Tropical Storm Elsa forms in the Atlantic Ocean

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Tropical Storm Elsa formed Thursday morning in the Atlantic Ocean.

Elsa's July 1 formation is the earliest for any fifth-named storm on record, breaking a record set last year by Edouard.

The 11 a.m. (EST) update from the National Weather Service found Elsa had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour and is located about 680 miles east southeast of the Windward Islands.

Over the next day or two Elsa is expected to speed up, tracking toward the Windward Islands and the southern Leeward Islands. Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to arrive at those islands sometime Friday.

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A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

It's still too early to tell if and when the system will make landfall in the contiguous United States, but preliminary forecasts show Elsa could arrive at the southern tip of Florida around Monday night into Tuesday.

The ABC11 First Alert Weather Team will continue to track Elsa and alert you to any important changes to its forecast.

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