Manatee under tropical storm warning and under a state of emergency from Eta
Manatee County is now under a tropical storm warning and storm surge watch as Eta is slowly approaching the area.
The National Hurricane Center issued the warning for Florida’s west coast from Bonita Beach to the Suwannee River. A storm surge watch was issued from Bonita Beach to the Steinhatchee River, including Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor.
The hurricane center forecasters issued a tropical storm warning for the Dry Tortugas and a tropical storm watch from north of the Suwannee River to the Aucilla River in the Florida Panhandle.
As 10 p.m., Tropical Storm Eta was located about 315 south-southwest of Tampa and was moving north-northeast at nine miles per hour. Eta has seen some intensification, with sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.
Just hours earlier, the Manatee County Commission unanimously voted to declare a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm.
Earlier forecasts had been favorable for Manatee, according to Public Safety Director Jake Saur. The storm had been shifting west in the Gulf of Mexico, farther and farther away from the Bradenton area.
“Better to be safe than sorry so we are prepared,” Commissioner Betsy Benac said.
Just moments after the declaration, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for Manatee County. The watch was upgraded to a warning only six hours later
A tropical storm warning means tropical storm force winds — 39 to 73 mph —are possible in an area within the next 24 hours.
Eta first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Nicaragua last Tuesday, Nov 3. Early Sunday, it made its second landfall along the south-central coast of Cuba, although it had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Later that night, the tropical storm made landfall again on Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys bringing heavy rain and flooding to South Florida.
Now, the tropical storm appears to be headed for Florida’s Panhandle but could still produce storm-force-winds and heavy rain.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 4:29 PM.
