Eta remains a tropical storm as Floridaprepares for 2nd hit11 November 2020, by Curt Anderson and Freida Frisaro

Residents clear debris from a flooded street in theDriftwood Acres Mobile Home Park, in the aftermath ofTropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie,Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cubaon Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, whereit unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoodsand covered the floors of some homes and businesses.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Eta remained a tropical storm Wednesdayafternoon as it prepared to skirt past the heavilypopulated Tampa Bay region in Florida and crashashore in the coming hours somewhere to thenorth along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

The storm's maximum sustained winds remainedat about 70 mph (110 kph) off Florida's west coastas the storm moved northward, according to theNational Hurricane Center in Miami. Additionalweakening was possible as Eta approaches thecoast.

Forecasters had posted—but later discontinued—ahurricane watch for a 120-mile (190-kilometer)stretch that includes Tampa and St. Petersburg.Eta had briefly attained hurricane strengthWednesday morning but then weakened.

Subsequently, a tropical storm warning was issuedfor the same general area.

The storm has been in the Gulf of Mexico sincecrossing over South Florida on Sunday. At 7 p.m.Wednesday, Eta was located 45 miles (70kilometers) west of St. Petersburg and was movingnorth at 12 mph (19 kph), the hurricane centerreported.

The Tampa Bay region is home to more than 3.5million people across five coastal counties. Nomandatory evacuations were immediately orderedbut authorities began opening shelters for anyoneneeding them. No serious damage or flooding wasimmediately reported.

Petra Gringrich, left, and Maria Gomez, both of Tampa,Fla., cross a rain soaked Dodecanese Boulevard indowntown Tarpon Springs while shopping Wednesday,Nov. 11, 2020 from heavy rain from Tropical Storm Eta.Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours afterregaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for asecond hit from the storm. (Douglas R. Clifford/TampaBay Times via AP)

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said special care is

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taken at shelters to protect people from thecoronavirus, such as social distancing, andsuggested people bring their own masks.

"Everything will be done to make sure all of ourresidents are safe," Castor said.

The forecast prompted school officials in Pinellasand Pasco counties, which includes St. Petersburg,to send students home early Wednesday. Bothcounties announced schools would remain closedThursday, as did neighboring Hillsborough County.

The Florida Highway Patrol closed the SunshineSkyway Bridge that links Pinellas and Manateecounties because of high winds. TampaInternational Airport tweeted that it would suspendoperations at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

In Pasco County, officials set up four do-it-yourselflocations for people to fill sandbags. In Tampa, theBusch Gardens theme park announced it wasclosed Wednesday and several Veterans Dayevents in the area were canceled.

Victoria Rodriguez, left, and Angela Mojica, right, walk ona flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile HomePark, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Tuesday,Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla. Tropical Storm Eta wassquatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after driftingaway from South Florida, where it unleashed a delugethat flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floorsof some homes and businesses. (AP Photo/LynneSladky)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an expandedemergency declaration to include 13 counties alongor near the Gulf coast, adding them to SouthFlorida counties. DeSantis also asked for an earlyemergency order from the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency to free resources needed totackle the storm. President Donald Trump grantedthe request Wednesday evening.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, whorepresent Florida, had sent a letter to Trump earlierWednesday in support of DeSantis' request.

"The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has beenparticularly challenging due to the number andseverity of storms, as well as the unique difficultiespresented by the COVID-19 pandemic," theRepublican senators wrote.

A coronavirus testing site at Tropicana Field wasalso closed Wednesday.

The hurricane center said "life-threatening stormsurge" is possible early Thursday, and forecastersadvised residents to heed warnings from localofficials. Tropical storm-force winds are expected inthe area by late Wednesday.

Sponge diver Alan Fox, 16, of Tarpon Springs, Fla.,slacks the lines Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, on hissponge boat, at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks inpreparation for Tropical Storm Eta. Eta has weakened toa tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricanestrength as Florida braces for a second hit from thestorm. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

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Forecasts call for more rain from the storm systemover parts of already drenched South Florida.

"Never seen this, never, not this deep," saidAnthony Lyas, who has lived in his now-waterlogged Fort Lauderdale neighborhood since1996. He described hearing water and debrisslamming against his shuttered home overnight asthe storm crossed Florida.

The storm first hit Nicaragua as a Category 4hurricane and killed at least 120 people in CentralAmerica and Mexico, with scores more missing. Itthen moved into the Gulf of Mexico early Mondaynear where the Everglades meet the sea, withmaximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph).

There was nowhere for the water to go acrossmuch of South Florida, which had alreadyexperienced nearly 14 inches (35 centimeters) ofrain in October.

Eta hit land late Sunday as it blew over LowerMatecumbe, in the middle of the chain of smallislands that form the Keys, but the heavilypopulated areas of Miami-Dade and BrowardCounties bore the brunt of the fury.

Water splashes against the seawall along Pass A GrilleWay in St. Pete Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov 11,

2020, as squalls from Tropical Storm Eta move throughPinellas County. Eta has weakened to a tropical stormjust hours after regaining hurricane strength as Floridabraces for a second hit from the storm. (ScottKeeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Residents clear debris from a flooded street in theDriftwood Acres Mobile Home Park in the shadow of theGuitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock, in the aftermath ofTropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie,Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cubaon Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, whereit unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoodsand covered the floors of some homes and businesses.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Surfer Emily Ashe, 22, Miami, wades through an angryGulf of Mexico as waves pound Pass-A-Grille Beach, St.

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Pete Beach, Fla., during Tropical Storm Eta, Wednesday,Nov. 11, 2020. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm justhours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida bracesfor a second hit from the storm. (Scott Keeler/Tampa BayTimes via AP)

Brooke Gross, 12, of Port Richey, center, loads asandbag onto a pickup truck at one of Pasco County'sfour self-serve sandbag stations at the Magnolia ValleyGolf Course, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in New PortRichey, Fla. Residents in the area scramble to protecttheir property from potential flooding as Tropical StormEta begins to deliver periods of squally weather tocontinue through today and into tomorrow as rain bandsmove into the Tampa Bay area. (Douglas R.Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Water splashes against the seawall along Pass A Grille

Way in St. Pete Beach, Fla,, on Wednesday, Nov. 11,2020 as squalls from Tropical Storm Eta move throughPinellas County. Eta has weakened to a tropical stormjust hours after regaining hurricane strength as Floridabraces for a second hit from the storm. (ScottKeeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Alyssa Onessimo, 15, on left, and her sister AdrianaOnessimo, 18, work to fill two gas container for theirfamily's generator in preparation for Hurricane Eta at the7-Eleven on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in St.Petersburg. Fla. Eta has weakened to a tropical stormjust hours after regaining hurricane strength as Floridabraces for a second hit from the storm. (DirkShadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Leslie Crowell loads water, paper towels and othergroceries into her car Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 atPublix in preparation for Tropical Storm Eta in Tampa,

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Fla. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours afterregaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for asecond hit from the storm. (Martha Asencio Rhine/TampaBay Times via AP)

Nurse Liza Hart, back, and Jennie Mosbauer, anutritionist, speak with a man at an emergency shelterset up due to Tropical Storm Eta at Middleton HighSchool, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Tampa, Fla. Etahas weakened to a tropical storm just hours afterregaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for asecond hit from the storm. (Martha Asencio Rhine/TampaBay Times via AP)

It was the 28th named storm of a busy Atlantichurricane season, tying the 2005 record for namedstorms. And late Monday, it was followed by the29th storm—Theta.

The hurricane center said Theta broke the record of28 named storms in 2005. Theta was centeredWednesday afternoon about 670 miles (1,080kilometers) southwest of the Azores, bearing topsustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph) as that systemmoved east-northeast at 10 mph (17 kph).

© 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast,rewritten or redistributed without permission.APA citation: Eta remains a tropical storm as Florida prepares for 2nd hit (2020, November 11) retrieved24 October 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2020-11-eta-regains-hurricane-strength-florida.html

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