National Hurricane Center Releases Final Report on Hurricane Wilma

Hurricane Wilma hit densely populated South Florida at Category 2 strength, and it was stronger than originally estimated when it struck Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said in its final report on the storm.

Most locations in the inhabited areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties felt at least Category 1 winds of 74-95 mph when Wilma struck on Oct. 24, the report said. But some of those areas had top sustained winds of 100 mph or slightly higher, in the Category 2 range of 96-110 mph.

Wind speeds for each area could not be determined because some gauges failed and a storm’s power varies around the different parts of its circulation, said the report’s lead author, hurricane specialist Richard Pasch.

Before hitting Florida’s east coast, the storm made landfall on the lightly populated southwest coast near Cape Romano as a Category 3 with sustained winds of about 120 mph. That was about 5 mph weaker than first thought, a difference “that doesn’t mean much,” Pasch said.

Wilma caused an estimated $6.1 billion in insured losses and was blamed for 35 deaths in Florida. More than 6 million people lost power in the state. Skyscrapers lost thousands of windows from winds or debris. Gas stations had fuel in the ground, but their pumps were useless without power.

Wilma was the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record when it was out in the Caribbean on Oct. 19, with top sustained winds near 185 mph and the lowest central pressure ever noted at 882 millibars, the report said. Forecasters had already confirmed that pressure, but the report increased the winds by 10 mph.

Forecasters rank hurricanes by their pressure because those measurements are typically more accurate than wind speed readings.
Wilma made its first landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Oct. 21 in Cozumel, Mexico, with sustained winds of about 150 mph, the report said. At the time, Wilma was estimated to have 140-mph winds. Mexico’s insurance industry said Wilma was the costliest disaster in that country’s history.

Wilma was part of the busiest Atlantic hurricane season in 154 years of record keeping. The 2006 season starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30.