Florida braces for the impact of Hurricane Elsa

Hurricane Elsa advanced this Tuesday over the Gulf of Mexico Head north and near the Florida coast with maximum winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and torrential rain, hours before making landfall in that state’s northwest, according to forecasts by meteorologists.

US National Hurricane Center (NHC)In the Miami Bulletin (0300 GMT) at 11 p.m., Elsa placed 65 miles (105 km) southwest of Tampa, in the central part of Florida’s west coast, and about 125 miles (200 km) south of Cedar Key, in the area where The effect is expected.

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has specified that eye contact should be made between 8:00 and 9:00 Miami time (12.00-13.00 GMT).

According to the NHC’s forecast, Elsa will move “near or over parts of the west coast of Florida” tonight and make landfall sometime on the north coast on Wednesday morning, before crossing the southeastern United States on Thursday.

A hurricane watch is in effect along the west coast of Florida, between Egmont Key (near Tampa) and the Steinhache River, in the northwest of the state, and a storm warning for the west coast from Bonita Beach to the Uchilla River, including Tampa Bay.

Other areas of Florida are at low alert levels, and the NHC has also included other areas of Georgia and the Carolinas.

Forecasters noted that Elsa, moving north at a translation speed of 14 mph (22 kph), is expected to maintain this track tonight to experience movement to the north-northeast on Wednesday.

All Florida included in the planned route has been declared an emergency by Governor DeSantis.

DeSantis said that while no mandatory evacuation order has been issued, residents, especially in the 33 counties under the state of emergency, should be aware of weather conditions in their area.

The governor urged residents to prepare for the impact of the system and stay informed of the situation.

He advised against traveling by road due to the possibility of flooding, and advised those affected by their homes to take pictures of the damage immediately.

In addition to wind gusts, the Elsa Trail area can experience sea level rise as a result of a combination of storms, tides, rain floods, river flows, and hurricanes.

Elsa will not be the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in the United States this year. Claudette in Alabama and Danny in South Carolina actually did.

Fifth tropical storm of 2021 in the Atlantic Ocean, Elsa also became the first hurricane of the year in the Atlantic basin as it passed through the eastern Caribbean until it reached Cuba on Monday.