Hurricane Wilma Floods Florida

When Hurricane Wilma cut across southern Florida on October 24, 2005, it unleashed heavy rain, causing widespread flooding.

With an elevation that doesn't rise higher than 5.5 meters (18 feet) above sea level, Key West is the most hurricane-damage-prone place in the United States. Despite this, the island-city had not suffered severe hurricane damage since 1919 until Hurricane Wilma struck on October 24, 2005. Wilma brought with it a storm surge that flooded Key West with an average of one meter (3.3 feet) of sea water. Traces of flooding remained when the Ikonos satellite took the top image on October 26, 2005. Red-brown mud covers the grass of what appears to be a golf course surrounding a neighborhood. The small black ponds are still swollen and a few dark puddles fill depressions. Though the storm caused wide-spread flood damage, no one died when Wilma hit Key West.

Metadata

  • Sensor

    IKONOS/IKONOS

  • Start Date

    2005-10-26

  • Event Start Date

    2005-10-24

  • NH Image ID

    13242

  • NH Event ID

    10804

  • NH Posting Date

    2005-10-31