UPROOTED TREE fallen on a parking vehicle in Garden Grove (GGFD photo).

UPDATE: Winds knocked down many trees in the Garden Grove area, with nine being reported to authorities as hazards. Trees were also down in Westminster and Huntington Beach. Although the most severe of the rainfall has passed after 7 p.m. flooding has been reported in Huntington Beach in the area of Central Park (Talbert Avenue and Goldenwest Street) and along Newland Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.

UPDATE: Orange County Fire Authority personnel pulled a man from the storm channel in the area of Sherwood Street and Westminster Boulevard in Westminster around 4:45 p.m. Friday.

UPDATE: The southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach at Warner Avenue have been closed until further notice, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department. As of 2:50 p.m. the northbound lanes were still open.

UPDATE: Power was reported knocked out for about 1300 customers in the area of Chapman Avenue and Beach Boulevard in Stanton at 1:17 p.m. Service is expected to be restored by 2:30 p.m.

UPDATE: The winter storm that have started lashing the Garden Grove-Huntington Beach-Westminster area is being blamed for a power outage this morning in south Garden Grove.

According to Southern California Edison, trees whipped by strong winds damaged power equipment in the general area of Magnolia Street and Trask Avenue in the 92844 zip code. No specific address has been provided by SCE.

A total of 446 customers are affected. Work on the problem started at 9:56 a.m. and power had not yet been restored by noon, according to Edison.

UPDATE: In preparation for what could be heavy rains on Friday, the City of Huntington Beach will be opening its Emergency Operations Center at 1 p.m. on Friday. Residents are encouraged to monitor city social media pages and receive up-to-date information at www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/HBEmergency.com .

Sandbags will also be available not just at the city’s corporate yard, but also at the Magnolia Fire Station/Edison Community Center and Warner Fire Station 24 hours a day.

Time get to get out the galoshes and sandbags. More rain is coming to the Garden Grove-Huntington Beach-Westminster area, and it could be heavy.

According to the National Weather Service, there’s a 20 percent chance of rain on Thursday as the storm moves south, but the real impact should be felt on Friday when there’s a 100 percent chance of rain. Flood watches have been posted for all of Southern California. Precipitation should continue through the night and into Saturday, with rainfall tapering off. Still, there’s a 20 percent chance of rain through Monday. Overall, it could be the heaviest two-day rain event in over six years, with three to five inches of the wet stuff.

In Garden Grove, sandbags for residents will be available at fire stations 2, 3 and 4. In Westminster, bags are available in the City Yard, 14381 Olive St. The limit is 12 per resident and identification is required. For Huntington Beach, Sand bags and sand are available at the city Corporate Yard at 17371 Gothard St. for residents. Bring a photo ID or current utility bill to show proof of residency. There is a 20-bag limit and residents will be required to provide a shovel and fill their own sandbags. For specific hours of operation, call (714) 960-8861.