NHC: Elsa Still On Track To Affect Florida By Tuesday

Daytona Beach, FL - New updates from the National Hurricane Center still put Tropical Storm Elsa on track to hit parts of Florida beginning on Tuesday (July 6). According to their 2:00 p.m. update from Monday (July 5), Elsa is predicted to make landfall in Key West around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday. From there, the storm is expected to travel up the Gulf Coast of the peninsula before making a turn to the northeast, where it’s expected to pass over the Panhandle by Wednesday (July 7) morning. Tropical Storm warnings and watches have already been issued for most of the peninsula and the Keys. Intensity readings from meteorlogists studying the storm show there has been no significant change in the system’s barometric pressure as winds hold steady around 57 mph/50 kt. Some are concerned that the storm could strengthen slightly as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico. But NHC forecasters say strengthening is likely to be limited by moderate westerly shear over the Gulf.