Effects of Hurricane Wilma in Florida - Storm Surge

Storm Surge

After the hurricane had passed, a storm surge from the backwash of up to 8 ft (2.4 m) from the Gulf of Mexico completely inundated a large portion of the lower Keys. Low-lying areas of Key West and the lower Keys, including major tourist destinations were under up to 3 ft (.9 m) of water from the storm surge. 60% of the homes in Key West were flooded. Much of the originally settled "oldtown", such as the Solares Hill and cemetery areas did not flood due to their higher elevations of 12–16 ft (3.7-4.9 m). The surge destroyed tens of thousands of cars throughout the lower Keys and many houses were flooded with 1–2 feet (.3-.6 m) of seawater. A local newspaper referred to Key West and the lower Keys as a "car graveyard". The peak of the storm surge occurred when the eye of Wilma had already passed over the Naples area, and the sustained winds during the surge were less than 40 mph (64 km/h).