Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida Keys
Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida Keys
South Florida got its first taste of Tropical Storm Elsa Monday afternoon as the outermost bands began to lash the region with brief, intense bouts of rain likely to last through Tuesday.
The storm’s projected track jogged a bit west early Monday — easing the threat for South Florida, including most of the Lower Florida Keys, which now appear likely to see a windy, wet sideswipe rather than a direct hit from a small system that’s expected to strengthen after crossing Cuba.
Elsa’s path took it over most of central Cuba on Monday — where nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated and heavy rains were sweeping the island — before it’s expected to re-emerge in the Florida Straits early Tuesday morning. On Monday, storm surge and tropical storm warnings were extended north up the state and west to the Big Bend area. The easternmost part of the Panhandle was under a tropical storm watch.
Its potential Florida landfall site also shifted farther north overnight.
As of the 11 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Elsa appeared on track to make landfall in Florida in Horseshoe Beach, north of the Suwannee River, Wednesday morning. It was about 20 miles north, northeast of Havana and 80 miles south, southwest of Key West.
The storm weakened as it made landfall in Cuba to 50 mph maximum sustained winds, but by the 11 p.m. advisory the storm strengthened to 60 mph maximum sustained winds. Tropical storm elsa force winds extended only 70 miles from the center. Its pace dipped slightly to 12 mph. Elsa’s wind field also shrunk, with the strongest winds mostly within 60 miles of its center.
Cuba evacuated hundreds of thousands of people from the southern provinces in advance of the storm, which drenched the area in flooding rains on Sunday and Monday. Power and phone service were reported down in parts of the country but it was too early to get damage assessments.
In Havana — which may experience some of Elsa’s strongest winds — hundreds of people were evacuated from buildings that are considered unsafe, especially in older areas of the city, the Civil Defense office said. They fear gusty winds could topple some structures that have fallen into disrepair. The storm already has been blamed for two deaths in the Dominican Republic and one in St. Lucia, and crushed crops in Haiti.
Forecasters said they’ll have a better idea of exactly how Elsa will affect Florida after it finishes crossing Cuba. The latest prediction calls for Elsa’s maximum sustained winds to climb back to 65 mph before it makes landfall.
“Some restrengthening of the cyclone is likely after it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, but vertical shear associated with a broad upper-level trough over the Gulf is likely to limit intensification,” forecasters wrote in the 5 p.m. advisory.
Tropical Storm Elsa drenches Cuba. Track nudges west, likely easing impact on Florida Keys
