UPDATE - HURRICANE HANNAH PROJECTED PATH

While the remnants of Hurricane Gustav continue to dissipate, Tropical Storm Hanna (formerly Hurricane Hanna) drifted south-southeast late Tuesday, advancing on the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.


Despite weakening Tuesday, the Tropical Storm will once again become Hurricane Hanna before reaching the East Coast by Friday.

Hannah, which became the fourth hurricane-strength storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, will likely make her way up the eastern coastline.

At 11 p.m., Hanna's center was about 65 miles southeast of Great Inagua Island in the eastern Bahamas and about 450 miles southeast of Nassau, Bahamas, with sustained winds of 65 mph. Tropical storm winds extended 230 miles from the center.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the central and southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, while a tropical storm warning was posted for the northern coast of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

All interests along the Eastern Seaboard should continue to closely monitor Hanna and forge an emergency plan. Hanna is forecast to be at least a powerful Tropical Storm and quite possibly as high as a Category 2 hurricane as it slides along the east coast of Florida as early as Thursday, with landfall expected on Friday north of the Georgia-South Carolina border.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for a portion of the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

The storm has been drifting to the southeast. The storm is expected to turn toward the north or northwest early Wednesday after hours of little movement. Forecasters predicted it would turn northwest and pick up speed later Wednesday, becoming stronger late Wednesday and Thursday.