MIAMI — On Tuesday evening, Tropical Storm Elsa regained Category 1 hurricane status, helped by its daylong journey over the warm waters off Florida’s west coast.
The once small and disorganized storm managed to pull itself together ahead of National Hurricane Center predictions, prompting hurricane warnings for Florida’s northwest coast and an upgraded prediction that Elsa will strike Florida as a hurricane.
After causing widespread property destruction in the eastern Caribbean — including at least three deaths — and flooding agricultural operations in Cuba, Elsa’s impacts in the United States remain to be seen. For Southeast Florida and the Keys, the storm did not amount to much.
The strongest winds were felt in the Lower Keys, where flooding and strong winds were observed, but bars and restaurants on the iconic Duval Street stayed open, despite gusts as high as 70 mph.
“This was a good drill for us,” Monroe County Mayor Michelle Coldiron told county and municipal leaders on an afternoon conference call. “Get some sleep tonight.”
South Florida felt the edge of Elsa’s gusty winds and flooding rains, but it was enough to prompt the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for the south half of the state (minus the Keys) that lasted until 11 p.m.
Elsa’s latest projected path had it passing Bradenton and the Tampa Bay area overnight Tuesday as a hurricane. Storm surge is also likely to be an issue, as the notoriously vulnerable area is predicted to see 3 to 5 feet of it.
By 11 p.m. Eastern time, Elsa had 75 mph maximum sustained winds, and its tropical-storm-force winds extended 80 miles from the center, mainly to the east. It was about 65 miles south-southwest of Tampa. It was headed north at about 14 mph.
Winds in Tampa Bay will peak overnight with gusts as high as 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service. They should cool down by Wednesday midmorning.
Bradenton expected similar timing, with high winds starting up Tuesday night, peaking with gusts around 47 mph at 2 a.m. and returning to normal around Wednesday early afternoon.
As of the 11 p.m. update, Elsa was predicted to make landfall south of Cedar Key on Wednesday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
From there, the storm’s projected path takes it toward the Ocala National Forest, through Georgia and the Carolinas (where it’s expected to weaken to a depression) before emerging in the Atlantic near Virginia Beach late Thursday night.
Cuban authorities from the island’s 15 provinces said Tuesday that damages from Elsa were limited to some agricultural areas, particularly in the southern Granma province, where rainfall of about 5 inches flooded some fields and strong winds were reported as the storm skirted the coast.
A local cooperative said that about 3,000 banana trees were downed by Elsa’s gusty winds, which reached about 62 mph in Granma’s coastal regions on Monday. Workers on Tuesday were harvesting what could be recovered to be sold at local markets, according to a report on state news site Cubadebate.
During a meeting led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, provincial governors said that overall the storm was beneficial to their municipalities as abundant rain replenished reservoirs used for irrigation. Cuba has frequently struggled with droughts in recent years as its aging infrastructure can’t provide enough storage capacity.
Watches and warnings in Florida
—The west-central and Big Bend coast of Florida from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River are now under a hurricane warning.
—A storm surge warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Aucilla River, including Tampa Bay. A storm surge watch is in effect west of the Aucilla River to the Ochlockonee River.
—A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the west coast of Florida from Flamingo to south of Egmont Key and the Steinhatchee River northward to the Ochlockonee River. A tropical storm watch is in place north of Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to South Santee River, South Carolina.
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(Miami Herald staff writers Adriana Brasileiro and Gwen Filosa contributed to this article.)
