3:16 am edt Hurricane Wilma: Now Category 5, 2nd most intense in history

[Bluebear]

By FREDDY CUEVAS, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago

Hurricane Wilma strengthened into a Category 5 monster early Wednesday with 175 mph winds, and forecasters said a key reading of the storm's pressure showed it to be the most powerful of the year.

Wilma was on course to sideswipe Central America and Mexico, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.

The storm's power multiplied greatly over the last day. It was only Tuesday morning that Wilma grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane with 80 mph winds.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051019/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/hurricane_wilma&printer=1

[meow mix]

1. i just looked and it says winds at 175? *blinks*

http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm24/stormtrack_large.html

[Bluebear]

3. Indeed.

No global warming, folks. Move along. :sarcasm:

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. What you believe in taht Librul science?

We can burn them hycrocarbons for all I care, drive them Hummers!!!!!!!!!

:sarcasm:

[MnFats]

2. holy shit. not again.

is this going to be the worst of the three sisters?

[BrightKnight]

4. 892 mb = pressure of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane

000
WTNT64 KNHC 190629
TCUAT4
HURRICANE WILMA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
230 AM EDT WED OCT 19 2005
DATA FROM A RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT HURRICANE WILMA
HAS BECOME AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE
SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. THE RECONNAISSANCE PLANE MEASURED
175 MPH WINDS AND ESTIMATED A MINIMUM PRESSURE OF 892 MB. THIS IS
THE LOWEST PRESSURE OBSERVED IN 2005 AND IS EQUIVALENT TO THE
MINIMUM PRESSURE OF THE 1935 LABOR DAY HURRICANE IN THE FLORIDA
KEYS.

FORECASTER AVILA

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT4+shtml/190629.shtml

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Lowest pressure ever: 888 mB (Gilbert, 1988)

I think they're the right specs for it.

Average air pressure is, IIRC, 1013 mB. The chances are good that Wilma will exceed that pressure drop by a "comfortable" margin.

Also note that the cloud-top temperature is measured at -87C, which is close to the -150F figure (it's actually about -125F) used for the snow-superstorms in The Day After Tomorrow -- which the environment "skeptics" dismissed as "bad science". (But Bjorn Lomborg isn't looking too good these days for many reasons.)

And note that -87C is the coldest temperature the NWS's usual instruments can measure. Special satellite sensing will have to be used to determine just how cold the cloudtops really are.

Wilma is going to be the object of many scientists' interest this autumn, and for a long time afterwards. I just hope the human toll will be low.

--p!

[greyl]

5. Isn't it probably going to weaken considerably by landfall?

A few hours ago in a different thread, I was trying to offer hope by repeating what I'd just seen on my local news which was that Wilma will gain to cat4 or 5 strength NW of cuba, but will weaken to a cat2 by landfall in FL. Has the forecast changed?

[BrightKnight]

18. I think that it changed suddenly.

It is apparently spiked way off the posted NOAA wind speed chart.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT24/refresh/AL2405I_sm2+gif/050646P_sm.gif

In 30 minutes the pressure dropped from 901mb to 892 mb and the wind speed went from 150 mph to 175 mph.

The path posted has it missing Cuba and the Yucatan peninsula.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT24/refresh/AL2405W_sm2+gif/050646W_sm.gif

The gulf water appears to be warm.


I don't know much about weather but this can't be good.

[Carla in Ca]

7. I asked this on another thread

but perhaps you can tell me. What makes this hurricane take such a dramatic turn? Is it the rotation?

[Dogmudgeon]

12. Middle and upper atmospheric currents, mainly

At this time of the year they tend to be more chaotic than in July, but there is a pretty consistent W->E flow happening in the Gulf now. As soon as Wilma clears the Yucatan channel, it will be caught by the winds and steered hard east.

For the same reason, it is likely to be steered toward south Florida instead of north Florida, the Panhandle, or even New Orleans. After the storm crosses into the Atlantic, though, a different set of winds prevail, which could take the storm safely out to sea, or up the Atlantic seaboard -- or not.

--p!

[rodeodance]

16. there is a slightly cool air mass moving into the gulf which will send it

to Jebs state-the weather person said ealier tonight.

[i miss america]

13. A cold front is moving south and trapping it so it won't have anyplace

else to go. :eyes:

[ToolTex]

8. All summer I have worried about those poor bastards at Gitmo

sitting in their dog kennel wire pens as hurricane after another pounds the hell out of western Cuba. I have never heard a single word from the DOD about the fate of those prisoners after any of the storms.

[MADem]

9. They are in concrete buildings now, have been for years

They are not fancy, but they have air conditioning and are sturdy.

Not that it's much consolation for them to be held without charges, but the dog pens were a foolish, and temporary measure.

[rodeodance]

11. bet Jeb has Fema on the phone.

[MADem]

14. No Brownie handing out checks willynilly this time

It ain't an election year....

[Buns_of_Fire]

25. FWIW, Guantanamo is in the eastern half of Cuba...

the WAY eastern half of Cuba. Not that that makes their conditions any better, but at least they won't have Wilma to contend with. And they have a southern exposure, so rover and DICK can work on their sun tans (for the next twenty-five years or so, hopefully).

[Neil Lisst]

15. Hey, it's not real!! It's not getting warmer! No global Warming!

Someone tell the ocean, because it didn't get the memo about there being no global warming.

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst

[i miss america]

17. UNCLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ngGale]

19. I hear that...

:scared:

[AirmensMom]

20. Me, too!

:scared:

[RepublicanElephant]

21. just became the most powerful on record!

884 mb

my god!

[AirmensMom]

22. SHIT SHIT SHIT!

:argh: :scared: :scared: :scared:

[RepublicanElephant]

23. how much you wanna bet...

...cheney and friends are planning the NEXT big gasoline and heating oil price hike?

[ToolTex]

24. Every crisis is an opportunity! Cheney

n/t

[formercia]

26. So, if it's such a big storm

Where's the eye and typical spiral sructure? National Weather Service isn't talking much since they were gaggd by Fearless Leader.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/5/1217/52628

I bet the big box stores will sell a lot of supplies from people preparing.