A delayed storm report on Wilma:
Compared to its seige of the Cancun-Cozumel area, its strike on South Florida was a blitzkrieg. The stronger winds in the Miami area started about 6-7 AM and reached a peak between 8-9 AM. Things were winding down in our area by 11 AM-noon. The National Hurricane Center received a peak gust of 90 kt, although the sustained winds were 55-60 kt. While we were shuttered up for most of the worst conditions, we did get a few looks outside. It sured looked to me that the wind was stronger than our anemometer was indicating.
There was no structral damage at the office, although some of our satellite dishes on the roof were damaged. A building located to the southeast of us partly flew apart during the storm, with sheet metal winding up in several places nearby, including on some cars parked across the street.
My house took minor damage, although I was without power for three days. However, I fared well compared to some of my colleagues, three of whom suffered serious roof damage.
One interesting thing was that the strong gusts were clearly audible inside our office, which was a little surprising. I guess steel-reinforced concrete is not the best sound-proofing material in the world.
There were also some grinding sounds, which I'm guessing was stuff on the roof getting pushed around.
Jack Beven
Tropical Prediction Center
