Tropical Storm Elsa continues to batter the East Coast Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features Tropical Storm Elsa on July 4, 2021. The photograph, which was captured by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station, shows Elsa moving across the Caribbean Sea toward Jamaica and Cuba.

According to NASA, the storm first developed off the coast of South America on July 1st and briefly strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic season the next day. NASA’s science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System; advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate’s Heliophysics Research Program; exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft such as New Horizons; and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs. Hurricane Elsa is a currently active tropical cyclone threatening portions of the Caribbean. Elsa is the first hurricane of the ongoing 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.

Heavy rain and wind damage has impacted Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, Cuba, and Florida. On Thursday, Elsa charged through Georgia and the Carolinas, triggering flooding and tornadoes near the coast. 

Bill Wadell, a reporter for AccuWeather, described the tornado warnings as coming in “fast and furious” overnight in Charleston, South Carolina.

On its way up the coast, Elsa caused widespread flooding and power outages. Early Thursday, Wadell reported that more than 38,000 homes and businesses were in the dark across South Carolina.

By Thursday night, more than 60,000 customers were without power from Virginia to New York.

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer