Hurricane Wilma

Losses, 2024 dollars

$30 billion

Losses at the time

$19 billion

Deaths

35

The losses and deaths are NCEI’s, counting everything the disaster did. The episodes below are only what the Weather Service filed in its Storm Events record, which counts damage differently and often not at all, so the two never add up and are shown apart.

• Heavy Rain in Florida, October 23 to 24, 20056 eventsHeavy rains associated with Hurricane Wilma produced a band of 4 to 9 inches of rain along and south of Interstate 4. Most of the rain associated with Wilma fell to the north of the track of the eye wall.
• Flood in New York, October 23, 20051 eventBetween the morning of October 22 and October 23, Low pressure moved from the northern mid Atlantic region to the southern New England coast. This storm brought fairly heavy rainfall to eastern New York overnight.
• Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, October 23, 2005$24,000 · 5 eventsMoisture trailing from weakening tropical depression Alpha over Hispaniola affected Puerto Rico with showers and thunderstorm as Alpha lifted northward.
• Tornado in Florida, October 23 to 24, 2005F0 · 1 eventSeveral public reports of a tornado near Zolfo Springs but no damage was reported.
• Flash Flooding and Debris Flow in Puerto Rico, October 23, 2005$9,000 · 7 eventsWeakening Tropical Depression Alpha was located over Hispaniola. Moisture trailing from the depression as it lifted northward affected Puerto Rico during the night producing showers and thunderstorms across the west and southwest.
• Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, October 23, 2005$3,000 · 2 eventsCar and person trapped in flooded road on highway intersection near road 713, KM 2.5 in Barrio Cimarrona.
• Tornado in Florida, October 23, 2005$10,000 · F0 · 1 eventThe Mulberry Police Department reported a tornado on the ground near their station. They reported flying debris, popping transformers, and the classic freight train sound as the tornado passed by. No significant damage was reported.
• Hurricane in Florida, October 23 to 24, 20056 injured · $99 million · 3 eventsThe center of Hurricane Wilma moved northeast from the vicinity of Dry Tortugas northeast through 65 miles northwest of Key West during the night of October 23 to 24, 2005. Hurricane Wilma resulted in at least 2 injuries and at least $33 million in damages to Monroe County.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Florida, October 23 to 24, 2005$1.6 million · F2 · 6 eventsA long-lived tropical rain band rotating thunderstorm from Hurricane Wilma moved north through Brevard County and briefly touched down in north Rockledge and Cocoa.
• Tornado in Florida, October 24, 2005$40,000 · F1 · 1 eventTornado reported by Ochopee Fire Rescue near intersection of Tamiami Trail (US 41) and State Road 29, moving rapidly northwest.
• Storm Surge in Florida, October 24, 20054 eventsStorm surge associated with Hurricane Wilma produced by south winds prior to closest approach produced up to 4.5 feet of storm tide in Key West...and 3 feet of storm tide from Cudjoe Key through Bahia Honda State Park.
• Storm Surge in Florida, October 24, 20052 eventsHurricane Wilma produced a maximum measured storm tide of 8 feet at the USGS tide gauge at the Turner River near Chokoloskee in southern Collier County, with a storm surge of 7 feet after subtracting a 1 foot astronomical tide.
• Hurricane in Florida, October 24, 20055 deaths · $10 billion · 4 eventsWilma was a classic October hurricane which struck South Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on October 24th, 2005. Wilma developed from a tropical depression near Jamaica, a typical source region for October tropical cyclones, on the afternoon of October 15, 2005.
• Hurricane in Florida, October 24, 2005$101 million · 1 eventHurricane Wilma made landfall near Cape Romano in Collier County around daybreak on October 24th as a Category 3 hurricane with a 60 mile wide eye wall.
• Tropical Storm in Florida, October 24, 2005$80 million · 4 eventsHurricane Wilma crossed the southern Florida Peninsula from the southwest exiting the state and moving over the Atlantic Ocean over the Martin/Palm Beach county line. Hurricane Wilma was riding northeast along the first strong cold front of the Fall season.
• Tornado in Florida, October 24, 2005$5,000 · F0 · 1 eventA trained spotter reported a tornado that tore the porch of a home and destroyed a shed at Lake Josephine.
• Tropical Storm in Florida, October 24, 2005$2.5 million · 11 eventsHurricane Wilma produced tropical storm force winds across much of southwest and west central Florida. However, much of the damage was limited to downed tree limbs and localized flooding.
• Tropical Storm in Florida, October 24, 20052 eventsHurricane Wilma passed well south of the local area with Tropical Storm Warnings issued locally from St. Augustine, Florida south to Flagler Beach.
• Storm Surge and High Surf in New Jersey, October 24 to 25, 200514 eventsThe combination of a developing northeaster and Hurricane Wilma caused moderate tidal flooding along both the ocean and Raritan Bay with the afternoon high tide on the 25th along coastal New Jersey. Large waves associated with both systems exacerbated the problem.
• Storm Surge in Florida, October 24, 20051 eventStorm Surge from Hurricane Wilma resulted from west winds piling water into east end of Florida Bay. Storm tide was 5 feet at Islamorada and 4.25 feet at Key Largo. U.S. 1 flooded 3 inches deep north of Key Largo. Several homes damaged from surge along north shore of Islamorada.
• Storm Surge and High Surf in Delaware, October 24 to 25, 20053 eventsThe combination of a developing northeaster and Hurricane Wilma caused minor to moderate tidal flooding along both the ocean and Delaware Bay with the afternoon high tide on the 25th. The wave action also caused severe beach erosion.
• Flooding and High Wind in Massachusetts, October 25, 2005$733,000 · 66 kt wind · 37 eventsA strong coastal storm (i.e. a nor'easter) entrained with energy and moisture from the remnants of Wilma brought rainfall amounts between 2 and 2.5 inches, damaging winds, and coastal flooding to the eastern half of Massachusetts.
• Flood in Ohio, October 25 to 26, 2005$30,000 · 1 eventAn upper level low pressure system tracked east across Ohio during the evening hours of the 24th and early morning hours of the 25th. This system produced rain, some of it heavy, over most of northern Ohio.
• Flash Flood in Hawaii, October 25, 20051 eventHeavy showers affected northern, windward, central, and southern areas of Oahu. Kapaa Quarry Road was closed for a time in windward Oahu as flood waters became too deep for vehicles to pass.
• Flood in New York, October 25 to 27, 2005$20,000 · 1 eventThe Susquehanna River at Waverly, New York and Sayre, Pennsylvania went above its flood stage of 11 feet during the evening of the 25th, crested at 12.52 feet at 8:30 AM EST on the 26th, then fell back below flood stage midday on the 27th.
• Flood in Pennsylvania, October 25 to 27, 2005$20,000 · 1 eventThe Susquehanna River at Waverly, New York and Sayre, Pennsylvania went above its flood stage of 11 feet during the evening of the 25th, crested at 12.52 feet at 8:30 AM EST on the 26th, then fell back below flood stage midday on the 27th.

Every billion-dollar disasterEvery storm of 2005The 2005 hurricane seasonTornadoes in 2005

NOAA NCEI, U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2025), https://doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73, and the Storm Events Database for the episodes.