As hurricane season pushes forward in Florida, we’ve been keeping you updated on everything happening with Tropical Storm Elsa’s path along the coast.

And, as the week begins, we’re giving you an update on the latest news surrounding Elsa!

Previously, Elsa was upgraded to a hurricane as it made its way towards Florida. But, later on, forecasters downgraded it to a tropical storm as it lost its strength moving towards the Florida coastline. Tropical Storm Elsa has already made landfall in Cuba and surrounding islands with high winds and rain, causing damage.

According to the Weather Channel, there is a possibility that the storm could strengthen along the way to Florida. However, its landfall in Cuba may slow its path down. Elsa will most likely arrive in Southern Florida tonight before making its way throughout the northern part of the state on Tuesday and Wednesday. After Elsa’s center will pass over the southeast Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, the warm waters could build the storm up again. But, the wind shear will most likely limit how much of this occurs.

The Weather Channel reports that Tropical Storm Elsa will bring rain, wind, flooding, surges, tornadoes, and more in its path. The Florida Keys and Florida Peninsula could see 2 to 4 inches of rain with the possibility of 6 inches and flash flooding in local and suburban areas. Winds around 40 miles per hour or more could appear in South Florida by this evening before making their way upwards through the Florida Peninsula over the next few days. Tropical storm force winds are predicted at this point with damages to tree limbs, fallen trees, and scattered power outages.

There is the possibility of a storm surge near where Elsa’s center may be if a peak surge arrives at the time of high tide. These effects could happen in the following locations, according to the Weather Channel:

• A storm surge of 2 to 4 feet above ground level at along Florida’s western coast, from Bonita Beach to the mouth of the Ochlockonee River, including Tampa Bay.
• A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet above ground level in southwest Florida from Flamingo to Bonita Beach.
• A storm surge of 1 to 2 feet above ground level in the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas including Florida Bay, as well as along the Panhandle coast from the mouth of the Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass.

There may also be a few tornadoes and waterspouts through Wednesday in parts of the Florida Peninsula. Tropical storm conditions will begin in the Lower and Middle Keys tonight and throughout Florida’s west coast on Tuesday. At this time, there are tropical storm warnings in the following locations:

• Portions of the Florida Keys, from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas
• Along the west coast of Florida from Flamingo to the Suwannee River, including Key West, Marco Island, Naples, Sanibel Island, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Tampa-St. Petersburg. 

Tropical storm conditions are also expected to begin in the Upper Keys tonight and Florida’s Big Bend on Tuesday night. Tropical storm watches have been issued in these locations:

• Craig Key eastward to Ocean Reef, including Florida Bay
• North of the Suwannee River to Indian Pass, near Apalachicola
• Cuba has some warnings in effect still

Ahead of the storm’s arrival, Governor Ron DeSantis issued a State of Emergency in various Florida counties. These currently include Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Desoto, Hardy, Hernando Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties. The county where Disney World is located isn’t in this list at the moment.

Of course, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on everything you need to know about Tropical Storm Elsa! Stay tuned with AllEars for the latest Disney news coming soon!

The Disney Dreamer Academy is coming back to Disney World!

Do you have plans to go to Disney World soon? Let us know in the comments below!

Post a Comment