Hurricane Elsa is nearing the south coast of Hispaniola
July 3, 2021, 12:55 PM
• 4 min read
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleHurricane Elsa is nearing the south coast of Hispaniola Saturday morning. It is currently 110 miles southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, moving WNW at 31 mph. Maximum sustained winds are 75 mph with gusts to 90 mph.
Debris from a house lie next to a road after strong winds of Hurricane Elsa passed St. Michael, Barbados July 2, 2021. REUTERS/Nigel Browne
Elsa is expected to bring hurricane conditions later Saturday in portions of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It will approach the southern coast of Haiti and Dominican Republic in the evening and move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday.
On the forecast track, Elsa will move near the southern coast of Hispaniola later today and tonight, and move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday. By Monday, Elsa is expected to move across central and western Cuba and head toward the Florida Straits.
The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Florida peninsula, and the Florida Keys are all advised to monitor the progress of Elsa.
Hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area in Haiti and the Dominican Republic by late Saturday; Jamaica and eastern Cuba by Sunday. Hurricane force winds extend 25 miles ooutward from Elsa's center. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 125 miles from the center.
A storm surge of 3 to 5 feet is expected along the southern coast of Cuba; 2 to 4 feet along the southern coast of Haiti and the Dominican Republic; and 1 to 3 feet for Jamaica.
One to 3 inches of rain, with up to 5 inches, will fall in Puerto Rico through Saturday, and 4 to 8 inches, with up to 15 may fall in southern Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica Saturday into Sunday. This could lead to scattered flash flooding and mudslides.
By early next week, Elsa is expected to bring 5 to 10 inches and up to 15 of rain to portions of the Cayman Islands and Cuba. Rainfall amounts in the Florida Keys to southern Florida through early next week will be 2 to 4 inches with up to 6 inches possible.
There will be life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the Caribbean Sea this weekend.
