Hurricane Eta Hammered Central America, Then Meandered Toward Florida (RECAP)

Eta will be known for producing catastrophic rainfall in parts of Central America, then snaking through the western Caribbean, eventually causing several feet of storm surge to pile up on Florida's west coast and flooding rain in South Florida.

In the Caribbean, maximum sustained winds in Eta increased from 70 mph to 150 mph in just 18 hours ending 7 p.m. EST Nov. 2. That's more than double the criteria for the rapid intensification of a tropical cyclone, which is a wind speed increase of 35 mph or more in 24 hours or less.

At its peak Nov. 2-3, Eta was the third-strongest November hurricane on record in the Atlantic by wind speed and just the fifth Atlantic Category 4 or higher hurricane to occur in the month. Paloma in 2008 was the last November Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic.

Eta was the ninth storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season to undergo rapid intensification.

Eta's central pressure plunged 82 millibars (later corrected to 83 millibars in the NHC's final report published in June 2021) in 48 hours ending 1 a.m. ET Nov. 3, one of the largest 48-hour pressure drops on record in the Atlantic Basin, according to Sam Lillo, a NOAA researcher based in Boulder. Only hurricanes Andrew, Rita and Wilma had as large or larger pressure drops in a 48-hour period than Eta, Lillo found.

The small hurricane produced prolific lightning flashes in its eyewall on Nov. 2, one sign of its intensity.

Eta's eye arrived along the coast of Nicaragua about 15 miles south-southwest of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua around 4 p.m. EST on Nov. 3. At that time, maximum sustained winds were estimated at 140 mph, a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, according to the NHC.

Eta was only the fifth Category 4 or stronger hurricane on record to landfall in Nicaragua, the first since Category 5 Hurricane Felix in 2007.

Winds had gusted up to 136 mph near Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.

A storm surge of 26 to 33 feet above normal was reported near where Eta made landfall, according to the meteorological service of Nicaragua. This was much higher than the surge experienced during Category 5 Hurricane Felix in 2007.

Nicaragua and Honduras have seen roofs ripped off of homes, trees uprooted, bridges washed out, landslides and flooded roads.

As feared, torrential rain from Eta triggered massive flooding in parts of Central America as far west as Guatemala and as far south as Costa Rica.

One of the hardest-hit areas was western Honduras.

Flooding inundated Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport near San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Water was up to the rooftops in parts of San Pedro Sula, on Nov. 5. Video showed hundreds of people on rooftops and the second story of buildings waiting for rescue. Some had been trapped for 48 hours.

As of November 10, 68 communities in Honduras remained isolated by flooding or landslides.

Water levels along the Ulúa River in western Honduras were said to have been 13 feet higher than the peak during Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Catastrophic flooding was also expected along the Choluteca River in the town of Marcovia, in southern Honduras, south of the capital Tegucigalpa.

(MORE: Eta Triggers Memories of Mitch 22 Years Ago)

One landslide in Guatemala reportedly claimed at least 100 lives. According to Oxfam, at least 12 communities remained cut off flooding in Guatemala as of November 11.

Some locations picked up over 10 inches of rain in one day, including Puerto Barrios, Guatemala (13.98 inches).

According to the NHC's final report, at least 165 deaths in Central America and southern Mexico could be directly attributed to Eta, though the report suggested these counts were likely underdone.

Eta was responsible for an estimated $6.8 billion damage in Central America, alone, according to the reinsurer, Aon.

U.S. Recap

Eta made its first U.S. landfall in the Florida Keys at Lower Matecumbe Key on Nov. 8 at 11 p.m. EST. Eta was the 12th named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this hurricane season, and the first official landfall for the state of Florida.

Parts of Broward County in South Florida picked up 15 to 20 inches of rainfall from Eta, according to the National Weather Service. The heavy rainfall caused road flooding in parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties on Nov. 8 and then again the following morning.

Streets and neighborhoods were flooded from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach.

Sustained winds of 57 mph with a gust to 72 mph was measured at Carysfort Reef Light in the Florida Keys. A gust to 66 mph was clocked in Fort Lauderdale.

At its peak, 57,000 customers were without power in South Florida, according to poweroutage.us.

Heavy rain and strong winds battered parts of western, central and South Florida, particularly from Sarasota to parts of the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area.

Sarasota, Florida, picked up 6.41 inches of rain on Wednesday, easily their wettest November day on record.

Wind gusts to 60 mph or higher have been clocked near Port Charlotte (69 mph), near Dundee (67 mph), Clearwater Beach (60 mph) and in Punta Gorda (60 mph) Wednesday in Eta's rainbands.

Venice (58 mph), St. Petersburg (55 mph), Naples (55 mph) and Sarasota-Bradenton (52 mph) have recorded gusts over 50 mph.

Peak storm surge inundation of 2.5 to 4 feet above normally dry ground has been measured by gauges in Tampa Bay, just under 2 feet in Cedar Key, and between 2.3 and 2.75 feet in southwest Florida from Naples to Fort Myers.

In Pinellas County, water was reportedly knee high near the casino in Gulfport and halfway up outdoor restaurant tables in Madeira Beach. Water was also flooding flood-prone Bayshore Boulevard late Wednesday night.

Eta made landfall at 4 a.m. EST on Nov. 12 near Cedar Key, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Some of the tropical moisture associated with Eta streamed well northward ahead of a cold front from southern Virginia to the central and eastern Carolinas. That is resulting in flooding rainfall from parts of Virginia into the Carolinas.

Eta then tracked off the Southeast coast on Nov. 13, continuing its Carolina drenching, with up to 10 inches falling in North Carolina.

The flooding ended up killing 9 people in North Carolina, as of Nov. 14.

According to NOAA, Eta was estimated to have caused $1.5 billion damage in the U.S., primarily due to flooding in South Florida.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.