Surfside rescue teams keep watchful eye on the Atlantic; one system is forecast to become Tropical Storm Elsa

Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Rescue and recovery teams at the condo collapse in South Florida are keeping a close eye on two tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean, but it is unclear at this point whether either will pose a direct threat to the U.S.

While one is not expected to develop into anything substantial, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said the other one will become Tropical Storm Elsa within the next day or so.

Tropical storm watches have been hoisted for several Caribbean islands, the hurricane center said Wednesday afternoon. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

AccuWeather senior meteorologist Rob Miller said that "this disturbance is likely to develop as it moves into and travels through the Caribbean."

Should the system hold together, it's forecast to drift west-northwest over open waters of the Caribbean Sea from Saturday through Monday, potentially entering the Gulf of Mexico around Tuesday.

It's too early to say whether there will be any impact on the U.S. from the system, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore. This includes South Florida, where rescuers in Surfside continue to dig through the rubble of the collapsed Champlain Towers condominium.

Rescuers there are already coping with near-daily bouts of thunderstorms and lightning, which forces the temporary suspensions of rescue efforts.

"Interests in Florida should monitor updates to the forecast for this system, but it is too soon to determine what if any impacts could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-range forecast," the hurricane center said.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are monitoring two tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean for potential development. The red x is the more likely candidate to become Tropical Storm Elsa.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are monitoring two tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean for potential development. The red x is the more likely candidate to become Tropical Storm Elsa.

Active hurricane season expected – again

Once Elsa forms, it will be the fifth named storm of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storms Ana, Bill, Claudette and Danny.

Formation of a named tropical system or two is not highly unusual by late June, AccuWeather said, but on average the second named storm does not brew until early August, according to the National Hurricane Center. To have four such systems by late June is teetering on record territory.

The average date for the fourth named storm to form is Aug. 23 and, for the fifth storm, the average formation date is Aug. 31.

Hurricane names: From Ana to Wanda, here is the list of tropical storm and hurricane names for 2021

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was the busiest on record with 30 named storms that required the use of the Greek alphabet, once the last name and letter "W" on the list was used up, AccuWeather said.

The federal government expects another active Atlantic hurricane season in 2021: six to 10 hurricanes could form, forecasters said in May.

The season began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. An average season typically spawns seven hurricanes and peaks in August and September. If predictions hold true, it will be a record sixth consecutive year of above-normal activity.

Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Elsa likely to form in Atlantic; U.S. impacts are uncertain