Best wishes to all Florida FReepers and family in the path of this storm.
My sister lives in Lake Placid FL. Does anyone have any word about how that area is faring?
...Wilma beginning to weaken as it races northeastward...
At 5 am EDT...0900z...the center of Hurricane Wilma was located near latitude 34.8 north... longitude 70.0 west or about 310 miles... 505 km... east of Cape Hatteras North Carolina.
Wilma is moving toward the northeast near 53 mph ...85 km/hr...and this motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours...keeping Wilma well offshore of the northeastern United States.
Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph...185 km/hr...with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours...and Wilma is expected to lose tropical characteristics during the next day or so.
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 105 miles...165 km... from the center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 430 miles...695 km.
Estimated minimum central pressure is 965 mb...28.50 inches.
Although Wilma will not be directly affecting the U.S. East Coast...high surf is presently occurring along the mid-Atlantic states. Please consult products issued by your local weather office.
Repeating the 5 am EDT position...34.8 N... 70.0 W. Movement toward...northeast near 53 mph. Maximum sustained winds...115 mph. Minimum central pressure... 965 mb.
The next advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane Center at 11 am EDT.
Forecaster Franklin
$$
Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1130 AM EDT TUE OCT 25 2005 FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO... THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON HURRICANE WILMA... LOCATED ABOUT 570 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA AND 440 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF HALIFAX NOVA SCOTIA. AN AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER HAS FORMED OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. SOME SLOW DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO. ANOTHER AREA OF DISTURBED WEATHER...ASSOCIATED WITH A WESTWARD- MOVING TROPICAL WAVE...IS LOCATED ABOUT 550 MILES EAST OF THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS. UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT CURRENTLY FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT. ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. FORECASTER BEVEN
break
The area of interest is just south of Jamaca and the weather babe said "generally these storms don't come to Florida this time of year." Then again it is heading towards Honduras and the Yucatan peninsula. We know what the last one to hit the Yucatan did!