Elsa, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, has weakened to a tropical storm as it closes in on Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

After lashing Barbados with strong winds and heavy rain Friday, the storm weakened as it approached the southern coast of Hispaniola, with maximum sustained winds dropping to 70 mph. The storm’s center was about 40 miles south of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, as of mid-morning Saturday.

Elsa is expected to deliver bands of heavy rain and strong, gusty winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the coming hours, as it moves west-northwest at 29 mph.

Tropical storm watches and warnings are in effect across much of region, and a hurricane warning remains in effect along the southern coast of Haiti and into parts of the Dominican Republic due to the strong tropical storm, which is close to minimal hurricane strength at this time.

Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions through the Caribbean Sea are expected this weekend.

The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys are all advised to monitor the progress of Elsa.

Elsa is forecast to remain a tropical storm as it passes over Cuba and approaches the Florida peninsula. A tropical storm warning is now in effect across eastern Cuba, and a tropical storm watch for much of the western half. Jamaica also has a tropical storm warning in effect.

Torrential rain, strong winds and rough surf are expected in Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba over the next 24 to 36 hours.

There could still be some fluctuations in the strength over the next few days, though the storm is expected to slow down as it moves over Cuba and turns toward Florida. It is on track to impact southern Florida late Monday. The storm could then ride up along the peninsula, bringing rain and wind into the middle of the week.

Elsa could potentially impact the ongoing rescue efforts in Miami-Dade County following last week’s deadly condo collapse in the beach town of Surfside. So far, at least 24 people have been confirmed dead and 124 others remain unaccounted for since the 12-story residential building partially collapsed on June 24.