Elsa Makes Mark as First Hurricane of 2021 Atlantic Season

Posted: July 11, 2021 7:32 am

Elsa is now a thing of the past for the US. However, after days of pounding the Caribbean, the Florida Peninsula, the Southeast, and the entirety of the eastern seaboard, the memories of this tropical storm will not be forgotten soon. Here are a few interesting facts about Elsa.

First Hurricane of 2021 for the Atlantic: Elsa carries the distinction of being the first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season. Although it was only a tropical storm when it made landfall in the US, it briefly achieved hurricane status on July 1 while it was meandering around in the Caribbean Sea. At its height, the storm boasted maximum wind speeds of 75 mph when it reached the level of a hurricane near Barbados.

While most forecasters expected Elsa to weaken to a tropical depression when it made landfall in Florida, it continued as a tropical storm as it made its way up the East Coast. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Elsa was able to maintain sustained winds of 50 mph as it moved into New England marking the end of its long journey through the US.

Earliest E-named Storm in History: In addition to being the first official hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season, Elsa was also the earliest E-named storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean. Forming on July 1, Elsa knocked off Tropical Storm Edouard from the 2020 season. Edouard formed on July 6 during a season that went on to smash a bevy of tropical weather records.

Tampa Spared Once Again: Once again, the city of Tampa was spared from a major hurricane landfall. The Tampa Bay metropolitan area has an impressive streak of avoiding hurricane strikes. Despite the Tampa region being under a hurricane warning at one point last week, Tropical Storm Elsa instead came on to shore in Taylor County, approximately 200 miles north of Tampa. The storm hit land at about 11 am on Wednesday morning, packing winds of 65 mph.

The fortunate news is that Elsa hit the sparsely populated Big Bend region of the Gulf Coast. The first area on land to experience the center of Elsa was near Horseshoe Beach.
Elsa brought down trees and damaged roofs as it moved through the region.

While there is no scientific reason explaining how Tampa continues to avoid these hurricane strikes, some people believe that there is a supernatural force protecting the area. Centuries ago, the Tocobaga tribe made their home along the coastline of Tampa Bay. The tribe died out after Spanish explorers brought disease and conflict to the area in the 16th century. Locals believe that the large burial mounds of the Tocobaga tribe that still dot the landscape of Tampa Bay offer protection from hurricanes.

Elsa Claims One Life Although Elsa did not cause any injuries or fatalities with its initial strike, the storm is being blamed for one death in Jacksonville, Florida. Elsa’s strong wind gusts brought down a tree onto two vehicles during the middle of the Wednesday afternoon commute, killing one passenger. At the time of the accident, winds were measuring as strong as 50 mph.

Elsa also spurned a tornado that is responsible for at least 10 injuries in coastal Georgia.

Search and Rescue Mission Changed Due to Elsa: One of the headlines that Elsa will be most remembered for is the effects that it had on the search and rescue mission after a condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida. Although the collapse was not the result of Elsa, happening well before the storm formed in the Caribbean, its impending arrival to Florida forced officials to decide to demolish the remaining part of the high-rise building near Miami.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett justified the decision to bring down the rest of the building by saying that authorities wanted to be the ones to take down the remains of the condominium in a controlled manner before Elsa could destroy it and complicate the recovery efforts.

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