The outer rain bands from Tropical Storm Elsa are hitting Florida Monday evening as the main part of the storm moves across Cuba. The storm has weakened slightly over land, initially making landfall with winds of about 65 mph, after a few hours they had slowed to 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that heavy rains will impact the Cayman Islands and Cuba on Monday, resulting in “significant flooding and mudslides” over Cuba. Jamaica is expected to see an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain with scattered flash flooding and mudslides.

Elsa is expected to move over the northern edge of Cuba overnight before gaining some strength and making landfall again on the west coast of Florida.

Weather experts believe Elsa will hit the Florida Keys, the Florida peninsula, and southern Georgia Monday through Wednesday. The NHC says heavy rainfall may result in isolated flash, urban, and minor river flooding.

Tropical Storm warnings and storm surge warnings are in effect for portions of the Florida Keys and southwestern Florida, up the western coast of the state for Tuesday.

The NHC says there’s also a risk of tropical storm conditions and storm surge impacts along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday and Thursday. The NHC says heavy rains across Coastal South Carolina and North Carolina may result in isolated flash and urban flooding mid to late week.

SAN JUAN —

Officials in St. Vincent and the Grenadines warned people to plan for possible evacuations as the tiny islands hit recently by massive volcanic eruptions prepared for potential flooding and landslides from Tropical Storm Elsa, which whirled toward the eastern Caribbean on Thursday.

Elsa is the earliest fifth named storm on record, beating out last year's Eduardo which formed on July 6, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

The storm was located about 345 miles east-southeast of Barbados and is expected to pass near or over portions of the Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands on Friday. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving west-northwest at 28 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch was in effect for Grenada, the southern and western coasts of Haiti, part of the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

The government of Barbados said it was suspending public transportation and closing vaccination sites and businesses including gas stations by Thursday night, while St. Vincent expected to so by Friday morning.

Elsa was expected to strengthen in upcoming days and move into the eastern Caribbean Sea late Friday and Friday night, and pass near the southern coast of Hispaniola, which is shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, on Saturday. The storm was then expected to move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba on Sunday, though the forecast so far calls for it to remain below hurricane force.

The storm was forecast to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches with maximum totals of 8 inches inches on Friday across the Windward and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados. The rain could unleash isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

Additional strengthening is forecast for the next few days.

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

• Barbados
• Martinique
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

• Grenada and its dependencies
• The southern and western coasts of Haiti from the southern border of the Dominican Republic to Môle-Saint-Nicolas.

A warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area.