Citaat:
Wilma Path May Continue To Shift South
Wilma Weakens To Category 4 Storm
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Several computer models showing the projected path of Hurricane Wilma have the storm clipping the Yucatan Peninsula and taking a more southerly path when it turns toward Florida, according to Local 6 meteorologist Michele Cimino. "It looks like we are on that trend that will take the storm farther south, but only time will tell," Cimino said.
Wilma was a Category 4 storm early Thursday with winds near 150 mph. The Hurricane Center still believes the storm will move by the Yucatan Peninsula and eventually take a turn toward the east and Florida on Saturday. The storm is then expected to make landfall south of the Fort Myers, Fla., area Sunday and exit the state around West Palm Beach, Fla., by Monday. However, if Wilma hits the Yucatan, the paths could once again shift south, according to Cimino. "If it does hit land, and you can see this with the different computer models, it will just stall and then begin to weaken before moving into the Gulf of Mexico," Cimino said. Some computer models are pulling the storm as far south as the Florida Straits early Thursday. "I would not be surprised if the Hurricane Center does not start to shift this path to the south if the computer models stay as they are," Cimino said. "The models show that the storm is making landfall on the Yucatan and then catching westerly winds farther south."
The storm continued to slow early Thursday. "Because it is moving slower, we don't anticipate it making landfall in Florida until sometime on Sunday," a day later than previously forecast, hurricane center meteorologist Jennifer Pralgo said. "We expect it to be a Category 2 at landfall" in Florida, Pralgo said. Category 2 hurricanes have 96-110 mph winds. At 5 a.m. EDT, forecasters said Wilma was about 195 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, and 466 miles south-southwest of Key West, Fla. It was heading west-northwest toward the Yucatan Peninsula near 8 mph, forecasters said.
Central Florida Effects
On its current path, parts of Central Florida can expect heavy rain from Hurricane Wilma with the strongest winds south of Orlando. Gusts are expected to be at least 40 mph, Local 6 meteorologist Tom Sorrells said. "The track is still very much uncertain so you have to watch it," Sorrells said.
