After battering the Yucatan Penninsula over the weekend, Hurricane Wilma finally hit Florida on October 24, 2005. Although Wilma had lost strength while over the Yucatan, the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico allowed the storm to re-strengthen before landfall. With sustained winds of 125 miles per hour, the Category 3 storm raced across Florida, leveling trees and knocking out power in many communities. Florida’s citrus crop, damaged extensively by a string of recent hurricanes, also faced additional damage from Wilma.
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