Tropical Storm Hanna Bears Down on the Bahamas

Tropical storm Hanna has been heading toward the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and the U.S. southeast coast in a piecemeal, erratic movement. A hurricane warning remains in effect for the central Bahamas, southeastern Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

The National Hurricane Center said those in eastern Cuba, northwest Bahamas and Florida peninsula should monitor the progress of the storm. As of 8 p.m. last night, the center of Hurricane Hanna was estimated just northwest of the Caicos Islands, though the storm was not moving fast.

A northwestward motion to the Central Bahamas was expected to begin by Wednesday. Maximum sustained winds were near 80 mph with high gusts, though the storm was not expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours.

Hanna was expected to produce rainfall amounts of four to eight inches over the central and southeastern Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos Islands with isolated maximum amounts of up to 12 inches possible through Thursday.

The storm also was expected to cause coastal storm surge flooding of three to five feet above normal tide levels, along with dangerous battering waves. Hanna could hit the southeastern U.S. coast by midweek, while another storm, Tropical Storm Ike, could hit the same areas later in the week. In the Turks & Caicos, Providenciales airport was shut down and all flights were canceled.