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

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

To: numberonepal

541 posted on 10/23/2005 4:48:45 AM PDT by steveegg (Tagline withheld until we know whether Miers will be a younger O'Connor or Roberts' soulmate)

Thanks for adding me to your list. I'm already wondering what's going to happen to the Taunton dam...

542 posted on 10/23/2005 4:49:19 AM PDT by buickmackane (Pineville, LA)

543 posted on 10/23/2005 4:51:27 AM PDT by steveegg (Tagline withheld until we know whether Miers will be a younger O'Connor or Roberts' soulmate)

Hurricane Wilma Intermediate Advisory Number 32a
Statement as of 7:00 am CDT on October 23, 2005

 
...Wilma moving a little faster northeastward but not yet
strengthening...
...New warnings for the northwestern Bahamas...

 
a Hurricane Warning remains in effect for all of the Florida
Keys...including the Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay...along the
Florida West Coast from Longboat Key southward...and along the
Florida East Coast from Titusville southward...including Lake
Okeechobee.


A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect along the Florida West
Coast north of Longboat Key to Steinhatchee river...and along the
Florida East Coast north of Titusville to Flagler Beach.

 
A tropical storm watch remains in effect along the East Coast of
Florida from north of Flagler Beach to Fernandina Beach.

 
A Hurricane Warning remains in effect from San Felipe to Punta
gruesa on the Yucatan Peninsula...including Cozumel and the nearby
islands...and a Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect west of
San Felipe to Progreso.

 
A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for the Cuban provinces of
Ciudad de la Habana...la Habana...and Pinar del Rio.  A Tropical
Storm Warning is in effect for the Isle of Youth.  A Hurricane
Watch remains in effect for the province of Matanzas.

At 8 am EDT...1200z...the government of the Bahamas has issued a
Hurricane Warning for the northwestern Bahamas...including the
Abacos...Andros Island...Berry Islands...Bimini...Eleuthera...Grand
Bahama Island...and New Providence.

 
For storm information specific to your area...including possible
inland watches and warnings...please monitor products issued
by your local weather office.

 
At 7 am CDT...1200z...the center of Hurricane Wilma was located near
latitude 22.4 north... longitude 86.1 west or about 90 miles... 145
km... north-northeast of Cancun Mexico and about 315 miles... 505
km... west-southwest of Key West Florida.

 
Wilma is moving toward the northeast near 8 mph...13 km/hr...and an
increase in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours.

 
Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph...160 km/hr...with higher
gusts.  Wilma is a category two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
scale.  Some increase in strength is possible today.

 
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 70 miles...110 km...
from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up
to 200 miles...325 km.  NOAA buoy 42056...located in the
northwestern Caribbean Sea about 185 miles... 295 km...
south-southeast of the center of Wilma recently reported sustained
tropical storm force winds of 47 mph... 76 km/hr.

 
An Air Force hurricane hunter aircraft recently measured a minimum
central pressure of 961 mb...28.38 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 8 to 13 ft above normal tide levels is
possible along the southwest Florida coast near and to the
south of where the center of Wilma makes landfall.  Storm surge
flooding of 5 to 8 ft above normal is possible in the Florida Keys
and Florida Bay...as well as in Lake Okeechobee.  Storm surge
flooding along the Yucatan Peninsula and the nearby islands should
subside as Wilma moves away.

 
Wilma is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 10
to 15 inches through Sunday across portions of western Cuba and the
northeastern Yucatan Peninsula... with isolated maximum storm total
amounts approaching 50 inches.  Rainfall across southern Florida
including the Keys through Tuesday is expected to be 4 to 8
inches... with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches possible.

 
Large swells generated by Wilma will continue to propagate into the
eastern Gulf of Mexico.  These swells could affect portions of the
northern Gulf Coast today.

 
Isolated tornadoes are possible over the southern Florida Peninsula
and the Florida Keys today.

 
Repeating the 7 am CDT position...22.4 N... 86.1 W.  Movement
toward...northeast near 8 mph.  Maximum sustained winds...100 mph.
Minimum central pressure... 961 mb.

 
The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at
10 am CDT.

 

Forecaster Knabb

544 posted on 10/23/2005 4:54:59 AM PDT by NautiNurse (So. Tampa Bay)

To: buickmackane

Thanks for adding me to your list. I'm already wondering what's going to happen to the Taunton dam...

You and me both. I live up here in Maine, and all last week-end, I watched it on Fox News. There are over 2,000 living and working below that dam. It would be horrifying if that old dam broke, and that's for sure.

545 posted on 10/23/2005 4:55:11 AM PDT by SheLion (Trying to make a life in the BLUE state of Maine!)

What authority does the NHC have to issue storm advisories for foreign countries? Some treaty? Don't Mexico, Jamaica, Cuba and Bermuda have their own government hurricane centers

I find it funny that America's hurricane agency would issue watches and warnings for FR's supposedly sworn enemy, Cuba.

546 posted on 10/23/2005 4:57:04 AM PDT by foreverfree

There are people of Cuban descent on FR who are concerned for their loved ones.

547 posted on 10/23/2005 4:58:23 AM PDT by buickmackane (Pineville, LA)

They've been building a new dam this week- and will be tearing down the old one. They hope to have it completed by the time Wilma/Alpha rains arrive.

548 posted on 10/23/2005 4:58:25 AM PDT by SE Mom (..near Orlando, FL)

What authority does the NHC have to issue storm advisories for foreign countries?

They don't...the government of the Bahamas has issued a Hurricane Warning for the northwestern Bahamas. The Cuban warnings were already in effect.

549 posted on 10/23/2005 4:58:41 AM PDT by NautiNurse (So. Tampa Bay)

Bits and pieces from CHN message board:

UPDATE FROM COZUMEL,
7:30pm, Saturday
Adrian (shown at left) just phoned us. They have only been able to walk around downtown. The small piers for dive boats are destroyed. Punta Langosta cruise ship pier near downtown is partially destroyed. The roofs of Casa Denis restaurant and Plaza del Sol shopping area are gone. The giant flag pole is gone. he talked with the owner of Rock 'n Java restaurant and the building is intact, but all contents destroyed, as is the case with most oceanfront businesses. Almost every palapa structure has disappeared. It sounds like McDonalds has been destroyed. The expensive oceanfront shops were severely damaged or destroyed and are being looted. They found a dead body on the oceanfront, but thought that this person had been dead for several days--and was washed up by the hurricane (Do not panick, we do not think there was loss of life in Cozumel). The oceanfront street on ! the west side of downtown is intact--the seawall held. Most concrete structures are intact, but received water damage. Flooding was not a major problem in downtown, although rain was forced into every crack, so many homes received some water damage.
Scuba Tony and Encarna who we lost contact with yesterday are also fine. It is dark in Cozumel now, and they won't be going back out until mo rning. We hope to bring you further updates.

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2005/jpgWhJ7UKAT74.jpg

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2005/jpgbQabfGuuOM.jpg

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2005/jpgMl0FPUf5g8.jpg

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2005/jpgeMMzaqEsxa.jpg

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2005/jpgCJJGEjZFaS.jpg

550 posted on 10/23/2005 4:59:51 AM PDT by Rebelbase (""As far as I can tell, she (Miers) is every bit as conservative as George Bush." --NCsteve (FR))

The NHC merely collates the foreign watches/warnings.

551 posted on 10/23/2005 5:02:22 AM PDT by steveegg (Tagline withheld until we know whether Miers will be a younger O'Connor or Roberts' soulmate)

Quickly reviewing the other storm, according to the 8 am intermediate advisory for TS Algore, it has just made landfall, and "is expected to weaken rapidly and could dissipate over the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola."

552 posted on 10/23/2005 5:05:16 AM PDT by steveegg (Tagline withheld until we know whether Miers will be a younger O'Connor or Roberts' soulmate)

Thanks for the Cozumel report. The pics are amazing. I heard their goal is to have everything ready for tourists by Christmas.

553 posted on 10/23/2005 5:06:33 AM PDT by NautiNurse (So. Tampa Bay)

The mountains of Hispanola are tough on tropical storms.

554 posted on 10/23/2005 5:07:48 AM PDT by NautiNurse (So. Tampa Bay)

To: buickmackane

Unfortunately, no luck yet. I will be calling them in a few minutes, and I plan to tell them that it may be the last time I ever speak to them. Going for the shock factor. If that doesn't work, I will try to get ahold of the police down there.

555 posted on 10/23/2005 5:09:13 AM PDT by piperpilot

To: buickmackane

I am wondering if anyone thinks they might converge on Monday or Tuesday. What a nasty prospect for the entire East Coast if that happens!

If Wilma and Alpha were to converge, the only thing I can think of is Bam Bam on the East Coast.

556 posted on 10/23/2005 5:10:20 AM PDT by SamAdams76 (What Would Howard Roarke Do?)

They've been building a new dam this week- and will be tearing down the old one. They hope to have it completed by the time Wilma/Alpha rains arrive.

I 'heard' that! A rock dam? I can't imagine how they are doing it.

Plus, they have big pumps that they are pumping water out with. I keep a close eye on Taunton. It would be a nightmare to be living under that threat day after day.

557 posted on 10/23/2005 5:13:11 AM PDT by SheLion (Trying to make a life in the BLUE state of Maine!)

Thanks for the pics and info.

558 posted on 10/23/2005 5:19:40 AM PDT by steveegg (Tagline withheld until we know whether Miers will be a younger O'Connor or Roberts' soulmate)

How can you even think of keeping up with a hurricane when they are showing the fat guy on the ladder on CNN? It's too exciting!

559 posted on 10/23/2005 5:24:00 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican

Oops, that should read CNBC, not CNN.

560 posted on 10/23/2005 5:26:54 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican

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