Rainfall amounts are likely to exceed nine inches in places, which will easily cause urban flash flooding and rapid rises in streams and some rivers, Hawthorne said.Ī feeder band far removed from the center of Elsa produced some of the state's heaviest rainfall totals in parts of Southwest Florida. "I'm anticipating flash flooding, isolated tornadoes, and occasional gusts up to around 50 mph in the strongest bands." "Persistent rain bands from the Fort Myers area to Lakeland and north to Florida's Big Bend are on their way into North-Central and Northeast Florida later this morning and afternoon," Hawthorne said. Meteorologist Ray Hawthorne of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network said heavy rain and flash flooding from Elsa were likely to last much of day. The National Weather Service issued storm surge warnings for coastal counties in the greater Tampa Bay region where forecasters were calling for tides of about three to five feet above normal.Īt one point this morning, about 20,000 customers in the region were without power, according to TECO, Duke Energy and Florida Power. The Hillsborough Sheriff also reported minimal damage from the storm but rising waters from Elsa's storm surge was still a concern. Access to the county's barrier islands and beaches reopened at 6:30 a.m.
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The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reported that the agency did not conduct any rescues overnight due to high water or flooding.
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The storm weakened slightly overnight and was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm.įlooded streets, downed trees and power outages were being reported all along the storm's path.īut there were no reports of major storm damage.
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Residents in the greater Tampa Bay region woke up to find the remnants of Elsa moving through the area.