MONDAY Update: Random Storms Return – Elsa Heads for Florida

NHC 4PM: Interaction with the Cuban landmass has weakened ELSA to a 50 mph Tropical storm, 45 miles from Havana, moving NW at 14. Expected to reach the Keys early Tuesday. It’s expected to re-strengthen as it moves near or over the west coast of Florida on Tuesday & Wednesday Tropical Storm Warning Fla West Coast, includes Tampa Bay..

NHC 10AM: Tropical Storm Elsa, with 65 mph winds is near the south central coast of Cuba, moving NW at 14 mph. Elsa will reach the Keys early Tue, then move near west coast of FLA Tuesday & Wednesday. Tropical Storm warning extended north to Suwaanne River, including Tampa Bay. Tropical Storm Watch west to Apalachicola

   Good Morning!  The weather was simply ideal, all things considered, for the 4th of July Holiday Weekend for most of the state of Alabama.  Remember Memorial Day weekend?  We are now two for two on major summer Holiday weekends.  Things will start to change today.  The atmosphere will start to return to “Summer business as usual.   Scattered Random PM storms return today.

    Remember that old front which brought the Friday storms?   It has been parked near the Gulf coast all weekend.  Now, look for that front to migrate northward.  That will allow the return of Deep Tropical Moisture. 

As you will see in the forecast, daily shower and storm coverage will be quite high Tuesday through Friday.  These storms will not be associated with Tropical Storm Elsa.  Elsa will have little or no direct effect on our forecast.  More on Elsa’s Florida threat below. 

TODAY:  Becoming more humid. Sun/cloud mix.  High near 90.  Random Scattered PM Showers and Storms, most numerous in the afternoon & evening, fading out at night.  Low tonight 72.   Here’s a Future Radar “example” from one of the hi-res models at 6PM.

NEXT FEW DAYS:  Numerous showers and storms in the afternoon & evening hours Tuesday through Friday.  A little less numerous, perhaps, by Saturday.

TROPICAL STORM ELSA:  Elsa is near the South Central coast of Cuba at 4AM. Moving NW at 14, it will move across western Cuba today, approaching the Florida straights by late tonight. 

Elsa is a 65 MPH Tropical Storm.  It will weaken a bit, because of interaction with Cuba today.  Then, it will regain some strength over the warm waters of the eastern Gulf,  The tropical storm will be near or close to the western Florida coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.  It will then curve across the Southeastern US.  It probably will re-strengthen again off the Middle Atlantic coast later this week.  Because we will be on the northwestern quadrant of the storm, Elsa should have little or no effect on our weather. 

Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect in the Keys and over the SW Florida Coast. A Tropical Watch covers most of the Florida West Coast, including Tampa Bay.

Elsa is the only show in the tropics, for now.  Elsa has broken the record as the earliest “E” storm on record, breaking the record set only last year. ☹

Enjoy the rest of your Holiday Weekend.   Everything is normal on Tuesday.   I’ll have a complete video for you in the morning. .  Have a nice day!

–Rich

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