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Tropical Storm Eta Makes Second Florida Landfall


Residents clear debris from a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park in the shadow of the Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla.
Residents clear debris from a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park in the shadow of the Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla.

Tropical Storm Eta made landfall early Thursday along the west coast of the U.S. state of Florida.

The National Hurricane Center said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour as the center hit near Cedar Key.

Forecasters expect Eta to bring up to eight centimeters of rain to parts of Florida during the day Thursday as it crosses the state before emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

There were no immediate reports of major damage.

Authorities closed some bridges due to high winds and Tampa International Airport suspended its operations ahead of the storm with a plan to reopen no later than midday Thursday.

State and federal emergency orders are in place to help officials respond to the storm.

Eta first made landfall as a major hurricane in Nicaragua and killed at least 120 people in Central America. It later moved across Cuba and the Florida Keys before turning and affecting Florida again.

The storm was a record-tying 28th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Another storm, Theta, became the 29th this week, breaking the record set in 2005.

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