Hurricane Wilma is the most intense hurricane ever.

Hurricane Wilma rapidly gained strength overnight and is now a category 5 storm! A recon plane found a pressure of 892 mb around 2:30 this morning, then 884 mb around 5 a.m., ranking Wilma as the most intense hurricane to ever be recorded in the Atlantic basin! It is also the fastest intensification of any hurricane in recorded history. Wilma is packing winds over 175 mph, with higher gusts. Accuweather.com Senior Hurricane Expert Joe Bastardi says it is a very compact storm, with an eye just 4 miles wide and hurricane force winds extending outward only 15 miles from center.

Sounds pretty exciting. I wish I wasn’t smack dab in the middle of Iowa, I love bad ass weather like that. Dan at Riehl World View has links to various radar loops, including one that’s really trippy.

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