Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to turn into a hurricane before making landfall

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JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to become a Category 1 before making landfall along the Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center reported Tuesday evening.

According to the 5 p.m. update, Elsa’s winds remained steady at 70 mph as she was traveling slightly eastward toward the Tampa Bay area with her sights set on Big Bend in Florida.

The NHC said the storm was central about 155 miles southwest of Tampa and moving north at 10 mph.

Anticipating the storm to intensify, a 2 p.m. hurricane warning was issued for areas along the state’s Gulf Coast from Egmont Key to the Steinhache River. Tropical storm warnings extend inland from the Gulf Coast to include Alachua, Baker, Bradford and Columbia counties. The Tropical Storm Watch is for Clay, Duval and Western Nassau counties in Florida and Brantley, Charlton, Camden and Glen counties in southeast Georgia.

Tropical Storm Elsa: July 6, 5 p.m. update

Elsa: Effects on Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia | What do you expect where you live | Track Expeditions: Interactive Map

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A tropical storm warning has also been issued for the Georgia coast from the mouth of the Saint Mary River to Altamaha Sound.

Earlier in the day, Key West was gusting 70 mph with four inches of rain after Elsa passed 50 miles west of the island city. But a tropical storm warning for the Florida Keys east of the seven-mile bridge has been suspended.

The 5pm track update showed very little change, bringing the storm across north central Florida on Wednesday.

In preparation for the effects, schools across the state, including those in Duval County and the University of Florida, made the decision to close operations on Wednesday.

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In addition to damaging winds and torrential rain, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening storms, flash floods and scattered tornadoes.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in dozens of counties, including Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, Union and Columbia.

DeSantis said it’s important that Florida residents think outside the cone.

“Impacts are expected outside of that area, and if you look at how the storm is going, it’s incredibly unbalanced with the east. So most of the precipitation will be east of the storm center.”

DeSantis said the state was revitalizing its emergency operations center to level 1, a move it wouldn’t normally take for a tropical storm. He said this is because some affected counties do not have the financial resources to deal with the effects of Elsa without some help from the state.

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Here are the key messages at 5PM ET regarding Tropical Storm #Elsa. Strong winds and heavy rain will spread north through western central Florida this evening. pic.twitter.com/NqxNzDfOar

– National Hurricane Center (NHC_Atlantic) July 6, 2021

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said Duval County is prepared for any impacts the order might bring to northeastern Florida.

“We’ve been through this a few times together, unfortunately, over the past few years,” Carey said during an interview Tuesday on The Morning Show.

He said city workers were out over the weekend to clear drainage ditches to help with any potential flooding after a steady downpour before the storm.

The NHC’s track forecast points to some minor impacts over Jacksonville, northeastern Florida, and southeast Georgia late Tuesday through Wednesday.

Elsa’s shift to the west avoided a direct hit on the lower Florida Keys, but the islands still got plenty of rain and wind on Tuesday.

Bunches of rain were expected to reach Surfside on Florida’s Atlantic coast, inundating the ruins of the Champlain South Towers, which collapsed on June 24, killing at least 32 people. Officials said search and rescue crews worked in the rain for more than 100 others listed as missing, but should pause when lightning threatens, and an area in a wreckage already filled with water on Monday.

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Forecasters warn that the storm could push a gust of water into Tampa Bay neighborhoods. Tampa International Airport is scheduled to close on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Desoto, Hardy, Hernando, Hillsboro, Lee, Levi, Manatee, Miami Daddy, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. President Joe Biden has announced a federal disaster order for the same 15 counties.

Elsa is the fifth named storm of the season and the first Atlantic hurricane of 2021.

Stay in touch with The Weather Authority so you won’t be surprised when Elsa affects our area.

Copyright 2021 WJXT / News4Jax and The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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