There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

RAINFALL: Rain bands extending southwest of Etas center will produce an additional 1 to 2 inches over portions of South Florida tonight, where isolated maximum storm total accumulations will range between 20 and 25 inches. Localized flash and urban flooding will be possible overnight, especially across previously inundated areas. Minor river flooding is expected across portions of West Florida lasting into the weekend. SURF: Swells generated by Eta will affect portions of the southeastern United States coast through Friday. These swells are likely to cause lifethreatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

At 1000 PM EST (0300 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Eta was located near latitude 32.3 North, longitude 79.0 West. Eta is moving toward the northeast near 17 mph (28 km/h) and this heading with an increase in forward speed is expected during the next day or two. On the forecast track, Eta is expected to gradually pull away from the southeast U.S. coast. Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Eta could intensify a little as a nontropical cyclone during the next day or so before it becomes absorbed by a larger nontropical cyclone on Saturday. Tropicalstormforce winds extend outward up to 115 miles (185 km) from the center. An observation at Folly Beach Pier in South Carolina recently reported a wind gust of 54 mph (87 km/h). The estimated minimum central pressure is 1004 mb (29.65 inches).

Satellite images and surface observations indicate that the circulation of Eta is becoming stretched as it interacts with a frontal boundary just to its west. Deep convection is mostly confined to the northern side of the system and in patches associated with its trailing trough. Since buoy 41004 off the South Carolina coast recently reported sustained winds of 37 kt, the initial intensity is nudged up to 40 kt for this advisory.

The models show the circulation of Eta continuing to lose definition overnight, and it is possible that the tropical storm will open up into a trough soon. Whatever is left of Eta will merge with the nearby front on Friday, causing it to transition into an extratropical cyclone. The non-tropical low is then forecast to dissipate on Saturday over the north Atlantic. Eta, or its remnants, will likely strengthen slightly before it dissipates on Saturday due to the predicted faster forward speed and baroclinic influences.

Eta is moving northeastward at 15 kt. An even faster motion to the northeast is expected until the cyclone dissipates as it moves in the flow ahead of a deep-layer trough. This should take Eta, or its remnants, gradually away from the southeast U.S. coast.

Deep-layer moisture partly associated with Eta has spread northward along a frontal boundary across eastern North Carolina and just offshore of the Mid-Atlantic coast. See products from the NOAA Weather Prediction Center and your local National Weather Service office for additional information.