Tropical Storm Eta: 1 FL Death, Flooding, All Warnings Canceled

ACROSS FLORIDA — Floodwaters swamped roads and led to a dozen water rescues and one man being electrocuted in his flooded garage Wednesday night as Tropical Storm Eta moved past the Tampa Bay region. By Thursday morning, all warnings and watches were canceled by the National Weather Service.

In Bradenton Beach, Mark Mixon stepped into his flooded garage as he was laying sandbags around his home and was electrocuted, said Jacob Saur, director of public safety for Manatee County. There were appliances plugged into the garage, and Mixon was killed when he stepped into the water, The Associated Press reported.

The storm has moved into northern Florida after it made landfall at 4:20 a.m. near Cedar Key, with estimated maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, the National Weather Service said. "Weather conditions will improve today, but, coastal flooding, river flooding, rip currents and lingering showers will continue," the agency said.

The National Hurricane Center noted Tuesday the 2020 season was the most active on record.

The lights have stayed on across most of the region. The tracking site PowerOutage.US reported that just over 5,300 utility customers were without electricity Thursday night. Manatee County had 195 outages, Sarasota had 59, Pinellas County had 2,558, and Hillsborough County had 576.

Firefighters rescued about a dozen people stuck in flooding on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa. On Thursday morning, a few abandoned vehicles were still on the flooded roadway, WFTS in Tampa reported.

Late Wednesday, residents of Twin Cities Mobile Home Park in St. Petersburg were forced to evacuate because of flooding, the television station reported. In Pinellas County, the sheriff's office rescued 33 people from homes and roads.

Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday granted his request for a pre-landfall emergency declaration for the storm. "This is great news and ensures that we will have the critical federal resources we need to respond to any impacts from this storm," he said.

Schools in Pasco and Pinellas counties sent students home early Wednesday, and schools there are closed Thursday, while Hillsborough County planned to keep schools closed through Friday, AP reported.

Tampa International Airport suspended operations Wednesday afternoon but was up and running early Thursday. Travelers were urged to check flight statuses with their airlines.

Manatee, Hillsborough and Manatee counties declared states of emergency before the storm hit.

Eta is expected to move northeastward into the western Atlantic late Thursday and early Friday.

The formation of Subtropical Storm Theta on Nov. 10 over the northeastern Atlantic Ocean made the 2020 season a record-breaker, the NHC said.

Theta — the 29th named storm of the Atlantic season — breaks the record for the most tropical/subtropical storms in a single year. The previous record of 28 storms was set in 2005. Official records date to 1851.

“After the historic Atlantic hurricane season of 2005, it's remarkable to have another season during my career that would reach this extreme level of activity,” said Louis W. Uccellini, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30.

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Maximum sustained winds are near 65 mph with higher gusts. Slow weakening is expected as Eta approaches the west coast of Florida Wednesday night, followed by more rapid weakening after landfall occurs on Thursday.

Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 115 miles from the center. Albert Whitted Airport near St. Petersburg recently reported sustained winds of 40 mph and a gust of
52 mph. A Weatherflow site in Tampa Bay measured sustained winds of 45 mph and a gust of 59 mph.

The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

• Anclote River to Boca Grande including Tampa Bay - 3 to 5 feet
• Boca Grande to Bonita Beach including Charlotte Harbor - 2 to 4 feet
• Steinhatchee River to Anclote River - 2 to 4 feet
• Bonita Beach to Flamingo - 1 to 2 feet

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances.

The next high tide in Charlotte Harbor is at 12:01 a.m. High tide in St. Petersburg is 10:40 a.m. The next high tide at the Anclote River is 9:03 a.m.

Eta is expected to produce the following rainfall totals:

West and central Florida through Thursday: 2 to 4 inches with maximum storm total accumulations of 6 inches.

North and south Florida through Thursday: An additional 1 to 2 inches, with isolated maximum storm total accumulations of 4 inches in north Florida and 20 to 25 inches in south Florida.

Additional flash and urban flooding will be possible in south Florida through Thursday, especially across previously inundated areas. Flash, urban and isolated minor river flooding is expected across portions of west and north Florida through Thursday.

Tropical storm conditions are expected in the tropical storm warning area along the Florida west coast through Thursday morning. Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area along the Florida Big Bend region on Thursday.

Eta has already generated several tornadoes that have resulted in warnings in the Palm Harbor area, parts of Sarasota and Manatee counties and southern Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, residents should take cover and stay away from windows. A few tornadoes are possible overnight over parts of western and central Florida.

The Florida Division of Emergency Management said Eta is producing dangerous beach conditions along Florida's west coast and is warning residents and visitors not to swim.

Swells generated by Eta are expected to affect southern and western Florida and the Florida Keys
during the next day or so. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

Related:

• Hillsborough County Schools To Close Thursday, Friday For Eta
• Pasco County Schools To Close Ahead Of Hurricane Eta
• Pinellas County School Closures Due To Tropical Storm Eta
• Hillsborough County Under State Of Local Emergency: Hurricane Eta
• 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Most Active On Record: NOAA
• Tropicana Field Coronavirus Testing Site Closed Due To Eta
• State Of Emergency Declared In Manatee County
• Early Dismissal Planned For Sarasota Schools Wednesday
• AT&T Prepares For Eta; Offers Advice On Saving Battery Power
• Coast Guard Sets Condition Zulu; No Boats May Enter Ports
• Pinellas County Declares Emergency As Hurricane Eta Nears
• Polk County Schools Close Thursday Due to Hurricane Eta
• New Port Richey, Pasco Opens Sandbag Stations; No Shelters Open
• Hillsborough County Shelters Available For Susceptible Residents
  
• Duhme Road In Seminole, Other Roads Closed Due To Flooding