HURRICANE ELSA MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE WEST; PROJECTED PATH CONTINUES TO BE TO OUR EAST… Hurricane Elsa continues to have maximum sustained winds of 85 mph as the storm moves very quickly to the west across the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea. A Hurricane Warning has been issued for all of Jamaica and parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A Hurricane Watch is now in effect for the eastern half of Cuba. A Tropical Storm Watch or Hurricane Watch will be needed for the Florida Keys most likely tomorrow.
TRACK OF ELSA LIKELY TO PASS TO OUR EAST… Confidence continues to grow that the core of Elsa, whether it is a tropical storm or hurricane, will likely pass a bit to the east of our local area in south Alabama and northwest Florida. This means that our local area will be on the “better,” west side of the storm where impacts will likely not be nearly as severe compared to the volatile eastern side of the storm. While it is too early to definitively give an “all clear” for our local area, based on ongoing model guidance, the trends today have continued to be positive news for our local area.
FLASH FLOOD WARNING – MONROE COUNTY… The southern half of Monroe County along with southeastern Clarke County near Gainestown are now involved in a Flash Flood Warning until 7PM. 2 to 4 inches of rainfall have fallen in the last few hours across southern Monroe County with heavy rain continuing to fall at the time I am typing this update as of 4:15PM. This Flash Flood Warning includes Mexia, Perdue Hill, Frisco City, Excel, Megargal, Uriah, Chrysler, Eliska, and surrounding areas in southern Monroe County. We encourage everyone to stay off the roads in these areas if you can as flash flooding is ongoing.
SCATTERED STORMS ACROSS THE REGION… As expected, showers and thunderstorms are numerous across the region this evening due to a high amount of moisture content in the atmosphere across the local area. Loud storms are happening at the time I am producing this update at 4:15PM near Brewton, East Brewton, Flomaton, Niceville, Fort Walton Beach, Frisco City, Huxford, Poarch, and Atmore. Widespread rain will continue across the area into tonight. Widespread severe weather is not expected.
APP ALERTS… If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free RedZone Weather app to keep up with all the latest information on the world of weather in south Alabama and northwest Florida. redzoneweather.com/app is the link for the free download. Once you have the app downloaded to your iOS or Android device, be sure to visit the Alerts tab (lower right corner) and tap the large, yellow Alert Settings button to customize the alerts you would like to receive straight from me.
I will have more updates over the next several hours in the RedZone Weather app. Have a nice Friday evening!