Hurricane Elsa

Hurricane Elsa

Elsa at peak intensity after passing through the Lesser Antilles on July 2
Meteorological history
Formed	June 30, 2021
Extratropical	July 9, 2021
Dissipated	July 10, 2021
Category 1 hurricane
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS)
Highest winds	85 mph (140 km/h)
Lowest pressure	991 mbar (hPa); 29.26 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	13
Damage	$1.2 billion (2021 USD)
Areas affected	Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, Venezuela, Colombia, East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Canada
IBTrACS
Part of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season

Hurricane Elsa was a destructive tropical cyclone that affected many countries along its path during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the earliest-forming fifth named storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, and the first hurricane of the season. It formed over the central tropical Atlantic, farther east in the Main Development Region than any June storm at the time, except for the 1933 Trinidad hurricane.^[1]

Originating from a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on June 27, the disturbance become organized as a tropical depression on June 30, about 1,150 mi (1,850 km) east-southeast of Barbados, and strengthened to a tropical storm soon thereafter. Then, riding the south edge of a strong subtropical ridge, Elsa moved swiftly westward on July 1, while rapidly intensifying. The storm strengthened to a hurricane around 12:00 UTC on July 2, as its center moved just south of Barbados, and then reached its peak intensity six hours later with maximum 1-minute sustained winds of 85 mph (140 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 991 mbar (29.3 inHg), about 95 mi (155 km) west-northwest of Saint Vincent. This made Elsa the strongest July hurricane recorded in the eastern Caribbean Sea since Emily in 2005.^[2]

On July 3, Elsa weakened back into a tropical storm before slowing down by July 4, as it passed just north of Jamaica. On July 5, Elsa made landfall in Cuba, before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico early on the next day. It then paralleled the west coast of Florida, briefly becoming a minimal hurricane again as it passed west of Tampa, early on July 7. Elsa then weakened back to a tropical storm, before making landfall later that day in Taylor County, Florida, with maximum winds of about 65 mph (100 km/h). Afterward, Elsa began accelerating northeastward across the southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, restrengthening slightly due to its proximity to the Atlantic. Elsa emerged back over water off New Jersey early on July 9, and moved over eastern Long Island and western Rhode Island, before becoming extratropical at 18:00 UTC that day, while moving through New England. Afterward, Elsa's extratropical remnant accelerated northeastward and slowly weakened. The storm dissipated over Atlantic Canada on July 10.

Altogether there were 13 deaths associated with Elsa: nine in the Florida Straits, two in the Dominican Republic, one in Martinique, and one in the United States. As Elsa raced past the Lesser Antilles, it caused extensive damage on several islands. In Barbados, the storm brought down trees, damaged roofs, caused widespread power outages, and caused flash flooding. Its main impact in Cuba was flash flooding and mudslides. The storm caused widespread damage throughout the U.S., especially in the Northeast. Atlantic Canada experienced many outages and high amounts of rainfall from a post-tropical Elsa. The storm dealt upwards of $1.2 billion in damages in the United States, with additional damage in the Caribbean.^[3]

Upon its naming, Elsa received widespread social media attention, due to the storm sharing its name with the Disney character Elsa from the Frozen franchise.^[4][5][6]