As Tropical Storm Elsa neared landfall Wednesday, the storm’s path was aimed to hit Cedar Key, Florida first. The storm, bringing powerful winds, and a possible dangerous storm surge, also created heavy rainfall on Tuesday across Florida.
As of Wednesday morning, Elsa’s center had sustained winds of over 65 mph. Due to gusts of hurricane strength still possible, a hurricane warning is also in place. That’s after the system became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday, before weakening back to a topical storm.
Even with heavy rains expected, Farm Journal spoke to an individual in Cedar Key who says widespread crop damage isn’t expected at this time. The watermelon crop is already harvested, pastures look good and the peanut crop welcomed the moisture. If winds don’t become strong enough to hurt healthy trees, the area expects to escape severe damage possibly caused by the tropical storm.
Meteorologists say the early start to the hurricane season may be a strong sign of an active hurricane season ahead, as Elsa marks the earliest fifth-named storm on record.
“Most long-range forecasts are between 100% and 150% of normal on this upcoming hurricane season,” says Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist, Nutrien Ag Solutions. “And what’s crazy is don’t forget, the peak of that hurricane season is September 15. So, we are just at the very beginning of it. And we’ve got time to be watching for quite a bit of activity.”
After makingndfall along the Florida Gulf coast Wednesday, it’s expected to move across the southeastern United States and mid-Atlantic region through Thursday, with tropical storm warnings already posted in Georgia.
