Tropical Storm Hanna aiming for Massachusetts

(National Hurricane Center graphic)

By Andrew Ryan and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to churn up the Atlantic coast and lash Massachusetts this weekend with winds gusting up to 50 mph near the coast and up to four inches of rain. Some areas might even get six inches, forecasters said.

The storm, which is gathering steam in the Bahamas, is forecast to crash into the southeast US coast as a hurricane late Friday. The storm is expected to turn up the coast and take aim at Massachusetts late Saturday or early Sunday as a tropical storm.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook this afternoon, warning of a moderate to high risk of dangerous rip currents along the south coast through Sunday.

The forecasters also warned of tropical downpours causing flooding in urban and poor drainage areas. Some small streams may overtop their banks and thunderstorms may also be sprinkled into the mix late Friday night through Saturday night.

Forecasters cautioned that the storm's track and timing are still uncertain, so people should stay tuned to the latest forecasts.

"Hanna will be remembered as a nor'easter, not a terribly destructive storm, but one that will bring wind and rain to the East Coast from Virginia to Boston," AccuWeather.com meteorologist John Kocet said in a statement.

Accuweather.com warned that a second storm is following behind Hanna: Hurricane Ike, a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 135 mph. Tropical Storm Josephine is lined up behind Ike.

Chat about the coming storm with NECN-TV meteorologist Matt Noyes at 11 a.m. Friday on boston.com.

(National Hurricane Center graphic)

The storms that are on the way. The yellow circle is an area where another storm might form.

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