Hurricane Wilma is still looking nasty and currently wreaking havoc in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. The center of the powerful Category Four storm is currently hovering just off the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula over the island of Cozumel. It is in the process of producing massive damage along this small section of the Mexican Coast, including the resorts of Cozumel and Cancun, as the eye brushes the northeast Yucatan coast. Wilma is creeping to the northwest at 5 mph with sustained winds of 140 mph at present - any temporary stalling will only prolong the destruction.

The coastal storm surge north of the eye will be in the 7-to-11-foot range above the regular tide levels for the northeast Yucatan from Cozumel northward, with heavy surf hammering the coastline with waves of 15 to 35 feet. Swells from Wilma are emanating northward toward the U.S. Gulf Coast from the Mississippi-Alabama border to the Suwanee River, producing high surf in those areas as well.

Over the weekend, Wilma is expected to come under the influence of stronger westerly winds aloft blowing across the Gulf, shifting the hurricane toward southern Florida by Monday. The interaction with land as the hurricane brushes past the Yucatan Peninsula plus the increasing influence of westerly shear and even some mid-level dry air intrusion could weaken Wilma considerably before it directly affects Florida and then heads up the east coast.