Hurricane Wilma

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Hurricane Wilma
Category 5 hurricane ( SSHWS )
Hurricane Wilma at the time of record strength southeast of the Yucatán Peninsula on October 19, 2005
Hurricane Wilma at the time of record strength southeast of the Yucatán Peninsula on October 19, 2005
Emergence October 15, 2005
resolution October 25, 2005
Peak wind
speed
185  mph (295  km / h ) (sustained for 1 minute)
Lowest air pressure 882  mbar ( hPa ; 26.1  inHg )
(lowest air pressure in the Atlantic Basin)
dead 23 direct, 40 indirect
Property damage $ 28.9 billion (2005)
Affected
areas
Jamaica , Haiti , Cayman Islands , Cuba , Honduras , Nicaragua , Belize , Yucatán , Florida , Bahamas , Atlantic Provinces of Canada
Season overview:
Atlantic hurricane season 2005

The Hurricane Wilma was the 21st named storm and the twelfth hurricane in the Atlantic hurricane season of 2005. Thus, the previously existing records from the years 1933 (21 storms) and 1969 (12 hurricanes) have been set. Furthermore, for the first time since the introduction of the alphabetical names for hurricanes in 1953, the letter W was reached in the name sequence.

After Emily , Katrina and Rita , Wilma was the fourth hurricane in the highest Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in 2005. This was the first time since records began in 1851 that there were four Category 5 hurricanes in one season only In 1960 and 1961 two hurricanes of the highest category occurred by then.

On top of that, Hurricane Wilma was the strongest cyclone that has been recorded in the Atlantic to date. With a core pressure of 882  hPa measured on October 19, it undercut Hurricane Gilbert from 1988, the core pressure was the lowest ever measured in an Atlantic hurricane. Lower core pressures were only found in North Pacific Hurricane Patricia and typhoons . The record for all tropical cyclones is held by the Typhoon Tip , which measured only 870 hPa on October 12, 1979.

In addition, during Hurricane Wilma, the strongest drop in air pressure ever measured within 24 hours was registered at 98 hPa. For comparison: At Typhoon Forrest in September 1983 a pressure drop of 92 hPa was measured within 24 hours in the northwestern Pacific.

With a maximum mean wind speed of 295 km / h and gusts of up to 340 km / h, Wilma was classified in the highest category 5 on October 19, 2005. Hurricane Wilma surpassed the devastating Hurricane Mitch , which also intensified in the region in October 1998, in all technical respects.

course

Wilmas railway
Hurricane Wilma (2005) .svg

Wilma was created on October 10, 2005 southwest of Jamaica from an old weather front that stretched from the western Atlantic to the Caribbean . Showers and thunderstorms formed the 24th Tropical Low Pressure System of the 2005 season and on October 17th this low was upgraded to Storm Wilma. On October 18, Wilma reached hurricane strength category 1 , developed further under a tremendous surge of intensification and reached the highest category 5 less than 24 hours later. Within a period of 24 hours, a strong tropical storm with wind speeds of around 110 km / h became a devastating hurricane with winds of 295 km / h.

Wilma took a north-westerly course and was moving towards the north-eastern tip of the Yucatán at a train speed of 9 to 13 km / h . On October 20, the cyclone weakened somewhat and was classified in category 4. The entire complex nevertheless reached about the size of Germany .

Wilma hit the Yucatán island of Cozumel at around 5 p.m. (CEST) on October 21 with average wind speeds of around 230 km / h . The hurricane was moving northwards towards Cancun at a very low speed of about 6 km / h . Therefore, Cozumel was in the approximately 50 km wide eye of the hurricane for about two hours in sunshine and calm. After Hurricane Emily on July 18, Hurricane Wilma was the second hurricane of 2005 to hit Cozumel directly.

Wilma then moved very slowly across the northeastern Yucatán and reached the Gulf of Mexico on October 22 as a category 2 hurricane.

On October 24, the cyclone reached the Florida Keys archipelago , which has since been upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane again, with winds of at least 195 km / h. The National Hurricane Center's predictions of easing had not come true, and during the night winds were measured at top speeds of 193 km / h. The storm hit the mainland near Cape Romano between the cities of Naples and Everglades in Collier County on the southwest coast of Florida and reached wind speeds of up to 200 km / h, according to the US National Hurricane Center. After around six hours, it left the Florida peninsula as Category 2 and then unexpectedly increased to Category 3 again over the Gulf Stream .

On October 25th, Wilma weakened noticeably, even if large stretches of coast were still exposed to stormy foothills. At the end of October and beginning of November, Wilma brought rain to Europe, meanwhile a low over the North Sea.

Effects

The most intense Atlantic hurricanes
(intensity is only judged by central air pressure)
rank hurricane season Min. Air pressure
hPa ( mbar )
1 Wilma 2005 882
2 Gilbert 1988 888
3 " Labor Day " 1935 892
4th Rita 2005 895
5 Everyone 1980 899
6th Camille 1969 900
7th Katrina 2005 902
8th Mitch 1998 905
dean 2007 905
10 Maria 2017 908
Source: HURDAT

Caribbean

Heavy rains on the outskirts of Wilma initially triggered floods and landslides on the island of Jamaica , Haiti and the coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua. In Haiti, 12 people died in a landslide, and in Jamaica the hurricane cost another human life.

Mexico

On October 21, devastating damage occurred on the Yucatán peninsula. A state of emergency has been declared in many Mexican towns. Over the weekend, the hurricane uprooted trees in the Yucatán, destroyed houses and flooded streets. In the holiday center of Cancun , the floods were meters high in the hotel district. On October 24th, an estimated 20,000 tourists were still stuck in emergency shelters, some for the fourth night in a row. According to some, there was hardly enough food, water and no electricity. In the city, rubble and rubble drifted through the flooded streets, and Wilma had caused serious damage for three days. On the offshore island of Cozumel , 4 deaths were reported, 2 people died in a gas explosion that was triggered in Playa del Carmen by the strong winds. According to further reports, at least 4 other fatalities should be mourned in Mexico.

Cuba

In the early morning of October 24th the hurricane pushed massive waves into Cuba, the water flowed up to four blocks into the capital Havana . The Malecon Coast Road and many areas of land were flooded as Wilma prepared to hit Florida. The Cuban authorities had evacuated over 625,000 people from the west of the country and brought them to safety.

Florida

While the storm only grazed Cuba, the US state of Florida was preparing for a Category 3 hurricane to hit. However, most residents ignored evacuation instructions from the authorities, who expected a tidal wave up to five meters high. In the morning, the storm lashed the Florida Keys , leaving seawater in the streets and causing blackouts in large parts of the islands. Towards daybreak it hit the coast near the city of Naples, damaged thousands of houses and robbed about six million people of the electricity supply. Airports have been closed and on the east coast, such as Miami , even more damage has been done, according to civil protection. The storm was greatly underestimated here. Hardly anyone expected to travel all over Florida and reach the east coast. Wilma found the people there unprepared. Six other fatalities were reported in Florida.

See also

Web links

Commons : Hurricane Wilma  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
  1. ^ National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane best track (Hurdat) ( English ) Hurricane Research Division. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research. April 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.