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Tropical Storm Elsa is forecast to hit the Midlands. Here’s what to expect.
No warnings or watches have been issued for South Carolina yet, as the storm could change in the next day or two.
Local
For the second time in as many weeks, the Midlands is preparing to be affected by a tropical storm.
At the end of June, Tropical Storm Danny rumbled through South Carolina, and now Tropical Storm Elsa, previously classified as a hurricane, is forecast to move up the Southeast and into the Palmetto State.
Like Danny, the current forecast predicts Elsa will not unleash a torrent a severe weather on the Columbia area.
As of Sunday, no warnings or watches have been issued for the Midlands, where the effects of the tropical storm are not expected to be as severe as they might be in the Lowcountry and along the South Carolina coast, National Weather Service forecaster Hunter Coleman told The State.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with how this storm looks,” Coleman said. “It has to go through Cuba where it could weaken. We’re uncertain what will happen until it goes through Cuba.”
As of Sunday afternoon, the tropical storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, with higher gusts recorded, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was about 40 miles southeast of Cuba, but was moving northwest at about a 14 mph clip. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center, the National Hurricane Center said.
Regardless of strength, Elsa is expected to pass through South Carolina on Wednesday, Coleman said. Effects of the storm could be felt on Tuesday, but Elsa is not expected to arrive in the Palmetto State until Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.