Hurricane Wilma

The popular Mexican resort towns of Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Cancún all suffered significant damage from Wilma, causing major loss of tourism income. For descriptions of the Earth in (science) fiction, see Earth in fiction. The economic impact isn't limited to the United States, however. See Spaceship Earth and Gaia theory.. Furthermore, a long anticipated concert by the industrial rock band, Nine Inch Nails, expected to have taken place Monday, October 24th, was postponed to another date, yet to be announced. Earth has also been described as a massive spaceship, with a life support system that requires maintenance, or as having a biosphere that forms one large organism. Due to roof damage caused by Wilma and the loss of power at the BankAtlantic Center, the Panthers also had to postpone their October 29 matchup against the Washington Capitals. A photo taken of Earth by Voyager 1 inspired Carl Sagan to describe the planet as a "Pale Blue Dot".

The NHL rescheduled its Saturday, October 22 regular-season game between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers to Monday, December 5. The technological developments of the latter half of the 20th century are widely considered to have altered the public's perception of the Earth. West Virginia vs South Florida has been rescheduled for Saturday, December 3. Surveying, the determination of locations and distances, and to a somewhat lesser extent navigation, the determination of position and direction, have developed alongside cartography and geography, providing and suitably quantifying the requisite information. University of Miami has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 19. Cartography, the study and practice of mapmaking, and vicariously geography, have historically been the disciplines devoted to depicting the Earth. Georgia Tech vs. Prior to the introduction of space flight, this belief was countered with deductions based on observations of the secondary effects of the Earth's shape and parallels drawn with the shape of other planets.

The NCAA postponed two college football games scheduled in south Florida on Saturday, October 22. In the past there were varying levels of belief in a flat Earth because of this, but ancient Greek philosophers and, in the Middle Ages, thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas knew that the Earth was a sphere. The NFL moved up its regular-season game between Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins to 7pm on Friday, October 21 in preparation of the hurricane. Since Earth is rather large, it is not immediately obvious to the naked eye viewing from the surface that it is an oblate spheroid, bulging slightly at the equator and slightly flattened at the poles. Damage to sugarcane crops is critical and widespread. In Norse mythology, the Earth goddess Jord was the mother of Thor and the daughter of Annar. Also, Florida's sugar Industry was hard hit, the cropping season had already started and had to be halted indefinitely. As the patroness of fertility, her element is Earth.

As dynamic models have moved the storm's track east over Florida, oil futures eased as worries of another direct hit on the oil producing regions of the Gulf of Mexico subsided. The Chinese Earth goddess Hu-Tu is similar to Gaia, the deification of the Earth. ^[32]. Earth has often been personified as a deity, in particular a goddess (see Gaia and Mother Earth). This is compounded by problems caused last year by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne, which devastated Florida's orange crop, destroying many groves entirely. The United Nations is primarily an international discussion forum with only limited ability to pass and enforce laws. Wilma's potential for damage to orange trees in Florida could have an impact on several upcoming growing cycles. There is a worldwide general international organization, the United Nations.

Orange juice futures reached the highest level in six years on Wednesday, October 19, 2005, closing up 2.9 cents at $1.118 per pound. Independent sovereign nations claim all of the land surface except for some segments of Antarctica. Many people later admitted they underestimated Wilma's power (Category 3) as she approached South Florida (Wilma was expected to weaken to a Category 1 as she reached the east coast), and failed to take the precautions that they would have taken with a stronger storm. Earth does not have a sovereign government with planet-wide authority. Communication was also difficult -- land lines were damaged, while cellular towers were either damaged, without power, or overloaded in capacity. There are 267 administrative divisions, including nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries. Much of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties were told to boil water. The southernmost is the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, in Antarctica, almost exactly at the South Pole.

Gasoline was in high demand for cars and generators; six-hour waits were not uncommon, due to lack of power to pump the fuel. The northernmost settlement in the world is Alert, Ellesmere Island, Canada. Any traffic lights still standing were not working, causing an increase in traffic problems. See also space colonization. Power outages in southeastern Florida, notably in Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Palm Beach County, compounded the difficulties South Floridians faced following Wilma. Out of those only twelve humans have ever walked on a world other than Earth: the men of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17, who walked on the Moon between 1969 and 1972. In addition, a tornado may have touched down in Miami-Dade County, causing damage to the South Beach Community Hospital. In total, about 400 people have been outside Earth (in space) as of 2004.

Broward and Palm Beach counties were hit particularly hard by the many tornadoes in the western portion of the hurricane. During the exchange there are more, and sometimes others are also traveling briefly above the atmosphere. Damage was widespread throughout South Florida. The station crew is replaced with new personnel every six months. This prompted many residents to switch service providers [31]. Two humans are presently in orbit around Earth on board the International Space Station. Cable television and internet services as well as cell phone services were unavailable for up to 2 months in some areas. Coastal areas constitute the highest density.

More than 20 days later, some residents and business owners remained without electric service. It is estimated that only 1/8th of the surface of the Earth is suitable for humans to live on - 3/4 is covered by oceans, and half of the landmass is unsuitable, being desert, high mountain, etc. Florida Power and Light, the largest electricity utility in the state, reported more than 3,241,000 customers had lost power, equivalent to approximately 6,000,000 people. Nearly all humans currently reside on Earth: 6,411,000,000 inhabitants (January 5, 2005 est.). Hurricane Wilma caused widespread destruction of critical infrastructure, including power, water and sewer systems. Most of the growth is expected to take place in developing nations. The airport has reported $12 million in damages, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. On 25 February 2005 the United Nations Population Division issued revised estimates and projected that the world's population will reach 7 billion by 2013 and swell to 9.1 billion in 2050.

In Boca Raton, a city in southeastern Palm Beach County, the local Boca Raton Airport suffered extensive damage, including the collapse of two hangars, planes flipped over, and hangar doors blown in. Long-term climate alteration due to enhancement of the greenhouse effect by human industrial carbon dioxide emissions is an increasing concern, the focus of intense study and debate. At least three deaths are blamed on Hurricane Wilma in Collier County and widespread wind and water damage is commonplace across the county. Large areas are subject to man-made pollution of the air and water, acid rain and toxic substances, loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, species extinction, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion, and introduction of invasive species. Widespread roof damage is evident across the county outside of the City of Naples itself. Many places are subject to earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, sinkholes, floods, droughts, and other calamities and disasters. 90% of all mobile homes in East Naples have been destroyed, while 30% of the mobile homes in all of Collier County suffered the same fate. Large areas are subject to extreme weather such as (tropical cyclones), hurricanes, or typhoons that dominate life in those areas.

There has been damage to the 90 high-rise condominiums in Coastal Naples, where some levels have been blown out completely by the high winds brough by the storm (much like the damage in downtown Miami and Fort Lauderdale). Irrigated land: 2,481,250 km² (1993 est.). Out of the 170 signaled intersections in Collier County, 130 have been destroyed. The exploitation of non-renewable resources by human civilization has become a subject of significant controversy in modern environmentalism movements. The Naples Airport was severely damaged by the hurricane, while areas like Immokalee and East Naples extreme and widespread roof damage to numerous homes and communities. Some of these resources, such as mineral fuels, are difficult to replenish on a short time scale, called non-renewable resources. The point of landfall, between Marco Island and Everglades City, is largely uninhabited but the communities around landfall suffered extreme damage. Elevation extremes: (measured relative to sea level).

Hundreds in the county, if not thousands, have been left homeless by the category three hurricane. Ocean currents, particularly the spectacular thermohaline circulation which distributes heat energy from the equatorial oceans to the polar regions, are important determinators of climate. The Naples Metropolitan Area received the brunt of Hurricane Wilma. Precipitation patterns vary widely, ranging from several metres of water per year to less than a millimetre. Even while the center of Wilma was still a long way away from Florida, its effects were already being felt with its expansive outer bands. Two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates. Some Miami high-rises also suffered severe damage during the storm. Terrestrial biomes lying within the Arctic and Antarctic Circles are relatively barren of plant and animal life, while most of the more populous biomes lie near the Equator.

In the city of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, several highrise buildings suffered extensive damage, including the 14-floor Broward County School Board building and the Broward County Courthouse, which was forced to remain closed for two weeks as a result of the storm, along with Broward County Public Schools, which remained closed for two weeks. On land, biomes are separated primarily by latitude. Key West was under 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 metres) of water from the storm surge, and major flooding was reported throughout the Keys. The biosphere is divided into a number of biomes, inhabited by broadly similar flora and fauna. Early reports suggested the damage from Wilma was extensive and widespread over South Florida due to winds and flooding. This biosphere is generally believed to have begun evolving about 3.5 billion (3.5×10⁹) years ago. ^[30]. The planet's lifeforms are sometimes said to form a "biosphere".

^[29] The city of Havana was also without power and wind damage was reported as a result of winds up to 85 mph (140 km/h). Earth is the only place in the universe where life is absolutely known to exist, and some scientists believe that biospheres might be rare. Over 250 homes were heavily flooded and rescuers required scuba gear, inflatable rafts and amphibious vehicles to reach the most severely flooded areas. Maritime claims: see United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Coastal flooding was reported in many areas due to Wilma's storm surge and flooding from the outer bands, particularly around Havana. Coastline: 356,000 km. [28]. Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 251,480 km (not counting shared boundaries twice).

[27] It was the costliest natural disaster in Mexican history, according to local insurers. Area:. Insured damage in Mexico is estimated at between $1-3 billion, which would likely translate to $2-6 billion (USD) in total damage. Continents, Oceans. The destruction left behind by Wilma in the Yucatán has also severely damaged the tourist industry there, as the storm affected some of the tourist hot spots of Mexico. Biggest geographic subdivision. [26]. Time Zones, Coordinates.

The road trip to Mérida was very dangerous and impassable for Taxi yet people still payed upwards of $200 for a ride. Map references:. US embasy told tourist to go to Mérida, the next day they changed their game plan because Mérida had become so packed with people. Earth also has at least one co-orbital asteroid, 3753 Cruithne. Buses have begun to come into Cancún from Mérida, where tourists are hoping to find flights home. This hypothesis explains (among other things) the Moon's relative lack of iron and volatile elements, and the fact that its composition is nearly identical to that of the Earth's crust. Thousands of tourists remain stranded in shelters, and the priority is sending them home now, according to President Vicente Fox. The most widely accepted theory of the Moon's origin, the giant impact theory, states that it was formed from the collision of a Mars-size protoplanet with the early Earth.

After Wilma passed, there was a sense of desperation that developed in the region, due to the fact that people were being held in shelters due to the extensive damage. This allows total eclipses and annular eclipses to occur on Earth. ^[25]. The Moon is just far enough away to have, when seen from Earth, very nearly the same apparent angular size as the Sun (the Sun is 400 times larger, but the Moon is 400 times closer). There have also been extensive reports of looting of many businesses in the Yucatán, particularly in Cancún. This remains a controversial subject, however, and further studies of Mars—which shares Earth's rotation period and axial tilt, but not its large moon or liquid core—may provide additional insight. Communication is limited at this point as telephone and electric services are completely out in the affected areas. Planetary scientists who have studied the effect claim that this might kill all large animal and higher plant life.

It is comparable to the scene after Hurricane Emily back in July 2005, a storm of similar intensity but faster moving. One pole would be pointed directly toward the Sun during summer and directly away during winter. On Cozumel, the damage is extensive, but not as catastrophic as originally feared according to a witness, with many broken windows, fallen trees and power lines but less in the way of structural damage. If Earth's axis of rotation were to approach the plane of the ecliptic, extremely severe weather could result, as this would make seasonal differences extreme. The Governor of Quintana Roo, Félix González Canto, said in an interview: "Never in the history of Quintana Roo have we seen a storm like this." ^[24]. Some theorists believe that, without this stabilization against the torques applied by the Sun and planets to the Earth's equatorial bulge, the rotational axis might be chaotically unstable, as it appears to be with Mars. ^[23]. Paleontological evidence and computer simulations show that Earth's axial tilt is stabilised by tidal interactions with the Moon.

^[22] One gymnasium used as a shelter lost its roof, which forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 people staying there. The Moon may dramatically affect the development of life by taming the weather. Rainfall amounts in excess of 23 inches (590 mm) were reported in several areas, with Isla Mujeres reporting 64 inches (1,637mm) — three times what Hurricane Gilbert dropped. As the Moon orbits Earth, different parts of its face are illuminated by the Sun, leading to the lunar phases: The dark part of the face is separated from the light part by the solar terminator. Several homes had also collapsed. As a result, it always presents the same face to the planet. However, according to pictures and television reports, there is extensive structural damage throughout the Cancún area, as well as significant flooding and many downed trees and power lines and scattered debris. The same effect on the Moon has led to its tidal locking: Its rotation period is the same as the time it takes to orbit the Earth.

Information on damage remains unclear. The gravitational attraction between the Earth and Moon cause the tides on Earth.
. The natural satellites orbiting other planets are called "moons", after Earth's Moon. Heavy damage to coastal areas was reported, and parts of the northwestern area of the island were washed out from the surge. With the exception of Pluto's Charon, it is the largest moon in the Solar system relative to the size of its planet. The northwestern Bahamas, particularly Grand Bahama Island, received a storm surge that was reported as high as 15 feet in some areas. The Moon, sometimes called 'Luna', is a relatively large terrestrial planet-like satellite, whose diameter is about one-quarter of the Earth's.

poisoning, illnesses, waiting for help).
. Indirect deaths indicate those caused by hurricane-related accidents (including car accidents, fires or other incidents), as well as clean-up and evacuation incidents and health issues (e.g. The Earth is sometimes referred to as the Third Planet from the Sun because, of the nine planets of our solar system, Earth is the third closest planet to the sun. Direct deaths indicate those caused by the direct effects of the winds, flooding, tornadoes, storm surge or oceanic effects of Wilma. For other eras, see precession and Milankovitch cycles. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]. In modern times, Earth's perihelion is always about January 3, and aphelion is about July 4 (near the winter and summer solstices, which are on about December 21 and June 21, respectively).

Wilma was also blamed for at least 26 indirect deaths. Also, the rotational velocity varies, a phenomenon known as length of day variation. In addition, a drowning was reported on Maule Lake in northern Miami-Dade County from a capsized boat. The polar motion is quasi-periodic, containing an annual component and a component with a 14-month period called the Chandler wobble. ^[16] Three more direct deaths were reported in Florida, one in rural Collier County and two in Palm Beach County, all due to wind-blown debris. In a reference frame attached to the solid body of the Earth, its rotation is also slightly irregular due to polar motion. CNN reports that a Coral Springs man who was inspecting damage during the eye of the hurricane was killed by a falling tree, according to a Broward County official. These motions are caused by the differential attraction of Sun and Moon on the Earth's equatorial bulge, due to its oblateness.

At least 35 Hurricane Wilma-related deaths were reported in the United States, all in Florida. In an inertial reference frame, the Earth's axis undergoes a slow precessional motion with a period of some 25,800 years, as well as a nutation with a main period of 18.6 years. ^[15]. The Hill sphere (sphere of influence) of the Earth is about 1.5 Gm (930 thousand miles) in radius, within which one natural satellite (the Moon) comfortably orbits. In Cuba, a bus carrying evacuees crashed, killing four people, including three foreign tourists. The orbital and axial planes are not precisely aligned: Earth's axis is tilted some 23.5 degrees against the Earth-Sun plane (which causes the seasons); and the Earth-Moon plane is tilted about 5 degrees against the Earth-Sun plane (otherwise there would be an eclipse every month). ^[14]. Viewed from Earth's north pole, the motion of Earth, its moon and their axial rotations are all counterclockwise.

Another death was reported in the state of Yucatán due to a falling tree, but no other details were available. When combined with the Earth-Moon system's common revolution around the Sun, the period of the synodic month, from new moon to new moon, is 29.53 days. Four deaths have also been reported on Cozumel and another in Cancún due to wind blowing a window out. Earth has one natural satellite, the Moon, which revolves with the Earth around a common barycenter, from fixed star to fixed star, every 27.32 days. Two were in the Playa del Carmen area due to a gas explosion caused by the strong winds. The orbital speed of the Earth averages about 30 km/s (108,000 km/h), which is enough to cover one Earth diameter (~12,700 km) in 7 minutes, and one distance to the Moon (384,000 km) in 4 hours. At least eight deaths were reported in Mexico. From Earth, this gives an apparent movement of the Sun with respect to the stars at a rate of about 1 °/day, i.e., a Sun or Moon diameter every 12 hours, eastward.

^[13]. Earth orbits the Sun every 365.2564 mean solar days (1 sidereal year). Almost 250 people were in emergency shelters on the island. From Earth the main apparent motion of celestial bodies in the sky (except meteors which are within the atmosphere and low-orbiting satellites) is the movement to the west at a rate of 15 °/h = 15'/min, i.e., a Sun or Moon diameter every two minutes. It pounded the island for a third day on October 18, 2005, flooding several low-lying communities and triggering mudslides that blocked roads and damaged several homes. It takes the Earth 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.091 seconds (1 sidereal day) to rotate around the axis connecting the north pole and the south pole. Wilma claimed one death in Jamaica as a tropical depression on Sunday, October 16.
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^[12]. The geologic component layers of the Earth are located at the following depths below surface:. Mudslides were triggered from the outer bands in Haiti, killing at least 12 people.
. The last places to issue this warning sat within the gap between bands as tornadoes were observed as far north as Sumter, Marion, Pasco, and Polk Counties.
. Anticipating high winds all public school districts south of Marion closed their schools on Monday, October 24 in order to prevent possible harm to county employees and students.
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^[11]. The biosphere is a tiny layer in this composition and is usually not considered part of the physical layers of the Earth. Curfews were put in place for several cities in Lee and Collier counties. Its components are the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the crust, the mantle, and its core. Hurricane shelters in the area were opened. The Earth consists of several atmospheric, hydrologic, and mainly geologic layers. Other areas that were included in the mandatory evacuation were Seagate, Parkshore, The Moorings, Coquina Sands, Olde Naples, Aqualane Shores, Port Royal and Royal Harbour. .

Mandatory evacuations were in effect for all Collier County residents living West or South of US 41. Although a link to such Indo-European languages has not been proved, several Semitic languages have similar-sounding words for Earth: aard in Arabic, irtsitu in Akkadian, araa in Aramaic, erets in Phoenician (which appears in the Mesha Stele), and ארץ (arets, or erets when followed by a noun modifier) in Hebrew. All campuses of the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa and the University of Central Florida were closed on Monday, October 24. tierra in Spanish). Petersburg, Florida also evacuated by 5 pm EDT on October 20. Taking into account metathesis, we can find cognates of the word Earth in the Latin terra and in the modern Romance languages (i.e. Eckerd College in St. It is derived from Old English eorðe.

Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers completed an evacuation; classes were canceled until further notice. The root also has cognates in extinct languages such as ertha in Old Saxon and ert (meaning 'ground') in Middle Irish. ^[10]. Examples in modern tongues include aarde in Dutch, Erde in German and arde in Arabic. The schools were closed to "allow parents and staff to prepare for the storm and potential evacuation", and also allowed "for needed preparation of schools to be used as hurricane shelters." The schools remained closed on Monday, October 24 as the hurricane made landfall. The English word Earth has cognates in many modern as well as defunct - including ancient - languages. Also in Florida, all Collier County public schools were declared closed for Friday, October 21. Besides words derived from Terra, such as terrestrial, terms that refer to the Earth include tellur- (telluric, tellurion, from the goddess Terra's alternate name, Tellūs) and geo- (geography, geocentric, geothermal; from the Greek goddess Gaia).

At least 300 Keys evacuees were housed at the Monroe County shelter at Florida International University in Miami-Dade County ^[9]. Its astronomical symbol consists of a circled cross, representing a meridian and the equator; a variant puts the cross atop the circle (Unicode: ⊕ or ♁). County offices, schools and courts were closed Monday, October 24. Earth is sometimes known as Terra in some languages, after the Roman goddess Terra. However, reports suggest that as many as 80% of residents may have ignored the evacuation order. Scientific evidence indicates that the planet formed around 4.57 billion (4.57×10⁹) years ago, and shortly thereafter (4.533 billion years ago) acquired its single natural satellite, the Moon. A mandatory evacuation of residents was ordered for the Florida Keys in Monroe County. It is the largest of the solar system's terrestrial planets, and the only planetary body that modern science confirms as harboring life.

^[8]. Earth is the third planet from the Sun. In all, over 368,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Other: 30% (1993 est.). In Cuba, preparations were made to evacuate four western provinces, including the Isle of Youth ^[7]. Urban areas: 1.5%. In El Salvador, the National Emergency Committee was activated. Forests and woodland: 32%.

In Nicaragua, civil organizations were ordered to make hurricane preparations. Permanent pastures: 26%. ^[6]. Permanent crops: 1%. In neighboring Yucatán, classes were also suspended in 18 coastal municipalities. Arable land: 10%. Classes were suspended in the state's northern municipalities and residents of coastal areas were advised to take refuge further inland; tourists in the resort city of Cancún and its adjacent islands were told to return to their places of origin or head inland. The land-based ecosystem depends upon topsoil and fresh water, and the oceanic ecosystem depends upon dissolved nutrients washed down from the land.

Quintana Roo government officials declared a red alert on the evening of Wednesday, October 19. Earth's biosphere produces many useful biological products, including (but far from limited to) food, wood, pharmaceuticals, oxygen, and the recycling of many organic wastes. On October 25, the storm gradually began weakening and was classified extratropical late in the afternoon, south of Nova Scotia, still at hurricane strength and affecting a large area of land and ocean with stormy conditions. These ore bodies form concentrated sources for many metals and other useful elements. Unexpectedly, Wilma strengthened again over the Gulf Stream and again became a Category 3 hurricane north of the Bahamas, having regained all the strength it lost within 12 hours. Mineral ore bodies have been formed in Earth's crust by the action of erosion and plate tectonics. Passing over the Florida peninsula, Wilma weakened slightly to a Category 2 hurricane, its strength when it exited Florida and entered the Atlantic about six hours later. These deposits are used by humans both for energy production and as feedstock for chemical production.

At landfall in Florida, Wilma had sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h). Earth's crust contains large deposits of fossil fuels: (coal, petroleum, natural gas, methane clathrate). The reintensification of Hurricane Wilma is attributed to its interaction with the warm Loop Current in the Gulf. Highest point: Mount Everest 8,844 m (2005 est.). Despite encountering significant wind shear in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Wilma had regained some strength before making its third landfall just north of Everglades City, Florida, near Cape Romano, at 6:30 am EDT October 24 (10:30 UTC) as a Category 3 hurricane. Lowest point overall: Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean −10,924 m [1]. Many houses were flooded with 1 to 2 feet of seawater. Lowest point on land: Dead Sea −417 m.

Most streets on Key West and nearby islands were flooded with at least 3' of seawater that destroyed tens of thousands of vehicles. 42 nations and other areas are completely landlocked (see list of landlocked countries). After the hurricane had passed, a storm surge of up to 10 feet from the Gulf of Mexico completely inundated a large portion of the lower Keys. Note: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nautical miles (370.4 km). on Monday, October 24. Territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) claimed by most, but can vary. The center of the eye was directly over the metropolitan areas of South Florida at 10:30 a.m. Exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) claimed by most, but can vary.

Several cities in the South Florida Metropolitan Area, which includes Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, suffered severe damage as a result of the intense winds of the rapidly moving system. Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) claimed by most, but can vary. The storm made landfall on the southwest coast of Florida and cut a diagonal swath across the southern portion of the Florida peninsula, with the northern part of the eye wall crossing into south and central Palm Beach County. Continental shelf: 200 m depth claimed by most or to depth of exploitation; others claim 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) or to the edge of the continental margin. The storm's eye was now approximately 35 miles (56 kilometres) in diameter. Contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles (44.4 km) claimed by most, but can vary. Hurricane Wilma's southeast eyewall passed the near the island of Key West in the lower Florida Keys early on the morning of October 24, 2005. Note: 70.8 % of the world's surface is covered by water, 29.2 % is exposed land.

The hurricane began accelerating in the early morning of October 23, exiting the northeast tip of the Yucatán Peninsula and entering the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane. Water: 361.132 million km². Some portions of the Yucatán Peninsula experienced hurricane-force winds for well over 24 hours. land: 148.94 million km². The eye slowly drifted northward, with the center passing just to the west of Cancún, Quintana Roo. Total: 510.073 million km². Portions of the island of Cozumel experienced the calm eye of Wilma for several hours, with some blue skies and sunshine visible at times. 5100 to 6378 km - Inner Core.

The hurricane's eye first passed over the island of Cozumel, and then made official landfall near Playa del Carmen in the state of Quintana Roo around midnight on October 22 EDT, with winds near 140 mph. 2890 to 5100 km - Outer Core. On October 21, Hurricane Wilma made landfall on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula as a powerful Category four hurricane, with winds over 150 mph. 100 to 700 km - Asthenosphere. These wind speeds indicate that the low ambient pressure surrounding Wilma caused the 882 mb (26.05 inches) pressure to be less significant, involving a lesser pressure gradient, than under normal circumstances. 35 to 2890 km - Mantle