Hurricane Wilma Live Thread (As of 2:30 am EDT, Wilma is a Category 5 with 175-mph winds )

NHC - NOAA ^ | 18 October 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Wilma has formed in the NW Caribbean Sea. The NHC forecast indicates she will emerge into the Gulf of Mexico as a major Category Three storm. Current forecase models indicate a Florida peninsula landfall.

The following links are self-updating:

Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 0500, 0800, 1100 etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 0500, 1100, 1700, 2300 ET
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track

Wilma Forecast Track Archive
Forecast Models
Buoy Data SE Florida
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Florida

Images:

Storm Floater IR Loop
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop
Florida Radar/Sat Loop Caution: Broadband users only
Extra Large Miami Radar Broadband only
Extra Large Key West Radar Broadband only
Miami Long Range Radar Loop
Key West Long Range Radar Loop
Miami Experimental Radar Still Image
Key West Experimental Radar Still Image

Category	Wind Speed	Barometric Pressure	Storm Surge	Damage Potential
Tropical Depression	< 39 mph < 34 kts			Minimal
Tropical Storm	39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts			Minimal
Hurricane 1 (Weak)	74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts	28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more	4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m	Minimal damage to vegetation
Hurricane 2 (Moderate)	96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts	28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb	6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m	Moderate damage to houses
Hurricane 3 (Strong)	111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts	27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb	9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m	Extensive damage to small buildings
Hurricane 4 (Very strong)	131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts	27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb	13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m	Extreme structural damage
Hurricane 5 (Devastating)	Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts	Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb	Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m	Catastrophic building failures possible

[AntiGuv]

It could swing outside the outer banks and plow into new england after that.

What would you say are the odds that it could swing tighter and plow into the Carolinas instead?

[Libloather]

Name - Wilma
Maiden Name - Slaghoople
Address - 301 Cobblestone Way, Bedrock
First Appearance - September 30, 1960

Appearance
Gender - Female
Age - 30
Hair - Red
Eyes - Very Dark

Relationships
Marital Status - Married/Fred
Children - Pebbles
Pets - Dino/Snorkasaurus, Baby Puss/Sabertooth Tiger
Friends - Barney and Betty Rubble

Work and Hobbies
Occupation - Homemaker
Hobbies - Shopping

Preferences
Favorite Phrases - "Oh Fred," "Charge It!"
Likes - Stony Curtis, Arsenio Hallstone
Dislikes - Fred's temper tantrums, secret lodge meetings

[flattorney]

Latest Steering & Water Vapor Images. Going to be another impressive hurricane. SHIPS model MSW projections show Western Cuba is going to take a beating, before we get it.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Do you have a link to that vapor image?

[NautiNurse]

For a Five-day forecast, that's identical for all practical purposes.

Not if you live here. It's a world of difference for coastal dwellers who must determine evacuation plans.

[Txsleuth]

You are entitled to whine...I heard that there are still houses in Florida with the blue tarps on the houses instead of roofing tile...is that true???

BTW...I heard Landrieu in the Senate today STILL whining that no one cares about NO....

I would say that Florida, Miss, Ala, and Texas should be saying that to HER! LOL

[NautiNurse]

That was a fairly grim update.

[Guenevere]

..last I checked, there were still many blue tarps!

It's been over a year, and our neighbor's house across the pond just got the new roof finished! about 2 weeks ago.

[don-o]

We've seen the extreme, might as well have the solid record.

Huh?

Losing me here. Yes it is some fun to track and predict; but off what we have seen and are dealing with on the Gulf coast - I find your anticipation, and almost glee, of another killer 'cane sickening.

fwiw

[steveegg]

Grim is right. The only "good" thing is that most of the predictions are that she'll peak out before making it through either the Yucatan Channel or Cuba, so she shouldn't be carrying water like Katrina or Rita.

Jeff Masters has a slightly-less-drastic view over at WUnderground (tops out at Cat 3, strong Cat 2 if it comes through the Keys and a weak Cat 2 if it comes north of the Keys). Of course, he cautions that long-range predictions of intensity are very poor.

[Txsleuth]

Oh---dang, then we just have got to do some kind of "anti-hurricane" dance or something...

Goodness...this country has had enough!

[blam]

"That was a fairly grim update."

Did you get gas for your generator? Power could be out for a while. Also, FEMA could be getting low on supplies.

[don-o]

I dunno, We tried singing before - did not work out.

[Termite_Commander]

Indeed it was. Looking at the infrared floater loop, I can see why, though.

[securityMama]

FEMA has volunteers working these days.

[Termite_Commander]

To clarify, this is the loop I'm talking about. Careful, it'll probably take a while to load if you're not running a broadband connection.

[NautiNurse]

I don't have a generator. Solar panels instead. Living on the water, a flooded generator will do as much good as blown away solar roof panels.

[NautiNurse]

We tried singing before - did not work out.

Agree. Definitely a bad outcome while singing.

[nwctwx]

I find your anticipation, and almost glee, of another killer 'cane sickening.

You clearly have no clue what you are talking about. If you have followed any of these threads over the year, and back to last year, you would see how wrong you are.

There is no glee in death, and for you to make such a claim is very hurtful. I do however enjoy watching the weather, and studying it in my part time. We are currently tied for the all time record of North Atlantic storms, my point about the record had to do with that.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out on the web you can take your anger out on, please don't direct it at me.

[ExSES]

It's been over a year, and our neighbor's house across the pond just got the new roof finished! about 2 weeks ago.

Ve4ry common in Florida. My roof (damaged by Hurricane Charley on 8/13/04) was not fully repaired until 9/1/05 and I know of many which are still not repaired.

When you fly over Central and South Central Florida, there are still thousands of roofs covered by ragged blue tarps even now!