Tropical Storm Hanna could bring heavy rains and high winds to Maryland on Saturday, but forecasters predict the region will be spared the storm's brunt.
The Baltimore area and Eastern Shore could see 3 inches to 5 inches of rain in places and 50-mph wind gusts, the National Weather Service said. Because of the potential for torrential downpours, flash flooding is possible.
But with the severe weather expected to pass east of Ocean City, forecasters said Hanna was unlikely to cause the kind of storm surge in the Chesapeake Bay that made Tropical Storm Isabel so devastating in 2003.
"Right now it could be a lot worse," said meteorologist Matthew Kramar at the weather service's Sterling, Va., forecast center. "The current track keeps Baltimore off the center of the circulation," he added, "which would mean just rain and some winds."
He expects the fast-moving storm to arrive by midday Saturday and leave Maryland that evening.
Government agencies have begun initial preparations even as they eye two other storms farther east in the Atlantic Ocean: Ike and Josephine. This morning, Gov. Martin O'Malley will meet with his Cabinet to discuss "preparedness efforts" for the hurricane season. By the weekend, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency will ensure crews are ready for any flash flooding, said spokesman Ed McDonough.
If it occurs, he urged motorists to steer clear of water-covered roads. "As little as 6 inches of water can move cars if they try to cross a fast-moving stream. Don't cross moving water, no matter how shallow it looks."
More generally, he urged people to make sure they have basic supplies, such as bottled water, nonperishable food, medicines, battery-operated radios and flashlights. Rain and wind will affect most of Maryland, as far west as Garrett County, Kramar said.
In Baltimore City, residents should clear street gutters of trash or debris because rushing water could flush those items into storm drains and cause obstructions, said Kurt Kocher, spokesman for the Department of Public Works.
The department plans to check flood sensors in every major stream and increase routine cleaning of storm drains if the storm veers closer, he said.
At Maryland Marina in Middle River, the staff is keeping a close watch on the storm's path but has not begun preparing because Hanna remains far to the southeast. The forecast has improved, said service manager Brian Miskiewicz.
As recently as Tuesday, he noted, projections showed a track that would have heightened the risk of a big storm surge. The storm's subsequent eastward track suggests that surge-causing southeasterly winds will not be as strong.
"It's actually going to be better for us," he said.
Still, Miskiewicz knows storms can change paths and wreak havoc. He recalls working 30 hours straight in September 2003, when Isabel brought a 7-foot storm surge. None of the marina's 350 boats was lost, thanks to adjustments to dock lines, he said, though the office was swamped by 2 feet of water.
