A long stretch of high winds and heavy rain has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch and high-wind watch in Grays Harbor County starting early today and into Friday.

Winds will remain steady out of the southeast at 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 55 mph. There may be periods where winds reach 40 mph with gusts to around 60 mph, according to the Weather Service, most likely Thursday afternoon. La Push, Hoquiam, Westport and Ocean Shores are the areas most likely to be impacted.

The Weather Service said it’s not clear exactly when the winds will arrive or how long they will persist, but stormy conditions can be expected most of the day today and into Friday morning.

The flood watch is in effect from Thursday morning through Saturday morning. Heavy rain in the Olympics and North Cascades on Wednesday night and today will cause significant rises on rivers with headwaters in these mountains. Minor flooding is possible on some rivers, according to the Weather Service, and the Satsop River could reach flood stage if rainfall is higher than predicted. The region could get as much as 2 inches or more of rain between this morning and Friday.