Hurricane Wilma Live Thread, Part IV

NHC - NOAA ^ | 24 October 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Category Three Major Hurricane Wilma is barreling toward the Southwest Florida coastline. The storm is packing wind speeds of 125mph, moving NW at 20mph, with an enormous eye 65 miles in diameter. Landfall is anticipated shortly in Collier County between 6:00 and 7:00AM ET.

Storm surge flooding of 9 feet to 17 feet is possible along the coast near and to the south of where Wilma makes landfall. Storm surge of 5 to 8 feet is predicted for the Keys. The storm has spawned tornados throughout the Florida peninsula since yesterday evening.

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 Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Melbourne Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Key West Radar Still Image w/watches warnings
Tampa Bay Radar Still image w/watches warnings

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 Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Wilma Part II
Hurricane Wilma Live Thread
Tropical Storm Wilma
Tropical Depression #24

[JoeSixPack1]

I base it on having lived through 30+ years of Florida hurricanes, mixed in with a few tornadoes, a couple of minor floods, etc.

Previous to that I've lived through 20 years of NY Snowstorms and a bunch of years trucking through Colorado and Minnesota usually in the winter months with snowstorms so bad truckers were lost for weeks. Ohio 1976 comes to mind.

In snowstorms your refrigerator becomes the closest snow mound to the kitchen, during a hurricane your food spoils and you are left with zip. No water. No sewer. Nothing but 90+ degree temps. (Wilma gave us a big break and sucked all the heat out of the air dropping 20 degrees off the normal temps).

But a snowstorm doesn't rip your roof off and leave you wide open to an ongoing storm. Snow may crush your roof after the storm has run it's course, but USUALLY not during. Also your windows don't get blown out, your trees aren't uprooted and tossed into the neighbors car or living room, your screened patio doesn't get destroyed because you probably don't have one and the 110 mph winds don't turn the thick wall of rain 90degrees and shoot right through roof and attic vents, door moldings, weak shutters or concrete block seepage!

So what do I base my expectations on? IF I live through it, it's cool. If I have to fight it while it's passing it's not cool. Wilma forced me to physically fight it while it pounded and pounded and tried its best to destroy everything in it's path.

My windows and doors and roof are rated 200mph+. My house walls are rated a bit lower but meet all hurricane code as of 2000. I had this house built with storms like Wilma in mind. But I didn't care to test it. It's now tested safe for a Cat 3 hurricane.

So if you want to compare snowstorms to hurricanes, think of a matchbook compared to a pot of molten steel.

[Sam Cree]

I know there is some power in Boca, just because one of our friends there got it today. She lives on Powerline Road, north of Glades. The others live very close, but don't have it yet. I'd bet that your friend is still waiting for both elec and phone. We didn't have either for a day also, but have both now. Cells are also working pretty good at this point too.

We know some people here in south Dade who got powered up for a while, only to have it go out again, and stay out, so I'm keeping my generator handy.

[sushiman]

Thanks for the info ! I really appreciate it .

John

[don-o]

Great post JSP

Thanks.

[Sam Cree]

You are most welcome, don't know if I really helped.

[NautiNurse]

List of FReepers who have not checked in since the storm.

Prayers for their safety...

laz
Caipirabob
paradox
FLJoePA
brytlea
pickyourpoison

[pickyourpoison]

I'm here and all my family and pets are safe. We got lots of wind and rain but we still have water and electricity, thank you Lord.

[Palladin]

"Everyone has pulled together, we've had huge cookouts in the street every night, no lights for miles and so many stars in the sky that all the kids from the block have been sitting in the grass and looking up at the skies while we all cook, eat, and just hang out."

The kids will have this wonderful memory forever.

At least something good came out of your Wilma experience.

[exhaustedmomma]

I bolted downstairs calling "sanctuary" (code word for get in the safe room).

I am so glad to hear y'all had a "plan." I am even more glad to hear you and your family made it through the storm and are doing so well!!! Thanks for the report, was so good to read it!!

The power came on tonight on my side of the street, and I was almost sorry that it did.
As a culture, we have really lost something. Funny thing is, we gave up a lot of "things" to move to the country. Odd that living in a large town, with wall to wall neighbors, was less "neighborly" than living in the country. Lots of space between neighbors, but we know who and where people are. We "know" when somebody isn't suppose to be someplace. In town, we knew neighbors, but not like we wanted. When I was a kid, we knew people for blocks and blocks. Folks sat outside until way into dark. We ran around playing together while the grown ups chatted. People got together to play cards and stuff. I am glad your neighborhood got to know each other. I hope y'all can keep the connection now that you've made it!!
I just have to say it again, I am so glad your family is okay!!

[exhaustedmomma]

Glad to hear y'all made it through safely! That water and electricity sure are nice. Really remember how nice when something like this goes on... right??!!

[laz]

I'm back, folks. Posted my experience here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1511755/posts

Boy, do I have a lot of catching up to do. I even missed Beta.

[laz]

They keep saying on Fox that "the back side of the storm is a little weaker". Is that true?

I can personally attest to the fact that Wilma's back side was much stronger.

[FlJoePa]

OK here NN....just got power back. Got my cable back a few hours earlier.

It got a little hairy with sustained 100+ for an hour or two, but we (me and the cats) managed just fine. If not for my year old Siamese (named Canoe) pooping in his safe room, then shoving it under the dryer with his paw in a lame effort to hide it from me, it would have been just another hurricane.

My heart goes out to those south and west of us. My friend in Lauderedale got hammered, and those poor folks out on the lake seemed to get it bad as well.

Oh well, we're all stronger now. We can handle this and we have a responsible Governor who knows how to react to these things. We are lucky!

[NautiNurse]

Thanks much for checking in...great to hear you and your kitties are safe, and you are back from Wilma's Stone Age.

Welcome back! We missed you.

p.s. Remind me sometime to share my cat-poops-in-a-'cane story...

[laz]

WFTV's chief meteorologist Tom Terry here in Orlando said "the hurricane was a CAT 3 and then add the forward speed to that, which made it a Cat 4 for the people south of the storm! This is why they got hit so hard."

That's exactly what I had anticipated, Cat 4 conditions in my area. But now University of Miami is claiming it was a Cat 1! LOL

[Paradox]

NautiNurse, thanks for your concern. I have finally been able to get myself someplace where there is power and a computer. The house I am staying in sustained some roof damage and it will have to be repaired. Ceilings may have to be replaced. I have no power, no phone, no internet. Oh well. BTW, most of those people who waited in long lines for things like ICE are wusses, just MHO. The large majority of us were self sufficient, even past the 3 days they say to do so.

[NautiNurse]

Oh my - thank you for checking in. Glad to know you are safe. Please let me know what we can do to assist.

[Humvee]

Well we lived through a series of major miracles. Without power for less time than Jeanne or Frances - 60 hours. And this time we had a generator to run our regrigerator and the neighbor's - while being able to watch endless hours of hurricane recovery coverage on tv. Minimal roof tile damage, all cosmetic. Phones, DSL, cable, two cars with full tanks, and 20 gallons of gas on the patio. Life is coming back slowly around us. Many of our neighbors are less fortunate and there is plenty of misery in Broward County, although people's spirits are good and everyone seems to be focused on getting back to normal. That could take a few weeks - with a much barer skyline. Have been too tired out to post anything until now. Happy Halloweeen.

[NautiNurse]

Welcome back! Good to hear you are safe, and your generator was humming along. Thanks for checking in. Let us know if we can do anything to assist.

Saw a sappy article today in the Stuart news where folks without generators were complaining about the noise from them...said people with generators were inconsiderate by running them while others were trying to sleep. I suppose the have-nots feel everyone should be as miserable as them. Go figure...

Neighbors May Fume Over Generators

[sheikdetailfeather]

Welcome back laz!