Hurricane Elsa: Too Soon To Tell Impact On South Florida

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Elsa has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Monday morning with maximum sustained winds of 75mph.

Hurricane conditions spread over the Windward Islands as it moved west-northwest at 28 mph.

Elsa is forecast to remain a Category 1 Hurricane on Saturday as it continues to move west-northwest into the Caribbean and will pass near or over portions of Hispaniola in the afternoon. Elsa is then forecast to weaken to a Tropical Storm by Sunday as it moves across or near Jamaica and Cuba.

Late Sunday into Monday, and early next week, South Florida and most of the state are included in the forecast cone.
There is a lot of uncertainty regarding Elsa's track and intensity during this time frame as many of the models diverge and are not in agreement regarding Elsa's eventual path and strength. High pressure is currently steering Elsa towards the west-northwest, but there will likely be a weakness in the high that will steer Elsa towards the north, northwest, or west-northwest.

It is still too soon to say the exact impacts for South Florida, but for now, there is the potential for tropical storm conditions late Sunday into Monday. Because of that uncertainty, residents in South Florida need to stay updated and aware through the weekend.

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Friday morning was mainly dry and warm. Highs soar to around 90 degrees in the and it will feel like the upper 90s and 100s. Scattered storms are possible.

This weekend the rain chance will not be as high due to some relatively drier air. Spotty storms will be possible Saturday and Sunday. The big story will be the sizzling heat as highs soar to the low to mid-90s and it will feel like the triple digits.

Our weather on Monday and Tuesday will all depend on the track and intensity of Hurricane Elsa.