Hurricane Elsa (2021)

Hurricane Elsa was an extremely powerful and intense tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas as a category 4 hurricane. A Category 5 hurricane, Elsa formed from a tropical wave near Cape Verde before entering the Gulf of Mexico later.

Meteorological History
On August 6, a tropical wave exited the African coast, and the NHC began monitoring the wave for development. Three days later on August 9, the system developed into Tropical Depression Five. Five then intensified into Tropical Storm Elsa on August 11. Elsa was initially very weak and disorganized; strong wind shear caused Elsa to degenerate into a remnant trough on August 13. However, a Elsa entered a more favorable environment as it neared the Gulf of Mexico, the NHC once again began to monitor the system.

On August 17, Elsa regenerated into a tropical storm. Due to low wind shear and warm waters, Elsa intensified into a category 1 hurricane on August 18. Elsa then entered an environment conductive to rapid intensification. By 00:00 UTC on August 20, Elsa was a very strong Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 190 mph and a minimum pressure of 892 mbar. Elsa then weakened to a category 4 hurricane on August 21, just before making landfall near Galveston, Texas. Elsa caused extensive damage and was

Retirement
On April 18, 2022, the WMO elected to retire the name Elsa from its naming lists. It was replaced by the name Eleanor for the 2027 Atlantic hurricane season.