7-Foot Waves On Orange County Beaches, 40MPH Winds Forecasted Friday

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A powerful hurricane brewing in Mexico may bring a deluge of rain, strong winds and dangerous surfing conditions to Southern California, the National Weather Service reported.

In response to Hurricane Kay, the service issued both a Beach Hazard Advisory and a Wind Hazard Advisory for the weekend, and weather officials encouraged residents to prepare for the possibility of stormy conditions and flash flooding.

On Orange County beaches, residents can expect a surf of three to six feet with some waves reaching eight feet in height from Saturday to early Sunday. According to the National Weather Service, the highest surf will be in northern Orange County.

Residents can also expect isolated thunderstorms over the weekend starting Saturday.

"Strong rip currents and longshore currents will be hazardous, especially for inexperienced swimmers," the service said. "Minor tidal overflow is possible during the high tides each evening. Lightning will be dangerous to people on the beach or in the water."

Gusty winds are also on the forecast for the weekend, with strong east winds reaching up to 40 miles per hour, according to NWS.

Residents are strongly advised to sign up for the county's emergency alert system, AlertOC, to receive real-time emergency updates. Residents can register additional cell phone numbers, text numbers and e-mail addresses at AlertOC.com.