ABOUT 680 MI…1095 KM ESE OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* Barbados
* Martinique
* St. Lucia
* St. Vincent and the Grenadines
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* Guadeloupe
* Grenada and its dependencies
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, in this case within 36 hours.
Interests elsewhere in the Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti should monitor the progress of this system. Additional watches and warnings will likely be required later today.
For storm information specific to your area, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service.
DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
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At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Elsa was located near latitude 10.1 North, longitude 51.4 West. Elsa is moving toward the west near 28 mph (44 km/h). An even faster motion toward the west-northwest is expected over the next 24 to 36 hours.
On the forecast track, Elsa will pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands on Friday, move into the eastern Caribbean Sea late Friday and Friday night, and move near the southern coast of Hispaniola on Saturday.
By early Sunday Elsa is forecast to move near portions of eastern Cuba.
Recent satellite wind data indicate that maximum sustained winds are now near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Some additional strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 90 miles (150 km), mainly to the north of the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).
