RAIN, heavy at times, will hit the area, with the storm strongest on Thursday.

Batten down the hatches and fill up the sandbags. The biggest storm of 2018 may be hitting the Orange County area as early as Tuesday and could last as long as into Saturday.

In Garden Grove, Huntington Beach and Westminster, city workers are asking residents to prepare by ensuring that drains are not blocked by debris, to stay out of any moving body of water, and if you see anyone in a moving body of water, don’t approach, but instead call 911.

Drivers are advised to allow extra time to get to their destinations as streets will be wet and some flooded. In addition to the rain, the storm may bring high winds that could knock down some power lines. If you come across such a downed line, stay away and call 911.

According to the National Weather Service, here’s how the outlook appears for the next several days.

• Garden Grove: Cloudy Tuesday with a 20 percent chance of rain on Tuesday, going up to a 100 percent chance of rain by Thursday. The skies will get party sunny by Friday with a 10 percent chance of rain.
• Huntington Beach: Winds coming up Tuesday with 20 percent rain probability up to 100 percent on Thursday and winds of 9 to 10 miles an hour.
• Westminster: Cloudy through Wednesday with 10 percent chance of rain until Thursday, when prediction goes up to 100 percent chance of rain. The rain should abate by Saturday, but winds may pick up to 15 miles an hour by Sunday.

All three cities are providing sandbags to residents.

In Garden Grove, locations are at Stations 2, 3 and 4 with sand and bags for residents. For fire station addresses, go to www.gardengrovefire.org .

In Huntington Beach, go to the city corporate yard at 17371 Gothard St., as well as the Edison Community Center (21377 Magnolia St.) and Warner Station (3831 Warner Ave).

For more information, call (714) 960-8861.

In Westminster, sandbags are available in the municipal yard, 14381 Olive St. on Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (714) 895-2876.

For each city, a limited amount of sand and bags are available and proof of residency may be required. These are self-service operations: bring your own shovel and be prepared to do your own bag-filling.