Slow Wilma Lets Florida Prepare

(CBS/AP)  Hurricane Wilma's march toward Florida slowed somewhat Thursday, giving residents an unexpected extra day to prepare for the storm, while authorities stockpiled emergency supplies.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said Wilma would likely strike Florida's western coast about midday Sunday, a day later than previously thought.

CBS News hurricane expert Bryan Norcross says that Wilma is "driving forecasters crazy" because of inconsistent computer models. It is still unknown where Wilma will strike Florida, but when it does, it

may be "significantly weaker" (video)

— perhaps a Category 2 storm, Norcross says.

Max Mayfield, director of the center, said the slowdown would likely weaken the storm from a Category 4, with sustained 145 mph winds, to a Category 3 or less before making landfall in the United States.

"The timing is certainly working in our favor," Mayfield said. But he warned that a Category 3 storm, with winds of 111 mph to 130 mph, would still have "that potential for large loss of life."

Gov. Jeb Bush declared a state of emergency to ensure that necessary supplies and disaster response teams were in place.

"This is the time to prepare," Bush told reporters in Tallahassee.

In Tampa, CBS News correspondent Trish Regan reports that some of the city's most vulnerable residents — retirees — are meeting to make sure they're ready.

"We've done some extra preparation this year and we're scared," said Judy Kramer, a resident at Sun City Center.

Regan reports that one of the things they're most scared about is how to evacuate without getting caught in massive traffic jams like the ones Texas faced as millions tried to flee Hurricane Rita. Tampa plans on evacuating only those in harm's way, but it will take time.

"It would take us 24 hours just to evacuate Tampa alone," Tampa's Fire Chief Dennis Jones told Regan.

The storm was predicted to make a turn to the northeast toward Florida after striking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula in the western Caribbean Sea.

Mayfield said Wilma is unusually large, with tropical storm-force winds extending out some 260 miles from the center that could cause widespread damage.

"Don't just focus on the eye of the hurricane," Mayfield said.

State meteorologist Ben Nelson warned that Wilma could produce a storm surge of 12 to 17 feet.

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