The meteorological history of Hurricane Wilma, the most intense known tropical cyclone in the Western Hemisphere, began in the second week of October 2005. A large area of disturbed weather developed across much of the Caribbean Sea and gradually organized to the southeast of Jamaica. By late on October 15, the system was sufficiently organized for the National Hurricane Center to designate it as Tropical Depression Twenty-Four. The depression drifted southwestward, and under favorable conditions, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Wilma on October 17. From October 18, and through the following day, Wilma underwent explosive deepening over the open waters of the Caribbean; in a 30-hour period, the system's central atmospheric pressure dropped to the record-low value of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg), while the winds increased to 185 mph (295 km/h). After the inner eye dissipated due to an eyewall replacement cycle, Wilma weakened to Category 4 status, and on October 21, it made landfall on Cozumel and on the Mexican mainland with winds of about 150 mph (240 km/h). Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorological_history_of_Hurricane_Wilma _________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1597: Imjin War: About twelve Korean ships commanded by Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated a large Japanese invasion fleet of at least 300 at the Battle of Myeongnyang in the Myeongnyang Strait. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Myeongnyang) 1881: The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place in Tombstone, Arizona, USA between the Wyatt Earp faction and Ike Clanton's gang. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunfight_at_the_O.K._Corral) 1937: Second Sino-Japanese War: Xie Jinyuan and his 'Lone Battalion' of Chinese soldiers began the Defense of Sihang Warehouse against waves of Japanese attackers during the Battle of Shanghai. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_of_Sihang_Warehouse) 1944: World War II: In one of the largest naval battles in modern history, Allied forces defeated the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf) 2001: U.S. President George W. Bush signed the USA PATRIOT Act into law, significantly expanding the authority of U.S. law enforcement agencies in fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act) ________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: delude: (v) To deceive someone into believing something which is false. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/delude) _________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. --Napoleon Hill (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill)