Hurricane Wilma Live Thread, Part III (TS Alpha gets honorable mention too)

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 October 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Wilma slowly drifts toward the Southeast Gulf of Mexico after relentlessly pounding Cozumel and Cancun for more than 24 hours. Early reports indicate extensive wind and flood damage to Mexico's resort-studded Mayan Riviera. Mexican officials said about 20,000 tourists were at shelters and hotels on the mainland south of Cancun and an estimated 10,000-12,000 were in Cancun itself. About 50 hotels were evacuated.

In preparation for Hurricane Wilma's anticipated Florida landfall, a Hurricane Watch and mandatory evacuation have been issued for the Florida Keys and Florida Bay. Mandatory evacuations for Marco Island and much of Naples are in effect, as well as high surf advisories and high risk of rip currents along Florida's panhandle and Big Bend coasts. Bus services are available for Monroe Co. and other counties for residents who do not have transportation. Additional storm watches for the Florida peninsula are expected later today.

The 2005 hurricane season altered the record books again today with the formation of Tropical Storm Alpha south of Hispanola. Preliminary forecasts indicate TS Alpha will not affect the U.S. mainland.

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
Florida Department of Emergency Management

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

Streaming Video:

WBBH-TV/WZVN-TV Ft. Myers (WMP): http://waterbc.wm.llnwd.net/waterbc_netvideo
WESH-TV/DT Orlando/Daytona Beach (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:24028.ram
WFTV-TV/DT Orlando (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:20361.ram
WKMG-TV/DT Orlando (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:23942.ram
WPBF-TV/DT West Palm Beach (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/7883/live/reflector:24035.ram
WSVN-TV/DT Miami (WMP): http://216.242.118.140/windowsmedia/asx/wsvn_broadband.asx
WTVJ-TV/DT Miami: http://nbc6.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=381015
WPLG-TV/DT Miami (RP): http://mfile.akamai.com/8660/live/reflector:23941.ram
WFOR-TV/DT Miami (WMP): http://wfor.dayport.com/viewer/content/special.php?Art_ID=612&Format_ID=2&BitRate_ID=8&Contract_ID=2&Obj_ID={obj_id}
WTSP-TV/DT St. Petersburg/Tampa (WMP): mms://wmbcast.gannett.speedera.net/wmbcast.gannett/wmbcast_gannett_sep252004_1915_64623
Hurricane City (Real Player) - http://hurricanecity.com/live.ram
ABCNews Now (Real Player) - http://reallive.stream.aol.com/ramgen/redundant/abc/now_hi.rm

Additional Resources:

Pet Friendly Florida Shelter Info
Central Florida Hurricane Center
Hurricane City
CrownWeather.com

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

Previous Threads:
Hurricane Wilma Part II
Hurricane Wilma Live Thread
Tropical Storm Wilma
Tropical Depression #24

[steveegg]

It's not over yet. I'd expect a fresh thread before landfall.

[Jrabbit]

dang....Orlando lost his hat! His cameraman is named "Krispy" LOL

Ice storms are evil, evil things. Here we don't get beautiful snow....we get treacherous ice. Miserable stuff.

[Howlin]

This is amazing:

[exhaustedmomma]

He's ignoring us.

[laz]

I just went outside and put the shutter up.

Wind outside is already quite strong. Tropical storm force, with nasty gusts. No rain, really. I just felt a few stray drops blowing on my neck.

Maybe it's better not to see what's going on out there. It'll be quite a surprise when it's all over and I finally take a look. I expect not to recognize my street.

[Born in a Rage]

Thank you for the info, geopyg. Unfortunately, she is in a ranch house - surrounded by water.

[Howlin]

Thanks for that information!

Doesn't that worry you to death???

[Nita Nupress]

...it was pitch black and all night long, all you could hear was trees bending, snappy, falling through the OTHER folliage, and hitting the ground with unbelieveable THUDS/SLAMS, shaking the entier house like it was a toy.

Yeah, THAT'S what it's like. It was hard to describe the experience because I'd never been exposed to anything like it before. "Thud" and "slam" fits rather nicely.

33 trees. May-an!

[laz]

What are "stone crabs"??

I have absolutely no idea.

[Jrabbit]

Maybe he said "stoned" crabs. lol

[exhaustedmomma]

Thank you!! Yeah!

So, did you make any peepholes??

[Born in a Rage]

She knows...somehow I think she knows. I'm going to hit the hay myself here in a minute.

[sissyjane]

I've been gone all day and evening--What is happening with "Wilma", and when --is it going to happen?--Hubbie is snoring in chair with remote, so can't access TV....

[buickmackane]

Accuweather isn't ready to write TD Alpha off just yet:

You cant make this stuff up.

As for Alpha, the system's overall cloud structure has maintained itself after moving over the island of Hispaniola and should the low level circulation redevelop, a quick intensification to a 60 mph storm is possible by Monday afternoon. Alpha should be located ahead of Wilma by Monday night but probably will become part of one system farther north in the Atlantic.

http://hurricane.accuweather.com/hurricane/regions.asp?site=atl

[exhaustedmomma]

stone crabs

[neutrality]

Hmm, 130kt fl winds found; sounds a bit too high though

705 0609 2436N 08224W 03047 5221 221 129 086 086 130 02870 0000000100

[Jrabbit]

Naples report on Fox.....Todd Conner....flooding. He's not exactly in Naples. Oh, Ft. Meyers Beach.

[Black Tooth]

Tornoado warnings now for western Collier County.

[Nita Nupress]

I just went outside and put the shutter up.

Good. You'll be glad, I think. Half a window was too much, IMO.

Also, if you have any trees near your house, keep up with the wind direction during the storm on your local radio station so you can position yourself anywhere but downwind from the trees.

[neutrality]

However, 0000000100 indicates the data might be inaccurate