Tropical Storm Iota forms, could follow Eta’s deadly path

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Just as the remnants of Eta finally blew out to sea on Friday, another storm formed that could follow its path of death and destruction into Central America this weekend.

Hurricane experts were closely watching the Caribbean, where Tropical Storm Iota formed Friday afternoon. Forecasters warned that Iota could power up quickly, to major hurricane strength, as it approaches Central America late Sunday or Monday, and wreak more havoc in a region where people are still grappling with the aftermath of Eta.

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Water splashes against the seawall along Pass A Grille Way in St. Pete Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Nov 11, 2020, as squalls from Tropical Storm Eta move through Pinellas County. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Erika Lane takes photos of the surf at Lido Public Beach in Sarasota, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, as Hurricane Eta passes to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Nancy Ferro of Dunedin, Fla., center, and Charmyn Nixon of New Port Richey, wait for rides home in heavy rain from Tropical Storm Eta in downtown Tarpon Springs after they were sent home early from work. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for a second hit from the storm. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Sponge diver Alan Fox, 16, of Tarpon Springs, Fla., slacks the lines Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, on his sponge boat, at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks in preparation for Tropical Storm Eta. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Hotel guests carry their luggage across flooded Benjamin Franklin Dr. to get to their car on Lido Key in Sarasota, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, as Hurricane Eta passes to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key A driver navigates around vehicles stalled in the middle of Benjamin Franklin Dr. on Lido Key in Sarasota, Fla. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, as Hurricane Eta passes to the west in the Gulf of Mexico. (Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Water splashes against the seawall along Pass A Grille Way in St. Pete Beach, Fla,, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 as squalls from Tropical Storm Eta move through Pinellas County. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for a second hit from the storm. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Brooke Gross, 12, of Port Richey, center, loads a sandbag onto a pickup truck at one of Pasco County's four self-serve sandbag stations at the Magnolia Valley Golf Course, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in New Port Richey, Fla. Residents in the area scramble to protect their property from potential flooding as Tropical Storm Eta begins to deliver periods of squally weather to continue through today and into tomorrow as rain bands move into the Tampa Bay area. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Surfer Emily Ashe, 22, Miami, wades through an angry Gulf of Mexico as waves pound Pass-A-Grille Beach, St. Pete Beach, Fla., during Tropical Storm Eta, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for a second hit from the storm. (Scott Keeler/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key A man makes his way along Bayshore Blvd in heavy rain due to Tropical Storm Eta, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 in Tampa, Fla. Eta has weakened to a tropical storm just hours after regaining hurricane strength as Florida braces for a second hit from the storm. (Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Residents clear debris from a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, where it unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floors of some homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Residents clear debris from a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park in the shadow of the Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, where it unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floors of some homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Tropical Storm Eta dumps blustery rain on west Florida, makes landfall near Cedar Key Victoria Rodriguez, left, and Angela Mojica, right, walk on a flooded street in the Driftwood Acres Mobile Home Park, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020, in Davie, Fla. Tropical Storm Eta was squatting off western Cuba on Tuesday after drifting away from South Florida, where it unleashed a deluge that flooded entire neighborhoods and covered the floors of some homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota could bring dangerous wind, storm surge and as much as 30 inches of rainfall to northern Nicaragua and Honduras. The storm was located about 350 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. There were no coastal warnings or watches in effect as of Friday afternoon.

Iota is a record-setting 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. Such activity has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing wetter, stronger and more destructive storms.

In terms of Eta, forecasters said its remnants would pick up forward speed in the next day or so as it pulls away from the Southeast seaboard. Eta also triggered flash flooding, water rescues and at least one bridge collapse in South Carolina, said Sandy LaCorte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville, South Carolina.

Eta hit Nicaragua last week as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people as torrential rains brought flash floods and landslides to parts of Central America and Mexico. Then it meandered across Cuba, the Florida Keys and around the Gulf of Mexico before slogging ashore again near Cedar Key, Florida, and dashing across Florida and the Carolinas.

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The Tampa Bay area was buffeted with gusty winds and rain, and there was one U.S. death linked to Eta: In Bradenton Beach, Mark Mixon stepped into his flooded garage as he was laying sandbags around his home Wednesday evening and was electrocuted, said Jacob Saur, director of public safety for Manatee County.

Earlier, firefighters in Tampa had to rescue around a dozen people who got stuck in storm surge flooding on a boulevard adjacent to the bay. Some vehicles remained on the roadway Thursday. Isolated neighborhoods also experienced enough flooding to evacuate.

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Several sailboats broke free from their moorings and washed ashore in Gulfport, Florida, including the vessel where Mo Taggart has lived for two years with her dog. She thinks the boat is a total loss.

“I mean, it was disaster,” Taggart said. “I mean, I came out here. My boat’s just up against the seawall, just smashing, smashing. I need to get another boat. I want to be back on the water, (my dog) wants to be back on the water.”

Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. Theta, the 29th, was centered Friday night south-southeast of the Azores, and moving east with top sustained winds of 50 mph.