Tropical Storm Elsa brought tornadoes, inches of rainfall and heavy wind to Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Here is how the First Coast was affected, according to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) preliminary report.
Tornadoes
Elsa brought two tornadoes to the area, one in Jacksonville and the other in Camden County, Ga. The twisters uprooted trees, flipped cars and damaged buildings along their combined 7.4 mile paths, according to the NWS.
The Duval tornado touched down along San Ardo Drive, just northeast of the Beauclerc area. It traveled northward for 3.75 miles with winds peaking at around 105-110 mph, enough to peel back roofs and pull metal sidings from industrial buildings.
The Camden tornado was stronger, maxing out at 130 mph. It snapped tree trunks when it touched down at East St. Mary’s Street. It got stronger later in its 3.65-mile path.
When it hit Eagle Hammock RV Park, it flipped over vehicles. One RV was flipped and blown 200 feet into a lake north of the park.
No one was injured by the Duval tornado, but 17 people were injured in the Camden tornado. Eleven had to be hospitalized.
Rain
Elsa brought 2.70 inches of rain to Jacksonville from 12:03 a.m. on July 7 to 12:03 a.m. on July 8. Specifically:
- Jacksonville International Airport: 2.66 inches
- Jacksonville Craig Airport: 2.22 inches
- Jacksonville NAS: 2.83 inches
- San Marco: 2.74 inches
Nassau County also received heavy rains, with Fernandina Beach receiving 3.49 inches and Yulee getting 2.34 inches.
Kingsland, Ga., received 5.95 inches of rain in the 24-hour period when Elsa arrived.
Wind
Aside from the tornadoes, storm winds exceeded 40 mph across the First Coast. These were the high speeds recorded Wednesday:
Duval County
- Jacksonville International Airport: 43 mph
- Jacksonville NAS: 43 mph
- Jacksonville Craig Airport: 40 mph
- Mayport Naval Station: 48 mph
- Jacksonville: 44 mph
Nassau County
- Fernandina Beach: 41 mph
- Yulee: 40 mph
St. Johns County
- St. Augustine Beach: 38 mph
- St. Augustine: 36 mph
- Lewis: 36 mph
Camden County
- I-95 At Camden Welcome Center: 39 mph
Tristan Wood can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or on Twitter at @TristanDWood
