Damn...Sucks to be in florida. ^_^
Wilma strengthens to Category 5 hurricane
CTV.ca News Staff
Gathering strength at a fierce pace, Hurricane Wilma grew into a dangerous Category 5 storm early Wednesday -- the 12th hurricane of the season to threaten the Caribbean and Florida.
Packing winds of 175 mph winds, forecasters warned the storm was "extremely dangerous" and threatened Cuba, Mexico and the Cayman Islands, which have issued warnings in coastal areas.
The Central American states of Honduras and Nicaragua have also issued alerts.
Forecasters also warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
"All interests in the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula should closely monitor the progress of extremely dangerous Hurricane Wilma," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest advisory.
On Tuesday morning Wilma grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane.
At that time, the storm was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 365 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.
"It does look like it poses a significant threat to Florida by the weekend. Of course, these are four- and five-day forecasts, so things can change," said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
An Air Force plane recorded a preliminary pressure reading Wednesday morning of 884 millibars, the lowest minimum pressure ever recorded in a hurricane in the Atlantic basin. Lower pressure translates into higher wind speed.
Forecasts showed it would likely turn toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region
