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Elsa has developed into the first hurricane of the 2021 North Atlantic Season on Friday (July 2), strengthening into a menacing category one system.

Hours before it makes landfall in parts of the Eastern Caribbean, the governments of Barbados, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines have activated hurricane warnings for their respective islands.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Martinique, the entire coast of Haiti, and the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the border with Haiti.

What’s more, a hurricane watch alert is still active for the southern portion of Haiti, from Port Au Prince to the southern border with the Dominican Republic—while a tropical storm watch is in effect for Grenada, Saba and Sint Eustatius, Jamaica and Dominica.

According to the 8:00 am Atlantic Standard Time (AST) advisory from the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC), the centre of Hurricane Elsa was located near latitude 13.1 North, longitude 60.1 West—or 65 kilometres west of Barbados.

The hurricane is moving west-northwest near 44 kilometres/hour and the NHC, citing reports from Barbados, indicated Elsa’s maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 kilometres/hour, with higher gusts.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 35 kilometres from Elsa’s centre, while tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 220 kilometres.

The NHC’s projections still see Hurricane Elsa passing just south of Barbados as extremely dangerous conditions have already started on the island.

“On the forecast track, Elsa will pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands this morning, move across the eastern Caribbean Sea late today and tonight, and move near the southern coast of Hispaniola on Saturday,” the hurricane watchdog advised.

“By Sunday, Elsa is forecast to move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours,” the NHC added.

The atmospheric agency warned that up to 10 inches (254 mm) of torrential rains are is expected today across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados.

By late Saturday into Sunday, portions of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola could come under strain with as much as 12 inches (305mm) of rain in a short period of time.

This rain may lead to isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

It has been an eventful 24 hours for Elsa while it continues to race towards and through the Caribbean this weekend, as it grew in strength—up from a roaring tropical storm to a hurricane.

See related coverage:

• Tropical Storm Elsa forms in the mid-Atlantic, warnings issued for parts of Eastern Caribbean
• A bleak, wet weekend for Jamaica
• TS Elsa marginally strengthens, could reach hurricane-force winds tonight
• Met Service initiates ‘severe weather alert’ for Jamaica ahead of heightened storm activity
• TS Elsa triggers tropical storm watch for Jamaica; marine interests urged to return to shore