NHC: Elsa Becomes First Hurricane Of Atlantic Season

Daytona Beach, FL – Five storms into hurricane season and the Atlantic has its first hurricane. According to the 11:00 am update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, recent findings indicate that Hurricane Elsa has become better organized, and additional radar data from Barbados and Martinique have shown attempts at eye formation. There is also little change to the forecast track of Elsa since their last advisory, as all guidance is in agreement on a rapid west-northwestward motion to near the south coast of the Dominican Republic. However, forecast tracks begin to split from there. Some predict a west-northwestward motion through the Yucatan Channel or western Cuba, while others suggest a northward motion through the Bahamas. Therefore, forecasters agree the latter portion of the track forecast remains unclear. Intensity forecasts also suggest that Elsa will strengthen some in the next 36 hours as the system moves through an environment of light westerly shear. After that, land interaction, along with less favorable winds over the Gulf of Mexico, is likely to cause weakening to Elsa. Hurricane warnings have been issued on the south coast of the Dominican Republic, from Punta Palenque to the border with Haiti. As of the most recent forecasts, Elsa will not begin making landfall in Cuba and Jamaica until Sunday morning at the earliest. It’s also unlikely that Elsa won’t affect Florida until Monday at the earliest. While forecasts begin to differ beyond there, the NHC still predicts that the storm will likely have weakened back into tropical storm status.