(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Elsa is drenching Key West, Florida, Tuesday morning as it nears landfall by Tampa Bay.
The tropical storm’s path is sparing Miami, where rescuers are still searching for victims of the deadly Surfside condo collapse.
Search and rescue continued through the rain and wind overnight, pausing only briefly for lightning as per the law, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Tuesday. The wind has also hampered large cranes from moving heavy debris, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said.
Elsa will pass the Tampa Bay area overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and is forecast to make landfall just north of Tampa Bay before sunrise.
Tampa International Airport is suspending operations at 5 p.m. Tuesday with plans to resume at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Elsa’s winds are expected to reach 70 mph at the time of landfall; storms need winds 74 mph or higher to be considered a hurricane.
Storm surge could reach 5 feet around Tampa Bay, an area very susceptible to flooding due to the coastal, low-lying topography.
The heaviest rainfall — 6 to 10 inches — will be north of Tampa.
Flooding is possible for most of Florida — from Naples to Jacksonville — and could extend into Georgia.
The ground in many parts of the Sunshine State is already saturated after a 300% rain increase over the last two weeks, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez said Tuesday.
Residents should be prepared to be without power for the next few days, but widespread evacuations aren’t expected, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
After barreling through Florida, Elsa will join a cold front and will become a hybrid storm system, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds to Georgia, the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic by later in the week.
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