Elsa underwent rapid intensification early Friday morning and became the first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season as it raced toward the Caribbean islands. Within 24 hours, Elsa went from tropical-storm strength with 40-mph winds to a Category 1 hurricane with 75-mph winds.
By its maximum sustained winds increasing by at least 35 mph within 24 hours, the storm’s strengthening just met the criteria set by the National Hurricane Center to qualify as “rapid intensification.” Now, AccuWeather forecasters are keeping a close eye on the strengthening hurricane as it is expected to approach the United States after moving through the Caribbean through the weekend.
Hurricane Elsa was about 475 miles east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, packing sustained winds of 85 mph and booking toward the west-northwest at 30 mph at 8 p.m. EDT Friday. Hurricane-force winds, 74 mph or greater, extended out 25 miles from the storm’s center and tropical-storm-force winds extended out farther up to 140 miles out from its center.
As of Friday, AccuWeather forecasters say Elsa is most likely to enter the eastern Gulf of Mexico and approach Florida next week. “Elsa is expected to regain wind intensity early next week once it passes north of Cuba and moves into the eastern Gulf,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said. “And there is a chance that conditions may be favorable for Elsa to affect Florida as a hurricane for a time during Tuesday and Wednesday,” he added. READ MORE
