Tropical Storm Elsa Exits Cuba Trailing Heavy Rains, Takes Aim At Florida

Elsa already caused at least three direct deaths and some damages to infrastructure and agriculture in Caribbean islands southeast of Cuba like St Lucia and the Dominican Republic.

Tropical storm Elsa's center exited Cuba late on Monday, just east of Havana, churning northwards on track to Florida although the lopsided weather system continued to dump heavy rains over the Caribbean's largest island in its wake. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 11 p.m. (0300 GMT) update that Elsa was advancing at just 19 km per hour (12 mph) as it moved out to sea and sustained winds had picked up to peak near 95 kmph with higher gusts. Storm surges were affecting Cuba's southern coast and would start occurring on the northern coast too, the Cuban meteorology institute said, causing light flooding in the capital in lower lying coastal areas such as along its famous Malecon seaside corniche. "The rain is coming behind the center so the fact it is moving out to sea along the northern coast between Havana and Mayabeque ... does not mean the rain is over," Cuba's best known meteorologist Jose Rubiera said on state television.