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Posted on 10/18/2005 7:40:22 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Hurricane Wilma has formed in the NW Caribbean Sea. The NHC forecast indicates she will emerge into the Gulf of Mexico as a major Category Three storm. Current forecase models indicate a Florida peninsula landfall.
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
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 Experimental Radar Still Image
Key West Experimental Radar Still Image
| 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 |
A prudent sailor would, but who knows what the schedulers in a commercial enterprise would do.
Battle of the windbags?
Ya think it's time to buy more beer? ;-)
Amazing stuff overnight... keep in mind that it's a small storm center. It ramped up quickly, it should do the same when it weakens. I still don't see it hitting FL as much more than a minimal strong 2/min 3. Still strong, but nothing like we see right now.
bump
Absolutely! We live 12 miles from the coast (as the crow (& hurricanes) fly) just SW of Galveston on the Galveston Brazoria county borders. When they announced mandatory evacs would start the following morning we decided to leave Tues. evening... we went to get my mom from her nursing home at 9:30 pm. We had 7 cars, 2 boats, low boy, 10 grandkids, 83 yr old mom, a dog, 2 cats and cockateil. We got out in plenty of time with no problems. However, when the storm took that last minute turn, folks east of Houston couldn't get out... everything was clogged. It was a mess... a underreported mess.
We had booked hotel rooms for TH, Fri, Sat, &Sun... but couldn't get the rooms because somebody was already in them and they couldn't make evacuees leave. We made the reservations at 6:30 am on Mon and by 4:00 pm Mon somebody had booked the rooms... by Tues they were in the rooms.
Because of the massive swarm of people from Katrina and Rita... hotels were impossible to get. We should have got out when we did for many reasons. However, many people who could have safely waited did not and it put alot of people who needed to get out in a jam. People from Beaumont, Port Arthur, Sulfur, and the Lake Charles areas were literally walking out of traffic jams on country roads with their kids trying to find shelter. It was a mess.
I think we will stay put for this...whatever it turns out to be...
..but we'll see.
I have friends who stayed put through 2 or 3 other hurricanes last year...(when I evacuated)...
..and they don't want to sit through another one.
You can bet we're all keeping an eye on this one.
I just woke up. CAT 5!!!
Isn't that the weirdest thing, the hurricane force wind field being so tiny? I bet the hurricane hunters had a hell of a scary ride this time out. It's inconceivable that this storm would maintain this kind of intensity for long, but things continue to get more curious with every storm this year.
Anything is possible, but a hurricane making landfall on the Texas coast after mid-October is exceedingly rare. There are historical accounts of only two hurricanes on the Texas coast after October 17th. A hurricane struck Galveston both in November, 1527 and November, 1839 but that is all we know about this late in the season. This is one characteristic of hurricane climatology and Texas that I hope remains unchallenged! I pray that the hurricane season has ended for Texas this year.
Does this make three of the six strongest hurricanes ever this season, or three of the five strongest?
Yesterday when the initial threads started regarding Wilma, there was talk of once the Hurricane exited Florida, it would merge with a another storm sitting over Canada (i think) and would cause a huge storm to affect the northeast - has anyone heard anymore about this and if this is still the projected path? Stay safe Freepers - prayers for all!
Keep the faith....
>>>I remember the sky going this wierd gray-green, with a very ominous, powerful feeling. Greenage, dude.<<<
I have seen that color once in my life. In March 1984 I was taking a class in Clemson, South Carolina when the sky quickly turned very dark at mid-day, with a color I described at the time as Greenish. As soon as the class was over, I drove home and noticed a huge disk-like cloud circling low over my city. There were similar clouds in the distance. It was like something out of a horror movie.
The tornados starting touching down shortly thereafter near the Georgia/South Carolina border about 30 miles south of Clemson, cut a swath across South Carolina and North Carolina, and killed 57 people. My city was spared.
More beer is good, but wait 'till you're done driving North. ;)
The confidence level of the front headed toward Texas right now and making it through in time to protect everyone west of Florida is about as close to 100% as you can get.
That doesn't mean that everyone else can simply not follow future forecasts and assume that this is a Ft. Meyers/Miami storm. Any time a hurricane is in the Gulf, everyone has to pay attention. But it should be a gorgeous weekend in Houston with a high only in the 70's. That front will already be offshore protecting us from Wilma.
Ok. I will ;-)
Your family is in my prayers, onyx. Try to rest as much as you can....yeah, yeah, I know. Impossible. I'll pray for you too, my friend.
My mom and stepdad just got back from their place in Vicksburg. I love that area.
*furiously pulling levers*
"Heh. What can I say, Jeb? You can't win em all now, can you? Heh. Heh-heh."
-U
at Pookies place & just checked to see if anyone posted it here yet! ... quite appropriate - thanks
Funny, I was wondering the same thing. "The Perfect Storm" happened over the Atlantic in much cooler conditions.
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