Elsa Strengthens Into Season's First Hurricane As It Heads Towards Florida

Elsa strengthened in the warm waters of the Caribbean on Friday, becoming the first hurricane of the season. Elsa has sustained winds of 75 mph, with gusts topping 86 mph. Elsa set a record on Thursday, becoming the earliest E-named storm when it became a Tropical Storm.

The previous record was set just last year, when Edouard formed on July 6, 2020. There was a record 30 named storms in 2020.

Elsa is moving northwest at 28 mph as it blows through the Caribbean towards Florida. A hurricane warning has been issued for Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and St. Lucia, while parts of southern Haiti are under a hurricane watch.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Windward Islands, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. A tropical storm watch has been issued for Jamaica.

Elsa is expected to slow down and could dump between four and eight inches of rain as it barrels through the Caribbean over the weekend. The storm is forecast to reach Florida and could bring hurricane-force winds and flooding rains to the area by late Monday night, though meteorologists are unsure exactly what path Elsa will take in the coming days.

Elsa could impact the ongoing rescue effort at the partially collapsed condo building in Miami.