Tropical Storm Elsa Gets Closer To Landfall In The Big Bend

TS Elsa 8am Wed

Photo: NHC

Tropical Storm Elsa on track to make landfall later this morning or this afternoon in the Big Bend area of Florida. It still has 65 mph maximum sustained winds. As of the 8 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Elsa is 35 miles west of Cedar Key and heading north at 14 miles per hour.

SUMMARY OF 800 AM EDT...1200 UTC...INFORMATION

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LOCATION...29.2N 83.6W

ABOUT 35 MI...55 KM W OF CEDAR KEY FLORIDA

ABOUT 115 MI...185 KM NW OF TAMPA FLORIDA

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...65 MPH...100 KM/H

PRESENT MOVEMENT...N OR 360 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...999 MB...29.50 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

--------------------

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

The Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Warnings have been discontinued

south of the Middle of Longboat Key.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for...

* West coast of Florida from the Middle of Longboat Key to the

Aucilla River, including Tampa Bay

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for...

* West coast of Florida from Chassahowitzka to the Steinhatchee

River

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...

* West coast of Florida from south of Chassahowitzka to the Middle

of Longboat Key

* West coast of Florida north of the Steinhatchee River to

Ochlockonee River

* Mouth of St. Marys River, Georgia to Little River Inlet, South

Carolina

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...

* West of the Aucilla River to the Ochlockonee River, Florida

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...

* North of Little River Inlet, South Carolina to Chincoteague,

Virginia

* Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK

----------------------

At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was

located by an Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft and NWS

Doppler radars near latitude 29.2 North, longitude 83.6 West. Elsa

is moving toward the north near 14 mph (22 km/h), and a general

northward motion is expected to continue through this afternoon. A

turn toward the north-northeast is expected late this afternoon or

tonight, followed by a faster northeastward motion by late Thursday.

On the forecast track, Elsa will make landfall along the north

Florida Gulf coast by late this morning or this afternoon. The

storm should then move across the southeastern and mid-Atlantic

United States through Thursday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph (100 km/h) with higher

gusts. Little change in strength is likely until landfall later

today. Weakening will begin after Elsa moves inland later today.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km)

from the center. A C-MAN station at Cedar Key, Florida, recently

measured a sustained wind of 41 mph (66 km/h) gusting to 51 mph (66

km/h).

The minimum central pressure estimated from Air Force Hurricane

Hunter observations is 999 mb (29.50 inches).


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