Tropical Storm Eta over Ciego de Avila, Cuba

HAVANA TIMES – Tropical Storm Eta is currently passing through the province of Ciego de Ávila Cuba.  At 9:00 a.m. (ET) the Cuban weather service, INSMET, gave its latest report on the strength and movement of the storm.

As a powerful hurricane and then a tropical storm, Eta left a trail of death and destruction during its time in Central America.  After Cuba it is expected to head towards Florida.

The following is the latest report from INSMET:

TROPICAL STORM ETA

(8 de noviembre 9 AM.)

… It is close to going out to sea on the north coast of the province of Ciego de Ávila …

Tropical Storm Eta continued its movement over the province of Ciego de Avila and will soon leave the Island to the sea on the north coast near Chambas.

At nine in the morning its central region was estimated at 22.2 degrees North latitude and 78.9 degrees West longitude, in the vicinity of Chambas, about 40 kilometers northwest of the city of Moron, Ciego de Ávila.

Eta has maximum sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour (60 mph), with higher gusts, and its central pressure has risen slightly to 993 hectoPascal. Eta is moving north-northeast at a rate of 19 kilometers per hour (12 mph)

In the coming hours Eta will tilt its trajectory to the northwest from noon on with a slight decrease in its movement speed.

It is predicted that after a slight weakening while transiting over Cuban territory, upon emerging into the Old Canal of the Bahamas, Eta will gradually gain in organization and intensity. It is expected to be close to hurricane force when it moves through the vicinity of the Florida Keys.

The bands of rainfall related to the circulation of Eta will continue to affect the center and east of Cuba. They will also gradually spread to the western provinces. The rains can be strong and intense, mainly in mountainous areas and the central region, even in locations far from the center of the storm.

These winds will produce strong swells on the south coast, with a sea level rise between 1 and 1.5 meters and moderate coastal flooding from Júcaro in Ciego de Ávila to Manzanillo in Granma. Due to the combination of the effects of the wind, heavy rains and the sea in the area of ​​the mouth of the Zaza river in Sancti Spíritus and the Cauto in Granma, floods in these areas are forecast to be strong.

On the north coast of the west and center of the island, including the Havana seawall, strong swells will begin to occur from the morning on with wave heights of between 3 and 4 meters. This will generate light coastal flooding that will gradually increase until reaching moderate by later tonight.

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