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On This Day in 2005: Record-Breaking Hurricane Wilma Formed
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM EDT
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Fred Allen
Records are made to be broken, and Wilma obliterated a couple in an ultra-busy 2005 Tropical Atlantic campaign. At Wilma’s peak intensity, it was more powerful than Katrina and Rita from the same year.
Wilma’s organization started slowly, developing from an inconspicuous, large low pressure in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica. A slow southwest drift in warm water and favorable environment aloft led to intensification, at first slow and steady before explosively deepening later.
A tropical depression organized on October 15, and become a Tropical Storm on October 17, where it was named “Wilma.” In a 30-hour period from October 18 to October 19, Wilma’s minimum central pressure dropped from 982 mb, or 29 inches of mercury, to 882 mb, or 26.05 inches of mercury. This significant drop in pressure allowed Wilma to strengthen from a Category 1 to 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
A Hurricane Hunter’s dropsonde nearly missed Wilma’s center circulation the afternoon of October 19. It found a minimum central pressure of 884 mb, or 26.10 inches of mercury and a sustained wind of 23 mph. This meant Wilma’s pressure was slightly lower, estimated at 882 mb. This is the lowest central pressure on record for any Atlantic hurricane, topping Gilbert’s 888 mb, or 26.20 inches of mercury in 1988. Wilma claimed another Gilbert record, a 24-hour pressure drop of 97 mb. At its peak, Wilma’s eye contracted a record minimum diameter of 2.3 miles.
After a slow southwest drift, Wilma began a northwesterly track into the western Caribbean Sea and northern Yucatan Peninsula. On October 20, an eyewall replacement cycle caused Wilma to weaken to the point where it was no longer a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Wilma then made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Cozumel, Mexico, with sustained wind of 150 mph early the afternoon of October 21. Wilma slowed down and spent more than a day over the northeastern Yucatan, weakening to a Category 1 hurricane on October 22.
From there, Wilma turned northeast, accelerated, and strengthened in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Wilma approached southwestern Florida as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane, making landfall near Cape Romano in Collier County with sustained wind of 120 mph on October 24. At the time, Wilma’s eye was 60 to 70 miles wide, making it a large hurricane. Wilma rapidly crossed Florida, absorbed Tropical Storm Alpha, passed west of Bermuda on October 25, and transitioned into an extra-tropical cyclone on October 26 south of Nova Scotia.
Wilma is blamed for 52 total deaths, with most of them in the United States and Haiti. Wilma’s outer rainbands squeezed out heavy rainfall in Haiti and the eastern Dominican Republic at the beginning. This led to river flooding and landslides, killing 12 and forcing 300 people into shelters. As a depression, it lashed Jamaica from October 15 to October 18 - flooding low-lying areas and triggering mudslides.
Upon entering the northeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane, Wilma delivered flooding high tides and squally rainbands across western Cuba. A gust of 84 mph was measured at Casablanca, Cuba, while 8.8 inches of rainfall soaked Pinar del Rio Province in Cuba. Wilma destroyed 446 homes, damaged another 7,149, and nearly 250 people were rescued from their homes in Havana, Cuba. In total, current-day damage estimates from Wilma is $986 million U.S. dollars.
Across Mexico’s northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Wilma packed a dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, and hurricane-force wind gusts for almost 50 hours. A station in Cancun, Mexico, measured 10-minute sustained wind of 100 mph with gusts to 130 mph before the anemometer failed. A total water rise of 16 to 26 feet occurred in Cancun, Mexico, which reached the third story of a few buildings. Responsible for eight deaths, Wilma’s current-day damage is $635.9 million U.S. dollars.
Florida’s damage from Wilma was mostly due to gusty winds. Its brisk pace limited rainfall totals to 3 to 7 inches, with a few areas only receiving less than 2 inches. An observing site located in Lake Okeechobee, Fla., had the highest 15-minute sustained wind at 92 mph, which corresponds to a one-minute average of 104 mph. Wilma’s large size even produced Category 2 hurricane-force sustained wind and gusts as far southeast as Palm Beach to northern Miami-Dade Counties in southeastern Florida. Florida Power and Light reported more than 3.2 million power outages, which was the largest failure in Florida’s history.
A storm surge of 4 to 8 feet occurred in the Florida Keys, with Marathon, Fla., peaking at 9 feet. Across mainland Florida in Collier County a similar storm surge occurred. Florida’s agricultural industry reported around $1.82 billion in damage using today’s currency; nurseries and sugarcane crops were particularly hard hit. Wilma caused nearly $26.6 billion in damage using today’s currency and 30 deaths in Florida.
Wilma’s wrath wasn’t finished just yet. It turned into a powerful Nor’easter near Cape Hatteras, N.C., producing heavy rain totals up to 3 inches, large, dangerous waves, coastal flooding, beach erosion and elevation snow along the way. A peak gust of 66 mph occurred at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Mass. The end result was downed trees and scattered power outages, with parts of Interstate 95 traffic blocked in Rhode Island and the Green Line train in Newton, Mass. Snow totals reached up to 20 inches in Vermont and left about 25,000 people without power in Maine.
Wilma’s organization started slowly, developing from an inconspicuous, large low pressure in the Caribbean Sea near Jamaica. A slow southwest drift in warm water and favorable environment aloft led to intensification, at first slow and steady before explosively deepening later.
A tropical depression organized on October 15, and become a Tropical Storm on October 17, where it was named “Wilma.” In a 30-hour period from October 18 to October 19, Wilma’s minimum central pressure dropped from 982 mb, or 29 inches of mercury, to 882 mb, or 26.05 inches of mercury. This significant drop in pressure allowed Wilma to strengthen from a Category 1 to 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
A Hurricane Hunter’s dropsonde nearly missed Wilma’s center circulation the afternoon of October 19. It found a minimum central pressure of 884 mb, or 26.10 inches of mercury and a sustained wind of 23 mph. This meant Wilma’s pressure was slightly lower, estimated at 882 mb. This is the lowest central pressure on record for any Atlantic hurricane, topping Gilbert’s 888 mb, or 26.20 inches of mercury in 1988. Wilma claimed another Gilbert record, a 24-hour pressure drop of 97 mb. At its peak, Wilma’s eye contracted a record minimum diameter of 2.3 miles.
After a slow southwest drift, Wilma began a northwesterly track into the western Caribbean Sea and northern Yucatan Peninsula. On October 20, an eyewall replacement cycle caused Wilma to weaken to the point where it was no longer a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Wilma then made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Cozumel, Mexico, with sustained wind of 150 mph early the afternoon of October 21. Wilma slowed down and spent more than a day over the northeastern Yucatan, weakening to a Category 1 hurricane on October 22.
From there, Wilma turned northeast, accelerated, and strengthened in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Wilma approached southwestern Florida as a dangerous Category 3 hurricane, making landfall near Cape Romano in Collier County with sustained wind of 120 mph on October 24. At the time, Wilma’s eye was 60 to 70 miles wide, making it a large hurricane. Wilma rapidly crossed Florida, absorbed Tropical Storm Alpha, passed west of Bermuda on October 25, and transitioned into an extra-tropical cyclone on October 26 south of Nova Scotia.
Wilma is blamed for 52 total deaths, with most of them in the United States and Haiti. Wilma’s outer rainbands squeezed out heavy rainfall in Haiti and the eastern Dominican Republic at the beginning. This led to river flooding and landslides, killing 12 and forcing 300 people into shelters. As a depression, it lashed Jamaica from October 15 to October 18 - flooding low-lying areas and triggering mudslides.
Upon entering the northeastern Gulf of Mexico as a hurricane, Wilma delivered flooding high tides and squally rainbands across western Cuba. A gust of 84 mph was measured at Casablanca, Cuba, while 8.8 inches of rainfall soaked Pinar del Rio Province in Cuba. Wilma destroyed 446 homes, damaged another 7,149, and nearly 250 people were rescued from their homes in Havana, Cuba. In total, current-day damage estimates from Wilma is $986 million U.S. dollars.
Across Mexico’s northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Wilma packed a dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, and hurricane-force wind gusts for almost 50 hours. A station in Cancun, Mexico, measured 10-minute sustained wind of 100 mph with gusts to 130 mph before the anemometer failed. A total water rise of 16 to 26 feet occurred in Cancun, Mexico, which reached the third story of a few buildings. Responsible for eight deaths, Wilma’s current-day damage is $635.9 million U.S. dollars.
Florida’s damage from Wilma was mostly due to gusty winds. Its brisk pace limited rainfall totals to 3 to 7 inches, with a few areas only receiving less than 2 inches. An observing site located in Lake Okeechobee, Fla., had the highest 15-minute sustained wind at 92 mph, which corresponds to a one-minute average of 104 mph. Wilma’s large size even produced Category 2 hurricane-force sustained wind and gusts as far southeast as Palm Beach to northern Miami-Dade Counties in southeastern Florida. Florida Power and Light reported more than 3.2 million power outages, which was the largest failure in Florida’s history.
A storm surge of 4 to 8 feet occurred in the Florida Keys, with Marathon, Fla., peaking at 9 feet. Across mainland Florida in Collier County a similar storm surge occurred. Florida’s agricultural industry reported around $1.82 billion in damage using today’s currency; nurseries and sugarcane crops were particularly hard hit. Wilma caused nearly $26.6 billion in damage using today’s currency and 30 deaths in Florida.
Wilma’s wrath wasn’t finished just yet. It turned into a powerful Nor’easter near Cape Hatteras, N.C., producing heavy rain totals up to 3 inches, large, dangerous waves, coastal flooding, beach erosion and elevation snow along the way. A peak gust of 66 mph occurred at Blue Hill Observatory in Milton, Mass. The end result was downed trees and scattered power outages, with parts of Interstate 95 traffic blocked in Rhode Island and the Green Line train in Newton, Mass. Snow totals reached up to 20 inches in Vermont and left about 25,000 people without power in Maine.