Lightning forces closure of Seal Beach Pier and beach, police say

SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The Seal Beach Pier and beach were closed "due to lightning in the area," authorities said Wednesday afternoon.

The Seal Beach Police Department announced the shutdown on social media about 1:45 p.m.

"We will advise when we reopen!" police said in a Facebook post.

Storm timeline: Here's how long the rain will last across Southern California this week

No injuries or damage were reported.

The lightning was spotted off the Orange County coast as a weather system made its way across the region.

Forecasters said a slight chance of thunderstorms will continue in the area through Wednesday evening, while the overall storm system is expected to extend wet conditions into the weekend.

Wednesday's rain was part of the first wave of the two-pronged system, with coastal and valley areas expected to receive between a quarter- to half-inch of rain by Thursday morning, with up to an inch falling in the mountains.

"These storms have frequent lightning and strong wind gusts up to 40 mph, and may produce showers of small hail," the National Weather Service said.

Conditions are expected to dry out on Thursday before the second wave of the system moves in on Friday. The second wave is expected to be stronger and wetter, with rain anticipated to continue through Saturday.

DEVELOPING: More details will be added to this report as they become available.