Tropical Storm Eta has moved further out into the Gulf of Mexico, northwest of Cuba as the day has progressed. The Marco Island and Naples areas experienced heavy rain today until the afternoon with no heavy winds. The rest of the day has been pleasantly clear and for now it seems we’ve avoided any severe weather. We will need to keep monitoring the storm as the week progresses as it is currently projected to swing back in Florida’s direction and make landfall Thursday night.
Eta has decreased in strength to around 50mph winds.
It is projected to begin moving north-northeast out of the gulf starting in the afternoon on Tuesday.
The storm could regain its’ strength from Tuesday to Thursday night, but as of now Collier County is not in the storms projected cone.
It is too early to predict what Collier County can expect to experience come later in the week.
Tropical Storm Eta as of 11/9/2020 9:30am
Eta’s storm track has changed drastically over the last 24 hours. Marco Island and Naples Proper are currently outside of the storm’s cone. The storm has begun tracking southwest away from the coast of Florida. Although we are outside of the cone, as of now we are still very close, therefore we will continue to keep a close watch.
The center of the storm is now approximately 120 miles off the southwest coast of Florida.
Eta is exhibiting tropical storm force winds of 60-70mph at its center.
In the Naples area we can expect heavy rainfall for the majority of the day, winds currently still tame at 18-25mph. We could possibly experience stronger winds of 25-35mph and some stronger gusts throughout the day, but nothing overly concerning.
As of 7:00am there is still a Tropical Storm Warning in Coastal Collier County.
Eta has the potential to gain strength as it moves southwest until the afternoon Tuesday, around that time it should begin moving northeast, back towards Florida.
Eta is projected to make landfall in Florida Thursday afternoon.
Upon arrival it could still be exhibiting winds of approximately 70mph, heavy rainfall and flash flooding, but it is likely the wind speed will weaken slightly as it begins moving toward the coast.
The center of Tropical Storm Eta is located about 40 miles east of Marathon in the Florida Keys, or 60 miles south of Miami, moving northwest at 14mph.
Eta is currently sustaining winds of 65mph.
Forecasters still project that Eta will become a hurricane before it reaches the Florida Keys tonight (minimum winds of 74mph).
It is forecast to pass near or over the Florida Keys on Sunday night and early Monday. Then Eta will move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico late Monday and Tuesday.
Collier County is currently experiencing winds of 20-30mph and consistent mild raining. It is expected to reach 70-75mph winds in the area by late Monday morning or early afternoon.
We can expect to see these winds sustained through Monday and into Tuesday, along with heavy rain, flash flooding and storm surge.
Eta is now moving away from Cuba and approaching south Florida.
Sunday night we are expected to begin feeling consistent NE winds of 35-45mph, with some gusts of close to 60-65mph.
Locally (Collier County) we should expect to experience heavy rain and flooding, from tonight into Tuesday night.
Eta is still set to arrive in Florida with max winds of approximately 70mph.
Eta remains a tropical storm and has not been upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, but has the potential to do so by Monday morning.
Hurricane Warning is still in effect for Collier County.
The southwest coast of Florida should experience the worst during the day Monday, with consistent winds at 45-50mph and gusts reaching 70mph, the storm should calm significantly by Monday night.
The storm is crossing over Cuba today with winds of 65mph and heavy rain.
It is expected to move over the Florida Keys by Sunday evening with winds of 70mph.
The storm is expected to approach the Collier County area Sunday night into Monday morning.
The west coast of Collier County has been issued a hurricane warning.
In the early hours of Monday morning we can expect to see winds of around 70 mph with very heavy rainfall and flooding.
The storm has not been declared a hurricane as of yet (minimum wind speed for Category 1 is 73mph). It has the potential to become stronger over the next 24 hours, possibly developing into a hurricane.
Eta is expected to keep the same wind speed into Tuesday of 70mph and the worst should be over by Tuesday night.
Necessary Steps:
All of the steps below should be taken in order to minimize your potential risk during this storm. Although the storm may become a category 1 hurricane by the time it arrives in Collier County. It is not projected to carry winds higher than 75 mph, so the steps to minimize risk will be very similar to those in a tropical storm.
Place all outdoor furniture inside, especially that which is not heavy or tied down in some way. This will avoid the risk of the furniture being lifted and blown around causing damage to your home or elsewhere.
If you have electronic shutters, feel free to lower them during the storm, but due to the severity it is not recommended at this time to install manual shutters.
Fill your cars gas tank prior to the storm.
Ensure your phones and electronic devices are fully charged at all times if possible. This way if the power to your home goes out, you will have usage of these items.
You should also lower the temperature of your home by a few degrees so that if you lose power, the home will stay cooler for a longer period of time.
Eta is currently exhibiting winds of 60mph and is headed toward South Florida, moving NE at 17mph.
There is a Tropical Storm Watch for Monday AM & Tuesday in Collier County as of now.
We are projected to begin experiencing high speed, gusty winds and excessive rainfall as early as Sunday evening, lasting into Tuesday. The bulk of the storm is expected to make landfall in SW Florida Monday night into Tuesday morning.
When it makes landfall in South Florida it is expected to be carrying 60-65mph winds, heavy rain and high chance of severe flooding.
There is no indication, at this time, that Eta will be upgraded to a hurricane for the remainder of its pathing.
Necessary Steps:
Tropical Storms although not extremely dangerous, do present some potential issues. Here are some things you could do in order to minimize the chance of an issue during the storm:
Place all outdoor furniture inside, especially that which is not heavy or tied down in some way. This will avoid the risk of the furniture being lifted and blown around causing damage to your home or elsewhere.
If you have electronic shutters, feel free to lower them during the storm, but due to the severity it is not recommended at this time to install manual shutters.
Fill your cars gas tank prior to the storm.
Ensure your phones and electronic devices are fully charged at all times if possible. This way if the power to your home goes out, you will have usage of these items.
You should also lower the temperature of your home by a few degrees so that if you lose power, the home will stay cooler for a longer period of time.