Hold onto your hats -- Here comes Hanna!

September 5, 2008 07:25 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

(National Hurricane Center graphic)

By Andrew Ryan and Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

Tropical Storm Hanna continued clawing up the Atlantic seaboard today with torrential rains and winds near 70 mph, surging on a track that has eastern Massachusetts in its crosshairs.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The storm was roiling 160 miles south-southeast of Charleston. S.C. at 5 p.m., after already having killed 137 people as it roared through the Caribbean. It is expected to batter the coast of the Carolinas tonight or early Saturday, churning ashore as a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane.

A first round of rain is expected to hit Massachusetts well ahead of Hanna late tonight into early Saturday. A second round is expected Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning as the storm sweeps by. When it's all over, many areas could have three to six inches of rain. Some areas could be drenched with eight, National Weather Service forecasters predicted this afternoon.

The service issued a tropical storm watch statement at 5:30 p.m., advising people in coastal eastern and southeastern Massachusetts, including the Cape and islands, that tropical storm conditions were possible within 36 hours. The statement also warned of a coastal storm surge of 1 to 3 feet and large and dangerous battering waves along the south coast and Rhode Island. The storm could even spawn a weak tornado Saturday night, the forecasters said.

Harwich Harbormaster Thomas E. Leach said boaters were taking the forecasts seriously. He spent this afternoon securing moorings and tightening rigs on sailboats that have the potential to break free during strong winds. In past cases, boats have drifted and ended up on Route 28, he said.

“It’s something we have to pay attention to,” he said. “We haven’t had a good strong storm all summer, and to err on the side of safety and precaution could be a good thing.”

On Sunday, the storm is expected to rumble into Cape Cod Bay and steam quickly out to sea. The change in weather will be apparent.

"Most of Sunday looks like a beautiful day with highs in the upper 70s with clear skies," said weather service meteorologist Alan Dunham.

Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said officials spent this afternoon coordinating response plans and sending out safety notifications to coastal towns. He said the storm won't be as strong as it was when it started out, but it could still cause problems.

He said the state’s emergency management headquarters in Framingham will be staffed with some extra personnel Saturday. He said no decision on fully activating the center was made today, but instead officials will remain on standby and will assess the storm Saturday, during the clear spell in the afternoon.

Hanna has the potential to down trees and power lines, especially on the South Coast and Cape Cod, officials said. And it could cause urban street flooding. Forecasters issued a flash flood watch statement, urging people to avoid driving their cars into water-covered roadways and to stay away from streams and openings to drainage piples.

National Grid, which serves roughly 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, said it was tracking the storm and putting electric and natural gas crews on notice about the possible need to work extra hours.

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell said 200 soldiers and airmen from the Connecticut National Guard are on standby to respond to troubled areas in Connecticut or other states. State environmental officials will be keeping an eye on dams and flood-prone areas.

Transportation officials in many states cleaned out storm drains on roads to prevent flooding.

Material from the Associated Press is included in this report.