| tpratch |
| (Moderator) |
| Wed Oct 19 2005 06:50 AM |
|
Re: Wilma Nears Category 5 Intensity
|
Quote:
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.
The storm isn't that big (we've seen bigger) and the hurricane force winds were last reported at less than 15 miles from the eye. So a tight, 30 nm diameter windfield does NOT mean "major destruction over all of the peninsula ".
Please remember to breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth and relax. It's far, far too early to get excited about the potential damage of a storm forecast to weaken considerably prior to landfall.
There may yet be a time to panic, but that time is not now...