Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on Florida west coast
Source: AP
By CURT ANDERSON
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Eta dumped torrents of blustery rain on Florida’s west coast as it moved over Florida after making landfall north of the heavily populated Tampa Bay area Thursday morning.
The storm slogged ashore near Cedar Key, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph). The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted Eta would then move northeast across Florida as it loses strength. Eta briefly gained hurricane strength Wednesday morning, but forecasters said it later weakened to tropical storm status.
There were no immediate reports of any injuries, serious damage or flooding in the Tampa Bay area as the storm skirted past that region Wednesday afternoon. Several tornado warnings were issued, but there were no reports of one touching down.
On Thursday morning, much of the Tampa Bay area was under a storm surge warning. The storm forced officials to close some lanes on two of the three bridges that cross Tampa Bay, connecting the St. Petersburg area to Tampa, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
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 through Pinellas County. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for a second hit from the storm. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/gulf-of-mexico-tropical-storm-eta-storms-coronavirus-pandemic-miami-68fa08d7d6e2c76c19cbdc8dda491875
