Hanna nears landfall near S.C.-N.C. line

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) - Tropical Storm Hanna's winds and sea surge battered the Carolina coast early Saturday, while flash floods and tornadoes threatened inland. After moving ashore near the South Carolina-North Carolina border Saturday morning, Hanna is expected to move rapidly toward the northeast, over the mid-Atlantic and New England states, pouring heavy rain along the way.

At 2 a.m. Saturday, Hanna's top winds were 70 mph (113 km/hr), just short of minimal hurricane status, and it was moving toward the north-northwest at 21 mph (34 km/hr), the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm's center was just offshore, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and about 60 miles (97 km) southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, the NHC said. The NHC said "large and dangerous battering waves" could be expected near and east of the path of Hanna's center as the coastal storm surge reaches 3 to 5 feet above normal tide levels.