Tracking The Tropics: Eta Makes Landfall In Lower Matecumbe Key As Strong Tropical Storm

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Eta made landfall in Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys as a strong Tropical Storm as it continues to cause strong winds and dangerous flooding across portions of South Florida.

As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Eta was about 30 east-northeast of Marathon and about 70 miles east-northeast of Key West.

Maximum sustained winds are 65 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next day or so and Eta is forecast to become a hurricane when it moves over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Eta is moving toward the northwest near 14 mph.

A west-northwestward to westward motion is expected overnight, followed by a west-

southwestward motion on Monday and Monday night with some reduction in forward speed. Little overall motion is expected on Tuesday.

On the forecast track, the center of Eta will pass near or over the Florida Keys tonight and early Monday, and be over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico late Monday and Tuesday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 310 miles from the center. Sustained tropical-storm-force winds have been reported along much of the southeast Florida coast during the past few hours.

A WeatherFlow station at Carysfort Reef Light in the Florida Keys recently reported a sustained wind of 57 mph with a gust to 72 mph. An elevated station at Port Everglades recently reported a wind gust of 66 mph. Farther north a sustained wind of 42 mph with a gust to 54 mph was reported at the Lake Worth Pier.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for:

Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for:

Florida coast from Bonita Beach to Card Sound Bridge

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

Florida coast from Golden Beach to Bonita Beach

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

Northwestern Bahamas, including the Abacos, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence
Florida coast from Brevard/Volusia County line to Englewood
Lake Okeechobee

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

The Cuban provinces of La Habana, Artemisa, Mayabeque, Pinar del Rio, and the Isle of Youth
Florida coast from north of Englewood to Anna Maria Island

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