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Wilma Weakens Slightly, but Roars Ahead
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) - Hurricane Wilma weakened slightly Thursday as it roared toward Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and southern Florida, an "extremely dangerous" storm that already has killed 13 people and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands from Honduras to the Florida Keys. Wilma briefly grew into a Category 5 storm before weakening to a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said it was expected to hit the resort of Cancun early Friday. It would be the second hurricane to hit Cancun and its neighboring resorts this year, following Hurricane Emily in July. Tourists were ordered out of the Florida Keys and the island of Isla Mujeres near Cancun on Wednesday, and authorities were poised to move out thousands of others Thursday from low-lying areas in a 600-mile swath covering Cuba, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti and the Cayman Islands. Some of the estimated 70,000 tourists still in Cancun and surrounding areas were taking the warnings more seriously than others, as heavy rain began lashing the city. The Senor Frog's restaurant in Cancun sponsored a "Hurricane Wilma" party, but it was far from full. Standing knee-deep in the ocean and drinking beer in Playa de Carmen, south of Cancun, Mike Goepfrich of Minneapolis said: "As long as they give me beer in the shelter, and my kids are safe, we'll be fine. We're going to ride it out here." Some people never learn Nearby, fisherman Rolando Ramirez, 51, was helping others pull their fishing boats from the water in preparation for Wilma's passage. "People here aren't concerned about anything," Ramirez said. "They don't know that when the hurricane comes, this will all be under water." At 8 a.m. EDT, Wilma was centered 175 miles southeast of Mexico's Cozumel Island, and was moving northwest at near 7 mph. The storm was expected to hit the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, near Cancun, early Friday before turning northeast toward southern Florida. Forecasters said it could strengthen before hitting land and called Wilma an "extremely dangerous hurricane." The storm should eventually make the sharp right turn toward Florida because it will get caught in the westerlies, the strong wind current that generally blows toward the east, they said. Posted by: Steve 2005-10-20 |
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