This archive report was first published on 6 July 2021.
Published on July 6, 2021, tropical storm Elsa was moving over the Florida Straits towards the southern US state after battering Cuba with drenching rain and strong winds.
The US National Hurricane Center reported the storm was now making its way towards the west coast of Florida at 12 miles per hour with 'conditions beginning to deteriorate across' the Florida Keys.
A hurricane watch has been issued 'for portions of the west coast of Florida,' the NHC said in its latest advisory at 5 am (0900 GMT).
Over 100,000 people were evacuated from coastal or low-lying areas as the storm cut through Cuba, with the nation's meteorological institute Insmet reporting winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.
However, its forecasted westward path meant Florida appeared set to avoid the worst of the storm, with the southwest coast of the state set to experience a glancing blow rather than the direct hit expected earlier.
Photographers took pictures of the sunset before the passage of Tropical Storm Elsa in Havana.
