just assume we not be breaking down their doors and then paying to fix the door. >> they visited two residential hotels. the manager of one told us it is their policy to say no when officers ask for pass keys. the other hotel refused to comment. the u.s. attorney for northern california charged a 79-year-old hollis holistic healer with selling toxic pills. the owner of the holistic healing center is accused of scelg -- selling six gun tablets or spirit pills. it contains arsonic and other controlled sub distance -- substances. if the pills are taken as prescribed, there are no ill affects. >> there is poison, yes, but the poison is too small and make poison go away. >> the food and drug administration investigated after one of the patients got

sick and they filed a complaint. he is free on bond and going to appear in court on friday. who says you need to drive a hybrid if you want a fuel-efficient car. the cars getting good gas mileage. >> the top 10 trend tech. they are hashing it out. that story is coming up. >> and relatively speaking how bad is the home foreclosure crisis in cfl -- in california? a look at our national ranking. >> and then on "nightline." >> a chapter closes on an incredible american story as oprah winfrey ends her talk show. tonight barbara walters offers her take.

>> closed captioning brought to >> closed captioning brought to the silicon valley's annual top tech trends were released. some hit the mark and otherwise according to high-tech experts that really missed it. lisa amin gulezian has the story from santa clara. >> the top trend seters and predictors hashed it out to talk about the top tech trends to watch. a research and develop meant firm formed the list. >> we want to be provocative

this year. >> it includes developing more artificial intelligence like 3-d virtual reality animation. countries like india and china surpassing silicon valley when it comes to new innovation and robots becoming a part of our lives. >> there will be row bats -- robots that are embedded in where you go. it is not the stick figure robot most people think about. >> in other words, think rosy in "the jetsons." >> the next big thing is consumer robots. >> this panelist agrees with some of the predictions, but not all. >> there was one on the list i am still scrooching my head about, and that was we would fight cyber security with really simple applications. >> these experts are not shy. >> if you look at this trend, it has completely missed the point. >> at this club event the audience also has a voice, but the press of a button they can

give an idea a green light or red. >> since this room is filled with entrepreneurs and investors, reg oners hope they can take at least one idea from this list and run with it, and one day take it to market. lisa amin gulezian, abc7 news. >> homes in foreclosure made up nearly 45% of houses sold in california during the first three months of this year. the latest numbers from reality track show homes account for 28% of all home sales in the u.s. between january and march of this year. nevada had the highest number of foreclosure sales at 54%. california tied with arizona for second at 45%. buyers purchased more than 44,000 foreclosed homes in california. >> the popularity of fuel-y ishtd if -- fuel-efficient cars is growing. how many miles a gallon the car gets is something the consumer report confirms with every car it tests. michael finney has a look at

some of the most fuel efficient cars and suvs out there on the road. >> gas prices are up 35% from a year ago and it has people seeing red. >> it is unbelievable it keeps going up and up and up. >> it is too high. >> the prices are ridiculous lehigh. >> "consumer reports" say there is a growing number of cars that can bring you relief at the pump. the prius is a clear gas saving leader delivering 44 miles per gallon in tests. it costs anywhere from 22,000 to $30,000. the hyundai alantra is not a hybrid. but tests show this compact car gets an impressive 29 miles per gallon, and at about $18,000 it is a bargain compared to most vehicles. if you want a larger car like a family sedan there is still great gas saving options. at $20,000 the nissan altima gets 26 miles per gallon and is roomy enough to fit five

comfortably. but what if you need a bigger vehicle. the toyota highlander hybrid gets 27 miles per gallon, but the sticker price is steep. at almost $50,000. >> another great choice is a subaru out back. it is more of a station wagon than suv but gets 24 miles per gallon and all wheel drive and a roomy backseat. >> and at $24,000, the out back is much more reasonably priced than the high highlander. i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> if you have your heart set on an suv and want better mile mileage, the ford escape hybrid is another good option delivering 26 miles per gallon. find consumer report tips for improving your fuel economy at our website, abc7news.com. click on see it on tv. the rain we were promised moved in today and stuck around tonight as well. >> yes and at times there were heavy spots. sandhya patel has a look at what is ahead jie. and that is dry weather for tomorrow for a

change. let's show you the 24-hour rainfall totals. some areas had good amounts of rain. under half an inch at saint helena. just under a 10th of an inch in san francisco. but as you head down toward the south bay, only .001. oakland is 1900. so quite a difference between north and south. and check out this view. 8300 foot elevation. it was snowing. some areas are picking up just under half a foot of snow in the high country. and if you have travel plans for the holiday weekend, it could be a little snow coming over the weekend. temperatures right now in the 50s, and it is dry out there. partly cloudy thursday and chance of showers on friday morning. we are looking at dry and breezy conditions for the weekend. go ahead and make your outdoor plans. here is the satellite and radar. the cold front came through and the trough moved through to the north of us. and we really have an active storm track. it is one storm, a little break and another storm coming through. there is another one that is

coming on friday. so you with i will probably need the umbrellas again. tomorrow enjoy partly cloudy and mild conditions. then on friday this system that looks healthy for late spring will bring us a chance of showers mainly to the north bay. overnight, the low 40s to low 50s. some clouds around tonight, but you will see some break ups in the cloud cover as we head toward tomorrow afternoon. en gi -- enjoy the sun. 70 for campbell and saratoga. on the peninsula, temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. ict is 7 in palo alto and 68 for lossal toes. midup toer 50s at our beaches and breezy. downtown san francisco, south san francisco in the low 60s. this isn't typical for spring. these temperatures are running anywhere from 5 to 15 degrees below normal. and that is not going to change anytime soon other than slightly higher readings for tomorrow. 68 in santa rosa. napa, 65 in san rafael in the north bay.

east bay 65 for oakland and 64 in hayward. 68 in livermore and concord and fairfield and around the monterey bay, 62 degrees in monterey. here is your accu-weather seven-day forecastment tomorrow you will see sunshine and will enjoy a milder afternoon. chance of rain on friday. best chance in the north bay and then you can put the umbrellas away. the weekend is dry. low to mid70s. >> it is not you. >> it is the weather. >> exactly. thank you, sandhya. just ahead tonight, the social media experiment that gives anyone the power to help save endangered animals. >> how a simple picture caneñeññ

mark zuckerberg says facebook played only a minor role in the arab spring uprisings. >> i think facebook was neither necessary or sufficient for those things to happen. the thing that was necessary and sufficient was the pop population of people who felt change needed to happen. >> many of the arab spring protests were areged -- were

organized on facebook. but zuckerberg said it would have presented even without the internet. we searchers at uc berkeley think you can help them learn more about the world's dwindling amphibian population. around 7,000 species of am fiben whys live on earth. 2,000 face extinction. the social networking project asks amateur herbatologist help with the frogs,ed toes and they take their pictures and pinpointing their location. so larry when you get home, take your smartphone out to the yard. >> one of the nicest. maybe on the web. a dramatic 9th inning come back for the giants, but they may have just lost buster posey after a scary play at the plate. and i'm sorry to tell you this

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the giants have a knack for the dramatic 9th inning come back. they did it again tonight against the marlins, but this game proved to be costly. 3-2 florida and bases loaded and mike stanton to the gap in left center off lopez. everybody comes in to score. 6-2 marlins. it looked like the game was over. but the giants score four in the bottom of the 9th to tie it. pat burrell and mike fantanoe in. a flyball and he is tagging up. the throw and it is a huge collision at the plate here. safe is the call. poe see in agony. looks like an ankle injury, but really hard to tell. he had to be helped off the field and the giants lose this game 7-6. we will know more about posey tomorrow. kay hill -- cahill pitching in

anaheim. here it comes and there it goes. this is a bomb. 2-1 angels in the fifth. and that is back to back jacks. the sharks will clean out their lockers thinking of another season where they did well. they had the season end. a bizarre play leaves a sour taste. he fired it in the series ending goal. everybody else is wondering what is going on? what happened? another bitter ending. >> you can ask 27 teams and they are jealous at the success we have had. you get down to the top two teams and they are pretty good teams. next wear we have to beat it. >> a game high 31. this jumper in the fourth quarter and giving oklahoma city an eight-point lead. the mavs rally.

he had 26. dallas up one. less than a minute to go and he is trying to save the ball. a jump ball and tip and goes to shawn marion for the breakaway to put it away 196. mavs advance to the nba finals beating the thunder four games to 1. and the warriors are getting ready for next season for steph curry. this means ankle surgery. he had a surgery and averaged 19 points per game, but the ankle is a chronic problem. hopeful leahy will be 100%. >> he tweaked is a it a bunch. >> thanks, larry. >> "nightline" is up next. >> for larry beil and sandhya patel, thank you for joining us. >> we appreciate your time and hope to see you again tomorrow. >> good night, everyone.