today. just the northbound lanes have reopened so far. that happens earlier this afternoon. the southbound ones in this area stl closed. let's take a look at the horror that ubfolded in southern california as the walls of mud, a lot of water came rushing down the roadside. this driver capturing the whole seen on video. many driver husband to abandon their cars. they climb ed on the roofs of their cars to be rescued. shelters were set up to help the stranded drivers. they expected people to stay overnight as their vehicles were not able to be pulled out of the mess caused by the storm. >> needless to say, a very long night for drivers on interstate 5. many had to camp overnight in shelters. and the storm that moved through the area caused flash flooding and mud slides over a wide area. >> 911. >> it was a night of sheer panic. >> all we saw was just a

mountain of boulders and dirt and stuff coming right for us. >> a quick but torrential downpour yesterday led to massive mudslides in los angeles and san burnernardino county. >> like a freight train coming through your house. it really was. it was cloud. it was really loud. >> more than 100 cars and trucks were caught off guard on i-5 at the grapevine. >> it pretty much lifted my car up and spun us around like it was nothing. >> drivers say the highway was covered in about 30 seconds. people were pulled out of their trapped vehicles by rescue crews. the storm struck with little warning, as much as 5 inches of pounding rain in an hour. for some areas, a areas. >> the quick moving system now gone, but leaving plenty of damage behind. today, the big dig-out. heavy machinery was brought in to clean i-5 of thick mud and to

free trapped vehicles. now, are these heavy rains and mudslides in southern california a preview of what's to come in the bay area? public agencies are getting ready just in case el nino hits with a vengeance. christie smith is live in san francisco with more on the efforts. hi, christie. >> i can tell you that some agencies tell us that they're already staffing up. some doing prep work, things like clearing out storm drains and keeping an eye on burned hillsides that no longer have vegetation, and certainly keeping the public informed. in the sunny oakland hills, public works crews are clearing storm drains in case el nino is severe. caltrans is busy, too. making sure the drains are clear and the culverts are clear. >> last december, there was flooding in the east bay in low lying area didn't work due to copper wire theft. this year, state-wide, they have hired 800 temporary workers to

be on hand. >> we're out inspikting places that have been trouble spots in the past. if they say subskrekt to mud or rock slides, especially if there's been a fire and it burned away the vegetation. >> this comes as federal officials were called on to be ready for potentially devastating mudslides in the state. >> these devastating mudslides are just a preview of what our state will face if that el nino is what they expect. >> in san francisco, kristen hogan is with the department of emergency management. she said they have been in discussion on this but are not working from scratch. they have a vuveer weather plan and will tap into several methods including social media. >> we're turning every stone we can to get information out. there have been advances in the past several years with the wireless emergency alert system. >> again, that last woman was telling us that they oversee emergency notifications and alerts in san francisco and of

course, she also tells us next month, there will be functional exercises aimed at disseminating public information on el nino. reporting live in san francisco, christie smith, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >> we got the 2015 el nino predictions from noaa yesterday when it kicks in, some places here in the bay area could see more rain than others. jeff ranieri has been taking a look at that. some people could get more. >> that is exactly right. you know, when we take a look at el nino and the rain predictions, there's many different layers we take a look at. let's give you the scenario that would provide us with some of the heavier rainfall. here's what we need to have happen. the first thing is the typical westerly storms moving through the pacific. the second thing that is a major catalyst during el nino years is the subtropical jet stream. where that subtropical jet stream points, that's where we will have the heaviest rainfall. combins in with the westerly storms and really helps to amplify it.

in 95% of the cases, it tends to point down towards southern california. and that's where we will get the heaviest rainfall. but what would that mean for the bay area? at this point, it means that the south bay would have the highest chance of getting these el nino impacted storms, and have the highest risk of flooding the way the scenarios are pointing right now. we'll have more details on the storm this weekend in about 15 minutes. >> thanks very much. we plan to track every move el nino make this winter and you can as well. go to our nbc bay area app, click on weather to get the latest information. >> some of the bay area's top water wasters are in the spotlight tonight. east bay mud has released the names and addresses of those using way too much. the list of the district's 1,000 worst water wasters is causing a stir. many live in alamo and danville. you may recognize their names. topping the list, former chevron executive george kirkland. reports say he used 50 times

more than the average customer. we spoke to kirkland last night at his home in florida. he says a water line that goes to his vineyard busted. he got his bill and that's how he knew there was a problem. he's working to fix it. the ableancy said people are not doing their part to conserve. >> if you don't care about something everyone on your block is using, we have a problem. this is a really severe drought. >> the waeter wasters are facing heavy fines. in one case, nearly $1800. it should serve as a wake-up call that everyone needs do their part. >> it's spread with lightning speed. that's what firefighters are saying about a fire that broke out in a three-story building in san francisco's inner richmond neighborhood. the call came in before 2:00 this afternoon. the fire fielled all floors of the building with smoke and flames. neighbors joined in the fight trying to put it out. the flames up to the top floor. no word on how many people were inside the building at the time.

no injuries to tell you about, but the cause of the fire is under investigation. >> a new controversy is brewing surrounding the santa clara county jail system. county leaders called for a blue ribbon system to investigate the system after three correctional deputies were charged with an inmates's murder. and some were not happy that the sheriff has been assigned to the commission. they're calling for him to be removed saying it's a conflict of interest. but one says it's important that she serves so she can be held accountable. >> the bad news is we found some problems here. the good news is we can be the first in the country to correct them. i think that's what the commission is going to be charged with boog. it's important that we have a broad based group of people who understand what they have to do. >> applications to serve on the commission closed today. all 25 members are said to be named on tuesday. >> you can call it deja vu for a handful of hospitals in the bay area. a deal in place to pay off a good chunk of dent, but it's not the first time the hospitals have gone through this.

nbc bay area's pizete surrattos is joining us. a public hearing just wrapped up. how did it go? >> that public hearing went by fast, or that could be good news for the daughters of charity who own the four hospitals. for the first time, kamala harris had a big time impact on the first deal, she could be the deal breaker again. >> cash payments -- >> the public hearing was short and sweet. the buyer simply saying -- >> we recognize that a high degree of trust has been granted to us as future stewards. >> the struggling nonprofit, daughters of charity, owns six hospitals in california, including two in the south bay, and the two seton medical centers in daley city. there are currently $150 million in debt. if it's not paid by december, tough decisions will be made. >> financially insecure organization. >> they claim a deal with prime health care in march would have

paid it off, but the health care company pulled out, after kamala harris required the hospital stayed full service for ten years. she said in a statement following the decision, by walking away, prime is confirming many of the concerns heard at multiple community meetings that the vital health care services in these communities is not its priority, and now blue mountain, a hedge fund, has a $250 million offer to keep the hospital said running with an option to turn them from nonprofit to profit in three years. and once again, both sides will have to wait and see what conditions the a.g. will require for the final sale. >> we needed a transaction then. we need the transaction now. >> now, the a.g. doesn't have the final say, but she will release the new conditions for the final sale in november. nbc bay area news. >> an alert is going out today from the centers for disease control and prevention. time to get the flu shot. they say the first flu report of the season is promising.

so far, minimal flu cases across the country. doctors say now is the time to get the vaccine because it takes about two weeks for your body to fully respond. in about 20 minutes, nightly news looks into just how effective this year's vaccine will be. thas coming up at 5:30. >> uber drivers protested outside company headquarters today. i'll explain why it might be more difficult to find an uber ride this weekend. >> it's a movie being released with big-time oscar buzz, along with big controversy. i'm scott budman. coming up, why the latest netflix move has some theaters crying foul. >> and good afternoon. i'm meteorologist jeff ranieri with a weekend upon us, we're tracking a new storm system developing in the pacific. we'll talk about our shower chances and the possibility of thunderstorms. and my microclimate forecast.

people who live in this sglool we got an update on breaking news on the peninsula. the evacuation of close to 300 people who live in this burlinggame retirement home. we have learned a kitchen fire this morning led to the retirement home to be left without any power. this happened at the burlingame lo longterm nursing home. it will take at least several more hours to restore power. people living in the home are being evacuated and sent to other bay area facilities, including san mateo medical

center. there's no danger from smoke or flames, but they're being evacuated because officials say it's not safe for the elderly people to be there without electrici electricity. >> more money for each ride. that's what a group of uber drivers are demanding from the company. more than 1,000 drivers are expected to participate in a strike that will begin a few minutes ago. michelle roberts is live outside uber headquarters in san francisco. this could make it pretty tough to get an uber this weekend. >> yeah, and i'm putting it to the test right now. the protest started about 15 minutes ago. i checked my uber app then and now. it seems like the same number of drivers in this area at least. people out here today tay say they know it's not going to make a huge dent, but they hope it's the start of negotiations. a couple dozen uber drivers chanted and called for higher wages outside uber headquarters this afternoon. >> there comes a point where enough is enough and we have to

make a stand and fight for our rights. >> a former uber driver has organized what he calls the nationwide strike to send uber a message. the group is calling for fares to increase by 60%. >> drivers are getting about 7 to 10 cents profit, which is below minimum wage. >> also, a request to include a tip option for passengers. some drivers say they're open to paying extra for quality service. >> i feel like it has stopped from receiving credit for their work. >> others warn they would offer another ride sharing company if uber prices spike. >> if their fares go up, i might not use it. >> uber said we always welcome feedback from driver partners and went on to say drivers value the flexibility and the chance to be their own boss. >> today, protesters say they hope their message will be heard by uber executives and also customers. >> we know it's just the beginning. >> uber doesn't have any plans to add the tip option and they

don't expect this protest to cause any service delays this weekend. reporting live in san francisco, michelle roberts, nbc bay area news. it is an end of an era in aviation history. us airways is making its final flight tonight before merging with american airlines. the merger was announced two years ago and since then, they have been working behind the scenes toward this day, running millions of mock reservations, and working overtime to train employees. us airways flight 1939 took off from philly this morning and made stops in charlotte and phoenix before landing in san francisco. the final leg of the journey is a red eye flight from sfo back to philadelphia tonight. customers see this transition as an opportunity. >> what i hope for as a traveler is that the airlines will choose the best of each of them. >> us airways says its systems will go dark overnight after nearly 80 years of service. >> end on an era, that's for

sure. >> it is an experiment that may change the way that we watch movies. netflix unveiling a big time movie in theaters and in your home. >> wow. our business and tech reporter scott budman is live outside netflix headquarters. is this the wave of the future? >> it's tough to tell. it very well could be. netflix is releasing this particular movie so it can do what it wants. here a couple questions being asked today. are moviegoers ready to stream first, and what will theaters do if the answer is yes? >> i am almost dying. >> it's a movie that's got big stars, oscar buzz, and a powerful trailer. but beast of no nation also comes with controversy. netflix, which is releasing the film, is streaming it the same day as its theatrical release. >> i think the recognition that

the millennial generation is reacting and watching television in a different way and it's a smart move to try to capture the way they see and watch films. >> some theater chains say the movie takes money out of their pockets. they say they won't run beast of no nation. others say theaters already adding technology to please viewers, provide an experience you just can't get at home. >> we want to be with other people. we want to share, we want to laugh together. we want to cry together in some movies. all those emotions and stuff, it's communal. >> by appearing in a small number of theaters, the movie will qualify for oscar contention but we'll have to wait and see how moviegoers vote on the netflix plan. >> where would stay at home, yeah. just more comfortable, not deal with the crowd. yeah, and be closer with family and everything. and not deal with everyone

whispering or yelling in the theater. because that's what i hate the most. >> there you go. you can see beast of no nation at some of the smaller theater chains like landmark. some of the larger chains say they won't screen the movie. if you're a netflix cub scrisub you can stream it right now. scott budman, nbc bay area news. >> how cool is that? exciting. >> let's get to our forecast now. we've got nice weather here, but southern california still suffering down there. >> they definitely are. we have a few isolated thunderstorms still in southern california. nothing compared to yesterday. it's always our storm system continues to march off to the east and check this out, in the past 72 hours, a phenomenal amount of lightning through california. 10,000 lightning strikes. it was the most here in california across the nation over the past three days. now, as we head throughout this weekend, we're not going to be free from rain or thunderstorm chances. we'll have more on that coming up. let's take you outside right

now. no sign of any storm system. blue sky in the south bay. currently 81 degrees. comfortable in the peninsula. 70s for the east bay. at 88 back into san francisco. cooler breeze in the marina dropping it to 62. and then for the north bay, 75 degrees. this is really one of our best shots from weather underground. this afternoon, you can see right back towards the golden gate bridge. there it is. not much in the way of fog, and again, 10-mile-per-hour visibility. tomorrow morning, it looks like the possibility of showers will increase as early as 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00. for that, we have all the bay area under this chance of showers for tomorrow morning and temperatures in the upper 50s to also low 60s. let's get you back to the doppler radar. kwl have it zoomed out on the upcoming storm system. this has ramped up from what models were showing just 24 hours ago. that's why our confidence is up we'll definitely have something this weekend. you can see the rainfall ahead of the storm system and a real decent banding of cloud cover

that is holding a decent amount of moisture. let's bring into the futurecast as we head throughout saturday. we all have weekend plans. you want the rainfall, but you want to also know how that rain is going to affect it. as we take a look, we'll start at 11:30 tonight. maybe isolated showers at the immediate coastline. as we head through tomorrow morning, you can see the spotty areas of green. that's the instability present in the atmosphere, which could produce isolated showers. as we head through the afternoon, daytime heating. that's when we could have isolated thunderstorms firing off. it will be scattered in nature from the north bay to the south bay. overall, looking at totals about .1 inch or less. not expecting anything higher than that. the bottom line in the forecast will be saturday, best chance for any thunderstorm activity with our cold front, and then as we head throughout sunday's forecast, we get sunny skies and also less humidity across the bay area. let's take you into the microclimate forecast throughout saturday. you can see, once again, in san francisco, 67 expected in the

marina. up towards the peninsula, 79 in palo alto. for the south bay, we'll come in with 80 across san jose. for the north bay, east bay, and also for the tri-valley, low 80s tomorrow in the tri-valley. for the east bay, nice day in oakland at 74. and up into napa, 79. so as we finish out the weekend forecast, looks like some of the most enjoyable weather will definitely be as we head into sunday's forecast, expected 79, south bay. saturday, a few storms. sunday, dries out. >> we'll enjoy it. thanks. >> a big rig crash leads to a commuter nightmare on 680. the chain of events that brought traffic to a standstill. >> plus, courage and nerves of steel in the water. tomorrow's escape from alcatraz swim is making competitors extra nervous. the danger lurking in the water.

thousands of bay area drivers. one of them is still a problem fires today created a traffic nightmare for thousands of bay area drivers. one of them still a problem on highway 37 as we take you there live with our chopper there. this is overhead looking down. you can see on the side of the road, still a bit of a distraction. live pictures once again. the road, though, is expected to open back up. you can see it is in one lane. they have reopened that.

fully open another thing. getting the cars and trucks out of the lane, about 6:00 tonight. >> and also, a big rig hauling hay crashed just after 6:45 this morning sparking this huge fire. the flames quickly spread from one hay bale to another. at least three other vehicles became involved in the crash. eastbound lanes of the highway opened up about 10:30 this morning. westbound lanes won't be ready until 6:00 tonight, after more than 11 hours after the crash. >> and taking you to one last fiery crash. this also a big rig crash. brought traffic to a complete standstill. this in the east bay on northbound 680. this happened about 6:00 in the morning. you can see before sun up. it was carrying 60,000 pounds of gravel. it struck the center divider, burst into flames. the crash launched concrete from the divider onto several vehicles. four people including the big rig driver here were hurt. everyone is expected to survive. all lanes of the 680 finally

reopened before about 1:00 this afternoon. a lot of traffic headaches out there. >> disappointing news for job hunters in parts of the bay area. state labor leaders say job growth fell sharply in september. the bay area added just under 3,000 jobs last month. that's short of the 15,000 gains in august. santa clara county lost 4100 jobs. but it wasn't all bad news. the east bay added 1900 jobs. san francisco, sanmita matteo a jobs. unemployment dipped below 6%. >> open water swimmers are set to swim from alcatraz tomorrow morning, but some are a little nervous.

>> some very brave bay area athletes are set to dive into san francisco bay tomorrow. the same waters where just a week before, this shark feeding frenzy caught on camera. now, a group of tourists spotted a great white preying on a seal next to the alcatraz island dock, but the scary sight will not stop the dolphin club's annual escape from alcatraz triathlon. they're dedicated. they're doing it. there were no shark encounters or any other problems in a test swim this morning. good luck to the 59 triathletes

heading out. >> part of the fun, right? the risk? >> swimming faster. >> bye. tonight, extreme danger coast to coast. mudslides bury a california highway, trapping drivers in cars. a massive wildfire torches homes in texas. and the first freeze of the season, maybe even snow, is coming for millions in the northeast. 9/11 controversy. donald trump putting part of the blame on the 9/11 attacks on former president george w. bush. and tonight the furious reaction from brother jeb. and reports tonight that lamar odom is awake and breathing on his own and even spoke following days of uncertainty after his collapse. and flu season is coming. the major push from the cdc to get everyone vaccinated. but how effective will the shots be this