The cold doesn’t bother her anyway: Tropical Storm Elsa forms, earliest “E” storm in history

Tropical Storm Elsa formed northeast of South America on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

The wind is howling like a swirling storm inside the tropical Atlantic, as Tropical Storm Elsa became one with the wind and sky, forming early Thursday morning.

She couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows she tried.

Elsa sets a new record for the earliest the fifth named system in the Atlantic basin has formed in history, and is currently forecast to to maintain tropical storm strength into early next week when it could reach southern Florida.

According to the National Hurricane Center advisory Thursday at 5 a.m., tropical storm conditions are expected beginning early Friday in portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands.

Heavy rainfall from the system will move quickly across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados, on Friday. Isolated flash flooding and mudslides are possible.

There is a risk of wind and rainfall impacts in portions of the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Cuba, the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas through early next week. Interests in these areas should monitor the system’s progress and updates to the forecast.

Interests in Florida should monitor updates to the forecast for this system, but it is too soon to determine what if any impacts could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-range forecast.

So don’t “Let It Go” during the holiday weekend that Elsa is out there.