Hurricane Elsa Strikes Florida, Heading East Coast
Tropical storm Elsa makes landfall in Florida after passing through Central America, it is expected to head towards the East Coast as it weakens.
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Elsa has left three dead in the Dominican Republic
Elsa has made landfall in Florida on Wednesday morning, lashing the state with gusty winds and rain bands, and is expected to head towards the East Coast in the coming days.
The storm arrived at 3 PM (GMT) to the Florida West Coast, amid fears of a significant rise in sea levels according to the National Hurricane Center, despite the storm again weakening after the storm turned into a hurricane on Tuesday night.
The storm will make its way to Central Florida in the afternoon before moving north towards the US East Coast.
Local authorities have placed parts of Southern Carolina and Georgia on high alert.
The National Hurricane Center said that heavy rainfall is expected in Southwest Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Massachusetts, and Virginia, which may cause floods. The same can happen between Thursday and Friday in Eastern New England.
Florida Governor Ron Desantis said in a press conference today that 26,000 customers have lost power in Florida. Desantis urged people last night to use weather radios, stressing that "you do have hazardous conditions out there."
Tampa airport suspended commercial flights on Tuesday night, resuming them on Wednesday morning.
Elsa left three people dead in the Dominican Republic and St. Lucia. Before arriving to the United States, it also hit Jamaica and Cuba on Monday, where the heavy rainfall did not cause significant damage.
