The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, Reamstown Days, Ephrata Arts and Crafts Show and other outdoor events scheduled for today could end up looking like deleted scenes from the movie "Waterworld," as Tropical Storm Hanna makes its way across the region.
The storm, which made landfall in the Carolinas Friday night, will move quickly up the East Coast, sending its long tentacles of wind and rain far inland.
Lancaster will be "breezy and rainy" today, John LeCourt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College, said Friday. How breezy and rainy depends on the storm's exact course.
"Right now we're thinking maybe an inch to 2 inches for Lancaster," he said. "That's a good bet."
LeCourt expected the rain to reach Lancaster County late Friday night or early this morning. Bands of rain were already passing through the county Friday night.
The rain could continue to come in bands, falling steadily into this morning. After a possible midday lull, there likely will be another period of rain late in the day and into the night.
Temperatures today will range from a high of 74 degrees to an overnight low of 64 degrees.
A flood watch is in effect for several Pennsylvania counties, including Lancaster, until 4 p.m. Sunday. Flooding could occur in low-lying areas and areas with poor drainage.
Lancaster County is also under a wind advisory through most of today, ending at midnight. LeCourt said winds will mostly range between 20 and 35 mph, with possible gusts up to 45 mph.
The winds will taper off later tonight, as Hanna moves off to the northeast.
CNN reported that Hanna reached North Carolina Friday evening, making landfall between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The storm was packing winds of near 70 mph with higher gusts, just below hurricane status of 74 mph.
The storm is expected to track northward along the Interstate 95 corridor, bringing heavy rain and damaging winds to major cities from Richmond, Va., to Boston.
The speed at which Hanna moves will determine rain amounts along the East Coast. While as much as 8 inches is expected to fall over eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, eastern South Carolina and southern New England will get 2 to 4 inches.
Along the coast, storm surges of 3 to 6 feet above normal tides could cause coastal flooding and beach erosion, especially along the Outer Banks, Long Island and Cape Cod.
Things should die down after midnight, so that Sunday "looks like a pretty decent day," LeCourt said.
Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high of 80 and low of 56. The same holds true for Monday, with an expected high of 81 and a low of 61.
A cold front is expected to move through the county Tuesday, bringing with it a taste of fall. Amid scattered thundershowers, Tuesday's high will be about 78, with a low of 52. Wednesday will see more of the same, with the high reaching 72 and a low of 50.
Then there's Hurricane Ike, projected to sweep across the Bahamas and reach southern Florida by Wednesday.
E-mail: lalexander@lnpnews.com
AccuWeather forecast