After briefly picking up hurricane strength, Eta weakened into a tropical storm and hit the Gulf Coast of Florida early Thursday.
Tropical Storm Eta made landfall with winds of 50 mph at 4 a.m. near Cedar Key, Fla., according to the . The storm is cutting across Florida and is forecast to reach the Atlantic by early afternoon local time.
It is expected to drop an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain across parts of the Florida Peninsula on Thursday, according to the NHC. Some areas in southern Florida could see up to 25 inches of rainfall total from this storm, which has been in and around the state for several days.
Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain hit western Florida for . Those winds are expected to continue along portions of Florida's northeast coast through early Thursday afternoon, according to the NHC.
Safety Harbor residents assess damage from Tropical Storm Eta Thursday morning.
— Chris Urso (@TB_TimesCurso)
Bands of rainfall will batter the peninsula, with isolated flash flooding expected. Minor river flooding in West Florida is forecast to last into the weekend.
The storm is expected to create swells near the Florida Gulf Coast that are "likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," the NHC .
One person died by electrocution after their home in Bradenton Beach flooded — which may be due to storm surge from Eta, .
Sail boats . Store owners . Thousands are . Schools in anticipation of the storm, as the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Eta is expected to accelerate northeast over the next day or so.
Two sailboats beached during on Sunset Beach in Gulfport.
— Bailey LeFever (@blefever10)
Eta has now made landfall four times. When the storm hit , it killed dozens of people and caused extensive flooding. Then it hit Cuba. On Sunday, the storm , where it doused Florida with rainfall.
The storm is part of an unprecedented hurricane season. With 29 named storms, 2020 is the most active season on record.
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