Tag Archives: hurricane eta

National, Terra Firma

[Updated] Meandering Hurricane Eta targets Florida

UPDATE: Eta has weakened to a tropical storm again, with winds of 70 MPH. The center of Eta is 85 miles southwest of Tampa Florida, moving north at 10 MPH. Tropical Storm Warnings now extend from Bonita Beach to Suwannee River, Florida.

Eta restrengthened to a Category I hurricane overnight and appeared to have picked a path. Packing winds of 75 MPH, Eta was located 145 miles south-southwest of Tampa and heading toward the big bend region of the western Florida coast. Overnight, Eta formed a well-developed eye, but wind shear and relatively dry air will make further strengthening difficult.

Since its formation in late October, Eta has impacted Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Cuba, and the United States. Last week, Eta slammed into Central America, delivering 140 MPH winds, 18 feet storm surge, flooding, mudslides, and misery. Over 150 deaths were reported across the region, with more people missing.

Forecasters have not declared hurricane watches or warnings, but they are expected later today. Tropical Storm Theta continued to move east in the Atlantic with 60 MPH winds and posed no threat to land. A tropical wave located southwest of the Dominican Republic was expected to form into a tropical depression. If that system reaches tropical storm strength, it would become the 30th named storm of 2020 and represent the first time three named systems were in the Atlantic basin this late in a hurricane season.

National, Terra Firma

Hurricane Eta sets sights on Florida for a one-two punch

Hurricane Eta, the 28th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is set to become the 12th named storm to strike the United States on Monday. At 1:00 PM PST, Tropical Storm Eta was located about 225 miles south-southeast of Miami, with maximum sustained winds of 65 MPH. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center predict Eta will cross the Florida Keys at a minimal Category I hurricane.

Hurricane warnings extended across the Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to Dry Tortuga, including Florida Bay. Additionally, the weather service announced Tropical Storm Warnings from the Brevard/Volusia County line to Englewood, including Lake Okeechobee. After striking the Florida Keys, forecasters predict Eta will hit the Florida coast for a second time later this week.

Hurricane Eta battered Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras before reemerging in the Atlantic as a tropical depression. In Guatemala, government officials reported at least 150 people were dead or missing as devastating floods and mudslides tore through the Central American nation. Official news from Nicaragua, where state media has suppressed information, has been scant with reports of only three fatalities. Honduran officials have reported at least 23 deaths and expect the death toll to rises. The Mexican government said as many as 20 deaths and Costa Rica claimed two Eta related deaths caused by a mudslide.

2020 has been a historic hurricane season, tied for the most storms in a single Atlantic hurricane season and the most named storms to strike the United States in a single season. Eta will mark the 12th storm to make US landfall; a typical hurricane season has roughly two per year. In the Atlantic, forecasters are watching two more tropical waves, creating the potential for the 29th and 30th named storms.

You can follow Hurricane Eta at the NOAA website.