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After making landfall in Florida, the storm is expected to pass north through the southeastern United States.
Tropical Storm Elsa is strengthening and may become a hurricane before making landfall on the Gulf Coast of northern Florida, the United States based in Miami National Hurricane Center Warning on Tuesday.
In addition to destructive winds and heavy rain, Elsa can also bring life-threatening storm surges, floods and isolated tornadoes. Hurricane warnings have been issued for a long stretch of coastline.
The National Hurricane Center said in an advisory report: “Although the environment is not conducive to a significant increase before landing, only a slight increase in intensity will cause Elsa to become a hurricane”, Tuesday night or early Wednesday.
Experts say that the Tampa area is very vulnerable to storm surges because the offshore waters and Tampa Bay are very shallow.
Strong winds and heavy rain hit Key West on Tuesday morning and flooded the streets as the storm passed over the sea.
But in the Barrier Island beach town on the Gulf of Mexico, everything is basically business as usual, with almost no shutters or plywood. Free sandbags were distributed at several locations, and a limited number of storm shelters were opened in at least four counties around the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday morning, but no evacuation was ordered.
The storm has complicated the search for survivors Apartment collapsed in Miami area 12 days ago.
The rainband is expected to reach Surfside on the Atlantic coast of Florida, soaking in the rubble of southern Champlain that collapsed on June 24. Killed at least 32 peopleOfficials said that search and rescue personnel braved the rain to find more than 100 people listed as missing, but had to stop at the time of lightning threats and in a garage area in the pancake shards that had been filled with water on Monday.
Earlier Tuesday, Elsa’s maximum sustained wind speed was 112 km/h (70 mph). Expected to slowly strengthen by Tuesday night, Elsa may be in hurricane strength before making landfall in Florida. Its core is located approximately 152 kilometers (95 miles) northwest of Key West, Florida, and 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Tampa. According to the National Hurricane Center, it continues to move north-northwest at a speed of 16 km/h (10 mph).
In Havana, Cuba, fishermen inspect their boats after being taken out of the bay to avoid damage from tropical storm Elsa [Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis extended the state of emergency to a dozen counties, and Elsa is expected to quickly pass through these counties on Wednesday.
Forecasters predict that Elsa will attack the coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina after Florida. The coast of Georgia and most of the coast of South Carolina are under tropical storm surveillance. Forecasters say that as Elsa moves north, tornadoes may hit eastern Carolina and Virginia.
Forecasters say that if Elsa passes during high tide, the storm surge could reach 1.5 meters (5 feet) on the normally dry land in the Tampa Bay area.
Tampa International Airport is scheduled to close at 5 pm on Tuesday.
Cuban officials 180,000 evacuation On Sunday, a storm has swept through several islands in the Caribbean Sea, killing at least three people, and people are opposed to the severe flooding that the storm may cause.
The capital Havana woke up after a rainy night, the sky was gloomy, but there was no major flooding or damage on Tuesday. After the authorities lifted the tropical storm warning, Cubans returned to the streets, although heavy rains will continue in parts of the country.
According to government officials, preliminary estimates of the damage are over 12 million U.S. dollars in Saint Lucia and over 5.3 million U.S. dollars in Jamaica.
Brian McNaughty, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, said that Elsa was the first fifth storm on record.
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