Tropical Storm Elsa is still several days away from potentially nearing Florida — possibly around the site of the Surfside condo collapse. Elsa is the third storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season to threaten land in the U.S.
“It is too soon to determine what, if any, impacts could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-range forecast,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Tropical Storm Elsa formed early Thursday morning and is now a little over 780 miles (1,255 kilometers)_ east-southeast of the Windward Islands. Elsa is the fifth tropical storm of the season in the Atlantic.
The storm is packing winds of 40 mph (65 kph), with higher gusts, and is moving to the west at 25 mph (41 kph). The minimum Central Pressure now stands at 1006 MB…29.71 inches.
A slight turn to the west-northwest is anticipated Thursday, and that general path is forecast to continue as the storm moves into the Caribbean Sea late Friday or Friday night, reaching the southern coast of Hispaniola on Saturday.
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 Guadeloupe and Grenada and its dependencies.
According to CNN News, while the storm will bring tropical-storm-force winds and up to eight inches of heavy rain to the islands Friday, the fast movement could also limit the flood potential.
There is concern by AccuWeather meteorologists that Elsa could strengthen quickly into a hurricane as it approaches the Windward Islands. If it develops into a hurricane, Elsa would become the first of the 2021 Atlantic season.
As we mentioned last nigt, there was some wind shear to deal with, but Tropical Storm Elsa has now moved into an area where “Wind shear is currently low, and there is more moisture available to Elsa,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
In addition to Tropical Storm Elsa, patches of showers and thunderstorms have continued to erupt over the Gulf of Mexico this week.
“The Gulf of Mexico will probably remain an area where there is at least a very low risk of a weak system popping up very close to the coast over the next week or so,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said.
