The last few years when October was so slow, an El Niño was underway.

Local 10 News' Roy Ramos traveled up to Cedar Key, which is near the big bend of the state, located about an hour southwest of Gainesville.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center has warned of life-threatening storm surges, flooding and isolated tornadoes.

Miami-Dade County announced Saturday that its drawbridges would remain open through Sunday after Hurricane Elsa weakened back to a tropical storm.

Hurricane Elsa continues to fly through the Caribbean on its way to the waters south of Haiti and eastern Cuba.

Hurricane Elsa was moving toward the west-northwest near 30 mph through the eastern Caribbean Friday evening, and the National Hurricane Center’s long-range forecast path still included Florida.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava was receiving updates Friday evening about Hurricane Elsa in the Caribbean, the search-and-rescue operation at the site of the Surfside building collapse, and the ongoing building inspections.

The strong high-pressure system sprawled across the Atlantic is driving Elsa to the west, but its effect will diminish through Saturday.

Hurricane force gusts were measured this morning on the island of Barbados as Elsa makes its final approach to the Caribbean Sea, so the storm is officially designated Hurricane Elsa. 2nd is more than a month earlier than the long-term average date the first hurricane forms.

Elsa has strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and it's blowing off roofs, snapping trees and destroying crops in the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports under the threat of flash flooding and landslides.