As of 11 pm on Monday July 5, 2021, Tropical Storm Elsa has crossed Cuba and is now over the ocean again. It has lost a little strength over the Cuban mountains but is expected to regain some of it, although the prediction is that it will not regain hurricane strength in the time it has left over water. It is expected to make landfall along the West Coast of Florida sometime in the time period between Tuesday night and Wednesday noon, depending on its exact path. Most of the rain and winds are on the right side of the path, and Florida has been getting some rain from the outer arms of the circulation today. The west coast will also see some storm surge as the winds drive the water onshore. As it comes onshore, it is expected to get picked up by the larger atmospheric circulation and will accelerate to the northeast. The current path brings it across northern Florida and just inland of the Georgia and Carolina coasts,as a tropical depression. There will be some rain of 4-6 inches along the Florida coast and in southeast Georgia, and localized flooding may occur, especially in areas that got a lot of rain last week with the stationary front that parked in that region. The rain and some gusty winds near the center of the storm are expected to be the biggest impacts in Georgia and the Carolinas once it gets past Florida.
