Hanna will linger today

Published 10:39 pm Friday, September 5, 2008

Suffolk will wake up to Tropical Storm Hanna’s gale force winds this morning, with peak winds expected to exceed 50 miles per hour by mid-afternoon.

The storm, which the National Weather Service had projected would make landfall near Myrtle Beach, S.C., around midnight, is expected to pick up in Suffolk around 2 a.m., said James Foster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Wakefield office, on Friday. Locally, forecasters were expecting winds would begin to pick up around 2 a.m.

Hampton Roads is expected to receive between two and four inches of rain before Hanna wraps up late today, Foster added. Sunday is expected to be sunny and clear.

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Tides are predicted to run two to four feet above normal today, with high tide on the Nansemond River around 2 p.m.

The city’s Emergency Operations Center, at the White Marsh Road Fire Station, was opened at 11 p.m. Friday, said city spokeswoman Debbie George. It was fully activated at 5 a.m., with officials from public works, public utilities, police, and other city departments.

The city’s EOC citizen information line, 514-7587, went into operation at 11 p.m. Friday.

George noted that the city’s trash collection scheduled for Saturday will continue. However, bulk refuse collection has been cancelled.

Residents can get regular updates on the weather at the city’s Web site, www.suffolk.va.us, or through the media.