At 7 p.m. CDT, Tropical Storm (nearly Hurricane) Hanna is about 130 miles south of Myrtle Beach, SC and 190 miles SSW of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Movement is north at 20 mph. On this course, the center will cross the coast between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington around 3 a.m. CDT in the morning.
Top winds are 70 mph, which is just below the threshold for hurricane force. The thing to stress is that there is little difference between a strong tropical storm and a weak hurricane.
Tropical storm warnings extend north to Sandy Hook NJ. This includes the Tidal Potomac and D.C. A hurricane watch is in effect up to Currituck Light in North Carolina.
A tropical storm watch all the way to Merricmack River, Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and Nantucket.
As you can see, tropical storm conditions and tidal flooding will be see over a wide area as the tropical storm or hurricane moves NNE passing just east of Washington DC and back into the Atlantic east of Delaware. It will brush eastern Long Island and pass over eastern Massachusetts, likely over the Cape. Tides of 3-5 feet above normal will be likely near and east of the track. Heavy rain and tornadoes will also be a problem.
For reference, a central pressure of 981 was just recorded by Air Force recon.
