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SATURDAY 9/6/08 6:05PM
Hanna hits US & death toll rising in Haiti

WASHINGTON & GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna has dumped heavy rain on the eastern U.S., including northern Virginia, prompting evacuations and rescues. Heavy rain is expected through the
weekend. Flash flooding is possible as far north as New England.

Meanwhile, authorities fear the death toll in Gonaives, Haiti, could rise dramatically as aid groups rush food and water to thousands left hungry in the city flooded by Tropical Storm Hanna.

The known death toll is 163 but a police official says hundreds more could be dead.

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SATURDAY 9/6/08 11AM
No serious harm in Carolinas so far

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - There's been a lot of wind and rain in the Carolinas and to the north, but Tropical Storm Hanna hasn't done any serious harm.

Forecasters are more concerned about Hurricane Ike, a Category 3 storm that could threaten south Florida next week.

Its more immediate targets include the Bahamas and Cuba.

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SATURDAY 9/6/08 10AM
Hanna blows onshore near North-South Carolina line

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna blew over the beaches of the Carolinas with wind and rain this morning but so far there's been little damage.

The storm is expected to run up the Eastern Seaboard dumping rain all the way to New England.

A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, city spokesman says city services will be open today and that "despite a week of preliminary hype" the storm didn't have much of an impact. He says there were a few downed trees and some power outages that were repaired in less than a half-hour.

Officials in North Carolina reported more than 30,000 customers without power as Hanna moved inland through the eastern part of the state.

Emergency officials are already looking past Hanna to Category 3 Hurricane Ike. With winds near 115 mph, Ike could approach southern Florida by Monday.

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SATURDAY 9/6/08 9:45AM
Lots of flooding, as Hanna hits Carolinas

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna sailed easily over the beaches of Carolinas' coast and moved inland Saturday, blowing hard and dumping rain in eastern North Carolina but causing little damage beyond isolated flooding as it quickly headed north toward New England.

Emergency officials were already looking past Hanna to powerful Hurricane Ike, several hundred miles out in the Atlantic. With Category 3 winds of near 115 mph, Ike could approach Cuba and southern Florida by Monday, as Hanna spins away from Canada over the North Atlantic.

"Hanna is heading north in a hurry, leaving behind sunshine for the weekend," said Myrtle Beach city spokesman Mark Kruea.

He said city services would be open and that "despite a week of preliminary hype" the storm didn't have much of an impact on the city aside from a few downed trees and some power outages that were repaired in less than a half-hour. It was the same story in eastern North Carolina, where Hanna headed with top winds of around 50 mph after coming ashore around 3:20 a.m.

At least 1,500 spent the night in shelters and more than 55,000 customers - mostly around Wilmington, N.C - were without power early Saturday in the Carolinas. To the north, the Coast Guard closed all navigable waters in the Port of Hampton Roads, the lower Maryland Eastern Shore and the Port of Richmond, Va., on the James River.

Several inches of rain fell in the Carolinas, including 5 inches in Fayetteville and the Sandhills region. The same was forecast for central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania, where some spots could get up to 10 inches. Forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

Hanna started drenching the Carolina coast Friday, with some street flooding by late afternoon. People on the beach had to shout to be heard. By the time it reached the coast, the storm's top sustained winds had dropped to about 60 mph from near 70 mph while the storm was over water.

By early Saturday, the wind howled with gusts near 50 mph and rain came in blinding bursts in Myrtle Beach. The lights flickered several times along some beachfront blocks and the wind was so strong that it made waves in hotel pools. Several roads flooded at the peak of the storm, including U.S. 17 in Georgetown, which was shut down for several hours.

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FRIDAY 9/5/08 2:00 PM
Tropical Storm Hanna set to soak US East Coast
Information from The Associated Press

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (AP) - Beach vacationers in the Carolinas packed up and headed inland Friday as Tropical Storm Hanna cruised steadily toward the coast, teetering on the verge of becoming a hurricane before an expected overnight landfall.

The storm will likely wash out the weekend from the Carolinas to Maine. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from Georgia to Rhode Island, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington D.C. area and Long Island.

The latest forecast called on Hanna to make landfall on the northern coast of South Carolina early Saturday before marching quickly up the Atlantic seaboard and pushing into New England. Hanna was expected to dump several inches of rain on in North and South Carolina, as well as central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Some spots could see up to 10 inches of rain, and forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

As of 2 p.m. EDT Friday, Hanna had maximum sustained winds near 70 mph and was centered about 310 miles south of Wilmington. The storm was moving toward the northwest near 20 mph. A hurricane watch remained in effect for Edisto Beach, S.C., to the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Virginia border.

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FRIDAY 9/5/08 11:00 AM
Tropical Storm Hanna set to soak East Coast
HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. (AP) - Beach vacationers in the Carolinas prepared to pack up and head inland Friday as Tropical Storm Hanna cruised steadily toward the coast, while others decided to ride out the fast-moving storm that had only a slight chance to become a small hurricane before crashing ashore overnight.

The storm will likely wash out the weekend from the Carolinas to Maine. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from Georgia to areas just south of New York City, and included all of Chesapeake Bay and the Washington D.C. area.

The latest forecast called on Hanna to make landfall on the northern coast of South Carolina around 2 a.m. Saturday before marching quickly up the Atlantic seaboard and pushing into New England by early Sunday morning. Hanna was expected to dump several inches of rain on the coastal areas of the Carolinas through central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Some spots could see up to 10 inches of rain, and forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

As of 11 a.m. EDT Friday, Hanna had maximum sustained winds near 65 mph and was centered about 375 miles south of Wilmington. The storm was moving toward the northwest near 20 mph. A hurricane watch remained in effect for Edisto Beach, S.C., to the Outer Banks of North Carolina near the Virginia border.

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THURSDAY 9/4/08 7:00 PM
Rescuers can't get aid to starving Haitian city
Information from The Associated Press
GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) - One relief official says the misery caused by flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Hanna in Haiti's Gonaives region is "catastrophic."

Some 250,000 people are affected in the region.

Officials say more than 60 people have died, but in the chaos there's no way to know for sure how many have died or have been driven from their homes.

One relief convoy crept over mud-caked, semi-paved roads before grinding to a halt. U.N. peacekeepers wearing camouflage fatigues and bulletproof vests jumped out while others stood guard with assault rifles.

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THURSDAY 9/4/08 3:30 PM
Southeast braces for Hanna as Ike strengthens
Information from The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Some Southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Tropical Storm Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina all the way to Maine.

Meanwhile, disaster planners cast a wary eye to a suddenly ferocious-looking Hurricane Ike strengthening in the Atlantic. And with power outages and other problems from Hurricane Gustav still lingering in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other relief groups could soon find themselves juggling fallout from three storms.

Rain and wind from Hanna could start as early as Friday night 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.

Officials did not order people from their homes in advance of the storm, which was expected to make landfall early Saturday.

The governors of Virginia and North Carolina declared states of emergency, freeing up state resources for storm response. South Carolina opened several emergency shelters and restricted port hours and Gov. Mark Sanford urged people to leave flood-prone areas and mobile homes in two northern counties by Friday afternoon.

In North Carolina, some schools prepared to open shelters and officials planned to close ports Friday.

Still, some coastal residents scoffed at what appeared to be a storm that could hit as a low-level hurricane after killing at least 61 people in Haiti.

Instead, they turned to the next worry brewing in the Atlantic: Ike, which strengthened quickly from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday. Forecasters said it was too early to say if and where Ike might threaten land.

On Thursday, FEMA officials said they prepared in advance for this season, sending teams to Louisiana while others planned for Hanna.

The American Red Cross was moving supplies, equipment and people into areas Hanna might affect, said spokesman Pat McCrummen. McCrummen said the organization has distributed 3.5 million meals to people affected by Gustav and supplies for the East Coast were in nearby warehouses.

Hanna chugged just east of the Bahamas Thursday with winds near 65 mph, though forecasters said it could return to hurricane strength Friday before reaching the U.S. coast.

A hurricane watch was issued for Edisto Beach, S.C., north to Ocracoke Inlet, N.C., while a tropical storm watch was issued from Edisto Beach south to Altamaha Sound, Ga.

South Carolina planned to send 70 state troopers to monitor traffic along evacuation routes. The state National Guard said its troops were not asked to assist and would likely be released from duty. But in Charleston, south of where the storm was expected to hit, officials passed out 10,000 sandbags and urged residents in low-lying areas to head inland.

Hundreds of miles north, emergency managers in New England also planned for Hanna, which forecasters said 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 stock up on batteries and first aid supplies.

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THURSDAY 9/4/08 10:00 AM
US readies for T.S. Hanna
Information from The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Residents moved boats and booked inland hotel rooms while National Guard troops prepared to deploy along the Southeastern coast as Tropical Storm Hanna plowed through the Atlantic on Thursday, with Category 4 Hurricane Ike trailing a few days behind.

The uncertain path of Hanna, which may become a hurricane by the time it hits land sometime Saturday, had emergency officials holding off ordering coastal residents to head inland Wednesday. Still, high schools in South Carolina canceled football games and workers in Savannah, Ga., put storm shutters over the windows of the gold-domed City Hall.

Hanna, responsible for at least 61 deaths in Haiti, was chugging through the Bahamas on Thursday with 70-mph winds, just short of hurricane strength.

The storm was tentatively predicted to hit somewhere along the Carolinas, and its winds were forecast to rake along more southern shorelines. Officials as far north as Washington urged people to prepare for the possibility of heavy wind and rain.

Ike could arrive in the Bahamas on Sunday; Tropical Storm Josephine was farther out to sea.

Hanna comes as New Orleans residents start to return home after fleeing Hurricane Gustav, which did less damage than feared but still caused serious flooding and could leave some in Louisiana without electricity for up to a month.

But Hanna wasn't spawning such a mass exodus just yet.

Officials contemplated whether to order evacuations for the roughly 1 million people who live between Savannah and Wilmington, N.C. Joe Farmer, spokesman for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, said calls for coastal residents to evacuate could come around noon Thursday, starting with voluntary evacuations.

Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency Thursday in Virginia, freeing up state resources for storm response. North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said Hanna could bring 10 inches of rain to the state and pleaded with residents to be prepared. Food and other emergency supplies are available at state emergency warehouses.

Uninhabited islands at Cape Lookout National Seashore north of Wilmington, N.C., were to close at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Marines at Parris Island, S.C., moved their weekly recruit graduation up a day to Thursday. South Carolina restricted port operations. In the Carolinas, Air Force bases sent planes to Ohio.

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THURSDAY 9/4/08 9:00 AM
Hanna kills 61 in Haiti, grows stronger
Information from The Associated Press
GONAIVES, Haiti (AP) - Authorities say 61 people have died in floods across Haiti caused by Tropical Storm Hanna.

The storm is nearing hurricane strength again, with its winds now up to 70 miles-per-hour.

Hanna could arrive in the U.S as a category 1 hurricane this weekend. A hurricane watch is posted along much of the Carolinas.

Officials in South Carolina say they might start issuing voluntary evacuation notices around noon.

Two other storms have also been gaining strength. Hurricane Ike is already an "extremely dangerous" category 4 storm that's seen wind speeds pick up to near 145 miles-per-hour. Forecasters say it's too early to say if it'll threaten land.

Behind that, Tropical Storm Josephine's sustained winds are near 60 miles-per-hour, after weakening some yesterday.

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WEDNESDAY 9/3/08 5:20 PM
Hanna dumps more rain on flood-plagued Haiti
Information from The Associated Press
SAINT-MARC, Haiti (AP) - Far-reaching Tropical Storm Hanna drenched flood-plagued Haiti on Wednesday, adding to the miseries of a country that has lost 110 lives to mudslides and flooding since mid-August.

The storm that had been drifting south and east finally swung toward the north on Wednesday and authorities issued a hurricane warning for northwest and central Bahamas.

Hanna was expected to sweep across the Bahamas and then start climbing along the U.S. coastline by the weekend, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami - with a 20 percent chance it could bring tropical storm force winds to New York City.

Haitian authorities on Wednesday reported five more deaths caused by Hanna, raising the toll to 26.

Floodwaters swamped a hospital in the Les Cayes area, forcing nurses to move patients to higher floors. At least 5,000 people in Les Cayes remained in shelters, said Jean-Renand Valiere, a coordinator for the civil protection department.

High water still prevented U.N. soldiers from reaching the western city of Gonaives, where the rise of muddy water drove people to seek refuge on rooftops Tuesday as wind gusts drove horizontal sheets of rain.

Water rose so much overnight near Gonaives that a bridge people crossed on Tuesday night was under water on Wednesday.

Haiti already had suffered scores of deaths due to flooding cause by Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Gustav in late August.

Hanna was centered about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west-northwest of Grand Turk Island Wednesday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of near 60 mph (95 kph), the hurricane center said. Tropical storm force winds extended out as far as 290 miles (465 kilometers) in some areas.

It was moving north at about 12 mph (19 kph) and it was expected to cut through or near the central and northeastern Bahamas over the next couple of days. It could regain hurricane force by Thursday.

Rain and wind were picking up in the Bahamas, where officials told residents they would shut down the water system Wednesday night.

Haiti is particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of its steep hillsides that have been deforested to plant crops or make charcoal.

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WEDNESDAY 9/3/08 5:00 AM
Hanna expected to move over the Bahamas
Information from The Associated Press

SAINT-MARC, Haiti (AP) - A day after sending Haitian families scrambling onto rooftops to avoid flooding, Tropical Storm Hanna was meandering off the country's northern coast Wednesday, dumping heavy rain on much of Hispaniola.

But Hanna was expected to begin moving over the Bahamas later in the day.

A day earlier, Hanna added to the misery in Haiti, a country still recovering from drenchings by Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Fay in the past two weeks.

In all, floods and mudslides from the three storms have killed more than 100 people as Haiti's deforested hills melted away in torrential rains.

Families screamed for help from rooftops Tuesday in a flooded city as U.N. peacekeepers and rescue convoys tried in vain to reach them.

By Tuesday night, Hanna claimed 21 lives in Haiti, including 12 dead in the state containing the cutoff city of Gonaives, said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste of the country's civil protection office in Port-au-Prince, the capital.

At 5 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Hanna's maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 kph), but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said it could regain hurricane strength and turn toward the east coast of Florida, Georgia or South Carolina in the next few days.

The storm was drifting toward the north near 2 mph (4kph) with forecasters expecting Hanna to move across the southeastern Bahamas later in the day.

In Puerto Rico, flooding was blamed for the drowning death of a Colombian university student in a raging river. The man's Brazilian friend was missing despite a desperate search in the water.

Swirling slowly through the southern Bahamas on Tuesday, Hanna lingered over the island of Great Inagua for hours, toppling power lines but otherwise doing little damage.

The same could not be said for Haiti, a country particularly vulnerable to devastating floods because of its steep terrain and hills that have been deforested for agriculture and by peasants who burn trees for charcoal.

Tropical storm winds extended out 230 miles (370 kilometers) from Hanna's center.

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TUESDAY 9/2/08 4:00 PM
Southern US coast nervously watches Hanna
Information from The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Nervous residents rushed to buy plywood and generators while emergency officials in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas weighed possible evacuations Tuesday as Tropical Storm Hanna shifted toward a tough-to-predict landfall along the southern Atlantic coast by the end of the week.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency as Hannah, downgraded from hurricane status Tuesday but with ample time to regain strength, began a turn to the northwest from the Bahamas. Emergency officials in Georgia and South Carolina went into 24-hour alert mode.

The National Hurricane Center predicted Hannah would most likely come ashore as a hurricane between Friday and Saturday somewhere between the east coast of Florida and the North Carolina coast. Forecasts Tuesday showed the storm making landfall near the Georgia-South Carolina border.

In Florida, where Hanna is the third storm to threaten in three weeks, Crist's emergency declaration allows the state to more easily mobilize employees, law enforcement personnel and other resources. The governor said residents should prepare for possible flash floods and winds up to 111 mph.

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TUESDAY 9/2/08 12:30 PM
Hanna forces Fla. into another state of emergency

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has issued a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Hanna looms.

Hanna is the third storm to threaten Florida in three weeks, and the fourth hurricane of the season. It was forecast to move into the southeastern and central Bahamas Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hanna was a hurricane Monday, but had weakened back onto a tropical storm Tuesday.

Crist says Florida should be ready for flash floods and winds up to 111 mph.

However, there is no certainty Hanna will hit Florida. Current forecasts show it could also make landfall in coastal Georgia, the Carolinas or elsewhere.

The emergency declaration allows the state to more easily mobilize employees, law enforcement personnel and other resources.

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TUESDAY 9/2/08 8:00AM
Hanna downgraded to tropical storm, for now

MIAMI (AP) - The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hanna to a tropical storm but says it could still regain hurricane strength.

Forecasters say Hanna's center is very near Great Inagua Island and drifting west near 2 mph.

Hanna is expected to move over the southeastern Bahamas today and into the central Bahamas tonight and Wednesday.

The storm's top sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph. It could regain hurricane strength later today or tomorrow.

The threshold for hurricane winds is 74 mph.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 6:15PM
North Carolina Could Be Hurricane Hanna Target

MIAMI, Fla. (AP) - On the heels of Gustav making landfall on the Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center has upgraded Hanna to a hurricane.

Forecasters say it could hit anywhere from Miami to the outer banks of North Carolina later this week.

Hurricane warnings are up for the Turks and Caicos island chain and the central and southeastern Bahamas.

Hanna is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 4:15PM
Southeast Keeps An Eye On Hanna

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - While one hurricane raged across southern Louisiana on Monday, emergency officials along the southeast Atlantic coast turned their attention to newly formed Hurricane Hanna, which could strike the U.S. before the week is out.

While most attention was on Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf of Mexico, Hanna has slowly organized over the last few days, becoming a hurricane Monday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center has Hanna coming ashore as a minimal hurricane Friday near Savannah, Ga., but forecasters warned the track could swing as far south as Miami or as far north as North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The hurricane was over the southeastern Bahamas on Monday and could still be in the island chain Thursday, said Chris Landsea, science operations officer at the hurricane center.

The track could remain uncertain for days, said Mark Bacon, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, N.C.

"When these storms are not moving - and this one is barely moving - until they make that turn to the northwest up toward land, the track forecast is really tough to nail down," Bacon said.

Emergency officials across coastal South Carolina worked Labor Day, joining a conference call with state officials to get geared up in case Hanna strikes, said Joe Farmer, spokesman for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

"We don't have any intention on letting this sneak up on anybody," Farmer said.

Savannah and nearby Hilton Head Island haven't been hit directly by a hurricane since 1893, when the Sea Islands Hurricane killed anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 people.

Farmer said even though the region has been spared for more than 100 years, he thinks officials will be ready.

"Their preparedness level is very high," Farmer said. "Although they haven't been hit directly on, they are fully aware there is a hurricane out there and they are ready to do what is needed."

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency planned to begin staffing its operations center around the clock Tuesday morning, spokeswoman Kandice Eldon said.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 3PM
Hanna Could Hit U.S. East Coast By Midweek

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos (AP) - Hurricane Hanna formed Monday, bringing fierce winds, wind and battering waves to the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos islands.

Forecasters warned it could hit the U.S. coast by midweek.

"The storm's on top of us right now and it's blowing really hard," said Miguel Campbell, a mechanic with the Bahamas Electricity Corp. on the island of Mayaguana, the easternmost in the Bahamas, where some 300 people were hunkered down at home or in a government shelter.

In the nearby Turks and Caicos, wind and rain forced the closure of the airport and schools and cleared the streets.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.

Hanna is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes on the heels of Gustav, which was battering the Gulf Coast on Monday. An eventual strike on the U.S. mainland was in the forecast.

"Right now, the uncertainty is such that it could hit anywhere from Miami to the outer banks of North Carolina," said Jessica Schauer Clark, a meteorologist at the hurricane center. "So people really need to keep an eye on it."

At 1:30 p.m. EDT, Hanna's center was located near Mayaguana Island, moving west-southwest at 5 mph (7 kms) with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour) and higher gusts.

Hanna was expected to bring up to 12 inches of rain to the Turks chain, a popular tourist destination with about 22,000 people.

The European Union said Monday it would give euro2 million (US $2.9 million) to help the recovery from Gustav, which killed 94 people. The money will pay for clean water, food, medical care, shelter and basic household items in Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

In Haiti, 8,000 people are in temporary housing after high winds and floods destroyed homes and farms.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 2:30PM
Hanna Now A Hurricane

MIAMI, Fla. (AP) - The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Hanna to a hurricane as it brings waves, rain and blustery winds to the Turks and Caicos.

Hurricane warnings were issued for the island chain and the central and southeastern Bahamas today and forecasters warned that the storm could strike the U.S. mainland.

Meteorologists say it could hit anywhere from Miami to the outer banks of North Carolina later in the week.

At 1:30 p.m. EDT, Hanna's center was located near Mayaguana Island in the southeastern Bahamas.

Hanna is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and comes on the heels of Gustav, which battered the Gulf Coast today.

A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected within the next 24 hours.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 11:45AM
Forecasters warn: Hanna could become a hurricane
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos (AP) - Tropical Storm Hanna brought battering waves, rain and blustery winds to this island chain on Monday, closing the main airport and schools and clearing the streets.

Forecasters warned that it could become a hurricane and strike the U.S. mainland.

"Right now, the uncertainty is such that it could hit anywhere from Miami to the outer banks of North Carolina," said Jessica Schauer Clark, a meteorologist at the hurricane center. "So people really need to keep an eye on it."

Tropical storm warnings were posted for the Turks and Caicos and the central and southeastern Bahamas, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was likely to become a hurricane by midweek.

At 11 a.m. EDT, Hanna had top sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kmh) with higher gusts, and was centered about 40 miles (65 kms) north of Mayaguana Island in the southeastern Bahamas, moving west-southwest near 5 mph (7 kmh).

A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft was expected to analyze the storm later Monday.

Hanna was expected to bring up to 12 inches of rain to the Turks chain, where the first day of school was canceled Monday and most businesses were closed. Streets were deserted and some were flooded in the capital of the popular tourist destination, which has a population of about 22,000.

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MONDAY 9/1/08 11:45AM
Hanna soaks Bahamas Monday morning

HAVANA (AP) - After soaking the Bahamas, Tropical Storm Hanna is heading through "hurricane alley" on a path that could take it up Florida's Atlantic coast.

And Hanna may not be alone. Satellite imagery shows several potential storms forming in the open Atlantic.

Hanna, with top winds of 50 miles per hour, has been dumping rain on the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southern Bahamas. Forecasters expect a gradual turn up the Atlantic side of the Bahamas island chain early this week.

That would be welcome news for Cuba, where Hurricane Gustav smashed thousands of homes.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on four other weather systems moving westward from the African coast. The center says one in the mid-Atlantic has a good chance of becoming a tropical storm.

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SUNDAY 8/31/08 11:05AM
Tropical Storm Hanna Update

Tropical Storm Hanna was projected to move north of the Turks and Caicos Islands by late Sunday, then curl through the Bahamas by early next week before possibly threatening Cuba.

As it spun over open waters, Hanna weakened slightly and had sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph) Sunday.

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FRIDAY 8/29/2008 11:00PM
Hanna remains poorly organized

Hanna remains poorly organized, but still a tropical storm.

At 11:00 pm the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was located near latitude 22.1 north...longitude 65.3 west or about 260 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico and about 375 miles east of Grand Turk Island.

Hanna is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph. A general west-northwest to northwest motion is expected during the next couple of days. On this track...the center of Hanna is forecast to pass well north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico tonight and Saturday and is expected to approach the southeastern Bahamas from the northeast on Sunday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days and Hanna could be near hurricane strength on Sunday.

Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center.

Estimated minimum central pressure is 1002 MB, 29.59 inches.

Rain bands associated with Hanna could produce rainfall accumulations of 1 to 2 inches across portions of the Leeward Islands.

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THURSDAY 8/28/08 11AM
Tropical Storm Hanna forms in Atlantic
MIAMI (AP) - The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Hanna has formed northeast of the northern Leeward Islands in the Atlantic.

The eighth tropical storm of the Atlantic season had top sustained winds near 40 mph Thursday. Its center was about 305 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and was moving toward the west-northwest near 12 mph.

Hanna could produce rainfall of 1 to 4 inches across parts of the Leeward Islands. It's too soon to say if Hanna will affect the U.S.

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(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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