Hurricane Wilma: Lowest Pressure Ever Recorded

[ToyotaNSaturn]

From NOAA: "BASED ON DROPSONDE AND FLIGHT-LEVEL DATA FROM AN AIR FORCE PLANE JUST RETURNING FROM ITS MISSION IN WILMA...THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED TO BE 882 MB...26.05 INCHES. THIS IS THE LOWEST PRESSURE ON RECORD FOR A HURRICANE IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN."

With local rainfall totals in the 25-inch range, will Florida evacuate in time? What if the storm stays on a northward track and hits the LA/MS/AL areas again? Shudder to think about any scenario this time...

Will parts of Cuba have ANY homes left standing after this one hits? I can't see construction there being "up to code".

 

[Schmoe]

What I don't understand is how is Wilma going to start moving NE to hit Florida. Doesn't or hasn't all the hurricanes in the past in the Gulf move right to left (east to west)?????

 

[Kestas]

A part of me actually hopes that the hurricane will hit New Orleans... not to see people hurt, but to finish the job and let people know that we have no business building a city below sea level right next to an ocean that throws hurricanes at us. The parts of the city below sea level are mostly a loss.

Some say we need New Orleans. I say we don't and it's not worth the cost or risk to have a city on that location.

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

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Originally posted by Schmoe:
What I don't understand is how is Wilma going to start moving NE to hit Florida. Doesn't or hasn't all the hurricanes in the past in the Gulf move right to left (east to west)?????

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The jet stream (westerly trade winds) is positioned from northwest to the southeast slightly and is farther to the south, so once Wilma gets near it, it'll pick her up and send her east. (thank ***)!

 

[Drew99GT]

TOP WEATHER NEWS -- Hurricane Wilma rapidly gained strength overnight and is now a category 5 storm! A recon plane found a pressure of 892 mb around 2:30 this morning, then 884 mb around 5 a.m., ranking Wilma as the most intense hurricane to ever be recorded in the Atlantic basin! It is also the fastest intensification of any hurricane in recorded history. Wilma is packing winds over 175 mph, with higher gusts. AccuWeather.com Senior Hurricane Expert Joe Bastardi says it is a very compact storm, with an eye just 4 miles wide and hurricane force winds extending outward only 15 miles from center.

 

[ALS]

I just talked to mom she and her neighbors are heading east to Miami, Fort Lauderdale area on Friday. BTW the track as of 5 am has it hitting dead on Naples where she lives.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I was just down in Naples last month to visit family. I pray they don't lose their house, nor their lives..

 

[wander2039]

If you don't have the science channel I have to update everyone on a little fact. The hurricanes seasons of current are nothing compared on how bad they will get. Every 15,000 years -I think- a slow period occurs, we are in this slow period. It should be ending shortly according to the scietific readings. Can't remember all the details but it's defiantely something people needs to watch.

 

[michaelc80]

quote:

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Originally posted by Eric Smith:
If you don't have the science channel I have to update everyone on a little fact. The hurricanes seasons of current are nothing compared on how bad they will get. Every 15,000 years -I think- a slow period occurs, we are in this slow period. It should be ending shortly according to the scietific readings. Can't remember all the details but it's defiantely something people needs to watch.

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I think a lot of our weather is cyclical in nature. I listen to an interview with a meterologist from ISU a couple of years ago who said we were in a relatively calm weather cycle for the last ~50 years, but things were changing back to what he considered more normal.

 

[416Rigby]

I'm in the Tampa area. We're already getting our supplies together, and fueling the generator. Hope it misses us.

 

[Kestas]

Time to fill up our gas cans again!!!

 

[The_Jeff]

Actually, kestas, I would buy some frozen concentrated orange juice if you're worried about commodities prices.

 

[kenw]

quote:

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Originally posted by eljefino:
Actually, kestas, I would buy some frozen concentrated orange juice if you're worried about commodities prices.

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or lumber......

 

[mjo]

I'm buying stock in plastic siding.

 

[Al]

quote:

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Originally posted by kenw:

quote:

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Originally posted by eljefino:
Actually, kestas, I would buy some frozen concentrated orange juice if you're worried about commodities prices.

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or lumber......

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Yea..if it hits the oil producing areas again gas will be a thing of the past. Might just as well run out early. Its pretty obvious to the most casual observer that lack of energy due to these things will be our future.

 

[kenw]

actually the current projected path is south of the larger drilling and production areas, these are more common in the middle and western gulf. One of the larger issues with Katrina was the damage to the off-shore nat'l gas terminal, the only one of it's kind and the largest in NA. It's still limping.

Katrina and Rita just plowed thru the heartland of gulf oil and gas production, it appears that Wilma will pass south of the most concentrated areas.

 

[wavinwayne]

I didn't think there were any off shore rigs of any type off the coast of Florida. Hasn't governor Bush's position always been 100% against off-shore drilling until the last couple of weeks?

Somebody help me out here.

 

[LubeOiler]

As the Eye passed over my house the winds were recorded at 125 mph. My neighbors mailbox 5 doors down was in my yard.I picked up any missles during the lull. The back side was worse as the wind switched directions , it even ripped the plywood off one of my windows.A tree roots and all flew along with my neighbors fence. This was worse than the last 2 we had here.Thank *** its over now to get power back and the 3/4 hour wait for gas is the worst thing.