The National Weather Service has issued a warning that now Hurricane Eta will move closer to but offshore of the southwest coast of Florida today, and is expected to move inland over the northern portion of the Florida peninsula Thursday. Tropical storm to hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, tornadoes, heavy rainfall and flooding are expected.

“You’re getting the worst of it now,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nicole Carlisle.

Carlisle said the wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour are expected into the afternoon as the storm heads north.

“As we go through the day, conditions will start to improve,” she said. The worst of the storm should be over with by early afternoon though the storm is expected to linger throughout the day.

“There could be some minor street flooding,” Carlisle said. “There could be some surge.”

Carlisle said our area will see “less of an impact than the northern areas.”