In recent hours, Tropical Storm Elsa has continued moving to the west northwest, now at 20 kilometers per hour, with little change in intensity.  Since the end of the morning, the cloudy areas with strong activity of storms and rains are concentrating around the center.  Its central pressure is 1007 hectoPascal and the maximum sustained winds remain in the order of 100 kilometers per hour.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the center of tropical storm Elsa was estimated at 18.3 degrees North latitude and 76.4 degrees West longitude, a position that places it about 216 kilometers southeast of Cape Cruz, Granma.

In the next 12 to 24 hours, Tropical Storm Elsa will continue on a similar course, gradually decreasing its translation speed.  As it passes through the Strait of Colón, it could gain something more in organization and intensity.  In the early hours of the afternoon of this Sunday, it will travel over or very close to the extreme west of Granma and later through the seas to the south of Las Tunas, Camagüey and the provinces of the central region of Cuba.

The bands of cloudy, with drizzles and rains, associated with the circulation of tropical storm Elsa, have begun to cover the eastern region of Cuba, affecting the provinces from Granma to Guantánamo, as well as the south of Las Tunas and Holguín.  Rainfall will be strong and intense in some locations, mainly in mountainous areas and on the southern coast.

Gradually the intensity of the wind and the height of the waves will begin to increase near the southern eastern portion of Cuba.  The winds will blow with speeds between 30 and 45 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts that will reach tropical storm force of up to 85 kilometers per hour.

Strong swells will continue from Cabo Cruz to Punta de Maisí, with waves between 4 and 6 meters high and from light to moderate coastal flooding, mainly in Santiago de Cuba and Granma.  From the end of the morning, the light floods will move to the Gulf of Guacanayabo and later, from the afternoon, to the south coast of the central region of Cuba.

The next tropical cyclone warning will be issued at noon today Sunday.