Wilma Update 19 October

Repost of emailed message:

Overnight, Wilma developed into a Cat 5 storm with max sustained winds of 175 mph. The aircraft inside the storm made a preliminary central pressure measurement of 884 mb which, if correct, would be the lowest central pressure ever measured in an Atlantic basin hurricane (previous low: Gilbert (1988) 888 mb). The only good news about this is that it can't get much stronger.

The official forecast track is effectively unchanged from yesterday: landfall near Naples, then passing through Lake Okeechobee, and exiting around West Palm, traversing the state in a quick 6-8 hours overnight Saturday/early Sunday. Wilma should begin to turn eastbound overnight Friday/Saturday. Once the turn begins, slight weakening should also begin resulting from increasing shear. The current forecast has Wilma making landfall as a Cat 3 hurricane.

Around Melbourne, the humidity will begin to creep up starting tomorrow (blame Wilma). Rain and wind will be the rule for most of the weekend. Based on the current forecast track, tropical storm force winds, at a minimum, are likely, but Category 1 or possibly 2 winds aren't out of the question. Obviously, the farther south you go, the stronger the winds will be. Check the National Weather Service forecast for more info as we get closer to the weekend.

Cooler and drier air should rush in early next week (blame Wilma), which could be handy should we lose power for a few hours (or longer) on Sunday or Monday.