An ill wind
Oct. 19th, 2005 07:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ciroccojHurricane Wilma Grows to Category 5 Storm
By FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma grew into one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded early Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasts warned was "extremely dangerous."
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.
Based on a preliminary reading of its pressure, forecasters said Wilma was perhaps the most powerful Atlantic storm on record.
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance planes recorded a preliminary pressure reading Wednesday morning of 884 millibars, the lowest minimum pressure for a hurricane in the Atlantic. But the pressure reading was not yet official because it had not been immediately verified. Lower pressure translates into higher wind speed.
The strongest on record, based on the lowest pressure reading, is Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which registered an 888 millibar reading.
Wilma gathered force rapidly over the last day. Only Tuesday morning, it grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane.
At 5 a.m. EDT, U.S. Air Force reconnaissance planes measured Wilma's top sustained wind at 175 mph, making it a Category 5, the Hurricane Center said. At that time, the storm was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 365 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.
Edit: Wilma Now Most Intense Atlantic Storm Ever
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma swirled into the most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasts warned was "extremely dangerous."
(rest of the article is basically the same as above, with a few "the most/strongest" replacing the previous "one of the most/strongest".)
Oh, the article also mentions that this season ties with 1933 for the most hurricanes ever recorded in one year, and that the list of hurricane names for the year is now used up. Any new hurricanes from now until November 30 will be named with Greek letters, which apparently has never happened before.
Link to the article: Hurricane Wilma Grows to Category 5 Storm
By FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma grew into one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded early Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasts warned was "extremely dangerous."
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.
Based on a preliminary reading of its pressure, forecasters said Wilma was perhaps the most powerful Atlantic storm on record.
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance planes recorded a preliminary pressure reading Wednesday morning of 884 millibars, the lowest minimum pressure for a hurricane in the Atlantic. But the pressure reading was not yet official because it had not been immediately verified. Lower pressure translates into higher wind speed.
The strongest on record, based on the lowest pressure reading, is Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which registered an 888 millibar reading.
Wilma gathered force rapidly over the last day. Only Tuesday morning, it grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane.
At 5 a.m. EDT, U.S. Air Force reconnaissance planes measured Wilma's top sustained wind at 175 mph, making it a Category 5, the Hurricane Center said. At that time, the storm was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 365 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.
Edit: Wilma Now Most Intense Atlantic Storm Ever
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma swirled into the most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded Wednesday, a Category 5 monster packing 175 mph wind that forecasts warned was "extremely dangerous."
(rest of the article is basically the same as above, with a few "the most/strongest" replacing the previous "one of the most/strongest".)
Oh, the article also mentions that this season ties with 1933 for the most hurricanes ever recorded in one year, and that the list of hurricane names for the year is now used up. Any new hurricanes from now until November 30 will be named with Greek letters, which apparently has never happened before.
Link to the article: Hurricane Wilma Grows to Category 5 Storm
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 12:57 pm (UTC)NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 01:35 pm (UTC)Don't they still have X,Y and Z to name a couple more storms for?
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 02:42 pm (UTC)Oh good I'm not the only one, then :)
And no, they stop at W. They have six lists from A to W, and start at the top every year. So this year's first three names were Arlene, Brett and Cindy, and they will be the first three names of the year in 2011 as well. When a hurricane is particularly devastating, its name gets "retired" so that, for example, there won't be another Hurricane Andrew to confuse with the Hurricane Andrew that devastated Florida in 1992. Or another Hurricane Allison to confuse with the one in 2001 ;) Katrina will probably be retired this year.
Oh and I just got this little quote from the National Hurricane Center: Since the name list has been started in the Atlantic in 1950 the furthest they have gone down the list has been Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
Isn't that nice?
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 01:46 pm (UTC)Yeah and I commented to my husband this morning
Date: 2005-10-19 06:47 pm (UTC)I wonder if my cousin Wilma will go back to using her middle name like she did when she was little (I never understood her deciding to use the name Wilma Jeannie is much prettier in my opinion)