Tropical Storm Elsa To Cause Numerous Storms In Birmingham Metro

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Birmingham metro can expect multiple storms and heavy rain over the next couple of days as Tropical Storm Elsa meanders northeast from Florida through Georgia.

"With deep moisture in place and an upper trough nearby, we expect scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday," meteorologist James Spann said. "The sky will feature more clouds than sun, and highs will be only 78 to 83 degrees due to clouds and rain. On Friday the sky will be partly sunny with scattered showers and storms possible mostly during the afternoon and evening."

Elsa was in the far southeast Gulf of Mexico early Tuesday morning with sustained winds of 60 mph. A hurricane watch has been issued for the west-central and Big Bend coast of Florida from Egmont Key to the Steinhatchee River, since there is a chance Elsa reaches minimal hurricane strength before landfall north of Tampa.

"Much of the west coast of the Florida Peninsula is expected to see wind, rain and surge impacts since that region will be on Elsa’s east side," Spann said. "A tropical storm watch has also been issued for the Georgia coast and portions of the South Carolina coast as the system moves northeast."

A storm surge of 3-5 feet is forecast for parts of the Florida west coast, including Tampa Bay. Also, there is the threat of a few isolated tornadoes over the Florida Peninsula today. While the direct impact of Elsa will be east of the central Gulf Coast (Gulf Shores, Pensacola, Destin, Panama City Beach), we do note there is a high danger of rip currents Wednesday and Thursday.