Tropical Storm Hanna Departs Caribbean; Turks, Bahamas Warn Ahead of Ike

All storm watches and warnings related to Tropical Storm Hanna in the Caribbean have been dropped as the storm has finally moved out of the region and is now heading up the East Coast of the U.S.

The bad news for the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos is that Hurricane Ike, a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph, seems to be following a similar path to Hanna as it moves west across the Atlantic. As a result, the Turks and Caicos government has urged visitors to depart the island by 5 p.m. tonight, when the Providenciales airport will close.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is advising travelers planning to visit within the next four days to consider rescheduling; the Bahamas Hotel Association has a hurricane cancellation policy that provides for refunds or credits when vacations are washed out due to a hurricane.

Nassau's Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) is currently open but is expected to close by 8:00 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8. The Grand Bahama International airport is expected to be closed until 3:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 5.

Ike is currently about 660 miles east-northeast of Grand Turk and moving west at 15 mph. I'll keep you posted if any Caribbean storm watches or warnings are issued in relation to Hurricane Ike.

More Info on Caribbean Travel and Weather

The National Hurricane Center