1. Heavy rain will impact the Cayman Islands and Cuba today resulting in significant flooding and mudslides over Cuba. As Elsa approaches the Florida Keys, the Florida Peninsula, and coastal Georgia through Wednesday, heavy rainfall may result in isolated flash, urban, and minor river flooding. Mid to late week, heavy rains across coastal South Carolina and North Carolina may result in isolated flash and urban flooding.

2. Tropical storm conditions and a dangerous storm surge are expected to continue across portions of central and western Cuba today.

3. Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of the Florida Keys and along the Florida west coast tonight through Tuesday night, where a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect. A Tropical Storm Watch and a Storm Surge Watch are in effect for portions of the west coast of Florida and the Florida Big Bend.

4. There is a risk of tropical storm conditions and storm surge impacts along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas Wednesday and Thursday.

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
- The Cuban provinces of Ciego de Avila, Sancti Spiritus, Cienfuegos, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Mayabeque, Havana, and Artemisa
- The Florida Keys from Craig Key westward to the Dry Tortugas
- West coast of Florida from Flamingo northward to Suwannee River

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...
- West coast of Florida from Bonita Beach to the Ochlockonee River

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
- The Florida Keys from east of Craig Key to Ocean Reef
- Florida Bay
- North of the Suwannee River to Indian Pass, Florida

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours. For a depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov.

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area.

Interests in coastal Georgia and the Carolinas should monitor the progress of Elsa. Additional watches and warnings will likely be required later today.

For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. For storm information specific to your area outside of the United States, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.

Key messages for Elsa can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT5, WMO header WTNT45 KNHC and on the web at www.hurricanes.gov/graphics_at5.shtml?key_messages.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected in portions of central and western Cuba today. Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area in the Florida Keys tonight and along the Florida west coast beginning Tuesday. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the upper Florida Keys by tonight. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the Florida Big Bend area beginning Tuesday night.

STORM SURGE: A storm surge will raise water levels above normal tide levels by as much as the following amounts in areas of onshore flow within the hurricane watch and warning areas...

Southern coast of Cuba...2 to 4 ft

The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide...

Bonita Beach, FL to Ochlockonee River including Tampa Bay...2 to 4 ft Flamingo, FL to Bonita Beach, FL...1 to 3 ft Ocean Reef, FL to Dry Tortugas including Florida Bay...1 to 2 ft Ochlockonee River to Indian Pass...1 to 2 ft

Surgerelated flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

RAINFALL: Across portions of Cuba today, rainfall of 5 to 10 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches is expected. This will result in significant flash flooding and mudslides. Across the Cayman Islands today, rainfall of 3 to 5 inches is expected. This rain may lead to scattered flash flooding.

Rainfall from Elsa will impact portions of the Florida Keys, the Florida Peninsula and the coastal Southeast this week. Amounts of 2 to 4 inches with localized maximum amounts up to 6 inches are expected across Florida and coastal Georgia through Wednesday, which may result in isolated flash, urban, and minor river flooding. Coastal portions of South Carolina and North Carolina are expected to receive 1 to 3 inches of rain, with local maximum amounts up to 5 inches Wednesday into Thursday, which could lead to isolated flash and urban flooding.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible across south Florida tonight and across the Florida Peninsula on Tuesday.

SURF: Swells generated by Elsa will spread westward along the southern coast of Cuba today. Swells will increase near the Florida Keys and south Florida later today and spread northward along the west coast of Florida tonight through Tuesday night. Please consult products from your local weather office for more details.

At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located near latitude 22.2 North, longitude 81.6 West. Elsa is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today, followed by a turn toward the northnorthwest on Tuesday and a turn toward the north on Tuesday night. On the forecast track, Elsa is expected to continue to move over westcentral Cuba for the next several hours, move into the Florida Straits this evening, and pass near the Florida Keys early Tuesday. Elsa is then forecast to move near or over portions of the west coast of Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. Some additional weakening is expected while the center moves over land. Some restrengthening is forecast after Elsa moves over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1007 mb (29.74 inches).

A NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft has been investigating Elsa while it approaches the south coast of Cuba this morning. Based on SFMR-observed surface winds from the aircraft, the intensity is held at 55 kt for this advisory. A center dropsonde from the plane measured 1009 mb with 26 kt at the surface, so the minimum central pressure estimate is 1006 mb, indicating no significant change since yesterday. Tail Doppler wind data from the NOAA plane showed that there is an eastward tilt of the center with height, so the storm continues to have some vertical alignment issues. Satellite imagery continues to depict convective banding features over the eastern portion of the circulation, with the center located near the western edge of the main cloud mass.

Elsa continues its northwestward track with an initial motion estimate of 310/12 kt. Over the next 2-3 days, the tropical cyclone should move between a subtropical ridge over the southwest North Atlantic and a mid-level low over the northern Gulf of Mexico. In the latter part of the forecast period, Elsa is forecast to accelerate northeastward into the westerlies off the eastern United States coast and into the Atlantic, where it should lose its tropical characteristics in the vicinity of Nova Scotia.

Over the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the official track track forecast has been nudged slightly westward toward the model consensus aids, HCCA and TVCA, but not as far west as that guidance. The GFS model track lies a little east of the latest NHC track.

Some slight weakening is likely while Elsa crosses west-central Cuba today. Restrengthening over the Gulf of Mexico is likely to be limited by moderate westerly shear associated with a broad upper-level trough over the Gulf. The official intensity forecast is mostly higher than the numerical model consensus.