KILLER Storm Elsa has made landfall in Taylor County in Florida after a hurricane warning and a tornado watch and warning have been declared.
Bringing with it deadly 70mph winds, three people have already been killed by the storm as it battered Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Elsa could hit this morning – making landfall in Florida, before heading to Georgia and South Carolina.
Elsa was the earliest fifth named storm on record, beating out last year’s Eduardo which formed on July 6, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Read our Hurricane Elsa live blog below for the latest news and updates…
- Julia Fields
ELSE DOWNGRADED FROM HURRICANE TO TROPICAL STORM
- Julia Fields
HURRICANE ELSA MAKES LANDFALL
- Julia Fields
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SHARES SAFETY JINGLE
- Julia Fields
SEARCH EFFORTS CONTINUES
Despite the unfavorable weather, search efforts continue in the rubble of the Miami condo building that collapsed.
- Julia Fields
FALLING TREES
- Julia Fields
AFTERMATH
- Julia Fields
HOURS AFTER HURRICANE
- Julia Fields
BRUTE FORCE
- Julia Fields
HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES THIS MORNING
- Jocelyn Cook
SOCIAL MEDIA USERS SHARE VIDEOS OF HURRICANE ELSA
Twitter users took to the social media platform to share videos of Hurricane Elsa as she made her way across Florida.
One user shared a video from Clearwater Beach around midnight.
Another shared a clip from Poinciana.
"Our first squall line came through this afternoon in Poinciana FL. #HurricaneElsa," he wrote.
- Jocelyn Cook
HURRICANE ELSA'S PATH IS RARE
Senior Research Associate at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School, Brian McNoldy, tweeted about how rare Hurricane Elsa's timing and path are.
"Just how extraordinary is it to have a hurricane in the eastern Caribbean before mid-July?" he wrote.
"Well, do 1933 and 2005 mean anything to you? Those are the only two years it happened before."
- Jocelyn Cook
EXPERTS DON'T EXPECT ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON 2021 TO BE AS BAD AS 2020
The Atlantic hurricane season will likely not be as chaotic as 2020, weather experts revealed on May 20.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is estimating that there will be 13 to 20 named storms in 2021.
They're not expecting the same degree of storm activity as seen in 2020.
- Jocelyn Cook
WHAT TROPICAL STORM ELSA LOOKS LIKE FROM SPACE
On July 4, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur shared what the storm looked like from space.
- Jocelyn Cook
TAMPA AIRPORT SUSPENDS OPERATIONS
Tampa Airport suspended operations from 5pm ET on Tuesday.
Operations are not due to restart until Wednesday morning.
Officials closed schools, businesses, and airports in the state as Hurricane Elsa approached the coast.
- Jocelyn Cook
RESIDENTS WARNED THE POWER MAY GO OUT
A hurricane watch is in place for part of Florida's western Gulf Coast.
Residents have been warned of power outages as high winds threaten to cause damage in the area.
- Jocelyn Cook
WIND GUSTS INCREASING
A reporter in Tampa shared a video of tree branches whipping around as wind gusts from Hurricane Elsa increased in St. Petersburg.
- Jocelyn Cook
HURRICANE ELSA IN MADEIRA BEACH
A local news outlet shared an image of the storm arriving in Madeira Beach, Florida.
- Jocelyn Cook
ELSA STRENGTHENED TO CATEGORY 1
Meteorologist and storm chaser Beth Carpenter tweeted on Tuesday night that Elsa had strengthened.
"Elsa has strengthened into a Category 1 #hurricane once again with 75mph winds, and will maintain hurricane strength through landfall. #FLwx," she wrote.
- Jocelyn Cook
ELSA WINDS COULD REACH 70MPH
Meteorologist and storm chaser Beth Carpenter tweeted about what winds to expect with Hurricane Elsa on Tuesday morning.
"The sun is rising on Tropical Storm #Elsa which maintains 60mph sustained winds," she wrote.
"It’s expected to strengthen over the next 24 hours while over the warm Gulf, and should reach high-end TS strength of 70mph before landfall in #Florida. #Hurricane Watches have been issued. #FLwx."
- Jocelyn Cook
UNIQUE SUNSET AHEAD OF ELSA
People in Florida have taken to Twitter to share pictures of the sky as the hurricane comes closer.
- Jocelyn Cook
ELSA WILL BE LIKE 'A TROPICAL STORM EVENT'
The chief meteorologist at FOX13 in Tampa, Paul Dellegatto, tweeted that the intensity of Elsa might be different depending on where Florida residents are.
"Despite #ELSA being 'upgraded' to CAT 1 hurricane status, this will be a tropical storm event for most, if not all of our area," he wrote.
"The strongest winds will be confined to areas right along the coast. Winds and rain will drop appreciably inland."
- Jocelyn Cook
HURRICANE WATCH SWITCHED TO HURRICANE WARNING
Paul Dellegatto, the chief meteorologist at FOX13 in Tampa, reported on Twitter that the hurricane watch for Elsa had turned into a hurricane warning on Tuesday afternoon.
- Jocelyn Cook
WIND GUSTS 'HAMPERING' MIAMI CONDO RESCUE EFFORTS
Charles Burkett, the mayor of Surfside, warned the gusts were "hampering" crews operating heavy cranes.
Officials in Sunny Isles Beach said 59 multi-story buildings built in the city before 1982 will be inspected following the Surfside collapse.
Mayor Burkett said they have "deep concerns" about the structure of sister tower Champlain Towers North as investigations remain ongoing.
- Jocelyn Cook
REMAINING PORTION OF MIAMI CONDO DEMOLISHED
The remaining portion of the Surfside, Florida, condo was demolished on Sunday amid fears that Storm Elsa could hinder search and rescue progress.
Explosions were heard at about 10.30pm ET before the building started to fall.
The move was a key step in resuming the search for victims as rescuers tried to gain access to new areas of the rubble.
- Jocelyn Cook
DOWNED TREES INJURE HAITIANS DUE TO HURRICANE ELSA
Downed trees were reported in Haiti, which is especially vulnerable to floods and landslides because of widespread erosion and deforestation.
Haiti's Civil Protection Agency said Sunday that three people had been injured by downed trees.
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