Claims News Service, Oct. 24, 8:50 a.m. EDT — Hurricane Wilma has made US landfall close to Cape Romano in Collier County, Florida, packing sustained winds of around 120 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The landfall point was around 20 miles west of Everglades City, the NHC said. The storm is predicted to travel in a north-east direction and cross the southern Florida peninsula today. Hurricane-force winds extend 90 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm-force winds extend 230 miles.
The southern half of Florida has been placed under a hurricane warning, and virtually the entire peninsula is under some sort of watch or warning. Western Cuba and north-western Bahamas also have been issued with a hurricane warning. The NHC said Wilma could produce four to six inches of rain in central and southern Florida (including the low-lying Florida Keys), with up to 10 inches possible in some areas. The NHC warned that Wilma could cause coastal storm surge flooding of 12 to 18 feet above normal levels in south-west Florida and five to nine feet in the Florida Keys and Florida Bay. The NHC also said the storm could spawn tornadoes over central and southern Florida.
Earlier, Wilma came ashore in the north-eastern Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on Friday at 17:00 EST, according to the NHC. Wilma was a category 4 storm at landfall with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. Quintana Roo governor, Felix Gonzales, said the storm caused "great destruction". Reports said the storm caused widespread damage in the region, destroying thousands of homes and hotels in the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo and flooding luxury hotels and resorts. Wilma killed at least eight people in Mexico, including three people in the resort towns of Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Reports said the storm lingered over the Yucatan Peninsula for almost two days, pounding Cancun and Cozumel Island in particular.
In Florida, meanwhile, Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency. Around 160,000 people in the state are under mandatory evacuation orders, according to officials. Wilma's outer bands of rain caused street flooding in south Florida, including Key West where damage to residences and businesses has been reported.
Although Wilma is approaching from the west, forecasters warned that Florida cities on the Atlantic Coast including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach could be hit by powerful winds and heavy rain. Wilma's forward speed increased through the Gulf of Mexico and the NHC said the storm should move rapidly over Florida.
The NHC has produced the following estimates (as of 05:00 a.m. EST) of landfall probability within 65 nautical miles of the following cities:
1. Marco Island, Florida – probability of 99%
2. Key West, Florida – probability of 81%
3. West Palm Beach, Florida – probability of 81%
4. Miami, Florida – probability of 75%
5. Fort Myers, Florida – probability of 71%
Sources: National Hurricane Center, Associated Press, Reuters News, Agence Presse France, BBC News, CNN News, Risk Management Solutions (RMS)
This report was reprinted with permission. For more CAT-i reports and further information on the service, please click http://www.guycarp.com.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.