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On This Day In 2005: Hurricane Wilma Forms
October 16, 2023 at 09:53 PM EDT
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Matt Mehallow
Seventeen years ago today, Wilma became a hurricane southwest of Jamaica during the third week of October 2005. This was during the busiest Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, and Wilma would become the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin.
Wilma developed from a tropical depression near Jamaica during the afternoon of October 15. It then became the 21st named storm of the season during the morning of October 17, which tied the record for the most named storms in one season originally set back in 1933.
On October 18, Tropical Storm Wilma turned west-northwest and strengthened into a hurricane. The system then explosively intensified into a Category 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds in a span of just 24 hours. It continued to strengthen, and during the morning of October 19, Hurricane Wilma reached its peak intensity. The hurricane’s minimum central pressure plummeted to 882 mb, the lowest pressure ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane. Its pinhole eye continued to contract to a diameter of about 2 nautical miles, the smallest known eye in an Atlantic hurricane, and Wilma attained peak winds of 185 mph.
Late on October 19 and through October 20, Wilma weakened into a Category 4 hurricane and on October 21, Wilma made landfall on the island of Cozumel with winds of 150 mph. In addition to strong winds, the storm brought torrential rains and a large storm surge to the Yucatan Peninsula. Major flooding occurred throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and property damage was quite high in Cancún, with estimates indicating $1.5 billion in losses (2005 USD).
By October 23, Hurricane Wilma moved off the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane. After emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, the storm accelerated towards Florida. Over the warm waters of the Gulf, Hurricane Wilma strengthened back to a Category 3 Hurricane, with sustained winds reaching 125 mph. On October 24, Wilma made another landfall near Cape Romano in southwestern Florida as a Category 3 hurricane.
The hurricane sped across the Florida Peninsula, then Wilma restrengthened to Category 3 hurricane status early October 25 as it moved over the western Atlantic. The hurricane zoomed to the northeast across the western Atlantic, eventually losing its tropical characteristics once it moved past Nova Scotia, Canada, on October 26.
When Hurricane Wilma impacted southern Florida, it delivered a 4 to 8 foot storm surge to the Florida Keys and caused over 3 million people in Florida to lose electricity. Wilma caused widespread infrastructure and agricultural damage, bringing the total damage in Florida to over $19 billion. The deaths of 50 people are directly attributed to Hurricane Wilma, with 30 occurring in the United States and 8 occurring in Haiti.
Sources: NHC, NWS, NOAA
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Story Image: Hurricane Wilma at its record-breaking intensity on October 19, 2005 northeast of Honduras. At the time, maximum sustained winds were nearing 160 knots and the pressure was at 882 mbar, the lowest on record for a storm in the Atlantic. (NASA via Wikimedia Commons)
Wilma developed from a tropical depression near Jamaica during the afternoon of October 15. It then became the 21st named storm of the season during the morning of October 17, which tied the record for the most named storms in one season originally set back in 1933.
On October 18, Tropical Storm Wilma turned west-northwest and strengthened into a hurricane. The system then explosively intensified into a Category 5 hurricane with 175 mph winds in a span of just 24 hours. It continued to strengthen, and during the morning of October 19, Hurricane Wilma reached its peak intensity. The hurricane’s minimum central pressure plummeted to 882 mb, the lowest pressure ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane. Its pinhole eye continued to contract to a diameter of about 2 nautical miles, the smallest known eye in an Atlantic hurricane, and Wilma attained peak winds of 185 mph.
Late on October 19 and through October 20, Wilma weakened into a Category 4 hurricane and on October 21, Wilma made landfall on the island of Cozumel with winds of 150 mph. In addition to strong winds, the storm brought torrential rains and a large storm surge to the Yucatan Peninsula. Major flooding occurred throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, and property damage was quite high in Cancún, with estimates indicating $1.5 billion in losses (2005 USD).
By October 23, Hurricane Wilma moved off the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane. After emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, the storm accelerated towards Florida. Over the warm waters of the Gulf, Hurricane Wilma strengthened back to a Category 3 Hurricane, with sustained winds reaching 125 mph. On October 24, Wilma made another landfall near Cape Romano in southwestern Florida as a Category 3 hurricane.
The hurricane sped across the Florida Peninsula, then Wilma restrengthened to Category 3 hurricane status early October 25 as it moved over the western Atlantic. The hurricane zoomed to the northeast across the western Atlantic, eventually losing its tropical characteristics once it moved past Nova Scotia, Canada, on October 26.
When Hurricane Wilma impacted southern Florida, it delivered a 4 to 8 foot storm surge to the Florida Keys and caused over 3 million people in Florida to lose electricity. Wilma caused widespread infrastructure and agricultural damage, bringing the total damage in Florida to over $19 billion. The deaths of 50 people are directly attributed to Hurricane Wilma, with 30 occurring in the United States and 8 occurring in Haiti.
Sources: NHC, NWS, NOAA
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Story Image: Hurricane Wilma at its record-breaking intensity on October 19, 2005 northeast of Honduras. At the time, maximum sustained winds were nearing 160 knots and the pressure was at 882 mbar, the lowest on record for a storm in the Atlantic. (NASA via Wikimedia Commons)