Lee County Sheriff's Office temporarily closed off the Matanzas Pass Bridge entrance to Fort Myers Beach before noon. Bridge access has been re-opened.

The National Weather Service has issued a warning that Hurricane Eta will move closer to offshore of the southwest coast of Florida today as it heads north.

Tropical storm to hurricane-force winds, along with warnings for life-threatening storm surge, tornadoes, heavy rainfall and flooding are in effect with Lee County Emergency Management issuing notice of “gusty conditions, additional rainfall and higher than normal coastal tides over the next 24 hours.”

Locally, things should be getting better as the day wears on.

“You’re getting the worst of it now,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Nicole Carlisle, shortly before 1 p.m.

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 on Fort Myers Beach 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.”

Shortly before noon, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office blocked off the entrance to the Matanzas Pass Bridge on Fort Myers Beach though the access was reopened.

As of noon, sections of Main Street and Fisherman’s Wharf on Fort Myers Beach were flooded.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Nestor Montoya said the San Carlos Bridge and Matlacha Bridge were temporarily closed but have since been reopened. As of 12:15 p.m., all bridges in the county were open, he said.

“We are telling our motorists to use caution,” Montoya said.

Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Roger Hernstadt said the storm and high tide affected people most living near the bay. Some residents with homes near the bay saw their yards experience flooding, he said.

There have been some reports of minor debris blown by the wind that were being picked up by town staff, Hernstadt said.

All Fort Myers Beach roads were open as of 12:30 p.m.