Post by shavonfan on Oct 19, 2005 8:55:47 GMT -5
Wilma Now Category 5 Hurricane, Most Powerful Ever in Atlantic
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Officials have said that Hurricane Wilma poses a "significant threat" to Florida. Early Wednesday, the first evacuation order was issued for tourists in Key West.
As it swirled in the western Caribbean on Wednesday, Hurricane Wilma grew into the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, based on barometric pressure. That distinction was made official after meteorologists confirmed an earlier recording by a hurricane hunter aircraft that penetrated the extremely powerful Category 5 storm.
Minimum central pressure in the hurricane, an important measure of cyclonic strength and intensity, was estimated at at 882 millibars, or 26.05 inches. That is the lowest on record for the Atlantic.
Lower pressures generally mean increased windspeeds, and as of the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. EDT public advisory, Wilma was packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, with higher gusts. Forecasters said those winds were expected to subside somewhat, however, due to disruptive atmospheric conditions.
Prior to Wilma the strongest storm on record, based on the lowest pressure reading, was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which registered an 888 millibar reading.
Of equal intrigue to metereologists was the speed at which Wilma intensified. At the same on Tuesday, Wilma was merely a tropical storm, with winds of approximately 70 mph. That means that over a 24 hour period the storm gained over 100 mph in windspeed, making it one of the most rapidly strengthening storms ever recorded, as well.
Assuming landfall in Florida as forecast, it was expected to move across the state quickly, which means it wouldn't weaken much over land, according to Hugh Cobb , a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami. That means it's possible Atlantic coast cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach could be hit by winds nearly as strong as the west coast, Cobb added.
Wilma was dumping rain on Central America and Mexico, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest advisory.
As of 8 a.m. the storm was centered about 340 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving west-northwest at nearly 8 mph and was expected to turn northwest, the Hurricane Center said.
"It does look like it poses a significant threat to Florida by the weekend. Of course, these are four- and five-day forecasts, so things can change," said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center.
Jamaica, Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras were getting heavy rain from the storm, though it wasn't likely to make landfall in any of those countries. Forecasts showed it would likely turn toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region — then move into the storm-weary Gulf.
With heavy rain, high winds, and rough seas already pounding coastal areas, flood-prone Honduras warned that Wilma posed "an imminent threat to life and property" and closed two seaports on its Caribbean coast.
Neighboring Nicaragua also declared an alert. Authorities in the Cayman Islands had earlier called an alert.
Honduras and its neighbors already are recovering from flooding and mudslides caused earlier this month from storms related to Hurricane Stan. At least 796 people were killed, most of them in Guatemala, with many more still missing.
Cuba issued a hurricane watch for the western end of the island from Matanzas to Pioneer del Rio, as well as the Isle of Youth. Mexico issued a hurricane watch for nearly all of its Caribbean coast from Punta Gruesa to Cabo Catoche, an area that includes the resort of Cancun.
Wilma already had been blamed for one death in Jamaica as a tropical depression Sunday. It has flooded several low-lying communities and triggered mudslides that blocked roads and damaged several homes, said Barbara Carby, head of Jamaica's emergency management office. She said that some 250 people were in shelters throughout the island.
Although the storm was not expected to approach Florida until the weekend, some residents began buying water, canned food and other emergency supplies early. Many said they take every storm seriously now, after witnessing the devastation from a succession of hurricanes that have ravaged the southern United States.
"People have learned their lesson and know better how to prepare. We're not waiting until the last minute anymore," said Andrea Yerger, 48, of Port Charlotte, Florida. She was buying material to protect her house, which had to be gutted because of extensive damage from Hurricane Charley last year.
Wilma's track could take it near Punta Gorda on Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast and other areas in the state hit by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, in August 2004.
Forecasters urged Florida residents to closely monitor Wilma. The state has seen seven hurricanes hit or pass close by since August 2004, causing more than $20 billion in estimated damage and killing nearly 150 people.
In the Cayman Islands, authorities urged businesses to close early Tuesday to give employees time to prepare for the storm. Schools were ordered to close on Wednesday.
In Mexico, the MTV Latin America Video Music Awards ceremony, originally scheduled to be held Thursday at a seaside park south of Cancun, were moved up one day to avoid possible effects from Wilma.
Forecasters said Wilma should avoid the central U.S. Gulf coast devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita earlier this year which killed more than 1,200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
"There's no scenario now that takes it toward Louisiana or Mississippi, but that could change," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is the record-tying 12th hurricane of the season, the same number reached in 1969. That is the most for one season since record-keeping began in 1851.
On Monday, Wilma became the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm, tying the record set in 1933 and exhausting the list of names for this year.
The six-month hurricane season does not end until Nov. 30. Any new storms would be named with letters from the Greek alphabet, starting with Alpha.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Officials have said that Hurricane Wilma poses a "significant threat" to Florida. Early Wednesday, the first evacuation order was issued for tourists in Key West.
As it swirled in the western Caribbean on Wednesday, Hurricane Wilma grew into the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, based on barometric pressure. That distinction was made official after meteorologists confirmed an earlier recording by a hurricane hunter aircraft that penetrated the extremely powerful Category 5 storm.
Minimum central pressure in the hurricane, an important measure of cyclonic strength and intensity, was estimated at at 882 millibars, or 26.05 inches. That is the lowest on record for the Atlantic.
Lower pressures generally mean increased windspeeds, and as of the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. EDT public advisory, Wilma was packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, with higher gusts. Forecasters said those winds were expected to subside somewhat, however, due to disruptive atmospheric conditions.
Prior to Wilma the strongest storm on record, based on the lowest pressure reading, was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which registered an 888 millibar reading.
Of equal intrigue to metereologists was the speed at which Wilma intensified. At the same on Tuesday, Wilma was merely a tropical storm, with winds of approximately 70 mph. That means that over a 24 hour period the storm gained over 100 mph in windspeed, making it one of the most rapidly strengthening storms ever recorded, as well.
Assuming landfall in Florida as forecast, it was expected to move across the state quickly, which means it wouldn't weaken much over land, according to Hugh Cobb , a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami. That means it's possible Atlantic coast cities such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach could be hit by winds nearly as strong as the west coast, Cobb added.
Wilma was dumping rain on Central America and Mexico, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest advisory.
As of 8 a.m. the storm was centered about 340 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving west-northwest at nearly 8 mph and was expected to turn northwest, the Hurricane Center said.
"It does look like it poses a significant threat to Florida by the weekend. Of course, these are four- and five-day forecasts, so things can change," said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center.
Jamaica, Cuba, Nicaragua and Honduras were getting heavy rain from the storm, though it wasn't likely to make landfall in any of those countries. Forecasts showed it would likely turn toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region — then move into the storm-weary Gulf.
With heavy rain, high winds, and rough seas already pounding coastal areas, flood-prone Honduras warned that Wilma posed "an imminent threat to life and property" and closed two seaports on its Caribbean coast.
Neighboring Nicaragua also declared an alert. Authorities in the Cayman Islands had earlier called an alert.
Honduras and its neighbors already are recovering from flooding and mudslides caused earlier this month from storms related to Hurricane Stan. At least 796 people were killed, most of them in Guatemala, with many more still missing.
Cuba issued a hurricane watch for the western end of the island from Matanzas to Pioneer del Rio, as well as the Isle of Youth. Mexico issued a hurricane watch for nearly all of its Caribbean coast from Punta Gruesa to Cabo Catoche, an area that includes the resort of Cancun.
Wilma already had been blamed for one death in Jamaica as a tropical depression Sunday. It has flooded several low-lying communities and triggered mudslides that blocked roads and damaged several homes, said Barbara Carby, head of Jamaica's emergency management office. She said that some 250 people were in shelters throughout the island.
Although the storm was not expected to approach Florida until the weekend, some residents began buying water, canned food and other emergency supplies early. Many said they take every storm seriously now, after witnessing the devastation from a succession of hurricanes that have ravaged the southern United States.
"People have learned their lesson and know better how to prepare. We're not waiting until the last minute anymore," said Andrea Yerger, 48, of Port Charlotte, Florida. She was buying material to protect her house, which had to be gutted because of extensive damage from Hurricane Charley last year.
Wilma's track could take it near Punta Gorda on Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast and other areas in the state hit by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, in August 2004.
Forecasters urged Florida residents to closely monitor Wilma. The state has seen seven hurricanes hit or pass close by since August 2004, causing more than $20 billion in estimated damage and killing nearly 150 people.
In the Cayman Islands, authorities urged businesses to close early Tuesday to give employees time to prepare for the storm. Schools were ordered to close on Wednesday.
In Mexico, the MTV Latin America Video Music Awards ceremony, originally scheduled to be held Thursday at a seaside park south of Cancun, were moved up one day to avoid possible effects from Wilma.
Forecasters said Wilma should avoid the central U.S. Gulf coast devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita earlier this year which killed more than 1,200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
"There's no scenario now that takes it toward Louisiana or Mississippi, but that could change," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is the record-tying 12th hurricane of the season, the same number reached in 1969. That is the most for one season since record-keeping began in 1851.
On Monday, Wilma became the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm, tying the record set in 1933 and exhausting the list of names for this year.
The six-month hurricane season does not end until Nov. 30. Any new storms would be named with letters from the Greek alphabet, starting with Alpha.