highway 101 shut down after a car hit the person walking across the freeway. that person dead. why police think they were on the roadway. a live look outside. we are tracking a couple of storms that are headed toward the bay area. when they i've and how they could put a damper on those easter plans. governor brown made history this week declaring statewide water restrictions. thank you for joining us. governor brown did order a mandatory water re strik for the entire state. that means changing lawns, either letting them to drown or

putting in more drought-tolerant plants. meteorologist rob mayeda is tracking storms coming our way. but now, first, mary ann is in campbell. people here thinking about spring. >> reporter: absolutely. this is one of the busiest days of the year here at the nursery in campbell. we talked to other nurseries throughout the south bay and they said today business is booming. but there is one trend. more people are buying plants that require less water. customers were excited to start planting vegetable gardens in colorful flowers. they aren't willing to give up their gardens but they are willing to change their planting strategy because of the drought. >> we've been going to succulents because they don't need quite as much watering. >> reporter: a big seller today, especially after governor jerry brown announced california's snow pack was at its lowest

level in recorded history. only 6% of normal. that dismal picture prompted the governor to require a 25% reduction in water use compared to 2013 for all cities in the state. he also imposed new restrictions to limit watering several days after a rain. and here in the south bay, it's even tougher. the santa clara water district is asking for all water users to cut back water used by 30%. and water every other day, or less. the district says half of all residential water use is used on yards. of course the good news is that planning a drought-tolerant garden is going to be much easier this spring. because we went inside and saw that many of the plants are labeled water-wise or drought tolerant, and there are new watering systems available to help you use water more efficiently in your yard. reporting live in campbell mary

ann favro. some say the governor is being soft on farmers. growers use 80% of california's water for crops and livestock. farmers are exempt from the mandatory cutbacks. but growers say they're already struggling. they're getting zero water this year from the federal irrigation project. >> farmers have been cut back. they will continue to be cut back. it's pretty hard to tell some farmers down in the central valley, not only do they get zero, but they have contracts where they have obligations to give other people water before they get water. so they're in a negative position. >> farmers say they're cutting down orchards and leaving more than 400,000 acres unplanted. they just don't have the water. let's see if you can get any relief at all from mother nature. a live look outside does show how dry our hills are in some spots.

san rafael on the left. meteorologist rob mayeda joining us. you see a little bit of green out there op the hillsides. >> the good news is short term we will see some rain in the forecast. high level clouds coming in temperatures in the 50s and 60s outside. breezy outside this evening. by midnight mostly cloudy skies. for the easter egg hunts tomorrow morning, you may want to waterproof the dye or use plastic eggs out there. a chance of showers coming in the first system less than a half inch for most spots, maybe .10 of an inch of rain. the lowest snow pack in recent recorded history. fast forward through the next three days and watch what happens here. some of the higher peaks could pick up one to two feet of snow. snow levels as low as 3,500 feet. places like mount hamilton closer to the bay area could get a dusting as it drops to the

lower levels. right now you're starting to see on the satellite, rain up here. this will sweep south-yard tomorrow. followed up by a stronger storm system that could push wind gusts close to 50 miles per hour on the hill tops. all the details coming up in the forecast in a few minutes. >> rob, looking forward to that. if you don't want to be out there getting the raindrops, you can track the storm on our nbc bay area app on your smartphone. but people do want to be outside. >> april showers brings -- >> may flowers. >> yes. >> among other things. along with the live radar, you can get personalized forecast for your specific neighborhood. find out what it's going to do where you live. it is free. the bayview district highlight the problems specific to their neighborhoods. many are members of the bay area chapter of black lives matter. they feel they're being ignored

because african-americans now make up a small percentage of the city population. they blame gentrification for pushing out black residents over the years. >> we really want to call out the people in our community, because there's so many of us here 3% of us left here in san francisco. we want to show that we are here and acknowledge those that don't live in the region. >> organizers put up a tribute to those lost in violence. a car hit a pedestrian early this morning. police are trying to figure out why the person was on the freeway in the first place. it happened about 3:30 this morning. the car tried to swerve around the person. police said the driver was not under the influence and is cooperating. the accident shut down two of the southbound lanes near story road for hours. police are trying to figure out where the victim came from. officers did not find an

abandoned car or homeless encampment nearby. any reason why the pedestrian was on the highway? >> no idea. >> the person has not been identified. the san mateo county coroner identified the motorcyclist killed thursday in san mateo. larry pack from hayward was driving on 101 near highway 92 during the peak of the evening commute when he hit a concrete barrier and flew off the on-ramp. witnesses saw an suv or jeep stop and head east on 92. officers say that vehicle might have damage to the right side. you may want to check your routes before you go out of the bare area. tracks are going to be closed starting tomorrow. crews will be repairing the tracks to make them safer and quieter. all part of the building a better b.a.r.t. program. maintenance will be going on weekends from now all the way to

august. coming up next at 5:00 she survived a terror attack that left nearly 150 people dead at a university in kenya. tonight she's talking about how she survived. her incredible story coming up next. catholics across the world getting ready for easter sunday. we'll show you how the vatican is preparing for tens of thousands at tomorrow's mass. a strange sight in the night sky. we're going to show you this morning's lunar eclipse.

happening now, a lot of work going on at the vatican in preparations under way for easter mass tomorrow morning. flowers are imported from the netherlands for the occasion. and finishing touches before the crowds show up. last year more than 150,000 people packed st. peter's square for pope francis' first easter mass as pontiff. this year pope francis will baptize 10 people in the homily. a survivor in a deadly attack in kenya was found today. they killed 148 people there. bill neely is in nairobi and has her story. >> reporter: from the carnage and tragedy of this massacre one remarkable story today of survival. after 48 hours, a 19-year-old

student from the university has emerged after hiding in a large cupboard and covering herself with clothes. she hid in that cupboard for two days. even when rescuers were calling out her name she didn't want to come out because she simply didn't trust that they weren't gunman. it was when she heard the voice of her teacher calling her name that she decided to emerge. she is a christian and she said she spent the 48 hours simply praying to god that she would be alive and stay alive. >> were you scared? >> i was scared. >> reporter: one remarkable story. but most of the stories here are not stories of survival. i spent most of the day at the mortuary here in nairobi, where one by one, the relatives are identifying their loved ones through photographs of the dead. 119 bodies are at the mortuary. they've taken photographs. they're warning people to be strong as they come into the mortuary to try to identify

their loved ones. obviously as they come out, having done that they are, well they're in pieces. they're crying. many are hysterical. terrible scenes there. but at least today one story of survival. a remarkable story of a 19-year-old hiding for two days to spare her life to save her own life. back to you. >> former cuban president fidel castro made a surprise public appearance monday. the first time in more than a year. take a look at the photos just released today. castro reaching out of a car to shake hands with several venezuelans visiting havana. he stepped aside temporarily as president because of serious illness in july of 2006. was later replaced permanently by his brother. the woman who championed the gun control laws in the 1980s has died. sarah brady spearheaded the moflt after her husband was

wounded on the assassination attempt on ronald reagan. he was the press secretary when shot in the head. he was confined in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. mrs. brady started the brady campaign to end the gun violence. she was 73 years old. still to come at 5:00 the moon took on a strange color this morning. >> we'll explain why it's called a blood moon.

did you stay up late to see it? it would have had to have been past 3:00 in the morning to see the lunar eclipse. take a look at this view here. this from the griffith observatory in los angeles. it's a beautiful picture. this lunar eclipse is when the moon passes into the earth's shadow. the total eclipse lasted under five minutes. this makes it the shortest eclipse of the century. the moon glows red which is why it's called the blood moon. because of the sunlight filtered by the earth's atmosphere. the next blood moon set to appear on september 28th. very pretty. >> it looked to me more like giant orange. >> true. it could be mistaken for that easily. >> very exciting news on the weather front, rob. >> we go from the shadow of the earth to the shadow of the clouds over the bay area right now. overcast skies, 50s and 60s. close to tomorrow's high

temperatures as things continue to cool off over the weekend. right now we're seeing clouds on the increase. the rain still off to the north of santa rosa up to mendocino county. this area is rotateing to the coast, the source of the rain showers. so the spring rain returns. looks like just in time for sunday morning. you can see the showers around 7:30 starting to spread over the bay area. we transition into the afternoon and you can see more of the showers should be lined up across the south bay as we transition to a slightly drier forecast by tomorrow evening. into early monday before a windy and wetter storm comes in monday night into tuesday. the rain totals of the system as it comes through tomorrow not a lot expected out of the system for most places. you're looking at less than 1/4 inch of rain. setting the stage for the stronger system to follow as we go into monday night and tuesday. so your sunday plans, plan on having an umbrella at times. only 60s tomorrow.

san francisco highs in the upper 50s tomorrow. into the north bay you'll see highs in the upper 50s and low 60s. so things begin to turn interesting as this system winds down late tomorrow heading into wednesday, increasing clouds again. let's focus on that tuesday. notice the thunderstorms in the forecast there. highs in the 50s. snow levels dropping to where you would expect them not to for the month of april. we'll show you that coming up. look at the wind forecast. wind speeds picking up to 30 miles an hour, approaching 50 in the hill tops. that's monday night into tuesday morning. as the cold front passes through, wind speeds begin to back off during the day tuesday. as we track the stronger of the two systems now, going into monday night, you can see the locally heavy rain as the cold front sweeps through. for tuesday morning's commute, could be fairly heavy rain at times. as much as a half inch of rain at times. snow as low as 3,500 feet. that's the system we're tracking

into tuesday and wednesday. the second half of the week we're going to see high pressure build in. the temperatures starting to climb on up. by next weekend we'll see highs back in the mid-70s after on tuesday we'll have highs in the upper 50s. tuesday's highs by the way, coldest since mid-february. a bit of weather whiplash as we like to say sometimes. you see the temperatures climbing up. but the silver or frozen lining to all this as we talk about the sier yeah snow pack to date the lowest in recent recorded history. this pattern that's developing should drop two feet of snow maybe locally higher according to these projections, about 7,000 feet maybe approaching 2 1/2 feet of snow. snow levels at 3,500 feet. mount hamilton and maybe mount diablo could get a dusting of snow here into april. >> i love it. we can't find a raindrop anywhere, but the day before we have to hide eggs and send the kids outside, here comes the rain. >> if we could have just

flip-flopped the rain. >> i won't complain we need it. still to come at 5:00 this teenager experiments with fun. making a big difference in the lives of people who suffer from diabetes, and copd. >> i don't really have a lot of fun building these devices, that's why i do them. >> her big ideas that will make you bay area proud.

i think it was a strike on the outside corner. play ball. throwing out the opening pitch for the east ridge little league. tykes as young as 4 years old. opening ceremony. players and their families also held a moment of silence for san jose police officer michael johnson killed in the line of duty last week. she is certainly no stranger to success. the bay area teenager on to her next big thing. she's now helping people with copd a painful breathing disease. >> the tools to detect copd are often too expensive for people in the poor parts of the world. that's where she comes in. here's tonight's "bay area proud." >> reporter: maya is just 16 years old. it wasn't until a couple of years ago that she had even heard of a device called the spirometer to measure how well someone breathes. she thought she could improve it and make it cheaper. given maya's track record who

would disagree. >> you're going to be doing this 30 times. >> reporter: in the seventh period statistics class at presentation high school probability is the lesson of the day. maya varm like her classmates pays close attention. though truth be told maya already knows a little something about the science of chance. as in chances are, when maya enters a science competition, she wins. though she swears that's not the point. >> i don't really do these science fairs to win. i have a lot of fun building these devices. that's why i do them. >> reporter: maya clearly has been having a lot of fun then. since the 6th grade, maya has been entering science fairs. she has won at least one award every year at the synopsis silicon valley science fair. 19 in all. including this year's grand prize.

maya's winning entry, a low-cost wireless based device for detecting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or copd. a promising tool to help in the fight against a disease affecting more than 60 million people around the world. >> especially for copd and pulmonary illnesses, 90% of deaths occur in developing nations, which is a startling statistic since they don't have access to the devices. >> reporter: her copd detector shares more than just winning with maya's previous entry. all of them a unique mix of biology, technology and compassion. from a center that helps people with diabetes to a device to combat distracted driving, to her very own dna sequencing super computer all of maya's creations are meant to make someone's life better. >> this is my sixth year participating in the science

fair. every year i try to create something that would help people. >> reporter: which in the end, makes maya very easy to root for. because with a goal like that every time she wins, we all do. maya is now seeing success, even outside the world of science fairs. her 7th grade project, just last month, was awarded its very own patent. garvin thomas nbc bay area news. >> he was mentioning it's a good bet she's going to go somewhere. >> i'm thinking she might do some incredible things with her life. coming up after us tonight, "nightly news." coming up tonight, threats of the islamic group. closer to home in california, what farmers are doing to find profits even in the wake of a devastating drought. finally, how drones are being used to protect some of the world's oldest creatures from poachers. we have it all ahead on "nbc

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well easter is tomorrow. a san francisco organization that aims to help those in need is already giving a lot of sweet treats. >> did you see them coming out of the starting block? >> you've got to get out there. >> glide memorial church hosting an egg hunt for kids earlier today. it will serve a free breakfast and lumpl for thousands tomorrow. all happening in san francisco. >> big day tomorrow. pretty cool. as you mentioned, rob, maybe bring the umbrella? >> tomorrow we'll see a chance of showers. much-needed rain dropping back into the bay area. the stronger system with wind rain, maybe thunder thrown in for tuesday. the pattern reverses again as we get into wednesday and thursday. 70s by the end of the week. but the snow levels monday and tuesday could be as low as 3,500

feet. positive news. "nbc nightly news" is coming up next. more local news at 6:00. >> see you then. on this saturday night, new threats from the extremist group responsible for the massacre at a university. an incredible story of survival from a young woman who hid from the attackers. daring rescue after an rv becomes engulfed in flames. tonight, the good samaritans who jumped in to save those trapped inside. water for sale. california's drought has gotten so bad they're now paying big bucks for water, forcing some farmers to choose between crops and cash. thin line. a controversial measure that would ban super skinny models in the fashion capital of the world. and help from above. shepherds in the sky protecting one of the world's oldest creatures from the threat of poachers. this is "nbc nightly news" with