Seen On

HANNA POISED TO WALLOP TRI-STATE

Tropical Storm Warning Issued; NYC, Coastal Areas To See 3 To 6 Inches Of Rain, High Winds, Beach Erosion

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Tropical Storm Hanna picked up speed Friday as it closed in on the Carolinas, promising to deliver gusty winds and heavy rain during a dash up the Eastern Seaboard that could wash out the weekend for millions of people.

The storm could cause major problems for people everywhere from southern Florida to New York City and coastal regions such as the Jersey shore to the eastern tip of Long Island.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning and flood watches for New York City and coastal areas late Friday.

Forecasters said strong wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph and 3 to 6 inches of rain would blow through the region starting Saturday morning and intensifying through the day. But the region should be able to absorb most of the rain without widespread flooding, they said.

"The toughest time period for New York City will be 6 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday," CBS 2 HD's Lonnie Quinn said. "The city could receive 3-6 inches of rain and sustained winds of 35-45 mph. The hardest hit parts of the tri-state will be the Jersey shore and the east end of Long Island."

The outer bands of Hanna moved into the tri-state area after midnight Friday. Heavy rains were recorded down in Cape May and Atlantic City, N.J.

Hanna was expected to hit Charleston, S.C. by 2 a.m. Saturday and then move up to Virginia Beach, Va. by 2 p.m. The storm was expected to be over the tri-state area by the early morning hours on Sunday and be out of the region by the late morning.

Overnight into the early morning hours on Saturday expect showers and breezy conditions.

However, between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday conditions will worsen, with rain and winds increasing in intensity during the afternoon and through dusk. Winds are expected between 20 and 40 mph.

The worst of the storm will hit the area after 8 p.m., with heavy rains and winds expected between 40 and 60 mph.

On Long Island, the big fear besides the heavy rains was beach erosion. Bulldozers have been at work all day and crews have been dragging anything that can float or be moved by surf to higher ground.

National Grid, which serves roughly 3.4 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 with 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.

Rell also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was relocating 30 truckloads of water and Meals Ready to Eat into Hartford and they will be ready to be deployed across the state if needed.

"Flooding conditions over roadways can create hazardous driving conditions and I want to urge special caution to people traveling on Connecticut highways during the storm," Rell said. "Downed trees combined with water on our highways have the potential to cause very dangerous conditions."

Many outdoor events also were put on hold or had their times pushed up to earlier in the day Saturday, before the heavy rain was expected to arrive.

LIPA says hundreds of extra field crews will be deployed and be on call over the weekend. Babylon is lowering the level of some lakes and Islip is pumping water from known flood areas.

In New Jersey, Atlantic City casinos have been asked to check their generators, while schools were being eyed as potential evacuation centers.

Some southeastern states declared emergencies and officials urged residents to head inland Thursday as Hanna headed toward the Atlantic coast, where it could bring high winds and rain from South Carolina to Maine.

Forecasters are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Ike, which could have a devastating effect on South Florida and the Florida Keys. Currently Hurricane Ike is forecast to make landfall Tuesday morning as a category 3 storm, which brings with it 120 mph winds.


Alerts and Advisories:

Tropical Storm Warning in CT - Southern Fairfield , Southern Middlesex , Southern New Haven , Southern New London

Inland Tropical Wind Watch in CT - Northern Fairfield , Northern Middlesex , Northern New Haven , Northern New London

Areal Flood Watch in CT - Northern Fairfield , Northern Middlesex , Northern New Haven , Northern New London , Southern Fairfield , Southern Middlesex , Southern New Haven , Southern New London

Tropical Storm Warning in NJ - Coastal Ocean , Eastern Monmouth , Essex , Hudson , Ocean , Southeastern Burlington , Union , Western Monmouth

Inland Tropical Wind Warning, Tropical Storm Warning in NJ - Middlesex

Inland Tropical Wind Watch in NJ - Bergen , Eastern Passaic , Western Passaic

Inland Tropical Wind Warning in NJ - Hunterdon , Mercer , Morris , Northwestern Burlington , Somerset , Sussex , Warren

Areal Flood Watch in NJ - Bergen , Coastal Ocean , Eastern Monmouth , Eastern Passaic , Essex , Hudson , Hunterdon , Mercer , Middlesex , Morris , Northwestern Burlington , Ocean , Somerset , Southeastern Burlington , Sussex , Union , Warren , Western Monmouth , Western Passaic

Tropical Storm Warning - Bronx , Kings (Brooklyn) , Nassau , New York (Manhattan) , Northeast Suffolk , Northwest Suffolk , Queens , Richmond (Staten Is.) , Southeast Suffolk , Southern Westchester , Southwest Suffolk

Inland Tropical Wind Watch - Northern Westchester , Orange , Putnam , Rockland

Areal Flood Watch - Bronx , Delaware , Eastern Columbia , Eastern Dutchess , Eastern Ulster , Kings (Brooklyn) , Nassau , New York (Manhattan) , Northeast Suffolk , Northern Westchester , Northwest Suffolk , Orange , Putnam , Queens , Richmond (Staten Is.) , Rockland , Southeast Suffolk , Southern Westchester , Southwest Suffolk , Sullivan , Western Dutchess , Western Ulster

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

---