Tropical storm watch issued for Jamaica
A tropical storm watch has now been issued for Jamaica as the island prepares for the possible impact from Tropical Storm Elsa.
It means that tropical storm conditions pose a possible threat to Jamaica within 48 hours, the Meteorological Service of Jamaica said Thursday.
Elsa is 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 410 miles (660 kilometers) 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 had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 29 mph (46 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Grenada and the southern and western coasts of Haiti from the southern border of the Dominican Republic to Mole-St.-Nicolas.
