According to the National Hurricane Center, tropical storm Eta has gone into the Atlantic, and areas affected are cleared with slight flooding and rain.
After it became a tropical depression over the Caribbean Sea, the departure of Eta made landfall on Thursday. It struck at the north of Tampa Bay, 2020′s 28th named storm which passed by Florida, soon after it swung over to the Atlantic Ocean via the Florida-Georgia border noted the National Hurricane Center, reported Tampabay.
By 1 p.m., it was considered a tropical storm with a wind speed of 40 mph on the ocean. An increase in wind speed is expected as it moves to the northeastern sector over a few days. Its track will be offshore in Carolina when it tracks back to the east of the middle Atlantic coast on Friday. This prompted warnings in affected places to.
Eta affected areas by surprise when Tampa bay was hit by landfall, most affected had to deal with the unpredictability of the tropical storm, which did not stay in the sea. The storm made a run into Florida twice, making landfall about four times and morphing into a tropical storm then a hurricane. The storm struck land areas that affect Nicaragua as a category 4 hurricane. About 120 died in its Central American path, including Mexico, with missing persons in its wake.
Last Wednesday and Thursday, Eta came with a deluge of heavy rain for a night or a day. The bridge at Sunshine Skyway bridge was closed due to the storm. Most of the Tampa Bay area had tornado warnings by Wednesday afternoon. Last Thursday, the damage was assessed in parts affected.
Also read: Hurricane Delta's Casualties Retrieved From Rubble in Louisiana
Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies saved 33 people from areas flooded in parts like Gulfport, Madeira Beach, Oldsmar, Safety Harbor, and elsewhere. The Skyway reopened with other roads closed due to certain conditions.
At 7 a.m. an advisory said that storm surges were a threat. All were alert for the imminent danger. Local officials made the residents prepare for any emergency. A few hours after the advisory, the National Weather Service said warnings were dialed down from the severe warnings.
According to Spectrum Bay News 9 meteorologist Juli Marquez, on early Thursday, " the Tampa Bay region could still see winds up to 20 mph as the storm moved across the state, but that skies should clear significantly by Friday."
Eta hit landfall, transforming into a tropical storm, close to Cedar Key with winds that were as strong as 50 mph, said the national hurricane center.
By 1 p.m., an advisory of the National Hurricane Center mentioned that Florida sections are subject to 1 to 3 inches of rain on Thursday. Warning of flooding that would affect areas where it occurred. However, flooding of rivers is expected at the weekend. There were outages reported during the storm.
Winds in St. Petersburg were over 50 mph last Wednesday night. Pinellas and Manatee counties had 7 inches, said a local meteorologist. Coastal areas were struck hard, said the media.
Tropical storm Eta had a maximum wind speed of 75 mph, said the National Hurricane Center's 10 a.m. Wednesday update.
Related article: Hurricane Zeta Makes Landfall, Batters the Southeast and Barrels Through the Coast