Hurricane Wilma approaching Florida was still approaching Florida when this image was acquired on Sunday, October 23, 2005. By early Monday, October 24, 2005, the storm had made landfall. When it struck, it was a Category 3 storm, with maximum sustained winds of over 96 knots or 111 miles per hour (1 knot = 1.15 mph). By 9 a.m. local (Eastern Daylight Time), it had weakened to a Category 2 storm (64-82 knots or 74-95 mph).
At that time, it was moving at a speed of 40 kilometers (25 miles per hour) and was expected to move off. Hurricane force winds from the storm can be felt up to 145 kilometers (90 miles) from its center; tropical storm force winds are reaching as far as 370 kilometers (230 miles) away.
Wilma is the 21st named storm of the 2005 season within the Atlantic region. Therefore tying the record for the most storms. The impacts of hurricanes include storm surges, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes. Hurricanes are types of tropical cyclones, consisting of a large, rotating region of wind, clouds, and thunderstorms.