Tropical Storm Eta makes landfall in the Florida Keys
Published Date: 11/9/2020
Source: axios.com
Tropical Storm Eta was unleashing strong winds, heavy rains and "dangerous storm surge" over parts of South Florida and the Florida Keys early Monday after making landfall in the state, per the National Hurricane Center.The state of play: Hurricane warnings were in effect for the Florida Keys and for the state's coast, from Golden Beach to Bonita Beach, as the storm was packing sustained winds of near 65 mph with higher gusts. Update: Tropical Storm #Eta has made landfall on Lower Matecumbe Key Florida at 11pm EST. The maximum sustained winds were 65 mph (100 km/h) with a minimum central pressure of 991 mb. More: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/FEQHejP1SF— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) November 9, 2020 The storm made landfall at Lower Matecumbe Key in Florida late Sunday after unleashing heavy rains on the state as it approached.Eta was expected to strengthen in "the next day or so" and become a hurricane when it moves over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, the NHC said in a 10 p.m. advisory."Significant, life-threatening flash and river flooding will be possible in Cuba, along with landslides in areas of higher terrain. Life-threatening flash flooding will be possible across the urban areas of southeast Florida. Significant flash and urban flooding will also be possible for Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the remainder of southern Florida. Minor river flooding is also possible for central Florida."NHCOf note: In anticipation of Eta's arrival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in eight southern counties on Saturday "out of an abundance of caution." Evacuations were ordered in some communities, as coronavirus testing sites and beaches shut and public transportation halted, per AP.The big picture: Eta is the 28th named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, tying a 2005 record. The storm made landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday.It brought torrential rains to parts of Central America, including Guatemala, where rescue crews continued their search on Saturday for over 100 people believed to be buried by mudslides. Eta weakened to a tropical depression before regaining tropical storm strength earlier on Saturday as it lashed parts of the Cayman Islands and Jamaica before making landfall in Cuba early Sunday. Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the storm.