JUST LIKE A TOURIST HANGIN' 'ROUND THAT THE LOCALS DON'T WANT

Hurricane Wilma continues to wreak havoc along the Yucatan tourist centres of Cozumel and Cancun. A Mexican Navy automated weather station on Isla Mujeres, just east of Cancun, has reported 16 inches of rain over the past 24 hours.

While it ain't going anywhere for another day or so, it will begin racing northeast toward Florida Sunday, crossing the state during the day Monday. Most of the models still show landfall around the Fort Myers/Venice area and exiting around Fort Pierce/West Palm Beach. The intensity is still up in the air, but most folks are suggesting either a Catagory 1 or 2 storm when it reaches here. The NHC discussion notes:

THE INTENSITY OF WILMA WHILE CROSSING FLORIDA IS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AND THE BEST ESTIMATE IS THAT IT WILL LIKELY BE A CATEGORY ONE OR TWO AT LANDFALL. WILMA'S WIND FIELD WILL PROBABLY EXPAND AS IT CROSSES THE FLORIDA PENINSULA.
THEREFORE...THE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL LIKELY COVER A LARGE AREA.

BASED ON THE TRACK FORECAST AND THE LARGE AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH WILMA...A HURRICANE WATCH WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS.