Tropical Storm Eta Nearing Cuba; New Storm Surge, Hurricane Watches Issued for
- Eta is expected to strengthen near Cuba this weekend.
- The system is expected to approach Florida with rain, wind, storm surge and high surf.
- Tropical storm conditions are likely in South Florida on late Sunday.
- Eta has already triggered catastrophic flooding in Central America.
Tropical Storm Eta is expected to strengthen this weekend as it tracks across Cuba and will pass near or over the Bahamas and South Florida this weekend into early next week bringing flooding rain, winds and high surf.
Hurricane Hunter aircraft have recently found that winds have increased to 60 mph.
(MAPS: Latest Eta Map Tracker Page)
Current Wind Watches and Warnings
New storm surge and hurricane watches have been issued for southern portions of Florida:
A hurricane watch for the coast of southern Florida from Deerfield Beach to Bonita Beach, and for the Florida Keys. Hurricane conditions are possible in this area Sunday night and Monday.
A storm surge watch for the coast of southern Florida from Golden Beach to Bonita Beach, including Biscayne Bay, and for the Florida Keys. A dangerous storm surge is possible in this area.
A tropical storm watch has also been upgraded to a warning from north of Golden Beach to Jupiter Inlet, Florida, and west of Chokoloskee, Florida to Bonita Beach, Florida, including Lake Okeechobee. Tropical storm conditions are expected there Sunday into Monday.
Continued watches and warnings:
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the Cayman Islands, much of central Cuba and the northwestern Bahamas including Nassau, Grand Bahama Island and the Abacos. Tropical storm conditions are expected in these areas this weekend.
A tropical storm watch is now in effect along the Florida east coast north of Jupiter Inlet to the Brevard/Volusia county line and for the Florida west coast north of Bonita Beach to Englewood.
A tropical storm watch continues for western Cuba, including Havana, where tropical storm conditions are possible this weekend.
Watches, Warnings
(A watch is issued when tropical storm or hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours. A warning is issued when those conditions are expected within 36 hours.)
Happening Now
Bands of rain are already swiveling across the Florida Keys and South Florida. These may contain gusty winds and heavy rain at times, likely with increasing frequency.
Winds have been gusty along the southwest and southeast coasts of Florida today. Gusts have climbed to near 40 mph on Florida’s East Coast.
Wind gusts will gradually increase in Florida through the weekend.
Forecast Details
All in all, Eta is expected to track northward over Cuba then toward southern Florida as a strong tropical storm. From there, Eta may meander in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days.
Here’s the overview of the forecast for the next five days.
Current Information
(The red-shaded area denotes the potential path of the center of the tropical cyclone. It’s important to note that impacts (particularly heavy rain, high surf, coastal flooding, winds) with any tropical cyclone usually spread beyond its forecast path.)
Here are the details:
Intensity Forecast
Gradual strengthening is expected over the Caribbean Sea before Tropical Storm Eta…
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