Trop Storm Watches, Warnings Continue

As states along the Atlantic batten down the hatches in preparation for Tropical Storm Hanna, tropical storm watches or warnings were extended today from Georgia to areas just south of New York City.

Source: Source: Associated Press | Published on September 5, 2008

Weather forecasters say Hanna could still become a hurricane before its expected arrival on U.S. shores after pummeling the edge of the Bahamas yesterday.

A tropical storm warning was in effect stretching from Altamaha Sound in Georgia northward to Chincoteague, Va., just south of Maryland. And a tropical storm watch was in effect for areas between Chincoteague and Sandy Hook, N.J., including Washington.

A hurricane watch remained in effect for Edisto Beach, S.C., to the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Virginia border.

As of 8 a.m. EDT today, Hanna had maximum sustained winds near 65 mph and was centered about 425 miles south of Wilmington, N.C. The storm was moving toward the northwest near 18 mph.

Some southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland yesterday as Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina to Maine.

With power outages and problems from Hurricane Gustav lingering in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and relief groups find themselves juggling three storms.

Rain and wind from Hanna could start as early as tonight in the South, where some residents shuttered houses and stocked up on food and sandbags, coastal parks closed, and schools canceled events and changed sports schedules.

The governors of Virginia and North Carolina declared states of emergency. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley urged residents to pay attention because Hanna's path could change.

In South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford has urged people to leave flood-prone areas and mobile homes in two northern counties by this afternoon.

Emergency managers in New England also are prepping for Hanna, which could hit this weekend with heavy rain and strong winds. In Providence, R.I., workers cleared storm drains and stocked up on sandbags and residents were urged to buy supplies.

"If nothing else it's a good dress rehearsal for Ike if Ike were to come," said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.