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At 7 a.m. UK time Sunday, the centre of Hurricane Wilma was located about 55 miles north of Cancun, Mexico, or about 370 miles west-southwest of Key West, Florida. Wilma is drifting slowly north-eastwards and increase in forward speed is expected later today. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 m.p.h., with higher gusts. At present, Wilma is a Category 2 Hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, but some strengthening is possible today. Hurricane force winds extend outwards up to 70 miles from the
centre, Tropical Storm force winds extend outward up to 200 miles. Large swells generated by Wilma continue to propagate into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and are likely to affect portions of the northern Gulf coast throughout Sunday. Rainfall across southern Florida, including the Keys, up to the end of Tuesday, is expected to be 4 to 8 inches (100 to 200 mm), with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches (300 mm) possible. Storm surge flooding of 8 to 13 ft (2 to 3 m) above normal tide
levels is possible along the south-west Florida coast and near
to the south of where the centre of Wilma makes landfall. Storm
surge flooding of 5 to 8 ft (1 to 2 m) is possible in the Florida
Keys and Florida Bay. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office web site gives advice on the situation for tourists or for people who have friends and family in the area. For the latest satellite imagery from the area and information
on the movement of the storm check the Met Office tropical
cyclone information page, which includes a link to the National
Hurricane Center and major national weather services around
the world. Latest tropical cyclone advisories Travel advice from Foreign and Commonwealth Office Media toolkit about hurricanes
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