Tropical Storm Eta, the lingering former hurricane that hit Central America last week, made landfall in Cuba and is expected to move into Florida on Sunday.
Eta had been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical depression, but restrengthened to a tropical storm on Saturday.
The storm is expected to cause dangerous storm surge and flash flooding as it passes over Cuba and the Florida Keys. The Florida coastline is under hurricane watch from Deerfield Beach to Bonita Beach, according to the National Weather Service.
The storm hit about 60 miles outside of Canagua, Cuba, on Sunday morning and was moving northeast at about 12 miles per hour. Eta poses the risk of life-threatening flash flooding in Cuba along with storm surge that could raise water levels by 2 to 4 feet, the NWS said Sunday.
Florida Gov. Ron De Santis issued a state of emergency for about eight counties on Saturday, including Collier, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, according to NBC affiliate WBBH. Tropical storm conditions are expected to hit the state as early as Sunday afternoon.
Eta hit Central America on Tuesday at a Category 4 hurricane. Nicaragua was hit in some areas with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, causing damage to numerous structures.
Honduras reported one death attributed to the storm, a 12-year-old girl who died in a mudslide in San Pedro Sula, the main population center in northern Honduras. At least 559 people affected by flooding who had to move to shelters or go to relatives homes and 25 who needed to be rescued, according to Marvin Aparicio, director of the national system of incident commands for Honduras emergency management agency.
Eta was downgraded to a tropical depression after making landfall but lingered in the region, where it caused a massive landslide Friday in San Cristobal Verapaz, Guatemala. The number of missing and dead is estimated at more than 100 people, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said.
Home>>Theatre>>Tropical Storm Eta, the lingering former hurricane that hit Central America last week, made landfall in Cuba and is expected to move onto Florida Sunday.
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