a strain not common in the bay area until december. now it's detected in one out of every four cases scientists are sequencing. it is linked to the outbreak at kaiser medical center. >> that was certainly a very unusual outbreak with a lot of illnesses, and it seemed to spread quite fast. we are trying to understand whether the features of that outbreak are because of the variant. does it, the variant of the virus behave in some different way? >> reporter: ucsf veerologist dr. chu says they are trying to determine if it is more transmissible. >> given the fact that it is

roughly a quarter of the cases, it is concerning that it potentially may be more infectious. >> reporter: dr. sarah coty says so far there are no indications the new strain is associated with people getting a more severe case of covid. but more study is needed. scientists are also looking at how to protect against it. >> there is a concern, will there be an effect or is there an effect on the vaccine. >> reporter: the santa clara county public health department says while the strain may be new, the same old ways of protection, using social distancing, masks and hand washing are still the best way to protect against it. the first time it was ever detected was in march in denmark. the first time it was discovered in california was in alameda county in may. in san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, marianne. the bay area is pausing a

specific batch of the moderna vaccine after several people had serious allergic reactions. it happened in san diego and affected fewer than ten people. late yesterday evening out of an abundance of caution, the california top health officer recommended temporarily stopping the use of this batch of the moderna vaccine. the state received about 330,000 doses of this batch. ucsf doctors say the reactions are serious and can include throat swelling, difficulty breathing and fainting and shock. >> these are very, very rare reactions if at all. they occur in fewer than one to 100,000 people. i think if you want to inspire vaccine confidence you want to really make sure that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, and i think that's what our public health officials are trying to do. >> most all bay area counties received part of this batch of moderna vaccine.

both san francisco and marin counties have given out some of their doses but have not heard of any adverse reactions. santa clara county got more than 21,000 doses but none have been administered. contra costa county has not administered any of this batch yet. meantime, california is making progress getting the vaccine into the arms of people. more than 1.3 million doses have been distributed statewide of the 3 million doses shipped to the state so far. governor newsom tweeted that california has administered more vaccines than any other state. california, though, as you know, has the largest population by far. let's check on our icu bed availability in the bay area. this really has been the thorn in our side. four counties still in the red zone, meaning they have less than 15% availability. that number is key, and those counties continue to be napa, san mateo, santa clara counties. santa clara as i mentioned is at

6%. san mateo at 3% and napa, that really just really continues to stay at 0%. and alameda county has the most availability. it continues to hold steady at 29%. well above what's needed. summer fire danger in the middle of wfrnts. we are under a micro climate fire alert. we spotted a lot of people out in san francisco enjoying the sunshine. but the warmth, combined with the wind could be a recipe for dangerous conditions overnight. we have team coverage. we're going to begin with chief meteorologist, jeff ranieri with what to expect in the coming hours. jeff? >> certainly we looking at the highest fire danger here in the mountains, 1,000 feet above where it has already begun to get gusty here at some of the highest levels. 82 miles per hour at mt. diablo. mt. saint helena, 69, oakland

hills 38 and los gatos at 32. everybody really getting touched by these strong winds that are moving in. the high wind warning until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow with the highest stretch in the mountains. with average gusts 1,000 feet above to 40-50 miles per hour per hour. humidity also down to 20% to 25%. that is critically low where our vegetation just becomes extremely dry. tonight no change in that wind. it stays gusty. i do think once we hit late, late tonight early tomorrow morning it will ramp up higher at the lower elevations around 32 miles per hour. but eventually by tomorrow we'll start to see that wind calming down. i'll show you exactly when the wind moves out of here, and much needed rain chances. that will be good for us. details in about ten minutes. check out what the winds

have done so far. last night's gusts toppled this greenhouse in calistoga. the greenhouse was his family's project over the weekend. the record high temps and gusty winds have bay area firefighters on alert tonight. jodi hernandez is in oakland with more on what to expect. >> reporter: it truly feels like a hot summer day here in oakland. but it's the middle of winter. now a wind event is kicking in that has a hot lot of people on edge. >> oh, my gosh, it's gorgeous. >> perfect, perfect day. >> reporter: people are soaking up the sun. but firefighters say the hot, dry conditions are about to be joined by a dangerous dose of wind. >> tonight we are, we are slated to experience a significant wind event, with winds in excess of

70 miles per hour. higher peaks are just updated, can see up to 90 miles per hour. >> reporter: oakland firefighters are putting their wildfire gear back on the rig, as they prepare for the return of high fire danger. they're urging folks to stay home tonight as the threat of falling power lines, trees is out there. these women wanted to take advantage of the warm weather to get in a long walk. but they're nervous. there hasn't been enough rain to make them fire safe. >> i can't remember the wind like this with this temperature. in january. so it is kind of scary. >> just hunker down. hope for the best. >> reporter: the oakland fire department has added command and dispatch staff. they say the danger should peak at midnight tonight. >> i cannot remember a january

like this. we've experienced wind during normal storms in the winter months but not one coming with 11% humidity and 70 degree weather. >> reporter: jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. we have breaking news out of fairfield. the skeletal remains found over the weekend have been connected to a high-profile missing persons case. those remains have been identified as 28-year-old zach rip rose. he's been missing for nearly three years, disappearing after parking his truck outside the home he shared with his boyfriend. san francisco sheriff supervisor lassiter, someone flying a drone discovered rose's remains on saturday about a mile away from where he disappeared. change and caution in the air in washington, d.c. inauguration day now less than two days away and final preps are under way for this year's unique ceremony. earlier today, first lady melania trump gave an address

saying it was the honor of her life to be first lady. meanwhile, an unprecedented number of national guard troops are making it possible. we know president trump is not attending the inauguration but we are learning more about how he is going to spend his final hours in office. >> reporter: jessica, president trump is planning a red carpet sendoff ceremony on wednesday morning. president-elect biden of course preparing to move into the white house. he's looking ahead to his legislative agenda while president trump is planning that exit under the cloud of a looming second impeachment trial. >> reporter: final preparations are under way for an inauguration day like no other. the time-honored traditions of the peaceple transfer of power moving forward against the backdrop of an extraordinary level of security. >> we're not taking any chances.

this is three times the number of guardsmen we would normally have in support of the united states secret service. >> reporter: another major difference. for the first time in more than 150 years, the outgoing president will not attend his successor's swearing in. president trump now planning to leave washington with a sendoff ceremony on inauguration morning, land being in florida aboard air force one before president-elect biden takes the oath of office. moving trucks already seen at mar-a-lago, president trump remaining out of sight again today, reportedly strategizing his defense for a second impeachment trial and weighing pardons, including potentially for himself, family members and top advisers. meanwhile, president-elect biden spending this martin luther king day of service loading food boxes in philadelphia while looking ahead to his top priorities. biden promising a series of executive actions and proposing

a nearly $2 trillion emergency relief package, the incoming congress hoping for a parallel fast track with the impeachment of the former president. president-elect biden's inaugural address is expected to focus on a message of unity and healing in a time of crisis. janelle, back to you. >> thanks so much, alice. still to come, celebrating the life of martin luther king jr. the many ways the bay area is marking the holiday. plus, kamala harris officially resigns from the senate. and i'm tracking some dangerous wind in the mountains. i'll show you when that moves out of here, and we smashed temperature records today. an update on that and also when we'll get some rain. i'll see you back here in about six minutes.

we want to return to our breaking news, cal ranch state beach where rescue crews are looking for a teenager who was swept at sea a couple hours ago. the boy is either 13 or 14 years old. an adult was also swept to sea with this boy, but that adult was rescued and is being checked out by medics. that were warnings of high waves and sneaker waves, but a lot of people were at the beach because of the warm conditions in the 70s today. we'll keep you posted and continue to follow this active search at cal ranch state beach

where a teenager, and we'll bring you updates as soon as we get them. across the bay area today we're seeing people come together virtually and in person to celebrate and honor the life of dr. martin luther king jr. as we report, many of the celebration emphasize dr. king's message of unity, especially during these divisive times. >> reporter: martin luther king day looked a bit different due to the pandemic. but here they found a way to get creative when it came to celebrating the civil rights icon while keeping everyone safe. >> reporter: a caravan of cars drove through el cerrito. about 50 cars were expected to participate. the final number was double that. >> we need something to give us the hope to know that things aren't going to stay this way. things will change. >> reporter: the parade that

included a drive-up, decorated with images of the civil rights icon and messages of unity as the country continues to grapple with the hard truths of racism in america. >> we all want the love. we all want the unity. we all want the dream to stay alive. >> reporter: in campbell, people honored dr. king by using this as a day of service. in this case, improving a local park. >> and i look toward to seeing all of you again in person on the other side of this pandemic. >> reporter: congresswoman barbara lee took part in a virtual celebration of dr. king's life and wants people to follow his lead in calling for change, especially in the wake of recent events at the u.s. capitol. >> as dr. king said, we have come to this hallowed spot to remind people of the fierce urgency. this is not a time to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. >> reporter: in el cerrito, nbc

bay area news. >> we're inviting you to join us for an all new "race in america" at 6:30. we will dive deeper into the work to fulfill dr. king's dream. and we'll speak to the niece of kamala harris about the significance of a woman of color being in the white house and the whole phrase about whether women are too ambitious. on the topic of kamala harris, the vice president-elect said good-bye to her senate seat today. she formally submitted her resignation letter ahead of being sworn in as vice president on wednesday. she posted a message on twitter thanking her california constituents. >> hi, everybody. i just wanted to let you know how honored i've been to serve as a united states senator from the place of my birth, the great state of california. >> harris says she's proud of her team's work in the senate, including getting help from fema

during the catastrophic wildfires and securing benefits for veterans. alex padilla will take harris' seat in the senate. he resigned as california's secretary of state, he will become california's first latino senator. on twitter, padilla says, quote, i am humbled and honored to serve as california's next senator. thank you gavin newsom. let's bring in chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. the weather is so strange today, unusual. we've got the wind. it's warm, but also we've got the high surf danger as we're seeing unfold right now in half moon bay. >> we really do. very high surf out there, 10-20 feet. we're tracking that extreme fire

danger. i want to instruct our crew at the station to roll my backup weather. we're having power issues here at home. >> jeff, thank you very much there. okay. coming up, a special part of the inauguration ceremony will be happening at levi's. we'll have that for you in just a short amount of time.

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against traffic. we told you last night hundreds of riders created chaos on the bridge yesterday, leading to multiple crashes, one of them deadly. started at 2:00 in the afternoon. a large group riding through different bay area cities. one of the groups decided to head to the bay bridge but went the wrong way at times. a passenger on one of the motorcycles was killed. the chp says they made multiple arrests and that some officers were hurt during that whole exchange. president-elect biden is calling on city landmarks to shine a light on the nearly 2 million people worldwide who've lost their lives to covid. on the eve of mr. biden's inauguration, he's that buildings, and landmarks to be lit up in gold as a sign of support. levi stadium is among the places that will be illuminated in gold. all exterior and interior lights as well as video boards will be gold from 5:30 to 11:00 p.m.

tomorrow. from the parades to speeches to the actual ceremony, the inauguration is going to look a lot different this year. check out our digital original, explaining how inauguration will be different this year. you can reach it by heading to nbcbayarea.com/digitaloriginals. we've got heat, high surf and wind. what's going on with our weather in january? we're going to check in with jeff ranieri in a moment.

lots of sunshine today, also those record-setting temperatures in the 70s and on top of that some gusty winds. let's bring you the latest on our wind warning where we will have some of the highest fire danger and gusts in the mountains 1,000 feet and above. that will be on average 30-55 miles per hour but could top even 60 miles per hour. again, for the northeast and the south bay mountains, that's where our highest fire danger will be. as we head through tonight, even for the lower elevations, we'll range anywhere from 19-36 miles per hour. and we'll see that wind stay with us through this evening, even into tomorrow morning. and then by tomorrow afternoon

we'll start to see the wind beginning to kick on out of here by tuesday night. temperatures, as we start off with that wind, tomorrow morning will be cold, upper 30s and low 40s with mostly clear skies. 40 for the south bay and also down to some low 40s for the east bay and the north bay. daytime highs will also be dropping off as the wind starts to pull out of here. colder air will move in, and that brings us out of the 70s and back down into the 60s. you'll see in my extended forecast our next change will be even colder weather, and the chance of some showers returning friday, saturday, sunday and monday. so not only big changes in san francisco, but also the inland valleys going down to 54 by friday, with those increasing chances for showers. more details in the forecast anytime at nbcbayarea.com. right now we'll send it back to you. >> okay, jeff. breaking news to tell you about in milpitas. police and firefighters are on

the scene of a very serious accident. few details confirmed right now many but what we know is that a crumpled bike can be seen along north park/victoria drive at kennedy. there are unconfirmed reports of a police pursuit in that same area. how they're connected if at all is unclear. we do have a crew on the scene right now. as soon as we get more information we'll bring it to you on air and online. we also have an update on the breaking news in half moon bay. it is a 12 year old boy from fremont. skyranger overhead of cal ranch state beach in half moon bay. you can see firefighters, paramedic, police are all on scene. firefighters say all available resources are on deck right now. boats, helicopters, drones, people. they're going to search until they can hopefully find this 12 year old boy from fremont. an adull was also swept to sea,

but that person was rescued and is being checked out by paramedics. skyranger is going to stay above and keep us informed. leave it to silicon valley, technology making it easier for all of us to find out where we can get a vaccine. that story and more tonight at 6:00. okay, hard day. let's try to end on something a little nicer with so much bad news. girl scout cookies are on their way back. sale this weekend, i'm going to binge on those. we can all get a fix a little bit this year, but it's going to be a little different. >> because of covid, the scouts won't be setting up booths outside stores and pharmacies because of the covid protocols, but you can order them online now, customers can place their order on ilovecookies.org starting this saturday. a new cookie is joining the

lineup. toast-yay! is a new cinnamon cookie that's supposed to taste like french toast. this is not going to help with my stress eating problem. >> i have accepted stress eating as part of my lifestyle. lester holt is next. tonight less than 48 hours of the inauguration rehearsal interrupted at a scare of the capitol. the capitol evacuated. hundreds taking cover of reported of a fire massive security in d.c. after 25,000 national guard troops, the fbi vetting them off and fearing an insider attack. serving new images from the capitol seize. some turning to family and friends. and an exclusive, joe biden's daughter worries about her father's safety as he's sworn in