500 AM AST WED SEP 03 2008
...HANNA MEANDERING OFF THE NORTH COAST OF HAITI...
...HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF HISPANIOLA...
A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...THE
SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS...AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS...
INCLUDING THE ABACOS...ANDROS ISLAND...BERRY ISLANDS...BIMINI...
ELEUTHERA...GRAND BAHAMA ISLAND...AND NEW PROVIDENCE. A HURRICANE
WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE
WARNING AREA GENERALLY WITHIN THE NEXT 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN COAST
OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC FROM PUERTO PLATA WESTWARD TO BAHIA DE
MANZANILLO.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR HAITI FROM THE
NORTHERN BORDER WITH THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO PORT-AU-PRINCE. A
TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
INTERESTS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES SHOULD MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF HANNA.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 500 AM AST...0900Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA WAS
LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 20.2 NORTH...LONGITUDE 72.2 WEST OR ABOUT 90
MILES...145 KM...SOUTHEAST OF GREAT INAGUA ISLAND AND ABOUT 115
MILES...185 KM...SOUTHWEST OF GRAND TURK ISLAND.
HANNA IS DRIFTING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 2 MPH...4 KM/HR. A GRADUAL
TURN TOWARD THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN LATER TODAY...WITH
AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED FORECAST TO OCCUR ON THURSDAY. ON THE
FORECAST TRACK...HANNA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN
BAHAMAS LATER TODAY...MOVE NEAR OR OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS
TONIGHT...AND BE NEAR THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS BY LATE THURSDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 60 MPH...95 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT TWO
DAYS...AND HANNA COULD REGAIN HURRICANE INTENSITY BY THURSDAY.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 230 MILES...370 KM
FROM THE CENTER.
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM AIR FORCE RESERVE UNIT
RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT OBSERVATIONS IS 993 MB...29.32 INCHES.
HANNA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL TOTALS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES...
WITH MAXIMUM ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 12 INCHES...OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN
BAHAMAS...THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS...AND EASTERN CUBA. RAINFALL
TOTALS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO
15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE OVER HISPANIOLA WHERE THESE RAINS COULD
CAUSE LIFE-THREATENING MUD SLIDES AND FLASH FLOODING. LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE ALONG THE IMMEDIATE FLORIDA EAST
COAST ON FRIDAY.
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE
EXPECTED IN AREAS OF ONSHORE FLOW WITHIN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA.
SWELLS FROM HANNA ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE THE RISK OF DANGEROUS RIP
CURRENTS ALONG PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES COAST
DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.
