Wilma Battered Florida as Category 3 Tropical Storm

At 6:30 a.m. October 24, Hurricane Wilma made landfall in Cape Romana, Florida, near Marco Island, as a Category 3 storm with sustained winds near 125 mph.

The storm quickly sped across the state, dropping down to a Category 2 storm and moved out to the Atlantic Ocean on Monday afternoon, leaving severe damage and millions without power in its wake. Throughout Florida, six deaths were attributed to the passing of Wilma; in Mexico, four deaths have been attributed to the storm.

After heading back out to sea, Wilma picked up steam and was back up to a Category 3 storm Monday night with wind speeds reaching 125 mph. Wilma is projected to meet up with the remnants of Alpha, the historic 22nd named storm of the season, at some point in the week in the mid-Atlantic and spread rain and high surf along the eastern seaboard.

Broward County officials reported wind gusts up to 120 mph in Pompano Beach, thousands of windows blown out and standing water in the streets.

The Monroe County Sheriff´s Office blocked U.S. Highway 1 to prohibit entry to the Florida Keys until the Overseas Highway is cleared of debris, which, along with floodwaters, is blocking passage at some parts of the highway.

Although Hurricane Wilma passed north of the Keys, officials reported significant damage to the infrastructure. The islands suffered widespread power outages. Key West International Airport reported that its main runway is underwater and a few inches of water cover the terminal floor. According to TV reports, the main street in Key West was under several feet of water as well.