Hurricane Wilma is the strongest and most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. The storm started off near Jamaica, and slowly intensified. As it moved into the western Caribbean Sea, Wilma intensified at a record-breaking pace, becoming a strong category 5 with a pressure of 879 mbars, the most intense ever in the basin. Wilma also had the smallest eye in any Atlantic hurricane, with the lowest eye diameter at 2 miles. Wilma weakened before striking Mexico as a category 4 hurricane. Wilma moved slowly and even stalled for a short period of time, causing record breaking rainfall over the Yucatán Peninsula. Wilma then remerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a weak category 2, but rapidly intensified again, striking Florida as a strong category 3. Wilma also affected the Bahamas before moving north into the open Atlantic, dissipating near Atlantic Canada. My reanalysis puts Wilma with a peak intensity of 195 mph and a pressure of 879 mbars. The estimate is unofficial only and based on the lack of recon data at peak intensity, Wilma's unusually low pressure, and its impressive satellite appearance. Due to Wilma's sudden peak followed by weakening during an absence of recon data, the true intensity of Wilma remains unknown. Dr. Eric Uhlhorn of Noaa's hurricane research division noted that Wilma's actual intensity may have been as high as 230 mph. I believe that Wilma did have winds over 200 mph for an extremely short period of time. Comment down below: How strong do you think Wilma was? - Tags: #Hurricane #HurricaneAnimation #HurricaneWilma #Wilma #Weather #TropicalCyclone #Meteorology #2005Hurricanes #Category5 #Florida
