Manatee County, Tampa Bay area under tornado watch as Hurricane Elsa approaches

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch that includes the Tampa Bay area as Hurricane Elsa approaches the west coast of Florida on Tuesday.

DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties are all included in the advisory, which has been extended until 8 a.m. Wednesday. That means that conditions are right for the possible formation of tornadoes within that time frame.

Weather authorities will issue a tornado warning for specific areas if a tornado occurs or is about to occur.

To prepare for the possibility of tornadoes, NWS advises that residents go over emergency plans and check supplies like flashlights and first aid kits. In the event of a tornado, people in homes and apartments should seek shelter in an interior room with no windows on the lowest floor. Those who live in mobile homes or trailers should identify a nearby safe building that they can get to if a tornado occurs.

As of 11 p.m Tuesday, Elsa was about 65 miles southwest miles of Tampa and 125 miles south of Cedar Key, with sustained winds of 75 mph, the threshold to be considered a category 1 hurricane. It was moving to the north at 14 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Visit weather.gov/safety/tornado for more helpful tornado preparedness tips.

This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 2:46 PM.