BOSTON -- Emergency managers in southern New England kept a watchful eye on Hanna Saturday, as a tropical storm warning was issued for the entire coast.

Forecasters said strong wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph and 3 to 4 inches of rain would blow through the region starting late Saturday. But the region should be able to absorb most of the rain without widespread flooding, they said.

"It's mainly going to be torrential rain. And the worst case scenario is going to be some splash over or very minor coastal flooding at the time of high tide," said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Still, precautions were being taken and preparations being made as the storm hit the mid-Atlantic coast with near hurricane-strength winds of 70 mph.

National Grid, which delivers electricity to roughly 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, said it was putting electric and natural gas crews on notice about the possible need to work extra hours.

Many outdoor events also were put on hold or had their times pushed up to earlier in the day Saturday, before the heavy rain was expected to arrive.

At the Ocean Edge Resort and Club on Cape Cod in Brewster, staff were hoping for the best but bracing for rain as they prepared for an outdoor wedding Saturday.

"If things go downhill as anticipated, we would definitely move it inside," said Bryan Webb, director of sales and marketing. "Everyone's going to be dressed so impeccably. You don't want to have someone ruin a dress or a purse."

Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell said 200 soldiers and airmen with the Connecticut National Guard are on standby to respond to troubled areas in Connecticut or other states. State environmental officials will be keeping an eye on dams and flood-prone areas.

Transportation officials in many states cleaned out storm drains on roads to prevent flooding.

Rell also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was relocating 30 truckloads of water and Meals Ready to Eat into Hartford and they will be ready to be deployed across the state if needed.

"Flooding conditions over roadways can create hazardous driving conditions and I want to urge special caution to people traveling on Connecticut highways during the storm," Rell said. "Downed trees combined with water on our highways have the potential to cause very dangerous conditions."

In Rhode Island, residents were being urged to protect their windows, clear clogged storm drains, have extra batteries available for flashlights and stay out of the ocean during the storm.

J. David Smith, executive director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, said he wasn't expecting major problems, in part because of low water levels in streams and rivers and because the storm was tracking farther east than initially projected.

"We really believe this is going to be a rain event, but it's better to be more prepared," Smith said.

David Baptista, manager of the Narragansett Inn in Block Island, said his inn was stacking and securing outdoor furniture after dinner Friday so it didn't blow away. He said he couldn't remember the last time there had been bad weather on the island the weekend after Labor Day.

"Traditionally, this is one of the most excellent weekends of the season, year after year," he said.