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Jorge, you are correct... the eye is much larger now than it was before the ERC. The last recon plane and current buoy reports confirm that hurricane-force winds extend much farther from the center than they did when WIlma peaked in intensity. In terms of destructive potential over a large area, Wilma is a more dangerous storm now than it was before, when only a very small area would have been affected by extreme winds.
The big question is how much it will likely strengthen now that the ERC is (apparently) complete. The current (0115z) IR image looks VERY impressive. The cloud tops are "only" red on the east side (orange on the west), not the dark gray and even white that were there when it was at 175.... but if it stays over water (avoids the Yucatan)... well, it's entering the same time of day that the explosive intensification occured during.... although the pressure appears to be holding steady at 923. Anyone want to shead some light on the potential short-term (12-24hrs) intensity trend?
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