STORM Elsa has become the first hurricane of the 2021 season and is set to hit the United States this weekend.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed that the storm had strengthened on Friday morning.
Read our Hurricane Elsa live blog for the very latest news and updates on the storm…
"Surface observations from Barbados indicate that Elsa's maximum sustained winds have increased to near 75mph, and the cyclone is now a hurricane," the agency determined.
It added that a "special advisory" will be issued within the hour to adhere to the new strength.
A hurricane warning has now been issued for Barbados, St Vincent, the Grenadines and St Lucia.
According to the center, the hurricane could hit the US as early as Sunday evening – first hitting Florida, before making its way to Georgia and South Carolina.
So far, there have been reports of a sustained wind of 74mph with a gust of 86mph.
Elsa was the earliest fifth named storm on record, beating out last year’s Eduardo which formed on July 6, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
The storm was located about 260miles east-southeast of Barbados and is expected to pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands on Friday.
It initially had maximum sustained winds of 50mph and was moving west-northwest at 26mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The government of Barbados said it was suspending public transportation and closing vaccination sites and businesses including gas stations by Thursday night, while St. Vincent expected to so by Friday morning.
Elsa was expected to strengthen in upcoming days and move into the eastern Caribbean Sea late Friday and Friday night and pass near the southern coast of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Saturday.
Most read in News
ICE BREAKERS 
Seven Titanic myths busted – from captain's dark fate to the REAL Jack & Rose
Andrew will have ‘every bit of dirty laundry aired’ at trial, says attorney
Seven bizarre claims in Andrew's defence that spark more questions than answers
Tonga hit by huge 6.2 earthquake just weeks after tsunami
The storm was then expected to move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday, though the forecast so far calls for it to remain below hurricane force.
The storm was forecast to produce rainfall totals of three to six inches with maximum totals of 8 inches on Friday across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados.
The storm could unleash isolated flash flooding and mudslides.
Source: Read Full Article