Up until 2021, there had never been a tropical system in the Atlantic Basin named “Elsa.”
What You Need To Know
- Tropical storms and hurricanes are given names based on a list of names that are reused every six years
- Names are then retired when a storm is so deadly or costly that its future use would be inappropriate
- Elsa is the fifth storm to form this year, making it the fastest we’ve ever reached this many storms in the Atlantic Basin
Elsa is somewhat unique in that the name “Elsa” is a brand new name given to an “E” storm this year. Names are reused every six years and in 2015, the “E” name had to be retired after Tropical Storm Erika directly caused 30 deaths on the Caribbean island of Dominica and one in Haiti.
Names are retired when a storm is so deadly or costly that its future use would be inappropriate. Erika was first introduced in 1991 when it replaced Elena, which occurred in 1985 – another retired “E” storm.
The paths of Elsa and Erika are very similar in that both storms first hit the northern Caribbean Sea with heavy rain, strong winds and storm surge. So far, Elsa has gone farther into the Caribbean than Erika did six years ago.
Erika was only the second named tropical system on record to be retired as a tropical storm; almost all others are hurricanes. In 2020, the three retired names were all major hurricanes: Laura, Eta and Iota.
Hurricane Elsa approaches Argyle, St. Vincent, Friday, July 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Orvil Samuel)
No two storms are exactly alike, and regardless of what the first letter is in a storm’s name, it should be taken seriously. We will be continuing to track Elsa on its path toward the southeastern United States on Spectrum News.