In a matter of a few hours, Tropical Storm Elsa will be making landfall in Central Florida, by passing Naples and Marco Island. Although we have missed the brunt of the storm, we can expect an increase in winds and rain the rest of the day.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/204039.shtml?cone#contents
As of this morning, Naples and Marco Island area appears to no longer be in the cone of Tropical Storm Elsa. However, Naples and Marco Island can expect a lot of rain today as Elsa goes up the West coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/114641.shtml?tswind120#contents
This afternoon Tropical Storm Elsa passed over Cuba and is now heading towards the Florida Keys. It is expected that Elsa will stay in the Gulf of Mexico as the storm passes Naples and Marco Island tomorrow afternoon.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/204840.shtml?cone#contents
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2021-07-05-tropical-storm-elsa-forecast-florida-southeast
Right now Elsa is making landfall in West-Central Cuba as a Tropical Storm. The current projected track of the storm has Elsa moving through the Florida Keys tonight and working up towards the west coast of Florida Tuesday.
Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to make landfall over Jamaica this morning. During the night, the movement of the storm has significantly decreased. Tropical Storm Elsa is now moving WNW at roughly 13mph.
Although there is no call for evacuation in Naples or Marco Island a Tropical Storm Watch has been put in effect for Collier County.
The Tropical Storm watch is currently in effect until Saturday July 10th.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/115918.shtml?cone#contents
This afternoon around 11am, Hurricane Elsa weakened back into a Tropical Storm. Since then, the storm has passed over Haiti and is now moving towards Hispaniola and Cuba. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has officially declared a state of emergency for 15 counties, including Collier.
Below is a graph demonstrating Elsa’s projected path as of 2pm this afternoon.
At this moment, Elsa is expected to stay a Tropical Storm as it reaches Florida.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/175113.shtml?cone#contents
Currently Hurricane Elsa is continuing on path, headed directly towards Hispaniola. At the moment, Hurricane Elsa is expected to weaken going over the islands. However, the projected path of the storm continues on towards the Florida Keys after passing over Cuba.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/120029.shtml?cone#contents
Hurricane Elsa has moved past the Windward Islands and has continued on its path towards Haiti and Cuba as a category 1 Hurricane. However, Elsa is currently projected to dissipate back into a Tropical Storm by Monday afternoon and stay a Tropical Storm as it heads towards Florida. The cone of uncertainty is still projected over all of Florida.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/205743.shtml?cone#contents
This morning, Tropical Storm Elsa got upgraded to the first Hurricane of the 2021 season. Currently, the storm is located south of the Barbados and is continuing on a West-Northwest track. Due to Hurricane Elsa’s probable interaction with land, such as the Caribbean and Windward Islands, the projected strength and cone in regards to Florida is very uncertain. Therefore it is very important to continue monitoring Hurricane Elsa this Holiday weekend.
Below is a graph demonstrating Elsa’s projected path as of 8am this morning.
As you can see, all of Florida is projected to experience some effect from Hurricane Elsa next week. Therefore, now is a good time to take the proper precautions needed to protect your home.
For our clients who are on the Storm Service Roster, we are actively preparing your home for Hurricane Elsa.
At this time, the storm does not necessitate the need for hurricane shutters or the bringing in of all furniture. The best course of action, which we are taking, is to bring in all light furniture, ornamentation, decorations, ect. Currently, all heavy furniture and potted plants are consolidated into the corners of the protected areas of the lanai.
Beyond this, we are also taking the time to disconnect all propane lines.
If you have not left the Naples or Marco Island area for the season yet, there are a few extra precautionary steps you should consider taking.
If you are still here please take the necessary steps listed below to minimize the chance of an issue occurring during the storm:
Earlier this morning, Tropical Storm Elsa became the fifth named storm of the 2021 season. Currently, the projected landfall in Southwest Florida is early Tuesday morning. It has the possibility of becoming a hurricane before it lands. Therefore, Halo Home Watch is taking extra caution in monitoring and preparing for this storm.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/atlantic/elsa-2021
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/storm-tracker/