By NEIL JOHNSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 4, 2008

TAMPA - Florida is trading one threat for another.

Tropical Storm Hanna looks like it will pass to the east, but Hurricane Ike could be curving near Florida's southeast coast by early next week.

Ike's winds sped up to 135 mph Wednesday night, making the season's fifth hurricane a Category 4 as it moved toward the Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center put the southeast tip of Florida in the cone of possible strike areas by Monday afternoon.

"It will be approaching the Bahamas by Sunday," said Ben Nelson, state meteorologist.

Ike's growing threat to Florida replaces that of Hanna.

Tropical Storm Hanna stopped wandering around Haiti and the southern Bahamas and began the move north that will take the storm toward the Georgia or South Carolina coast Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Forecasters said Hanna could reach hurricane strength - with winds of about 80 mph - before landfall.

It is not likely that winds on the weaker western side of Hanna will stretch enough to reach the Tampa Bay area, Nelson said. It is possible that tropical storm winds could brush the state's east coast.

As for Tropical Storm Josephine, forecasts have the storm weakening to a tropical depression by the weekend. Its track after that is highly uncertain, the hurricane center said.


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