Elsa becomes the first hurricane of the Atlantic season

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Elsa has strengthened into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and it’s battering the eastern Caribbean, where officials closed schools, businesses and airports under the threat of flash flooding and landslides.

Heavy rains and winds lashed Barbados on Friday as the Category 1 storm aimed for other nearby islands including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which are still struggling to recover from recent volcanic eruptions.

Elsa was located about 95 miles (155 kilometers) east of St. Vincent and was moving west-northwest at 28 mph (44 kph).

It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.