Tropical Storm Elsa has picked up some speed asit makes it way across the Atlantic toward the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center, and it is expected to strebgthen over the next couple of days.
As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. update, the storm was about 345 miles (560 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados, packing 45 mph (75 kph) winds, with higher gusts. Elsa is moving to the west-northwest at 28 mph (44 kph).
Tropical storm force winds extend outward from the center of Elsa up to 90 miles (150 kilometers). The minimum central pressure is 1005 mb…29.68 inches.
The storm is still a few days away from any potential hit to Florida, possibly close to where the condo collapsed in Surfside, and officials are watching the forecast very closely, according to CNN News.
“It is too soon to determine what, if any, impacts could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-range forecast,” the NHC is saying.
On the forecast track, Elsa is expected to move over the Winward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands on Friday before it reaches the Caribbean later that night. By Saturday, forecasters said Elsa will move near the Hispaniola coast and then trek near Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Sunday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Barbados and Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Grenada and its dependencies, and for the southern and western coasts of Haiti from the southern border of the Dominican Republic to Le Mole le St. Nicholas.
