Hurricane Wilma - Cat. 5

[SouthFLTropics]

Conditions here in Port St. Lucie have started going downhill. Winds have picked up but still aren't too bad yet. I just went outside and had to walk my two dogs before it gets too bad. Steady rainfall and winds 30 to 40mph with possible gusts to 50. Hoping it doesn't get too bad here as the eye appears to be going south of us. Didn't take any chances with this girl, even though I'm on the east coast. We're all shutttered in and ready to ride her out. Had enough fun with Frances and Jeanne last year. I really thought I was going to get through this season without having to put the shutters up. WRONG!!! Oh well, at least temps will drop tonight and if power goes out then sleeping won't be as bad as last year. I will be reporting conditions as long as my wireless connection on my laptop stays running. I'm hoping I don't lose it but it is a distinct possibility. I'm definitely expecting power to be lost sometime around midday. Hoping I'm wrong but it definitely wouldn't suprise me. Stay tuned...

SouthFLTropics

[cycloneye]

WTNT64 KNHC 241033
TCUAT4
HURRICANE WILMA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
630 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

AT 630 AM EDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA MADE LANDFALL VERY
NEAR CAPE ROMANO FLORIDA. THIS POSITION IS ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF
EVERGLADES CITY FLORIDA. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS AT LANDFALL WERE
ESTIMATED TO BE 125 MPH...A STRONG CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE.

FORECASTER PASCH

[mtm4319]

Hurricane Wilma Intermediate Advisory Number 36a


Statement as of 7:00 am EDT on October 24, 2005



...Wilma moving into southwestern Florida...

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 St. Augustine.

A tropical storm watch remains in effect along the northeast coast
of Florida from north of St. Augustine to Fernandina Beach.

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. These warnings
and watches will likely be discontinued later this morning.

A Hurricane Warning remains in effect 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 EDT...1100z...the center of Hurricane Wilma was located just
inland near latitude 26.1 north...longitude 81.4 west or about 10
miles north of Everglades City Florida.

Wilma is moving toward the northeast near 23 mph and a continued
increase in forward speed is expected during the next 24 hours. On
this track the center will cross the southern Florida Peninsula and
move into the Atlantic later today. This is a large hurricane and
the strongest winds in the eyewall extend well away from the
center. Persons are advised not to venture outdoors during the
relative calm of the eye because winds will soon increase quite
rapidly.
Maximum sustained winds are near 120 mph...with higher gusts. Wilma
is a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Some weakening is likely as Wilma crosses the southern Florida
Peninsula today.

Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 90 miles from the
center...and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 230
miles. A wind gust to 95 mph was reported at Everglades City and a
gust to 75 mph was reported at Naples Florida.

Estimated minimum central pressure is 950 mb...28.05 inches.

Storm surge flooding of 12 to 18 ft above normal tide levels is
still possible along the southwest Florida coast near and to the
south of where the center has made landfall. Storm surge
flooding of 5 to 9 ft above normal is possible in the Florida Keys
and Florida Bay... as well as in Lake Okeechobee. Storm surge
flooding of 2 to 4 feet is possible along the extreme southeastern
coast of Florida.

Wilma is expected to produce 4 to 6 inches of rainfall...with
maximum amounts of 10 inches...across central and southern
Florida...including the Florida Keys. Western Cuba may see
additional rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches through today.
Rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches are possible over portions of the
northwest Bahamas.
Tornadoes are possible over portions of the central and southern
Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys today.

Repeating the 7 am EDT position...26.1 N... 81.4 W. Movement
toward...northeast near 22 mph. Maximum sustained winds...120 mph.
Minimum central pressure... 950 mb.

An intermediate advisory will be issued by the National Hurricane
Center at 9 am EDT followed by the next complete advisory at 11 am
EDT.

Forecaster Pasch

$$

[jabber]

Still have power, winds are really picking up. Not so much rain as expected. Should get the worst of it in the next couple hours. At least the sun is rising.

Boynton Beach

[markymark8]

DAMAGE REPORTS: minor damage to Naples no storm surge. Marco Island has little damage as well and believe it or not no major storm surge in Everglade City. To most hurricane veterans this would be just a severe thunderstorm to them. I dont think she is going to do as much damage as we thought guys. Key West might end up having the worst damage. Everyone in Florida probably escaped what could of been alot worse.

[Wirbelsturm]

Florida Coastal Monitoring Program reported a gust to 117 mph in Ochoppi. Most severe thunderstorms don't do that.

[cycloneye]

DAMAGE REPORTS: minor damage to Naples no storm surge. Marco Island has little damage as well and believe it or not no major storm surge in Everglade City. To most hurricane veterans this would be just a severe thunderstorm to them. I dont think she is going to do as much damage as we thought guys. Key West might end up having the worst damage. Everyone in Florida probably escaped what could of been alot worse.

Now let's wait for the reports from Miami northward on the east coast hopefully nothing too bad for them.

[JtSmarts]

DAMAGE REPORTS: minor damage to Naples no storm surge. Marco Island has little damage as well and believe it or not no major storm surge in Everglade City. To most hurricane veterans this would be just a severe thunderstorm to them. I dont think she is going to do as much damage as we thought guys. Key West might end up having the worst damage. Everyone in Florida probably escaped what could of been alot worse.

Now let's wait for the reports from Miami northward on the east coast hopefuly nothing too bad for them.

I agree, it would be nice not to have major damage, but we should wait until after the storm has passed before making any conclusions.

[inotherwords]

Florida Coastal Monitoring Program reported a gust to 117 mph in Ochoppi. Most severe thunderstorms don't do that.

Exactly. And up here close to 80 miles from the eye, we were (and still are being) hammered worse than any thunderstorm I've been in. Even though we had it easier than most, thunderstorms don't cause 45 mph sustained winds for 6 hours straight and plenty of gusts into hurricane range. So I'm sure for the folks down there in the SE part of the storm it is far worse if that's what we're getting here so far away.

It's not even light out yet and the storm is still raging, so damage reports at this point are probably not very reliable.

We're told in Sarasota that we'll have another 2-3 hours before the front comes through here and the rain and winds will stop.

[JtSmarts]

111 mph gust just reported at WFOR.

[cycloneye]

111 mph gust just reported at WFOR.

For those of us who dont know where is that?

[TampaFl]

NWUS52 KMFL 241149
LSRMFL

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
749 AM EDT MON OCT 24 2005

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0747 AM TROPICAL STORM DORAL 25.84N 80.36W
10/24/2005 MIAMI-DADE FL BROADCAST MEDIA

WIND GUST TO 111 MPH REPORTED AT WFOR CHANNEL 4
TELEVISION STUDIOS.

0747 AM TROPICAL STORM 1 SW SWEETWATER 25.75N 80.38W
10/24/2005 MIAMI-DADE FL OFFICIAL NWS OBS

SUSTAINED WIND OF 61 MPH WITH A GUST TO 104 MPH AT THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WFO/NHC MIAMI.


&&

$$

RLP

[markymark8]

Mark Sudduth explained the storm as more of a big noreaster. THen again he has been through alot of worse ones so this was nothing to him. He was saying if your in a real Major cane you would feel like sometimes your not in control and maybe get really fearful and really scared at certain times. Didnt ever get that way with this one.

[x-y-no]

111 mph gust just reported at WFOR.

For those of us who dont know where is that?

I think they're in Doral - a few miles west of the airport.

[SouthFLTropics]

Business is definitely starting to pick up here in Port St. Lucie...Winds have increased exponentially in the past 30 minutes...It will go downhill from here for the next few hours. We probably have gusts close to strong TS force at this time. Expecting hurricane force winds within the hour...stay tuned...

SouthFLTropics

[TampaFl]

Wind gust 114mph @ WFOR just reported.

[jkt21787]

Regarding the earlier recordede FL winds, as Sam mentioned, it was a anomaly based on that eyewall "kink" and mesoscale vorticy, which cause the winds of 130-135 knots. Those WOULD NOT be translated to the ground. This storm was NOT a cat 4 at landfall. This was a 120 to 125 mph storm at landfall. Don't criticize the NHC on this.

[markymark8]

The highest gust Mark sudduth recorded was 96mph and that was on a bridge. Alot of wind reports not all wont be accurate measurements because they will be higher up and those are not true readings.

[Michael06]

92mph wind gust at Miami International, @ 7:53am

[Wirbelsturm]

Yes, but later, 126 kts was recorded at FL. IMO, they will upgrade to 130 mph at landfall.