Tropical Storm Elsa Prompts Warnings Issued in South Jersey

By: Katie Francis, Follow South Jersey Public Health Intern

Graphic: The Weather Channel

SOUTH JERSEY — Tropical Storm Elsa continues to make its way up the Atlantic Coast, and many counties in New Jersey are under severe weather advisories in preparation for its arrival.

According to a Hurricane Local Statement issued by the National Weather Service’s Philadelphia office late Wednesday night, the storm is “expected to Impact Portions of southern Delaware and eastern New Jersey late Thursday into Friday morning.” The statement summarized multiple watches and warnings related to the storm, many of which do not have an expiration at the time of publication.

What was once a Tropical Storm Watch for Atlantic Coastal Cape May, Cape May, and parts of Delaware has been upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning. There is also a Tropical Storm watch for Atlantic, Coastal Atlantic, Coastal Ocean, Monmouth, Ocean, and Burlington, counties.

The National Weather Service also issued Flash Flood Watches for all of South Jersey and the majority of the state on Wednesday afternoon. All of these watches are expected to expire at noon on Friday.

This is not the only extreme weather that New Jerseyans have faced over the last few weeks. The state was also plagued with high humidity and scorching temperatures in the mid-90s earlier this week and at the end of June, setting off heat advisories across the state.

The National Weather Service has a list of actions to take if you are under the threat of a tropical storm or a hurricane. This includes securing your home, staying informed, listening to officials, evacuating if ordered, and sheltering in a safe space.

Tropical Storm Elsa impacted the western coast of Florida on Tuesday and officially made landfall near the northern Gulf Coast of Florida. Right now, it is dumping rain on the Carolinas, and most of southern New Jersey is expected to get 2-4 inches of rain beginning this evening and through tomorrow. Wind totals will exceed 40 miles per hour throughout the region, and current projections show that the center of the storm will run right through Cape May and the shore on Thursday afternoon.


This article was produced by a Follow South Jersey news intern thanks to a grant provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through the New Jersey Health Initiatives program to create hyper-local news to meet the informational and health needs of the City of Bridgeton, N.J.