Hurricane Wilma Palm Beach County

Wilma exited the east coast over northeastern palm beach county near palm beach gardens around 11 am monday october 24th as a category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of around 105 mph.

Hurricane wilma palm beach county. Category 1 hurricanes form when maximum sustained winds are in the range of 73 to 95 mph. Wilma inflicted a multi billion dollar disaster in the miami metropolitan area including 2 9 billion in damage in palm beach county 2 billion in miami dade county and 1 2 billion in broward county. Wilma moved rapidly northeast across the state with an average forward speed of 25 mph. Sustained winds peaked in the 55 65 mph range over southern coastal areas and most of central palm beach county.

Stronger sustained winds in the 65 70 mph range were. Lake okeechobee dike held. Hurricane wilma crossed the southeast gulf of mexico from the southwest and made landfall in collier county as a category three hurricane before exiting palm beach county into the atlantic ocean. Lights and power lines scattered the streets roofs were torn off and a mandated curfew of 9 p m was put into place as the amassed 20 6 billion destruction of wilma plagued south florida.

Gusts of 105 mph. Belle glade recorded the strongest wind gust in florida reaching 117 mph 188 km h at the south florida water management district office. Hurricane wilma was one of the strongest hurricanes seen so far resulting in over 6 million floridians without power even though it hit palm beach county as a category 2 hurricane. Trees tree limbs and power lines were downed in the city.

It is expected to become a hurricane by saturday the hurricane center said friday. The winds of hurricane wilma are graphically presented in the wind swath map shown in figure 3. The hurricane slacked off a bit while speeding across a 150 mile span of the state but wilma still slung three digit wind gusts and 1 to 3 inches of rain to the atlantic coast.