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Wilma?
- Thread starter pinkrose
- Start date
Corrus, I have a question for you....
Normally, the worst part of the storm is in the North East quadrant along the path that the storm is moving, and thats if it is moving in a northerly manner. If a storm makes landfall moving due east, is the worst part of the storm then considered to be in the South East quadrant of the storm?
Normally, the worst part of the storm is in the North East quadrant along the path that the storm is moving, and thats if it is moving in a northerly manner. If a storm makes landfall moving due east, is the worst part of the storm then considered to be in the South East quadrant of the storm?
SpongeScott
Well-Known Member
Paul, it would always be the quadrant of the storm that is pushing the wind and surf TOWARD the shore, so whatever direction the storm is moving, it is always the upper right quadrant based on the forward motion.hakunamatata said:
Someone correct me if I'm wrong...
SpongeScott said:
Makes sense to me....Hurricans spin counter clockwise, so that makes sense.
Woody13
New Member
Cozumel got hit very hard. It could be a long time until ships return to that port. I just hope that there was no loss of life and that they are able to repair the damage.
Weather Update
As of 11:00 a.m. EST - Friday, October 21, 2005
We are monitoring Hurricane Wilma very closely, as the safety and security of our guests is always our top priority. According to the latest projections from the National Weather Service, there is still considerable uncertainty surrounding the specific timing and path of the storm.
The Disney Magic will set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 22, 2005. With Hurricane Wilma moving slowly across Cozumel in the western Caribbean and predicted to pass very near Key West during the first part of this coming week, it has become necessary to alter our itinerary so that we can enjoy safe conditions and fair weather.
Therefore, this voyage will be sailing to the eastern Caribbean and visiting the ports of St. Maarten, St. Thomas and our private island Disney's Castaway Cay.
The Disney Wonder will set sail from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 23, 2005. At this time, Hurricane Wilma is not predicted to pass through the Bahamas, and we will continue to monitor its path carefully. Should conditions change, we are prepared to alter our itinerary.
Weather Update
As of 11:00 a.m. EST - Friday, October 21, 2005
We are monitoring Hurricane Wilma very closely, as the safety and security of our guests is always our top priority. According to the latest projections from the National Weather Service, there is still considerable uncertainty surrounding the specific timing and path of the storm.
The Disney Magic will set sail from Port Canaveral on Saturday, October 22, 2005. With Hurricane Wilma moving slowly across Cozumel in the western Caribbean and predicted to pass very near Key West during the first part of this coming week, it has become necessary to alter our itinerary so that we can enjoy safe conditions and fair weather.
Therefore, this voyage will be sailing to the eastern Caribbean and visiting the ports of St. Maarten, St. Thomas and our private island Disney's Castaway Cay.
The Disney Wonder will set sail from Port Canaveral on Sunday, October 23, 2005. At this time, Hurricane Wilma is not predicted to pass through the Bahamas, and we will continue to monitor its path carefully. Should conditions change, we are prepared to alter our itinerary.
I just want Wilma thru and gone ASAP, for purely selfish reasons - I leave for WDW on Wednesday. 
jmenjes
Well-Known Member
HauntedPirate said:I just want Wilma thru and gone ASAP, for purely selfish reasons - I leave for WDW on Wednesday.
Looks like you'll be fine. They're saying landfall should be early Monday morning on the southwest coast, and the storm should be well off the northeast coast by Monday night, so this'll be a fast moving storm.
Be advised the storm will help pull a cold front through the state as well. Tuesday morning down here in south Florida the temperature is expected to drop into the 50s, so it's gonna get a bit chilly down this way.
DDuckFan130
Well-Known Member
That is what I'm actually looking forward to after Wilma...Cold front :slurp:jmenjes said:
:lookaroun
Sorry
Tim G
Well-Known Member
Florida Evacuations Continue As Wilma Flooding Begins
KEY WEST, Fla. Hurricane Wilma took a northeast turn off the Yucatan Peninsula early Sunday and headed toward Florida as a hurricane warning was issued for the heavily populated southern tip of the state and the Florida Keys were under a mandatory evacuation.
Wilma was the last entry on the 21-name list for storms this season. For the first time in almost 60 years of naming storms, forecasters had to switch to the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet to name Tropical Storm Alpha on Saturday.
As residents boarded up windows and some fled Wilma's path, state and federal officials prepared for the storm, expected to make landfall on Florida's gulf coast Monday. It would be the eighth hurricane to hit or at least brush Florida since August 2004.
"We think it will likely be weakening as it moves over Florida. But if it is weakened down from a Category 3, that is still a very significant hurricane," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said.
At 2 a.m. EDT, Wilma was drifting slowly in a northeasterly direction off the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters say winds are expected to increase Sunday.
"It's really going to take off like a rocket. It's going to start moving like 20 mph, "Mayfield said.
It was located about 55 miles North of Cancun, Mexico or about 370 miles west-southwest of Key West.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast to Jupiter Inlet on the Atlantic, including the Florida Keys. The Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay were also under hurricane warning. A hurricane watch remains in effect from Florida's east coast north of Jupiter Inlet to Titusville.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the next 24 hours, while a hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.
Mayfield said storm surge is a big concern.
"I will be very surprised if U.S. 1 doesn't go under water somewhere," he said. "The bottom line is people should plan on a Category 2 hurricane similar to what we have now on the Gulf Coast."
A tropical storm watch was issued from Longboat Key north to the Steinhatchee River, and from Titusville north to Fernandina Beach.
Even with its center hundreds of miles away, Wilma was already causing problems far across the state on the Atlantic coast. Outer rainbands caused hip-deep flooding in some neighborhoods in the Fort Lauderdale area, forcing people out of at least 50 apartments and houses.
"We've got two more days before the hurricane. What are we going to do?" asked Belinda Orange, 31, whose Oakland Park home had up to a foot of water inside and a black water line of dirt clung to her white walls.
More than 5 inches of rain fell in that area, with flooding mostly contained to the streets in the 2-square mile area, Broward County and National Weather Service officials said.
In the Keys, residents were waiting as long as possible before making a decision about whether to leave. The mandatory evacuation began at noon Saturday. Voluntary evacuations were encouraged Friday, the same day Collier County urged evacuations for coastal areas, such as Marco Island and parts of Naples.
Many were banking on Wilma weakening over Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Wilma had dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with top sustained winds of about 100 mph Saturday, down 30 mph from Friday, and could lose more intensity before reaching Florida.
Around Naples, people could still be seen sipping coffee at sidewalk cafes. While workers installed metal panels over the windows at city hall, several groups hammered away at balls on the clay tennis courts across the street at Cambier Park.
In an evacuation zone in Naples, Angel DiRienzo screwed plywood panels over his home, covering windows as he prepared to take his family north to an aunt's house in Lake City. The sluggish progress of the storm is keeping them off-guard.
"That's what has us all in a daze," said his wife, Anissa DiRienzo. "You don't know what to expect, but you have to expect something. That's just the nature of the weather."
Computer models seemed to agree that the southern portion of Florida would get hit sometime Monday, said hurricane specialist Richard Knabb. That put areas that were hit by Hurricane Charley last year in danger.
"But we can't be exact of course on where the system is going to go. And it is imperative that people realize that where the exact center goes is important but it is not the entire story" because Wilma is a large storm that will spread winds and rain over a wide area, he said.
State and federal officials said they had supplies and personnel outside of the areas expected to get hit. Gas supplies were also adequate, they said.
"We will not wait for the winds to stop blowing, we won't wait for the sky to turn blue. We'll get wet and it'll be a little dark and a little windy, but the citizens that are impacted know ... that Florida is a team," said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management director.
Four to 8 inches of rain was expected in southern Florida through Tuesday, with up to a foot in some areas. Category 2 hurricanes can be accompanied by storm surge flooding of 12-14 feet, or 17 feet with a Category 3 hurricane. Battering waves could be on top of that.
Those predictions weren't enough to force some Key West old-timers to leave.
"I have a home here. If I leave, who is going to take care of my house?" asked Vince Catala, who has lived on the island city all of his 71 years.
He hasn't evacuated since he was a year old and fled to the mainland with his mother ahead of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that killed more than 400 people in the middle Keys.
"Most of us that stay are prepared," said Catala, who joined the local police force in 1954. "Sure, you worry, but I'm not leaving."
Far from Florida, Tropical Storm Alpha formed Saturday about 125 miles south-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, prompting a tropical storm warning for Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The system was the 22nd named storm this season, the most since record keeping began in 1851. It wasn't expected to hit the U.S. mainland.
KEY WEST, Fla. Hurricane Wilma took a northeast turn off the Yucatan Peninsula early Sunday and headed toward Florida as a hurricane warning was issued for the heavily populated southern tip of the state and the Florida Keys were under a mandatory evacuation.
Wilma was the last entry on the 21-name list for storms this season. For the first time in almost 60 years of naming storms, forecasters had to switch to the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet to name Tropical Storm Alpha on Saturday.
As residents boarded up windows and some fled Wilma's path, state and federal officials prepared for the storm, expected to make landfall on Florida's gulf coast Monday. It would be the eighth hurricane to hit or at least brush Florida since August 2004.
"We think it will likely be weakening as it moves over Florida. But if it is weakened down from a Category 3, that is still a very significant hurricane," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said.
At 2 a.m. EDT, Wilma was drifting slowly in a northeasterly direction off the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Forecasters say winds are expected to increase Sunday.
"It's really going to take off like a rocket. It's going to start moving like 20 mph, "Mayfield said.
It was located about 55 miles North of Cancun, Mexico or about 370 miles west-southwest of Key West.
A hurricane warning was in effect from Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast to Jupiter Inlet on the Atlantic, including the Florida Keys. The Dry Tortugas and Florida Bay were also under hurricane warning. A hurricane watch remains in effect from Florida's east coast north of Jupiter Inlet to Titusville.
A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the next 24 hours, while a hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.
Mayfield said storm surge is a big concern.
"I will be very surprised if U.S. 1 doesn't go under water somewhere," he said. "The bottom line is people should plan on a Category 2 hurricane similar to what we have now on the Gulf Coast."
A tropical storm watch was issued from Longboat Key north to the Steinhatchee River, and from Titusville north to Fernandina Beach.
Even with its center hundreds of miles away, Wilma was already causing problems far across the state on the Atlantic coast. Outer rainbands caused hip-deep flooding in some neighborhoods in the Fort Lauderdale area, forcing people out of at least 50 apartments and houses.
"We've got two more days before the hurricane. What are we going to do?" asked Belinda Orange, 31, whose Oakland Park home had up to a foot of water inside and a black water line of dirt clung to her white walls.
More than 5 inches of rain fell in that area, with flooding mostly contained to the streets in the 2-square mile area, Broward County and National Weather Service officials said.
In the Keys, residents were waiting as long as possible before making a decision about whether to leave. The mandatory evacuation began at noon Saturday. Voluntary evacuations were encouraged Friday, the same day Collier County urged evacuations for coastal areas, such as Marco Island and parts of Naples.
Many were banking on Wilma weakening over Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Wilma had dropped to a Category 2 hurricane with top sustained winds of about 100 mph Saturday, down 30 mph from Friday, and could lose more intensity before reaching Florida.
Around Naples, people could still be seen sipping coffee at sidewalk cafes. While workers installed metal panels over the windows at city hall, several groups hammered away at balls on the clay tennis courts across the street at Cambier Park.
In an evacuation zone in Naples, Angel DiRienzo screwed plywood panels over his home, covering windows as he prepared to take his family north to an aunt's house in Lake City. The sluggish progress of the storm is keeping them off-guard.
"That's what has us all in a daze," said his wife, Anissa DiRienzo. "You don't know what to expect, but you have to expect something. That's just the nature of the weather."
Computer models seemed to agree that the southern portion of Florida would get hit sometime Monday, said hurricane specialist Richard Knabb. That put areas that were hit by Hurricane Charley last year in danger.
"But we can't be exact of course on where the system is going to go. And it is imperative that people realize that where the exact center goes is important but it is not the entire story" because Wilma is a large storm that will spread winds and rain over a wide area, he said.
State and federal officials said they had supplies and personnel outside of the areas expected to get hit. Gas supplies were also adequate, they said.
"We will not wait for the winds to stop blowing, we won't wait for the sky to turn blue. We'll get wet and it'll be a little dark and a little windy, but the citizens that are impacted know ... that Florida is a team," said Craig Fugate, the state's emergency management director.
Four to 8 inches of rain was expected in southern Florida through Tuesday, with up to a foot in some areas. Category 2 hurricanes can be accompanied by storm surge flooding of 12-14 feet, or 17 feet with a Category 3 hurricane. Battering waves could be on top of that.
Those predictions weren't enough to force some Key West old-timers to leave.
"I have a home here. If I leave, who is going to take care of my house?" asked Vince Catala, who has lived on the island city all of his 71 years.
He hasn't evacuated since he was a year old and fled to the mainland with his mother ahead of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that killed more than 400 people in the middle Keys.
"Most of us that stay are prepared," said Catala, who joined the local police force in 1954. "Sure, you worry, but I'm not leaving."
Far from Florida, Tropical Storm Alpha formed Saturday about 125 miles south-southeast of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, prompting a tropical storm warning for Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The system was the 22nd named storm this season, the most since record keeping began in 1851. It wasn't expected to hit the U.S. mainland.
Tim G
Well-Known Member
Dangerous Hurricane Wilma Bears Down On Florida
KEY WEST, Fla. Thousands of residents had been ordered to evacuate Sunday and businesses and emergency officials prepared rescue and relief plans as forecasters predicted Hurricane Wilma would pick up speed "like a rocket" on a course toward Florida.
The southern half of Florida's peninsula was under a hurricane warning Sunday in anticipation of Wilma, a Category 2 storm with 100 mph sustained wind. Although still far from the state, Wilma's outer bands of rain had already caused street flooding in South Florida.
Tropical storm-force wind was expected to begin lashing the state late Sunday and meteorologists said the heart of the storm was expected to roar across the state Monday.
"The time of preparing is rapidly moving into time of action as people are evacuating," Florida emergency management director Craig Fugate said.
About 850 people had registered Sunday at a Red Cross shelter in Germain Arena in Fort Myers, with some pitching tents and setting out mats on the still-melting ice where the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team plays.
"I'm just doing a lot of praying that things will work out," said David Bright, 48. "I'm born and raised right here in Fort Myers, Fla., and just know you don't play with (hurricanes)."
Wilma had been joined by Tropical Storm Alpha, which formed south Saturday off the Dominican Republic as the record 22nd named storm for the Atlantic season.
It was the first time forecasters exhausted the regular list of names and had to turn to the Greek alphabet for labels in almost 60 years of naming storms. The previous record of 21 tropical storms and hurricanes had stood since 1933.
By 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, was centered about 285 miles west-southwest of Key West, and was moving toward the northeast at about 8 mph.
Hurricane center Director Max Mayfield predicted Wilma would dramatically pick up speed later Sunday and its top wind speed would increase.
KEY WEST, Fla. Thousands of residents had been ordered to evacuate Sunday and businesses and emergency officials prepared rescue and relief plans as forecasters predicted Hurricane Wilma would pick up speed "like a rocket" on a course toward Florida.
The southern half of Florida's peninsula was under a hurricane warning Sunday in anticipation of Wilma, a Category 2 storm with 100 mph sustained wind. Although still far from the state, Wilma's outer bands of rain had already caused street flooding in South Florida.
Tropical storm-force wind was expected to begin lashing the state late Sunday and meteorologists said the heart of the storm was expected to roar across the state Monday.
"The time of preparing is rapidly moving into time of action as people are evacuating," Florida emergency management director Craig Fugate said.
About 850 people had registered Sunday at a Red Cross shelter in Germain Arena in Fort Myers, with some pitching tents and setting out mats on the still-melting ice where the Florida Everblades minor league hockey team plays.
"I'm just doing a lot of praying that things will work out," said David Bright, 48. "I'm born and raised right here in Fort Myers, Fla., and just know you don't play with (hurricanes)."
Wilma had been joined by Tropical Storm Alpha, which formed south Saturday off the Dominican Republic as the record 22nd named storm for the Atlantic season.
It was the first time forecasters exhausted the regular list of names and had to turn to the Greek alphabet for labels in almost 60 years of naming storms. The previous record of 21 tropical storms and hurricanes had stood since 1933.
By 11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, was centered about 285 miles west-southwest of Key West, and was moving toward the northeast at about 8 mph.
Hurricane center Director Max Mayfield predicted Wilma would dramatically pick up speed later Sunday and its top wind speed would increase.
DDuckFan130 said:
:sohappy: :lookaroun :lol:
Tim G
Well-Known Member
Wilma Begins Assault On Cuba
Tropical Storm Alpha Forms
HAVANA After pummeling Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Hurricane Wilma has unleashed its fury on western Cuba.
Heavy rain is falling and some communities along the island's southern coast have been flooded.
More than 625,000 people have been ordered by the government to evacuate their homes, particularly in the western part of the island.
A small fishing village south of Havana is totally submerged in floodwater.
Cuban authorities are especially worried about coastal flooding in the western provinces late Sunday night into Monday morning.
At 4 p.m. CDT the center of Hurricane Wilma was located near latitude 23.5 north, longitude 85.9 west or about 210 miles west-southwest of Key West.
Forecasters warned Sunday that Hurricane Wilma could get stronger later in the day or overnight, as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward southwest Florida.
Once that happens, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said it's going to "take off like a rocket."
A hurricane warning is still in effect for the Florida Keys and along much of the eastern and western coasts of southern Florida.
The storm is moving northeast at about 14 mph, with an increase in forward speed expected late Sunday and Monday. Its maximum sustained winds are about 105 mph with higher gusts, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
Residents have streamed out of the Keys, coastal communities are under mandatory evacuation orders and Florida and federal officials are preparing for the worst.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Alpha has formed, setting the record for the largest number of storms in an Atlantic season. (Read more)
Heavy rain from Wilma's outer bands has already causing hip-deep flooding in the Fort Lauderdale area, a full two days before Wilma is expected to barrel ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. Five inches of rain overnight forced the evacuation of about 50 houses and apartments.
As residents boarded up windows and some fled Wilma's path, state and federal officials were preparing for what could be the eighth hurricane to hit or at least brush the state since August 2004.
Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson said it was not clear how many people had left in the island community Saturday, but the streets were quiet before the mandatory evacuation began at noon Saturday.
One Florida emergency official said people in the Keys who don't obey a mandatory evacuation order are "going to be in deep trouble."
Monroe County emergency management director Billy Wagner said it appears only about 20 percent of the 78,000 residents of the Keys have left.
Last year, Charley killed 10 people and caused an estimated $15 billion in damage in southwest Florida. Some houses and businesses are still boarded up, while others have just finished rebuilding.
Birds Flee
Maybe the pelicans know what's coming.
Pelicans that normally gather around the historic pier in Naples have disappeared.
Resident Ben Pletsch said that also happened before other hurricanes. He said the birds "know when to get out of here."
Further south, wildlife experts in the Florida Keys noticed that pelicans there also made themselves scarce.
While the pelicans and other wildlife have left, surfers have flocked to the Naples beaches to enjoy the larger than usual waves being kicked up by Wilma.
Bahamas Braces
Worried that the storm may rake across southern Florida and charge out into the Atlantic, the government of the Bahamas issued a hurricane warning Sunday morning for the northwest Bahamas including the Abacos, Andros, Berry, Bimini, Eluthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence islands.
Cancun Dries Out
Mexico's Caribbean coast was battered for two days by Wilma. The storm blew ashore Friday with winds of 140 mph, then weakened to a Category 2 hurricane by midafternoon Saturday as it inched northward, with sustained winds of 110 mph.
The resort areas of Cancun and Cozumel were hit especially hard by the storm's strong sustained winds and surge.
The storm "really clobber(ed)" the peninsula, said a spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center.
It has been impossible to gauge the full extent of the storm's destruction, but city and hospital officials haven't reported any deaths.
Mexican President Vicente Fox plans to travel to the affected region, and consular officials from the U.S. Embassy will go to shelters Sunday.
Fla. Governor Declares State Of Emergency
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Saturday to ensure that necessary supplies and disaster response teams are in place for Wilma's arrival.
He told reporters in Tallahassee, "This is the time to prepare."
Bush said Florida has food, water, ice and other supplies ready, as well as disaster-response teams that include up to 7,500 National Guard members.
The governor urged people not to hoard gasoline, which frequently causes long lines at gas stations and some to run out of fuel.
Tropical Storm Alpha Forms
Tropical Storm Alpha has formed in the Caribbean, setting the record for the most number of storms in an Atlantic hurricane season.
Alpha is the season's 22nd tropical storm and was the 25th tropical depression. It marks the first time a letter from the Greek alphabet is being used because the list of storm names is used up.
The previous record of 21 storms had stood since 1933.
Tropical Storm Alpha is located near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph, with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible before the center of the tropical storm reaches the southern coast of Hispaniola.
Forecasters said the frantic hurricane season is part of an increase in storm activity that started in 1995 and is expected to last at least another 10 years.
Tropical Storm Alpha Forms
HAVANA After pummeling Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Hurricane Wilma has unleashed its fury on western Cuba.
Heavy rain is falling and some communities along the island's southern coast have been flooded.
More than 625,000 people have been ordered by the government to evacuate their homes, particularly in the western part of the island.
A small fishing village south of Havana is totally submerged in floodwater.
Cuban authorities are especially worried about coastal flooding in the western provinces late Sunday night into Monday morning.
At 4 p.m. CDT the center of Hurricane Wilma was located near latitude 23.5 north, longitude 85.9 west or about 210 miles west-southwest of Key West.
Forecasters warned Sunday that Hurricane Wilma could get stronger later in the day or overnight, as it moves over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico toward southwest Florida.
Once that happens, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said it's going to "take off like a rocket."
A hurricane warning is still in effect for the Florida Keys and along much of the eastern and western coasts of southern Florida.
The storm is moving northeast at about 14 mph, with an increase in forward speed expected late Sunday and Monday. Its maximum sustained winds are about 105 mph with higher gusts, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
Residents have streamed out of the Keys, coastal communities are under mandatory evacuation orders and Florida and federal officials are preparing for the worst.
Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Alpha has formed, setting the record for the largest number of storms in an Atlantic season. (Read more)
Heavy rain from Wilma's outer bands has already causing hip-deep flooding in the Fort Lauderdale area, a full two days before Wilma is expected to barrel ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. Five inches of rain overnight forced the evacuation of about 50 houses and apartments.
As residents boarded up windows and some fled Wilma's path, state and federal officials were preparing for what could be the eighth hurricane to hit or at least brush the state since August 2004.
Key West Mayor Morgan McPherson said it was not clear how many people had left in the island community Saturday, but the streets were quiet before the mandatory evacuation began at noon Saturday.
One Florida emergency official said people in the Keys who don't obey a mandatory evacuation order are "going to be in deep trouble."
Monroe County emergency management director Billy Wagner said it appears only about 20 percent of the 78,000 residents of the Keys have left.
Last year, Charley killed 10 people and caused an estimated $15 billion in damage in southwest Florida. Some houses and businesses are still boarded up, while others have just finished rebuilding.
Birds Flee
Maybe the pelicans know what's coming.
Pelicans that normally gather around the historic pier in Naples have disappeared.
Resident Ben Pletsch said that also happened before other hurricanes. He said the birds "know when to get out of here."
Further south, wildlife experts in the Florida Keys noticed that pelicans there also made themselves scarce.
While the pelicans and other wildlife have left, surfers have flocked to the Naples beaches to enjoy the larger than usual waves being kicked up by Wilma.
Bahamas Braces
Worried that the storm may rake across southern Florida and charge out into the Atlantic, the government of the Bahamas issued a hurricane warning Sunday morning for the northwest Bahamas including the Abacos, Andros, Berry, Bimini, Eluthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence islands.
Cancun Dries Out
Mexico's Caribbean coast was battered for two days by Wilma. The storm blew ashore Friday with winds of 140 mph, then weakened to a Category 2 hurricane by midafternoon Saturday as it inched northward, with sustained winds of 110 mph.
The resort areas of Cancun and Cozumel were hit especially hard by the storm's strong sustained winds and surge.
The storm "really clobber(ed)" the peninsula, said a spokesperson for the National Hurricane Center.
It has been impossible to gauge the full extent of the storm's destruction, but city and hospital officials haven't reported any deaths.
Mexican President Vicente Fox plans to travel to the affected region, and consular officials from the U.S. Embassy will go to shelters Sunday.
Fla. Governor Declares State Of Emergency
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency Saturday to ensure that necessary supplies and disaster response teams are in place for Wilma's arrival.
He told reporters in Tallahassee, "This is the time to prepare."
Bush said Florida has food, water, ice and other supplies ready, as well as disaster-response teams that include up to 7,500 National Guard members.
The governor urged people not to hoard gasoline, which frequently causes long lines at gas stations and some to run out of fuel.
Tropical Storm Alpha Forms
Tropical Storm Alpha has formed in the Caribbean, setting the record for the most number of storms in an Atlantic hurricane season.
Alpha is the season's 22nd tropical storm and was the 25th tropical depression. It marks the first time a letter from the Greek alphabet is being used because the list of storm names is used up.
The previous record of 21 storms had stood since 1933.
Tropical Storm Alpha is located near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph, with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible before the center of the tropical storm reaches the southern coast of Hispaniola.
Forecasters said the frantic hurricane season is part of an increase in storm activity that started in 1995 and is expected to last at least another 10 years.
Badger Brent
Active Member
Anyone heard from Maria lately? I thought her insight could help us out a little here. Hope all is well with her and everyone in one my favorite places to visit. Just wondering???
Tim G
Well-Known Member
Hurricane Wilma Bearing Down On Florida
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Hurricane Wilma was poised to begin what forecasters said would be a speedy and potentially devastating jaunt across Florida early Monday, with its outer bands spewing torrential rain and winds, spawning tornadoes and spreading fear over much of an already storm-weary peninsula.
Wilma, a strong Category 3 system, seemed destined to make landfall sometime around sunrise near the Naples-Marco Island area in Collier County. But severe weather began long before that almost inevitable occurrence.
And instead of getting weaker as first expected, Wilma got stronger while nearing Florida. By 5 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm's maximum sustained winds were measured at 125 mph -- up 10 mph from late Sunday night.
"We handle the winds," Sammy Hamilton, the mayor of Everglades City, an isolated village of about 700 people near the anticipated landfall location, told CNN early Monday. "But the water kills us. We're right at sea level, so if this all happens the way you're saying, everybody will be in pretty bad shape."
Forecasters said the low-lying Florida Keys could experience a storm surge of 8 feet, with a 17-foot surge possible along parts of the state's southwest corner -- where flooding seemed more of a concern than the powerful winds that Wilma, Florida's eighth hurricane in 15 months, packed on its way to shore.
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Hurricane Wilma was poised to begin what forecasters said would be a speedy and potentially devastating jaunt across Florida early Monday, with its outer bands spewing torrential rain and winds, spawning tornadoes and spreading fear over much of an already storm-weary peninsula.
Wilma, a strong Category 3 system, seemed destined to make landfall sometime around sunrise near the Naples-Marco Island area in Collier County. But severe weather began long before that almost inevitable occurrence.
And instead of getting weaker as first expected, Wilma got stronger while nearing Florida. By 5 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm's maximum sustained winds were measured at 125 mph -- up 10 mph from late Sunday night.
"We handle the winds," Sammy Hamilton, the mayor of Everglades City, an isolated village of about 700 people near the anticipated landfall location, told CNN early Monday. "But the water kills us. We're right at sea level, so if this all happens the way you're saying, everybody will be in pretty bad shape."
Forecasters said the low-lying Florida Keys could experience a storm surge of 8 feet, with a 17-foot surge possible along parts of the state's southwest corner -- where flooding seemed more of a concern than the powerful winds that Wilma, Florida's eighth hurricane in 15 months, packed on its way to shore.
