Good morning everyone!
As expected, Elsa is approaching the West Coast of Florida as a strong tropical storm this morning, with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph.
Radar shows that the storm is lopsided, also expected. Most of the heavy rainbands are to the east and northeast of the center, due to some strong upper-level winds and dry air to the west of the storm. This is good because it will keep the storm from strengthening too much over the warm Gulf, but it means much of the West Coast of Florida and inland parts of the Peninsula will see some nasty weather from these bands today.
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Radar Image out of Key West this Morning |
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Zoomed out Radar View |
Tropical storm warnings are up for most of the Florida West Coast and Big Bend, with Tropical Storm watches up west to near Apalachicola. There is also a Hurricane Watch up from near Tampa to the Big Bend, as it is possible Elsa could reattain Category 1 hurricane status before making landfall. Impacts will be similar no matter what the official classification is. There are also Storm Surge Warnings up for most of the Florida West Coast. Water levels 3-5 feet above normal high tides are possible.
1. Heavy rain over much of the Florida Peninsula.
2. 3-5 feet of Storm Surge over the West Coast of Florida. This could cause some problems depending on the timing relative to high tide.
3. Isolated tornadoes over the Florida Peninsula.
4. 60-70 mph wind gusts, especially near the coasts, causing some spotty power outages.
Be safe and hunker down!
Andy
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