October 18, 2005 - When Wilma became a hurricane
Hurricane Wilma goes down in history as the most intense tropical storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.
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On October 18, 2005, Wilma went from tropical storm to hurricane status. The whole naming storms practice started in 1950, and this is the first time the storm season made it all the way to "W."
The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season is packed with record-breaking stats. It includes three of the most impactful hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita, and of course, Wilma.
Wilma holds its own records as it went from zero to 100 in 24 hours, or in hurricane-speak, a Category 1 to Category 5. Its winds reached up to 298 km/h.
Hurricane Wilma made several landfalls, including in Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S. In the states, Wilma made landfall over Cape Romano, Florida, with 190 km/h winds.
Wilma continued on her destructive path, losing and gaining strength along the way until she finally became an extratropical cyclone just southeast of Nova Scotia.
To find out more about this record-breaking hurricane, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."
"This Day In Weather History” is a daily podcast by The Weather Network that features unique and informative stories from host Chris Mei.
Thumbnail courtesy of NASA
