SAN FRANCISCO -- Weather forecasters are warning Bay Area residents to prepare to spark up candles and possibly dodge fallen trees in the roadways Saturday as a storm brewing over the Pacific Ocean slams the Northern California coast.

Southeast winds started increasing late Saturday morning and light rain was reported in Santa Rosa, San Jose and Salinas, National Weather Service forecaster Brian Tentinger said.

58 m.p.h. winds were clocked in the afternoon at Angel Island and Pigeon Point, and hail was reported in Oakland and Menlo Park.

By about 5 or 6 p.m., heavy, widespread showers are expected.

"It's a good size storm. It is nothing to sneeze at. There could be some damage from these winds," Tentinger said.

Winds gusts in excess of 50 mph combined with saturated soils could cause trees to fall. Coastal areas and the Santa Cruz Mountains will be especially prone to falling trees, weather forecasters predict.

Also, several hours of strong winds are expected with this storm, which will increase the likelihood of wind damage.

"We have already had some pretty good gusts," Tentinger said late Saturday morning.

As of about 11:40 a.m., Pacific Gas and Electric Co. officials said there was no reported weather-related outages.

The system that has developed over the Pacific Ocean will continue to move toward the coast. As it approaches, southeast winds will increase across the entire region Saturday afternoon and are expected to become strong and potentially damaging by Saturday night.

Winds will begin decreasing Sunday morning. A high-wind warning, which covers the entire Bay Area except the Santa Clara Valley and the city of San Jose, remains in effect until 10 a.m. Sunday.

East Bay Municipal Utility District officials told KTVU that its forecasters were predicting "the most intense rainfall in 10-15 years."

Organizers of the annual San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade said the event would go off at scheduled at 6 p.m. Saturday.

"It's always a good show, there are a lot of beautiful floats, and it is going to be a good celebration," parade spokeswoman Karen Eng said.

In the Sierra, a winter storm watch was in effect on Friday with 3-6 inches of new snow predicted from the weaker front moving through the region.

Saturday's storm was predicted to bring up to 1-3 feet at levels of 5,000 feet and above.