Elsa strengthens in a hurricane, and makes landfall in Florida

A hurricane warning has been issued for parts of Florida’s west coast. “Life-threatening” storms, isolated floods and cyclones are possible. Isolated areas of Florida can see up to 15 inches of rain. Vero Beach, Florida. – More than 4 million people received warnings along the west coast of Florida Tuesday as Elsa strengthened again and turned into a hurricane, overtaking the Key West region and closer to the Sunshine State. A hurricane warning was in effect from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River. A hurricane warning means that a hurricane is expected in the area, in this case, within the next 24 hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Preparations to protect life and property must be completed quickly,” the Hurricane Center said. The storm was centered about 100 miles south-southwest of Tampa, as of 8 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, packing winds of 75 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm moved north at 10 mph, much slower than its record pace of over 30 mph last week, and tropical storm winds extended outward as far as 90 miles from its center. Earlier Tuesday, Key West International Airport had sustained winds of up to 70 mph, and 5 people were rescued off the coast of Key West, the US Coast Guard said on Twitter. Nine people were still missing as of Tuesday night. Strong winds and torrential rain swept parts of southern Florida on Tuesday morning. The warning warned of the potential for “life-threatening” storms, isolated floods and cyclones. Much of the southern part of Florida was under hurricane watch. NWS expected Elsa to make landfall north of Tampa early Wednesday morning. The warning said Tampa International Airport plans to close Tuesday at 5 p.m., and isolated pockets may reach 9 inches, though most places across the Keys will see 3 to 6 inches. Cubans flee: 180,000 Cubans flee their homes as Tropical Storm Elsa hits the beach. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for more than twenty of the state’s 67 counties. At a press briefing Tuesday morning, DeSantis reminded residents not to focus on Elsa’s “cone of concern” because “the effects of the storm are well projected outside of that area.” “And if you look at how the storm is happening, it is incredibly unbalanced with the East,” DeSantis said. “So most of the rain will be east of the storm’s epicenter.” President Joe Biden approved the state’s emergency declaration, which means the federal government will fund 75% of evacuation and shelter support costs. Miami-Dade County, which removed DeSantis from its emergency list, has not been completely excluded. Heavy rain and strong winds were reported, and lightning late Monday forced crews to halt the search for victims of the June 24 apartment collapse in Surfside, officials said. MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa has evacuated some aircraft to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. , before the storm, Elsa skidded west of the Florida Keys Tuesday morning and was expected to move near or over parts of Florida’s west coast later on Tuesday and Wednesday. The warning said it will travel across the southeastern United States through Thursday. “The weakness will start after Elsa’s move inside by late Wednesday morning.” After Florida, Elsa will hit the coast of Georgia and South Carolina, parts of which were under a tropical storm warning, forecasters predicted, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency on Tuesday affecting 92 counties in central, south and southeast Georgia in preparation for a hurricane watch. for the Central West Coast and Big Bend Coast in Florida. A tropical storm watch was issued for the Georgia coast and parts of the South Carolina coast, and about 180,000 Cubans fled their homes before the storm. There were no immediate reports of deaths there. The warning stated that 5 to 10 inches of rain with maximum isolated amounts of 15 inches was expected, across parts of Cuba through Tuesday night, leading to “sudden floods and major mudslides.” Elsa has been blamed for at least three deaths as she swept the Caribbean last week. Elsa is the first named fifth storm on record, said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, and it broke the record as the fastest-moving hurricane in the tropics, clocking in at 31 mph on Saturday morning. Meteorologist Jeff Cornish said the season isn’t over yet — “only in the second half, season by season, if this is a baseball game.” Tracing Elsa’s path, model Elsa Spaghetti Bacon reported from Arlington, Virginia; Rice is from Silver Spring, Maryland. Contributing: Elinor Aspegren, USA TODAY; Diane Pantaleo, The (Lafayette, La.) Daily Advertiser; The Associated Press