Hurricane Wilma (2005)

Name: Hurricane Wilma (2005): track and modeled winds
Creator: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Wilma was a Category 5 hurricane at its peak, with 184 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 882 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 8 of the cities we track; the strongest was Naples, FL, with a modeled peak gust of 111 mph.

Peak strength184 mph winds (1-minute): Category 5
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track: 8
LandfallsFirst October 21, 2005: 3
Lowest pressure: 882 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

Depression or weaker
Tropical storm
Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
Landfall
City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)

Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Wilma’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

October 21, 2005, Category 4 at 150 mph, in Mexico
October 22, 2005, Category 4 at 132 mph, in Mexico
October 24, 2005, Category 3 at 121 mph, about 18 miles from Naples, FL

Modeled winds at cities (8)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

City	Peak gust	Sustained	Closest pass	Peak
Naples, FL	111 mph	90 mph	18 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 5:45 AM EDT
Miami, FL	92 mph	75 mph	55 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 8:30 AM EDT
Port St. Lucie, FL	85 mph	69 mph	30 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 11:00 AM EDT
Cape Coral, FL	80 mph	65 mph	54 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 6:15 AM EDT
North Port, FL	65 mph	53 mph	86 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 6:15 AM EDT
Palm Bay, FL	65 mph	53 mph	75 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 10:15 AM EDT
Orlando, FL	49 mph	40 mph	129 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 10:00 AM EDT
Lakeland, FL	48 mph	39 mph	134 miles	Oct 24, 2005, 7:15 AM EDT

What happened

After crossing the Yucatan Peninsula, Wilma made landfall near Cape Romano in southwestern Florida at about 6:30 a.m. EDT on October 24, 2005, as a Category 3 hurricane with 105-knot (121 mph) winds and a central pressure of 950 mb.¹ It crossed the peninsula in about 4.5 hours and moved offshore just southeast of Jupiter around 11 a.m. EDT as a Category 2 hurricane with 95-knot (109 mph) winds.¹

Sustained hurricane-force winds were observed in every South Florida county except Hendry and Glades, and the highest recorded gusts were 100 to 120 mph.² Measured gusts included 105 mph at Opa-locka, 101 mph at Palm Beach International Airport, 99 mph at Fort Lauderdale, 92 mph at Miami International Airport and 82 mph at Naples, and records at Opa-locka and Naples are incomplete because instruments failed.² NHC reports broken windows, extensive roof damage and destroyed mobile homes across southern Florida.¹ NWS Miami says structural damage was heaviest in Broward and Palm Beach counties, and high-rise buildings in the southeast metro areas and in Naples had considerable damage, mostly broken windows.²

Storm surge reached about 7 feet at Chokoloskee and Marco Island and about 4 feet at Everglades City.² Surge of 4 to 5 feet over much of the lower and middle Florida Keys, and near 9 feet by visual estimate around Marathon, flooded large parts of the Keys.¹ Wilma produced 10 tornadoes on the Florida peninsula, including an F1 in rural Collier County that badly damaged mobile homes.^1,2 NHC counts 5 direct deaths in Florida and puts US damage at $21.007 billion in its 2011 re-estimate.¹

Sources

1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Wilma (AL252005)
2. NWS Miami: Hurricane Wilma, October 24, 2005

Best track (48 positions)

Time	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position
Oct 15, 18:00 UTC	Tropical depression	29 mph	1004 mb	17.6°N, 78.5°W
Oct 16, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	29 mph	1004 mb	17.6°N, 78.8°W
Oct 16, 06:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1003 mb	17.5°N, 79.0°W
Oct 16, 12:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1003 mb	17.5°N, 79.2°W
Oct 16, 18:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1002 mb	17.5°N, 79.4°W
Oct 17, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1001 mb	17.4°N, 79.6°W
Oct 17, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	1000 mb	16.9°N, 79.6°W
Oct 17, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	46 mph	999 mb	16.3°N, 79.7°W
Oct 17, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	52 mph	997 mb	16.0°N, 79.8°W
Oct 18, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	988 mb	15.8°N, 79.9°W
Oct 18, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	982 mb	15.7°N, 79.9°W
Oct 18, 12:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	979 mb	16.2°N, 80.3°W
Oct 18, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	975 mb	16.6°N, 81.1°W
Oct 19, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	946 mb	16.6°N, 81.8°W
Oct 19, 06:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	173 mph	892 mb	17.0°N, 82.2°W
Oct 19, 12:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	184 mph	882 mb	17.3°N, 82.8°W
Oct 19, 18:00 UTC	Category 5 hurricane	161 mph	892 mb	17.4°N, 83.4°W
Oct 20, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	155 mph	892 mb	17.9°N, 84.0°W
Oct 20, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	901 mb	18.1°N, 84.7°W
Oct 20, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	910 mb	18.3°N, 85.2°W
Oct 20, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	917 mb	18.6°N, 85.5°W
Oct 21, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	924 mb	19.1°N, 85.8°W
Oct 21, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	930 mb	19.5°N, 86.1°W
Oct 21, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	144 mph	929 mb	20.1°N, 86.4°W
Oct 21, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	926 mb	20.3°N, 86.7°W
Oct 21, 21:45 UTC (landfall)	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	927 mb	20.6°N, 86.8°W
Oct 22, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	930 mb	20.6°N, 86.8°W
Oct 22, 03:30 UTC (landfall)	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	933 mb	20.8°N, 86.9°W
Oct 22, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	935 mb	20.8°N, 87.0°W
Oct 22, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	947 mb	21.0°N, 87.1°W
Oct 22, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	958 mb	21.3°N, 87.1°W
Oct 23, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	960 mb	21.6°N, 87.0°W
Oct 23, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	962 mb	21.8°N, 86.8°W
Oct 23, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	961 mb	22.4°N, 86.1°W
Oct 23, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	963 mb	23.1°N, 85.4°W
Oct 24, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	958 mb	24.0°N, 84.3°W
Oct 24, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	953 mb	25.0°N, 83.1°W
Oct 24, 10:30 UTC (landfall)	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	950 mb	25.9°N, 81.7°W
Oct 24, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	950 mb	26.2°N, 81.0°W
Oct 24, 18:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	955 mb	28.0°N, 78.8°W
Oct 25, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	955 mb	30.1°N, 76.0°W
Oct 25, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	963 mb	33.3°N, 72.0°W
Oct 25, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	970 mb	36.8°N, 67.9°W
Oct 25, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	976 mb	40.5°N, 63.5°W
Oct 26, 00:00 UTC	Post-tropical	69 mph	978 mb	42.5°N, 60.0°W
Oct 26, 06:00 UTC	Post-tropical	63 mph	982 mb	44.0°N, 57.5°W
Oct 26, 12:00 UTC	Post-tropical	58 mph	986 mb	45.0°N, 55.0°W
Oct 26, 18:00 UTC	Post-tropical	46 mph	990 mb	45.5°N, 52.0°W

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