Wreaking havoc throughout Haiti and the Dominican Republic this weekend, Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to pass by Key West, Florida late Monday and make landfall near Tampa. 

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has labeled Elsa as a tropical storm at 11 a.m. Sunday, the storm has already claimed three lives according to the Miami Herald.

Elsa is expected to stay as a tropical storm and reach west of Jacksonville on Tuesday night. If the storm remains on the course reported by the NHC, it will pass into Georgia by Tuesday at midnight. 

The NHC warns that “Tropical Storm and Surge Storm Watches are in effect for portions of the west coast of the Florida peninsula where tropical storm conditions and a dangerous storm surge are possible beginning as early as Monday night and continuing into Tuesday.”

A Tropical Storm Watch is now in effect as far north as the Tampa Bay area along Florida's west coast. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Bonita Beach northward to the Suwanee River. More info: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB #Elsa pic.twitter.com/7eKYf74GLb

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) July 4, 2021

Watches and Warnings in Effect

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…

• The Cuban provinces of Camagüey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, Santiago de Cuba, Ciego de Ávila, Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Mayabeque, and Havana
• Jamaica
• The Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for –

• The Cuban provinces of Camagüey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for –

• West coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for –

• Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
• The Cuban province of Artemisa
• The Florida Keys from east of Craig Key to Ocean Reef
• Florida Bay
• West coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to the Anclote River

More information can be found here.

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