Will Wilma wipe out S Florida? Will it look like the Gulf Coast?

[texpatriot2004]

What will that do to our debt? How will they pay for it? How fast will they respond? Will the people be able to evacuate or will it be like Houston? What about all the rebuilding they were doing, will it be demolished...AGAIN? It doesn't look good. Can we stand another Cat 4 or 5?

[Dogmudgeon]

1. It's a weird storm

In this case, it may save us.

The eye is only 2100 meters across. Two kilometers -- about a mile and a half. The winds at the eyewall are in the 160-180 mph range, but they fall off pretty fast. It's still a dangerous storm, but it's starting to look like a tornado embedded in a hurricane; it's certainly an anomaly.

Chances are good that this configuration won't hold. The small eye will collapse and re-form later this morning, and Wilma will be downgraded to a cat-3, or maybe a cat-2. But I have to repeat, in this most wacky and dangerous of hurricane years, this is a wacky and dangerous storm.

It probably won't devastate Florida or anywhere else. But my brother lives in Orlando with his family, and my mother is traveling there this weekend. Any storm in a port is worth worrying about.

--p!

[AgadorSparticus]

2. I had a weird dream 5 days ago about dark, angry waters at Ft. Meyers

The feeling in my dream was I was scared and wanted to get out. I thought it was family related (which it could very well be) but now I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it was more a premonition--which I get often.

It will be interesting if the eye goes right through Ft. Meyers or just north of Ft. Meyers. I know that is not the projected path. But it will make me wonder nevertheless...I'm just speculating....

[Make7]

4. Don't look at this then....

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT24/refresh/AL2405W5_sm2+gif/084935W_sm.gif

-Make7

[redsoxliberal]

3. No... unless something unexpected occurs.

It's not expected to maintain this intensity (really, how could it?) but is forecast by the NHC, I believe, to still be a major hurricance at landfall. Another problem is it may just be adding insult to injury for the Charley folks, as that appears to be the track at this time (though it is truly too far out to tell.)

[Cobalt Violet]

5. Time to fill up and stay topped off again.

Gas goes up to $4.00.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. There's No Refineries On SW Florida's Gulf Coast

eom

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. It's The End Of Time

The fundamentalists were right....




(Irony Alert!)