Wilma's strongest winds start hitting Florida
Hurricane Wilma’s strongest winds began hitting Florida early today at the start of what forecasters said would be a speedy and potentially devastating strike on a storm-weary peninsula, with its outer bands spewing torrential rain, spawning tornadoes and spreading fear.
Wilma, a strong Category 3 system, seemed destined to make full landfall near the Naples-Marco Island area in Collier County on Florida’s south-west coast. But severe weather began long before that almost inevitable occurrence.
Part of the hurricane’s eyewall, which contains the strongest winds, was buffeting land in the area where landfall was expected.
And instead of getting weaker as first expected, Wilma got stronger while nearing Florida. At 5am (10am Irish time), the storm’s maximum sustained winds were measured at 125 mph.
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