MIAMI , Florida ( CNN ) -- The storm called Hanna weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Tuesday morning as maximum sustained winds eased down to 70 mph , the National Hurricane Center said . This satellite image from Monday shows Hanna over the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands . Despite the downgrade , Hanna dropped torrential rain on the eastern Bahamas , the Turks and Caicos Islands , and Haiti . Hurricane warnings remained in effect . Hanna 's path and strength remain uncertain , but the latest forecast map from the National Hurricane Center predicts it still could make landfall as a major hurricane on the southeastern U.S. coast by Friday evening . Hanna 's path early Tuesday appeared to be a `` meandering '' loop across Turks and Caicos , but atmospheric changes over the western Atlantic are expected to steer the storm northwestward over the next two or three days , according to forecasters . As of 5 a.m . ET , Hanna was a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with sustained winds of 80 mph ( 129 kph ) and gusts of up to 100 mph . iReport.com : Watch Hanna lash Turks and Caicos Islands . Three hours later , it was downgraded to a tropical storm as winds fell below the 74 mph threshold for hurricane status . It could return to hurricane status later Tuesday or on Wednesday , forecasters said . Hanna 's line of fire could include the U.S. Atlantic coast from Miami , Florida , to Massachusetts , according to the hurricane center 's long-range forecast map . Charleston , South Carolina , appears in the middle of this `` cone of uncertainty , '' with Hanna potentially making landfall there Friday . `` It appears that the center has been meandering , '' forecasters said . The history of hurricanes that have been where Hanna is now might argue against its heading toward the southeastern United States . None of the September storms that passed within 200 miles of Hanna 's current location has gone there , with most heading into the Gulf of Mexico and others going to New England or Nova Scotia . Still , forecasters said , `` the model guidance is remarkably well clustered '' in support of its forecast path for Hanna . Meanwhile , forecasters were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Ike , which was gaining strength in the mid-Atlantic and appeared headed for the Bahamas later in the week . It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph Tuesday morning .
NEW : As sustained winds fall off , system demoted to tropical storm . NEW : Hanna could return to hurricane level later in day , forecasters say . NEW : Tropical Storm Ike moving toward Caribbean Sea . Comment: