000 WTNT33 KNHC 030841 TCPAT3 BULLETIN TROPICAL STORM HANNA ADVISORY NUMBER 26 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL082008 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. REPEATING THE 500 AM AST POSITION...20.2 N...72.2 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTH NEAR 2 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...60 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...993 MB. AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 800 AM AST FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 1100 AM AST. $$ FORECASTER STEWART