Howard acknowledged his work might be in vain, as forecasters are calling for Florida to bear the brunt of the storm, which has led to the evacuation of 2.5 million Sunshine State residents.

"It's a pretty big storm," he said. "They say it's not coming this way, but you never know. It could hit land, bounce and turn north."

That's unlikely, based on National Hurricane Center models that were in "pretty good consensus" Thursday for a Saturday afternoon strike somewhere around Melbourne, Fla., said meteorologist Krissy Williams in Miami.

Despite Frances' wobbles to the north, forecasters expected it to get pushed more to the west by cool air from a front crossing the Southeast. Weather officials, however, continued to caution Lowcountry residents to remain vigilant.

"We're in no position to say (a move north) won't happen," said Bob Bright, a meteorologist with National Weather Service's Charleston office.

But the ridge "would have to break down. At this point we don't see it breaking down."

Frances' impact in Charleston this weekend is expected to include clouds, winds of up to 25 mph and about a 50 percent chance of showers or thundershowers.

"A little bit more than the afternoon stuff we normally see," Bright added.

If the storm persisted on a more northerly track for several hours, Williams said, the forecast track and hurricane warning area could be moved farther north.

But "you guys are almost due north of the storm now," she said, and the ridge was forecast to stay strong.

Howard's comments reflect the attitude of many local and state officials who remained vigilant in preparation for the Category 3 storm but appeared calmer than earlier in the week, when Frances' trajectory was more uncertain.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said he was getting updates every six hours, but was trying again to focus on other city business.

"It is a wait-and-see game," Summey said. "Our people are all on standby. We are trying not to overreact prior to the need to do so. You don't want to wear your people out."

Officials in Charleston and Charleston County also remained in a high state of readiness, but they delayed taking additional steps, such as boarding the windows.

The county will keep its Emergency Operations Center on alert but doesn't plan to activate it this weekend, spokeswoman Jamie Thomas said.

"We should not consider that we are out of the woods yet," said Mayor Joe Riley, "not until the hurricane makes landfall."

With the state no longer direct-ly in the storm's path, Gov. Mark Sanford stayed in New York City for the Republican National Convention, though his spokesman, Will Folks, said any change in the forecast would bring him home.

Area hospitals, which have been gearing up in recent days, also conducted business as usual. Area military installations remained on standby.

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