Hurricane Wilma - Records and Naming

Records and Naming

The storm was named "Wilma," the first time the 'W' name was used in the Atlantic Basin since alphabetical naming began in 1950. With Wilma, the 2005 hurricane season broke the record for most storms in a season previously held by the 1933 season. Moving slowly over warm water with little wind shear, Wilma strengthened steadily and became a hurricane on October 18. The thirteenth hurricane of the season, Wilma broke the record set in 1969 for most storms of hurricane strength in one season for the Atlantic Basin.

The barometric pressure measured in Wilma, 882 mbar (26.0 inHg), is currently the lowest recorded pressure for a tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Basin, as well as the lowest pressure for any cyclone measured in the Western Hemisphere. It also reached its 882 mbar (26.0 inHg) pressure in a span of 24 hours, making it the fastest pressure drop of any storm in the Atlantic Basin, although Hurricane Felix of 2007 reached a greater windspeed rise in 51 hours. At its peak intensity, the eye of Wilma was about 2.3 miles (3.7 km) in diameter, the smallest known eye of an Atlantic hurricane. In Mexico, Isla Mujeres reported 64 inches (1637 mm) of rainfall—five times what Hurricane Gilbert dropped. This set a 24-hour rainfall record for the country of Mexico, and was the highest point total for rainfall from a tropical cyclone since Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Wilma is also the costliest hurricane in Mexican history.

Wilma was the first retired "W" name since the World Meteorological Organization started retiring names in 1954, it was the strongest Atlantic hurricane to be retired, and when it was retired, it made 2005 the season with the most retired names, with five; the old record was a three-way tie with four names retired in 1955, 1995, and 2004. Wilma was replaced with the name Whitney. Had the unnamed 2005 Azores subtropical storm been operationally recognized it would have been named Subtropical Storm Tammy, and storms forming after October 4 would have been moved one name down the list. Wilma would have consequently been given the name Alpha, while Tropical Storm Zeta would have been given Eta, in accordance with the convention to name tropical cyclones after the Greek alphabet if the scheduled list of names runs out.

Wilma is also the 4th strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide, tying with Cyclone Gafilo of the South Pacific Ocean for fourth place.