Water experts explained, depending on the path Tropical Storm Elsa takes, it could impact red tide concentrations in Tampa Bay.
At the University of Florida, Lisa Krimsky is the regional specialist for water resources and studies red tide. Krimsky said depending on what the storm does, will depend if red tide improves or worsens.
A lot will depend on the wind direction.
"If the wind is coming westerly, from the west, we have the potential for the hurricane to make it worse," Krimsky explained. If the winds come from the East, that could be good news for Tampa Bay.
"If the wind is blowing from the other direction, we have the possibility of the hurricane moving the existing red tide in cells out of Tampa Bay," Krimsky added.
Another impact could be storm surge.
"Storm surge could push those red tide cells closer to shore," Krimsky stated.
Krimsky explained it's too soon to know what will happen because the storm can change, along with red tide concentrations.
"It’s going to depend on what the concentrations of red tide are at the time of the hurricane," Krimsky added.
Krimsky explained with storms and red tide, it's hard to predict way ahead of time.
"What happens today until next week when the storm is projected to hit, a lot can change," Krimsky said.
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