The big rain event expected as a result of Tropical Storm Hanna looks like it's not going to happen after all.

After laying waste to several islands in the Atlantic, the weather system is not expected to wreak havoc in the Upstate as previously forecast this week.

Meteorologists believe the storm will come to shore Friday night in the vicinity of Wilmington Beach, N.C.

However, forecasters still believe the Upstate will see up to a half-inch of rain from Hanna, down from the one to three inches predicted as of late Wednesday.

"Other than a few showers I think that's all we'll get," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Bryan McAvoy. "Nothing too big."

Cherokee County and other parts of the Upstate will see its portion of the precipitation Friday and Saturday. Residents can expect breezy conditions as well.

"We need the rainfall; it would be good to see it," McAvoy said. "But there's not going to be the big event we expected earlier. The center of the storm is too far east to affect us in this portion of the state."

A hurricane watch was posted from Ocracoke Inlet, N.C., to Edisto Beach with a tropical storm force watch south to Altamaha Sound, Ga.

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford has called for voluntary evacuations in Georgetown and Horry counties and opened several emergency shelters ahead of the storm.

Governors in Virginia and North Carolina have declared a state of emergency to help free up resources in preparation for Hanna, according to the Associated Press.

Forecasters said they believe Hanna should return to hurricane strength before making landfall on the Carolina coast Friday.

The tropical system is expected to move quickly once on land, running up the eastern seaboard past New York with tropical storm force winds.

On Hanna's heels is fastmoving Hurricane Ike. McAvoy said it is too early to predict whether the weather system will put the Southeast once again in harm's way.

"(Ike) has a ways to run," McAvoy said. "Right now, it's too early to determine anything or track its movement. But we are treating Ike as if it's already a threat."

Ike should approach the coast of the United States some time next week.