Hurricane Debby

Bradford - Grey, damp, miserable again..... Can't give temperature but its a lot cooler up here than it is down South

Report from Bradford where I am currently staying - grey miserable damp and breezy but then it always bloody is up here !!!

Lot of rain in the night. Damp, grey and miserable today - quite breezy - 16.9 degrees

Beautiful morning - glorious sunshine - bit breezy - 17 degrees. Thought it was going to be wetter this week than it has been ??

Well I can't believe the way I found this out or if it is correct - I text the question from my phone to 63336 and he answer came back as ..... The fastest moving hurricane was the 'Long Island Express' in 1938 which moved from North Carolina to New England in 6 hours at top speeds of 70mph

Only the one picture so far from my favourite storm chaser - Mike Theiss - but an impressive one all the same. Can't wait for him to update the site with all his footage etc http://www.mthurricane.com/Hurricane_Wilma.htm

Foggy first thing this morning but now sunshine and dry. Starting to cloud over - 17.4 degrees

Incredible !

Hi all - as this thread no doubt sadly comes to an end I wanted to say how much fun I have had and how much I have learnt from having all the excellent knowledge and experience of NW members. Thanks to everyone for the links etc. Going to feel quite lost now I have to confess ! But heh its not over till the fat lady sings and the season isn't over just yet. And pleased to spot that Wilma has broken another record in respect that the number of views on this thread now exceeds that of Rita. Here's hoping for one more hurricane to round off the season

Florida reeling from Hurricane Wilma's rampage Roof is torn away by high winds during Hurricane Wilma in Florida By Michael Christie MIAMI (Reuters) - Southern Florida was reeling on Tuesday after enduring a four-hour assault by Hurricane Wilma that killed at least four people, cut power to millions of homes and caused billions of dollars in damage. The storm smashed into the state on Monday as a surprisingly strong Category 3 hurricane with 125-mph (200-kph) winds, having fed on the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico after killing 17 people in a rampage through the Caribbean. Wilma flooded the low-lying Florida Keys, then hit the mainland south of the fast-growing retirement city of Naples and sped across the Everglades to the populous Miami-Fort Lauderdale area on the Atlantic Coast, blasting windows out of high-rise buildings, destroying mobile homes and flipping cars. Forecasters said Wilma was the strongest storm to hit the Miami area since August 1992, when Hurricane Andrew caused more than $25 billion in damage. It was the eighth hurricane to strike Florida in 15 months. Monica Rivadeneira, 34, retreated to a closet when Wilma's winds whipped concrete blocks against her Miami Beach apartment building. "I took a book and a light and my cell phone and I called everybody I knew from the closet," she said. "It was wild. The wind was howling." Miami International Airport suffered damage likely to keep it closed for several days. Wilma's power stunned thousands who had ignored orders to evacuate the Florida Keys. It pushed a wall of seawater about 8 feet (2.4 metres) above normal tides into the island chain off mainland Florida's southern tip, dumping thigh-high water in the streets of Key West, the tourist town made famous by writer Ernest Hemingway. The town, home to 25,000 people, may have sustained $100 million in damage, City Manager Julio Avael said. "We have hundreds of homes under water, thousands of vehicles damaged, and we need to place residents in shelters," he said. The storm forced the postponement of Key West's annual Fantasy Fest, an annual Halloween costume festival that draws thousands of visitors and had been due to start on Wednesday. WIND, RAIN SEEN FOR U.S. NORTHEAST At 11 p.m. on Monday (0300 GMT on Tuesday), Wilma remained a Category 3 hurricane with top sustained winds of 125 mph (200 kph) as it raced northeast over the Atlantic parallel to the U.S. East Coast at 47 mph (76 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Centre said. Wilma was expected to pass a few hundred miles southeast and east of North Carolina's Outer Banks by Tuesday morning and possibly reach the Canadian Maritimes by late Tuesday or early on Wednesday. Although it was not expected to directly affect the East Coast, Wilma was expected to combine with other weather systems to bring high winds, heavy rain, and even snow to parts of the U.S. Northeast, forecasters said. Before hitting Florida, Wilma devastated the tourist resort of Cancun, Mexico, over the weekend. The first few foreign tourists headed home from the resort on Monday, but thousands remained in shelters where they have been stranded for days by the hurricane without electricity or running water. "I am totally and utterly fed up and dying to get out of here. It's been horrible," said Sally Goodrick, 42, a British beauty therapist travelling with her mother. Wilma killed seven people in Mexico and triggered mudslides that killed 10 people last week in Haiti. The storm also pounded Cuba, paralysing Havana and flooding coastal neighbourhoods with 86-mph (138-kph) winds. This year's hurricane season, which does not end until November 30, has spawned three of the most intense Atlantic storms on record: Katrina devastated New Orleans in August and killed 1,200, Rita hit the Texas-Louisiana border a few weeks later, and Wilma at one point boasted the lowest barometric pressure reading ever observed in the Atlantic basin.

UPDATED: 5:15 PM EDT, October 24, 2005 WILMA LEAVES A LEGACY THAT WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR YEARS When we look back at the 2005 hurricane season, we will remember a lot of extraordinary events. Wilma will certainly be one of them. Not only was it the lat name on the regular list of names for this season, but also remember that Wilma was the most intense hurricane ever recorded. I find it interesting to think about all of the factors that lead to the eventual landfall of this unique and historic hurricane. It is incredible that Wilma had a two mile wide eye at one point and then had a 50-60 mile wide eye (perhaps even 70) as it closed in on Florida. But now it is all over. Wilma is out in the Atlantic Ocean and it should transition in to more of a winter-type storm in the coming days. The only concerns will be the chance of rough beach conditions due to the swells that Wilma will generate over the next day or so. It looks like even the Canadian Maritimes will not have to deal with any major effects of this once super-powerful hurricane. Now the tropics are truly quiet. I see no areas that bear watching in the coming days. We still have about a month to go before the hurricane season ends- so at least keep up to date on the latest news concerning the tropics. I will be working on the 2005 DVD but will keep an eye on things just in case our 23rd named storm is on the horizon. Sounds unreal, doesn't it? It certainly has been. Courtesy Hurricane Track

Wet wet wet. Again. Been raining here now since yesterday late afternoon. STill mild - 15.7 degrees

UPDATED: 5:15 PM EDT, October 24, 2005 HURRICANE WILMA A LITTLE STRONGER, RACING NORTHEAST AWAY FROM THE UNITED STATES Hurricane Wilma is quickley on her way out to sea in the open Atlantic this evening. Wilma has strengthened a little more this evening bringing the hurricane force winds around the center to near 120mph once again and satellite images still show a well defined hurricane now in the Atlantic off Florida's east coast. Moving northeast at nearly 40mph, by 2pm tomorrow Wilma should be well off the New Englan coastline. Wilma will be merging with the leftovers of Tropical Storm Alpha on her way out and could feel the effects of a low pressure area that is forecast to develop off the Carolinas. This could help to bring heavy rains and some gust winds along the east coast from the Carolinas all the way to New England through tomorrow evening. The forecast track brings Wilma very close to the Candian Maritimes Wednesday as it should be transitioning to an extratropical system sometime in the next day or so. If you live in the northeast and in Canada, you need to follow the track of Wilma closely until she is well out of the picture. The rest of the tropics appear to be quiet with no evidence of any other systems organizing right now. There will be another update later this evening near 11pm. Mark and James want everyone to know that they are safe in Naples, Florida. The sun has started to come out and the clean up is underway. Mark had a wind gust to 135mph on the Checy Tahoe this morning as the backside, or western eyewall of Wilma came ashore. Power is out in the area, lots of trees downed, street flooding and debris litters the roadways. Mark said you could tell that the area has not seen a major hurricane in some time as it appears that Wilma has thinned things out. If you are from the area and evacuated, please stay put until the all clear has been given and that it is now safe to return to your homes and businesses by your local officials. Mark and James are out documenting the damage and will have a full update with new video here later this evening. Courtesy Hurricane Track

Can't say I am surprised - it was forecast and they did get it right ! Tipping it down here really heavy and has been since about 5pm. Strong breeze as well.

Bloody hell ! Have to confess that despite joining this board last year I hadn't realised about the armchair storm chasing - and the fun to be had - from the NW site until Wilma came along. Gutted I missed out on Rita. Edit - this year

11,593 views - beats the last Wilma thread !

Sadly I think it has

Rain holding off thus far but wind really picking up now. Incredibly muggy out - 18.2 degrees

So sorry Polar Bear ! The Daytona Beach webcam - is the tide going in or out ?

Excellent stuff snowbear - thanks for the link Noticed views on here are now at 10,703. Think we'll break the record on the earlier Wilma thread of 11,584 ?!

UPDATED: 5:00 AM EDT, October 24, 2005 POWERFUL WILMA ABOUT TO MAKE LANDFALL IN COLLIER COUNTY AS THE REST OF SOUTH FLORIDA BRACES FOR A HECK OF A DAY I will keep this brief. Wilma is now a 120 mph category three hurricane with a presure of 952 millibars. It is going to make landfall in just a few hours in Collier County. The eye is large and many people will experience the calm. We have seen moderate damage here mainly to vegetation and local storm surge flooding. Highest wind gust I have recorded was 98 mph on the Marco Island bridge about 25 minutes ago. The pressure here is 976 millibars. Check out the video clip below taken just an hour ago on Marco Island. I will try to have more later in the day. Courtesy Hurrican Track And damn just discovered the Brooks cam is no longer working - it was about an hour ago but then I don't suppose the thing stood a chance being that close to the sea front.

UPDATED: 10:55 pm EDT, October 23, 2005 HURRICANE WILMA NOW A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE- LETHAL STORM SURGE TO AFFECT SW FLORIDA WHILE GREAT DEAL OF THE STATE TO BE LASHED HARD BY THIS LATE SEASON HURRICANE We knew it could happen and it indeed has. Wilma is now a category three hurricane or major hurricane. This means that extensive damage can be expected and this includes a massive storm surge that is advancing towards the coast. Evacuations will hopefully save lives and there is little people can do now in the path of this hurricane but hunker down. Right now I am in Naples, FL and have been back and forth to Everglades City and Marco Island. The weather conditions are quickly deteriorating as the rain comes down harder and harder. The wind is not too bad yet- but the strong winds are coming. Also- a storm surge of 17 feet is possible in some locations near and to the south of where the eye makes landfall. We will certainly hope for the best for people down here- they have been awesome to work with for the last few days. The weather station is almost working completely. The anemomter failed completely due to an electical issue, but we do have pressure and temp readings as well as a web cam set up at Marco Island. To view the pressure and temp data- along with the live web cam, click the link below. I will try to post a video update here of some of the late evening effects as soon as we can shoot something. Stay tuned- tomrrow morning is going to be quite interesting for south Florida! Courtesy Hurrican Track

Very grey and damp after a relatively wet night. Slight breeze - 16.6 degrees

Thats an interesting link - thanks Crimsone. I've just always recalled - from memory obviously - that just to add salt to the wound bad weather always seems to happen at nightfall. I don't suppose for one second that events like that happening during daylight hours can help or make things any easier. But it must be a lot lot worse to bear when you can't see whats happening around you. Just relying on sound and feel etc. Must be doubling more frightening. And slightly off topic I know but along the same lines - I've always found that disasters such as oil spillages / ships sinking etc are always made worst by bad weather that immediately seems to follow that hinders rescue / salvage attempts. Anyway food for thought but back on topic !

Hope this doesn't come across a stupid question but I'm intrigued - I've always got the impression that hurricanes always hit late at night - in darkness basically. Thats the impression I've got but obviously I don't have any statistics etc. Just something I have always picked up on for some reason. Is this the case ? And if so is there a reason for that ?