Home Weather Tropical Storm Elsa Has Florida In The Cone

Tropical Storm Elsa Has Florida In The Cone

In the tropics, the wave in the central Atlantic (previously known as 97L and then Tropical Depression # 5) has become Tropical Storm Elsa.  At 5 am Thursday, Elsa was located near 9.4 North, 48.8 West, about 865 miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands.  Maximum sustained winds were 40 miles per hour, and Elsa was moving west at 25 miles per hour.  Tropical storm warnings are in effect for Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, and a tropical storm watch is up for Guadeloupe.  Elsa’s rapid movement will bring it into the Caribbean on Friday, but it will also work against strengthening.  Elsa is expected to interact with Hispanola and cross Cuba before reaching the southeastern Gulf of Mexico early in the workweek.

Right now, South Florida is in the 4 to 5-day “cone,” and some impacts from Elsa are possible.  Now is a good time to check your hurricane supplies, and make sure to stay updated on Elsa’s progress during the holiday weekend.  As we get ready for the holiday weekend, we’ll be watching the tropics very closely as newly-formed Tropical Storm Elsa approaches the Caribbean.

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Thursday features a mix of sun and clouds alternating with periods of showers.  A few storms are possible, especially in the afternoon. Highs on Thursday will be in the upper 80s.

Friday will bring good sun, a few clouds at times, and some passing showers and storms.  Friday’s highs will be mostly in the upper 80s.

Saturday will feature plenty of sun during much of the day, with showers and storms developing in the afternoon.  Saturday’s highs will be in the low 90s.

Independence Day will see mostly sunny skies with some mid to late afternoon showers and storms.  Look for an increasing risk of dangerous rip currents at South Florida’s beaches.  Sunday’s highs will be in the low 90s.

Monday’s forecast will depend on the tropics, but for now, we’ll say that Monday will be cloudy and stormy with gusty winds increasing during the day.  Highs on Monday will be in the upper 80s.

Donna Thomas has studied hurricanes for two decades. She holds a PhD in history when her experience with Hurricane Andrew ultimately led her to earn a degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University. Donna spent 15 years at WFOR-TV (CBS4 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale), where she worked as a weather producer with hurricane experts Bryan Norcross and David Bernard. She also produced hurricane specials and weather-related features and news coverage, as well as serving as pool TV producer at the National Hurricane Center during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Donna also served as a researcher on NOAA's Atlantic Hurricane Database Reanalysis Project. Donna specializes in Florida's hurricane history.