Will Hurricane Elsa slam Staten Island?
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Tropical Storm Elsa has strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic storm season, triggering warnings along the coast. The storm became a Category 1 hurricane after its maximum sustained winds grew to 75 mph Friday morning and 85 mph later in the day, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane center announced warnings over the weekend for St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. Barbados is presently experiencing hurricane conditions. The storms impact on Florida is predicted to be heavy-hitting as officials advised Floridians to prepare for severe weather as they continue to monitor Elsas progress. There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge along portions of the west coast of Florida tonight and Wednesday, says the National Hurricane Center. The NHC issued a Tropical Storm Watch for the Georgia coast and portions of the South Carolina coast where tropical storm conditions are possible late Wednesday and early Thursday. Heavy rainfall is expected across coastal Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Wind moves the grass and palm trees under a cloudy sky after the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 5, 2021. According to ABC Meteorologist Jeff Smith, Elsa may interact with a front as the system heads to the northeast and off the coast near Delaware and New Jersey early Friday morning. This means we may experience heavy thunderstorms, rain and gusty winds in our area. Elsa will pass just east of Long Island and NYC Friday morning, then speed up into southern New England around Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard.