Tropical Storm Elsa entered the Gulf of Mexico after making landfall in Cuba Monday and is expected to impact Florida through Wednesdays before sweeping up into South Carolina late Wednesday and into Thursday.
Though the storm is expected to weaken into a tropical depression before moving northward to the Atlantic coast, the Charleston Office of the National Weather Service has forecasted heavy rain and flooding in the Lowcountry with 1-3 inches of rain predicted.
The impact of the storm on the Charleston area remains uncertain. Elsa is expected to bring maximum sustained winds of 39 mph as it lessens in intensity, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A tropical storm watch is now in effect for the Lowcountry, including Jasper, Beaufort, coastal Colleton, Charleston and Berkley Counties.
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