The FIRST thing that crossed MY mind cannot be repeated in this forum.

(hint, it starts with an "F").

I think I'm in shock. One of the computer models forecasted on Saturday that we would be dealing with a cat 5 on Tuesday, so I don't really believe anyone should be shocked, but this season has just been insane. Still, the pin-hole eye was a dead giveaway that Wilma was on its way to surpassing Gilbert. The question now becomes when will an EWRC begin and how much will Wilma ultimately weaken. I'm not going to speculate about it getting stronger, it's just not fathomable. Looking at the IR4 loop currently, you can't get a more impressive cloud pattern - you can only get a BIGGER one.

Sadly... and I don't say this lightly and I'm not a MET so it's purely speculation... but... I think we can burn the models now. They (the models) have insufficient information to accurately predict what will happen in something they have never seen before - and they have obviously never seen Wlma before. And... as I said yesterday... I very much remember Gilbert, which is the only basis for comparison in terms of storms or forecast track. Gilbert was forecast to hit Florida, much the same way WIlma now is.

Don't take that as a call for panic. Just pay attention to what the storm is doing. The models have shifted northward again, which puts Tampa back in play and may reduce the risk to Miami, but honestly with a storm like Wilma, if it hits Tampa dead-on it will potentially cause major destruction over all of the peninsula because it's just so big and powerful.

I haven't seen a wind field... but I presume that the incredible winds are limited to a very tiny area around the 2nm eye. Hopefully it will - very soon - caved in on itself. I shutter to think what the next recon will bring.

ETA: Please remember... even though WIlma will by all that is sensible and reasonable and right with the world weaken we hope... the storm surge will not drop off to the level it would otherwise be with a cat 3 storm... Katrina was an excellent demonstration of this. Since the surge is (I presume) generated well ahead of landfall, it doesn't drop off when the winds do. Based upon the current track... Cuba may have a storm surge that is uncomprehensible.