Tropical storm Elsa forms in the Atlantic

(CNN) – Tropical Depression Five strengthened and is now Tropical Storm Elsa, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

The storm has winds of 64 km / h and is located 1,390 kilometers east-southeast of the Windward Islands. It runs west at 40 km / h.

Elsa will pass near or over parts of the Windward Islands on Friday, carrying gusts of wind and up to 8 inches of rain. It will then move to the eastern Caribbean Sea late on Friday, moving near the southern coast of the island of Hispaniola on Saturday.

By early next week, Elsa is forecast to approach the Florida peninsula. “It is too early to determine what impacts, if any, could occur there next week given the uncertainty in the long-term forecast,” says the National Hurricane Center.

A tropical storm watch is in effect for Barbados, Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Guadeloupe.