A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of Florida’s west coast as Eta makes its way north from Cuba.
The warning is in effect from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River, and the tropical storm could be near or over Apalachee Bay below Tallahassee on Thursday night and Friday, the National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday afternoon.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Dry Tortugas, a group of islands west of Key West.
Eta, about 315 miles south-southwest of Tampa, is moving north-northeast at 9 mph.
Now with 65 mph winds, the storm could reach minimal hurricane strength over the coming days, but it is expected to weaken as it approaches Florida’s Big Bend area.
A storm surge watch is also in effect from Bonita Beach to the Steinhatchee River, the NHC said. That includes Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
South Florida could get another inch or two of rain Tuesday night. That will leave some areas with up to 20 inches of rainfall in the past few days, according to the NHC.
On parts of the Florida west coast, Eta could bring as much as 5 inches of rain, in addition to tropical storm-strength winds, the center said.
The area north of the Suwannee River in Florida to the Aucilla River are under a tropical storm watch, as are parts of Cuba, including La Habana, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth.
Subtropical storm Theta sets a record
Meanwhile, subtropical storm Theta formed in the Atlantic Ocean on Monday night, making 2020 the most active hurricane season on record with 29 storms so far.
No watches or warnings are in place as Theta, now a tropical storm, will travel east and stay in open water before dissipating, according to the National Hurricane Center.
And with weeks to go until the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season, yet another storm looks to be forming south of Puerto Rico, the NHC said, and there’s a 70% chance it will become the 30th named storm, breaking Theta’s brand-new record.
“A tropical depression is likely to form late this week or this weekend when the wave reaches the central or western Caribbean Sea,” the agency said.
Though Theta is not likely to make landfall, Tropical Storm Eta already has.
Eta made landfall in Lower Matecumbe Key late Sunday and has since moved into the Gulf of Mexico, but not before pouring flooding rains over South Florida. As of Tuesday afternoon, almost 7,500 customers were without power in Florida, according to PowerOutage.US.
This is the latest in hurricane season that two named storms have been active at the same time in the Atlantic since 1932. And Eta is the 12th named storm to make landfall along the US this season, breaking the previous record of nine set in 1916.
Third landfall for Eta
The storm made landfall in Lower Matecumbe Key late Sunday and moved westward out into the Gulf of Mexico. It has changed directions, and is now heading north.
Many schools in South Florida closed Monday ahead of the storm and bridges were locked down in anticipation of high winds.
Many South Floridians awoke to flooded streets, some with knee-high water, CNN affiliate WFOR reported. That led to abandoned and stranded cars and some toppled trees due to high winds.
“I’ve lived here since 1975. I’ve seen every storm, this was heavy rain compared to the others,” Fort Lauderdale resident William Maitland told WFOR.
Eta has made landfall at least twice before, in Cuba on Sunday morning and as a Category 4 hurricane in Central America last week, which is still reeling from its aftermath.
Emergency disaster plans are in place in Cuba and Mexico, and relief efforts continue in Guatemala and Honduras, which have been hit the hardest so far.
In Honduras, 38 people have died, eight remain missing and more than 60,000 have been evacuated from their homes, according to the country’s Permanent Contingency Commission.
Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator (CONRED) reported Saturday that 116 people remain missing, mostly due to the landslide in the remote village of Quejá, in the central Alta Verapaz region.
CNN’s Tyler Mauldin contributed to this report.
