A forecaster with the National Hurricane Center called the clutch of three storms marching across the Atlantic at one time "not particularly unusual."

"We are at the peak of hurricane season," Jessica Schauer Clark told AFP, as the tenth tropical depression of the season picked up wind speed Tuesday and became a tropical storm dubbed Josephine.

Hurricane Hanna lost some wind strength and was downgraded to a tropical storm with driving rains that could spark deadly flooding in Haiti and eastern Cuba, the National Hurricane Center warned.

With Hanna packing sustained winds of 70 miles (110 kilometers) per hour, it was expected to churn on a track taking it over the southeastern Bahamas Tuesday and the central Bahamas late Tuesday and Wednesday, the NHC said at 1500 GMT.

It said Hanna could dump up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) in the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands, and up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) in the central Bahamas.

"Rainfall amounts of two to four inches with maximum amounts of up to eight inches (20 centimeters) are expected over the mountainous terrain of eastern Cuba and northern portions of Hispaniola where these rains could cause life-threatening mudslides and flash flooding," the NHC warned.

Hanna could regain hurricane Wednesday or Thursday, the NHC added.

Tropical Storm Ike, meanwhile, formed further east, and Tropical Storm Josephine emerged in the far eastern Atlantic.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said preparations were already underway for Hanna's potential landfall on the southeastern coast of the United States.

"It's a little early to tell where Ike is going to go, but we clearly have to be getting ready for Hanna and we're working with the states in the potential target area to make sure they're getting ready to do what they have to do," Chertoff told CNN late Monday.

Ike was whirling about 1,110 miles (1,785 km) east of the Leeward islands, the NHC said.

And Josephine was some 125 miles (205 km) south-southwest of the Cape Verde islands, off West Africa, and was not expected to affect population centers in the next five days, Clark said.

At least 77 people died in Haiti after the Americas' poorest country was struck by Hurricane Gustav, which blasted Louisiana with powerful winds and rain as a Category Two hurricane on Monday. Gustav later weakened as it passed overland and was downgraded to a tropical storm.

And 10 people were killed as Hanna socked the north of Haiti Tuesday. Officials called for help amid fears of a disaster like the one Tropical Storm Jeanne sparked four years ago, when more than 3,000 were killed.

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