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Elsa strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday night. It is expected to make landfall Wednesday in Florida's Big Bend region. Shown above is the three-day forecast track map.
It’s Hurricane Elsa again.
Elsa strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday night as it continued on a path along Florida’s west coast, where a hurricane warning is in effect.
The National Hurricane Center said Elsa had 75 mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane. Landfall is expected on Wednesday morning in Florida’s Big Bend area.
Elsa was bringing heavy rain and gusty winds along the coast and inland in southwest and west-central Florida. The hurricane center said the center of the storm was just offshore of the Tampa Bay area as of 10 p.m. CDT.
Elsa will continue to bring the threat of flooding rain, storm surge and tornadoes to the Sunshine State before moving into Georgia and South Carolina, where a tropical storm warning and a watch are in effect.
As of 10 p.m. CDT Tuesday, the center of Hurricane Elsa was located about 165 miles southwest of Tampa, or 125 miles south of Cedar Key, and was tracking to the north at 14 mph.
Elsa had top winds of 75 mph. Hurricane-force winds begin at 74 mph. The hurricane center said Elsa could get slightly stronger before making landfall, then will weaken once inland.
The hurricane center said hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 20 miles from Elsa’s center. Tropical-storm-force winds now extend 85 miles out from the center.
The hurricane center said Elsa should continue to track near -- or over -- the west coast of Florida through tonight. Elsa is forecast to make landfall along the Big Bend of Florida on Wednesday morning and then move across the southeastern United States through Thursday.
* A storm surge warning is in effect from the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Aucilla River, including Tampa Bay.
* A hurricane warning is in effect from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River in Florida.
* A tropical storm warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from Chokoloskee to south of Egmont Key, the west coast of Florida north of the Steinhatchee River to the Ochlockonee River and from the mouth of St. Marys River in Georgia to Little River Inlet ,S.C.
* A storm surge watch is in effect from west of the Aucilla River to the Ochlockonee River in Florida.
* A tropical storm watch is in effect from north of Little River Inlet, S.C., to Duck, N.C., and Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds.
All watches and warnings have been dropped for Cuba, and the hurricane center also canceled the tropical storm watch for the Florida Panhandle from the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass.
Elsa could bring 3 to 5 feet of surge from Englewood to the Aucilla River -- and Tampa Bay -- and 2 to 4 feet farther north. Other parts of the Florida coast could see up to 3 feet of surge from the storm.
Elsa will also be a big rainmaker for Florida. The Keys and southwest Florida could get 3 to 5 inches of rain through Wednesday, the hurricane center said.
Other parts of Florida could see 2 to 4 inches. Three to 5 inches with isolated amounts of 8 inches will also be possible in Georgia and coastal South Carolina.
Elsa could also cause a few tornadoes today into tonight on the Florida peninsula. Tornadoes will be possible in Wednesday in north Florida, southeast Georgia and the low country of South Carolina.
This is Elsa’s second round as a hurricane. It got the title for the first time last Friday as it was passing over Barbados and into the Caribbean. It weakened back to a tropical storm the next day. Elsa is the first hurricane of 2021 in the Atlantic.