Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Tropical Storm Eta continued to meander in the eastern Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Cuba on Tuesday morning, Nov. 10, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service (NWS).
The storm was forecast to begin a slow northward motion by Tuesday evening and continue its northward drift through Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of near 60 mph and higher gusts.
Eta was expected to strengthen during the next day or two, and then was likely to begin weakening on Thursday, according to the NWS.
And while the track of the storm was projected to veer more to the west and likely impact the westernmost part of the Panhandle by Sunday evening, the Big Bend area was still not completely risk free.
Indeed, as of Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 10, the NWS’s forecast still put the eastern part of the Panhandle and the Big Bend area within the cone containing the possible path of the storm. The NWS was also warning that hazardous conditions could occur well outside of the cone.
Regardless where the storm ultimately made landfall, it was expected that it would produce heavy rainfall for this region during the weekend.
Eta initially made landfall in Nicaragua last week as a Category 4 Hurricane. It degraded into a tropical depression once it encountered that country’s mountainous terrain. It then started a northward zigzag track into the Caribbean that brought it across Cuba on Sunday and the Keys and tip of South Florida on Monday, causing much flooding.
Eta is the 28th named storm – and the 12th hurricane and fifth major hurricane – in the extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which has tied the record set in 2005 for the most storms. Eta is also the second-most intense November hurricane since 1932, according to the NWS.
In other weather related news, Floridians can expect warm, dry conditions this winter, if the forecast from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is any indication.
The CPC, which is a division of the NWS at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released its latest forecast on Oct. 15.
The CPC forecasters foresee an expanded and intensifying drought during the winter months for southern parts of the country, which does not bode well for farmers. Already, according to NOAA, more than 45 percent of the country is experiencing drought.
Blame the La Niña climate pattern for the expected drier conditions.
“With La Niña well established and expected to persist in the upcoming 2020 winter season, we anticipate the typical, cooler, wetter North, and warmer, drier South, as the most likely outcome of winter weather that the U.S. will experience this year,” CPC Deputy Director Mike Halpert is quoted saying.
The forecast calls for the greatest chances of drier-than-average conditions to manifest in the Southwest, across the Gulf Coast, and in Florida.
NOAA’s forecasts and seasonal outlooks are intended to minimize the impacts of weather by helping communities prepare for what may lay ahead expect warm, dry conditions this winter, if the forecast from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is any indication.
The CPC, which is a division of the NWS at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), released its latest forecast on October 15.