Tropical Storm Elsa Moves Onshore North of Tampa

Posted: July 7, 2021 3:37 pm

Elsa May Pick Up Steam Again in Atlantic Ocean

After days of watching and speculating, Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall in Taylor County, Florida, just to the north of the city of Steinhatchee. Elsa came onshore at about 11 am local time after spending time running up the west coast of Florida, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to this portion of the state.

Elsa brought sustained wind speeds of 65 mph as it moved to the north at 14 mph when it came on land. The storm is expected to maintain its northeastward trajectory as it plows through the Sunshine State and into Georgia and the Carolinas. Along with torrential rainfall and strong winds, the storm will also bring the chance of severe thunderstorms and isolated tornado outbreaks. The National Weather Service (NWS) has already confirmed an EF0 tornado touchdown south of Lake City, Florida. The twister was reported at about 7:30 am Wednesday, bringing down multiple trees as it tore through the area.

Elsa’s History

It has been a long journey for Elsa. The feature developed into a tropical storm late last week as it churned across Barbados and Cuba on its way through the Caribbean. Elsa briefly intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on Tuesday evening as it traveled parallel along the Gulf Coast of Florida. However, the storm weakened back into a tropical storm in the early hours Wednesday prior to making its landfall.

As a result of the downgrade in status, the existing hurricane warnings were changed to tropical storm warnings when Elsa neared the coast. Storm surge warnings are still in place along the western coastal regions of Florida. A surge of up to three feet is possible.

Elsa Delivers Heavy Rain

Current forecasts predict rainfall of up to 8 inches along Elsa’s path. After the storm moves through Florida, it will charge into southeastern Georgia before moving into South Carolina, North Carolina, and the southeastern corner of Virginia. Elsa’s relatively fast speed will help to keep rainfall amounts down compared to previous storms. However, it will still be enough precipitation to lead to flooding in some low-lying areas as streams and rivers reach their limits.

As expected, the Gulf Coast of Florida saw the highest amount of rain from Elsa. Port Charlotte recorded over 10 inches of rain.

Wind to be an Issue

Along with the heavy rain, the wind is going to be an issue as Elsa roars through the region and picks up speed. Forecasters are warning of gusts of up to 60 mph throughout the northwestern part of the Florida peninsula. As of mid-day Thursday, about 10,000 customers were without power as a result of Elsa.

What is Next for Elsa

Forecasters do not think it will be long before Elsa is downgraded to a tropical depression. After spending Wednesday and most of Thursday wreaking havoc in the Southeast, Elsa is forecast to move off the mid-Atlantic coast late Thursday and into Friday. Once it reaches the ocean waters, it is predicted to regain its tropical storm strength again. Current models show that Elsa may bring significant impacts to the Northeast as it skirts the coast in the coming days.

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