Hurricane Wilma Flickr stream posted.

Please view the Wilma images from right to left for correct time sequence. These images are animated gifs so go to Flickr to see the animation.

You will now see at the top of the page a series of images of one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes of recent times. Hurricane Wilma formed to the west of Jamaica, in the southern Caribbean on the 15th October, 2005.

Wilma moved towards the west over the coming days whilst growing in strength to become a category 5 hurricane on the 19th with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. Wilma passed over Cozumel on the Yucatan peninsula on the 21st where it blasted the holidaymakers that had stayed behind with winds of 140 mph.

Over the next couple of days Wilma passed into the Gulf of Mexico where it's motion was affected by a pressure sytem which turned Wilma towards the north-east. On that track it was heading directly for the Florida coast.

Wilma's journey over the Yucatan reduced it's strength to winds of 100mph. But, as Wilma approached the Florida coastline on the 24th, it's wind strength had increased to again to 125 mph.

Hurricane Wilma came ashore approximately 10 miles south-southeast of Naples and 25 miles west-northwest of Everglades City as a Category 3 Storm. Wilma was moving northeast at 23 mph with sustained winds of 120 mph.

Wilma passed over Florida very quickly then rushed up the east coast and on into the west Atlantic.

Dave