Tropical Storm Elsa makes landfall in Florida, brings possibility of flash, urban flooding to North Carolina

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) -- Tropical Storm Elsa has made landfall on the northern Florida Gulf Coast, and it's forecasted to move into the Carolinas late Wednesday night into Thursday.

Courtesy of CIRA/NOAA.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, the storm was about 61 miles north-northwest of Cedar Key, Florida, and about 115 miles west-southwest of Jacksonville, Florida. Maximum sustained winds clocked in at 65 mph.

Elsa placed parts of the Florida coast under storm surge and tropical storm warnings.

A Tropical Storm Watch is in place north of Little River Inlet, South Carolina, up to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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While the storm is predicted to weaken, it's still expected to have major impacts across eastern and central North Carolina as it moves north.

• Gusts in excess of tropical-storm-force are possible on Thursday.
• A few severe storms including isolated tornadoes will be possible late Wednesday night through Thursday. Tornadoes associated with tropical systems are generally very brief but can offer little lead time. pic.twitter.com/THSTTSTdZh

— NC Emergency Management (@NCEmergency) July 7, 2021

Forecasters expect Elsa to cross the southeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. through Thursday.

Currently, the advisory predicts 1 to 3 inches of rain across North Carolina and southeastern Virginia tonight through Thursday. Isolated totals of up to 5 inches could lead to isolated flash and urban flooding.