Slightly weakened Hurricane Elsa still has most of coastal South Florida outside forecast’s potential track
Hurricane Elsa continued racing across the
However, western
Elsa, the season’s first hurricane, had its top sustained wind speed remain at 80 mph in the early-morning bulletin following a drop from 85 mph late Friday night.
Elsa is swiftly moving west-northwest through the
The hurricane is located 285 miles east-southeast of
The storm became the season’s first hurricane Friday morning, and nearly the entire state of
Any local impacts from Elsa would come after the
Even though much is still uncertain,
“Have enough water and non-perishable food at home as well as batteries ... If you can, get prepared now for the hurricane season,” Geller said.
He also encouraged residents to make sure they have all they need to board up and put on hurricane shutters ahead of a major storm.
“We’ve all been there before and we know people have a tendency to wait,” he said. “...Please prepare now for the entire hurricane season.”
Local officials from the airport, water control and electric companies are also keeping a close eye on Elsa.
“Right now, we’re not under any hurricane watches or warnings,” she said. “We’ll continue to monitor the path of the storm and we’ll make adjustments it if becomes a threat to the region.”
Satchell suggested travelers check with their airlines for possible delays or cancellations.
“We’ll put them in a low range and that’s because we anticipate significant rainfall from Elsa,” he said.
Smith also said people should check neighborhood drainage areas and make sure nothing is blocking the path. Otherwise, the water could back up and flood.
“Don’t wait until it starts raining,” he said.
Smith said if a big clearance job is required people should call their local public works department.
“We’re ready,” spokesman
Robbins said at this point it’s too late to trim trees because trash pickup could be disrupted by Elsa’s approach.
Hurricane Elsa could also disrupt travel plans on the busy
Elsa was being watched carefully by officials in
”Any bad significant wind could potentially bring down the remaining part of that building,”
All of
It’s too early to determine whether Hurricane Elsa could hit
“This forecast is most complicated by land interaction,” meteorologist
“A secondary factor that we’ll be watching with this system is its forward speed. It is being shoved westward at a much faster clip than most systems can sustain themselves at, but this forward speed should slow down somewhat. Wind shear is a concern with this storm too, but to a lesser degree than the other two factors.”
Elsa is a record-breaker, becoming the earliest-forming fifth storm in recorded history. The previous record was held by Tropical Storm Eduardo, which formed on
Elsa’s hurricane development is 39 days ahead of when meteorologists typically observe the first hurricane formation of the season; which on average usually happens on
Forecasters mentioned Elsa’s possible development into a hurricane Thursday, but there was no hint it would develop so quickly.
“I would say at this point, with a Tropical Storm being forecast, it isn’t unreasonable for South Floridians to be ready for the potential of a Category 1 hurricane knocking on our door early next week,” Garcia said.
“It is something that can’t be ruled out, and folks should be aware that’s something we may have to prepare for here during the holiday weekend.”
Whichever way the system goes, Elsa seems sure to bring rain to already-saturated
The current forecast path takes Elsa over portions of the Windward Islands (where the western
By Sunday, Elsa is forecast to be near
However, the hurricane center has been quick to add the forecast is uncertain beyond three days.
Elsa is expected to produce between 3 to 6 inches of rain, and perhaps as much as 10 inches, in parts of the Windward and Leeward Islands, including
A hurricane warning is in effect for the south coast of the
A Tropical Storm warning is in effect for
A hurricane watch in effect for
A Tropical Storm watch is in effect for
One forecast model has Elsa turning north after reaching
“The discrepancy in the models makes confidence in this track lower than usual,” according to the hurricane center.
The determining factor of where Elsa goes, and when it turns north from its current westward direction, is the
“This influence will last into the weekend before we start to reach the western edge of the
“If the
Last year’s first hurricane, Hanna, developed into a hurricane and made landfall in
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Hurricane Elsa slightly weakens as most of coastal South Florida remains outside forecast’s potential track
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