Cancún marks 21st anniversary of Hurricane Wilma

Twenty-one years after Hurricane Wilma struck the Yucatán Peninsula, the region continues to remember the devastating impact of the storm. On October 21, 2005, the hurricane made landfall in Cozumel and subsequently hit northern Quintana Roo, including Cancún and Isla Mujeres.

Wilma reached Category 5 strength in the Caribbean with a historic minimum pressure of 882 hectopascals, making landfall as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane's slow movement caused it to remain near the region for approximately 63 hours, bringing extreme winds exceeding 250 km/h and rainfall equivalent to 1.5 times the annual average for Quintana Roo.

The storm caused severe damage to infrastructure, including hundreds of electrical transmission towers and poles, leading to power outages that lasted for weeks. In the Hotel Zone, more than 110 hotels suffered damage or destruction. The coastline also experienced significant erosion, with waves stripping sand from many beaches and flooding coastal roads. The disaster highlighted the economic vulnerability of Cancún due to its heavy reliance on the tourism and hotel sectors.