Question

[Josephine96]

and please don't blast me or call this a stupid question lol

Lets' just say Wilma stays on her NHC forecast track and does end up going over Lake Okechobee, Is there a possibility all the way up here I could see hurricane force winds, or would she have to be closer than that..?

Keep in mind, her wind field may expand as she approaches the shore..

[hicksta]

How far are you away.. This is a very compact storm so the hurricane force winds do not extend as far out as Katrina or Rita

[TreasureIslandFLGal]

she is compact now, but she will "unravel" as she weakens, which is actually a worse scenario. Rather than 30 miles of CAT 5 we may very well see 150 miles of CAT 3 ... which do you think would be more devastating?
The surge will be about the same regardless.

By the time she hits florida, we will see that her winds will have greatly expanded.

[Brent]

Your 95 miles away on the weak side... I would say no. Might get a gust or two.

[Jim Cantore]

But that wind field is going to most likely expand

I'd wait before "expecting" hurricane force winds but TS force is a good bet

But as they say "Prepare for the worst hope for the best"

[hicksta]

she is compact now, but she will "unravel" as she weakens, which is actually a worse scenario. Rather than 30 miles of CAT 5 we may very well see 150 miles of CAT 3 ... which do you think would be more devastating?
The surge will be about the same regardless.

By the time she hits florida, we will see that her winds will have greatly expanded.

150 miles of cat 3... She will hit as a cat 3 or 4..... No way her winds will expand that much... As of now you are the the weak side.. 72 hours away from landfall i was aimed at the throat of rita.. expecting no house to come back to since im on the water.. And came home with a broken cactus plant.. Things change.. Keep an eye and if you need to leave or are worried get out

[Scott_inVA]

and please don't blast me or call this a stupid question lol

Lets' just say Wilma stays on her NHC forecast track and does end up going over Lake Okechobee, Is there a possibility all the way up here I could see hurricane force winds, or would she have to be closer than that..?

Keep in mind, her wind field may expand as she approaches the shore..

Highly dependant upon forward speed. If she's moving at a good clip, hurricane gusts under the outer NW quad could be recorded. Doubt sustained, even less with a tight compact hurricane.

Scott
Mid-Atlantic WX.com
Lexington, VA
http://www.midatlanticwx.com/modelmap.htm