South America

Weather Underground Forecast for Saturday, September 06, 2008.

Tropical Storm Hanna, currently dumping several inches of rain over the Bahamas, is expected to move to the northwest and make landfall over the Carolinas early on Saturday. The storm has the potential to re-strengthen into a hurricane before it makes landfall, and flooding will be a threat across the region due to the heavy rainfall. Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Hurricane Ike, which recently strengthened into a major hurricane with winds near 140 mph, is expected to take a turn to the southwest. The current forecast track will place the storm just to the northeast of the Bahamas and Hispaniola on Saturday, and the outer bands of the storm could potentially bring rain to the region by the end of the day, creating the possibility of some flooding. No tropical development is expected in the East Pacific. Meanwhile, low pressure will trigger heavy rain and thunderstorm across southern Mexico and Central America in the afternoon on Saturday. The rest of Mexico can expect afternoon scattered showers and storms, while the Greater Antilles could see some precipitation if Hurricane Ike moves close enough to the region.

To the south, low pressure will keep the northwest corner of South America wet on Saturday, while western Brazil will be mostly clear except for the possibility of a few scattered showers. A trough extending from Bolivia, through Paraguay, and into Uruguay and southern Brazil will continue to produce rain across the region, with the heaviest of the rain located in southern Brazil and Paraguay. The trough will make its way eastward and move offshore, allowing high pressure to build in and skies to clear overnight on Saturday. Meanwhile, a front will bring rain and snow to southern Chile and parts of southern Argentina, with the rest of the southern tip of the continent remaining mostly clear due to high pressure.