Hey Jill,

I go to the official NOAA site for any hurricane / tropical storm updates.
Seems to issue new reports and discussions every 6 hours, last one being at
5pm Eastern Time.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

Take care,

I've been chained to my desk all day, but the latest I heard is that Wilma
was expected to come ashore in Florida some time over the weekend. With
all the news I've been hearing about Wilma being the most powerful
hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic, I'm sure hoping that our Florida
members are going to pack up the family and the cats and bug out well in
advance of the storm.

I'm also hoping that the number of killer hurricanes we've seen this
season will maybe get the White House to reconsider their stance that
global warming is a non-issue.

Well I'm in australia, and news last night told me wilma had killed 10
people in Haiti, was going over the caymans (i think- could be wrong) and
heading for florida, and all tourists were being told to leave....hope
everyone's ok over there!!

The last advisory was issued at 8pm EDT Oct 19. Reading it, it sounds
like the current targets are the Caribbean and Mexico (Yucatan).
Florida doesn't sound too likely at the moment to me, as the forecast
turn is to the northWEST, not northeast. It also seems to me that a
turn to the northwest might get to the Texas/Mexico border area.

Here are links to the advisory, and to the strike probability map
below, along with the actual advisory (8pm EDT Oct 19):

Wilma 8pm EDT (Oct 19) Advisory:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT4+shtml/192338.shtml

Wilma Strike Probability:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/205524.shtml?prob

HURRICANE WILMA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER  18A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 PM EDT WED OCT 19 2005

...WILMA CONTINUES WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TOWARD THE YUCATAN AS A
POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SAN FELIPE TO TULUM ON
THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...INCLUDING COZUMEL AND THE NEARBY ISLANDS.
A HURRICANE WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR SWAN ISLAND.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SOUTH OF TULUM TO
CHETUMAL MEXICO...AND FOR BELIZE FROM THE BORDER WITH MEXICO
SOUTHWARD TO BELIZE CITY.

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE EAST COAST OF THE
YUCATAN PENINSULA FROM SOUTH OF TULUM TO PUNTA GRUESA.

A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT IN CUBA FOR THE PROVINCES OF
MATANZAS WESTWARD THROUGH PINAR DEL RIO...AND FOR THE ISLE OF
YOUTH.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR HONDURAS FROM THE
HONDURAS/NICARAGUA BORDER WESTWARD TO CABO CAMARON.

ALL INTERESTS IN THE FLORIDA KEYS AND THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SHOULD
CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE WILMA.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
WITHIN THE WARNING AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO
COMPLETION.  A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 8 PM EDT...0000Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE WILMA WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 17.9 NORTH... LONGITUDE 83.9 WEST OR ABOUT 270 MILES...
435 KM... SOUTHEAST OF COZUMEL MEXICO.

WILMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR  7 MPH...11
KM/HR...WITH SOME WOBBLES.  A TURN TO THE NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 160 MPH...260 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. WILMA IS A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON
SCALE. FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY ARE COMMON IN HURRICANES OF THIS
INTENSITY...AND ARE LIKELY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO  60 MILES... 95 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 230 MILES...370 KM.

THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS  892 MB...26.34 INCHES.

WILMA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 10 TO 15
INCHES...WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS NEAR 25 INCHES IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN
ACROSS CUBA THROUGH FRIDAY.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 5
TO 10 INCHES...WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 15 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE
ACROSS THE CAYMAN ISLANDS...SWAN ISLAND...AND JAMAICA THROUGH
THURSDAY.  STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES...WITH
ISOLATED AMOUNTS OF 10 TO 12 INCHES...ARE POSSIBLE FROM HONDURAS
NORTHWARD TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO THROUGH THURSDAY.

IF THE CENTER OF WILMA MAKES LANDFALL ON THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...
COASTAL STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 7-10 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE
LEVELS...ALONG WITH LARGE AND DANGEROUS BATTERING WAVES...CAN BE
EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE NORTH OF THE CENTER.

REPEATING THE 8 PM EDT POSITION...17.9 N... 83.9 W.  MOVEMENT
TOWARD...WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR  7 MPH.  MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS...160 MPH.  MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 892 MB.

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL
HURRICANE CENTER AT 11 PM EDT.

FORECASTER BEVEN

Jeanne Hedge, as directed by Natasha

============
http://www.jhedge.com

Have you considered checking <http://www.weather.com/>?  Or perhaps
<http://www.cnn.com/>.  Or any of dozens of other web sources.

As of one hour ago the current projection is for Wilma to come ashore in
Florida sometime on Sunday.

Well, my sister in Sarasota decided to hold off on cleaning up her yard this
week till after the storm.  I haven't followed the why's, but it is
currently headed northwest, but is expected to turn east after it hits
mexico and to arrive somewhere on the west coast of Florida, still heading
northeast by the weekend.  A turn like that is usually caused by the jet
stream or by pressure changes in the area.

I usually keep track of weather with weather bug.  And can quickly switch it
to another location when there is threatening weather elsewhere or when I'm
planning to travel.

I like their hurricane tracker and I like the user pictures they display.

Jo

According to the latest projected path
(http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/205524.shtml?3day)
looks like it's going to graze the Yucatan and head straight for Florida.