In Florida, strong winds impacted much of the southern portions of the state, while storm surge led to coastal flooding, especially in Collier and Monroe counties.

A broad low pressure area formed on October 13 to the southeast of Jamaica, which slowly became more defined while acquiring additional deep convection.

On October 15 at 18:00 UTC, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified the system as Tropical Depression Twenty-Four while located about 220 mi (350 km) east-southeast of Grand Cayman.

The depression drifted west-southwestward through a favorable environment, including warm sea surface temperatures, due to a high-pressure area over the Gulf of Mexico, a mid-tropospheric anticyclone to the east-northeast of the storm, and weak and poorly-defined steering flow.

Initial intensification was slow, due to Wilma's large size and a flat pressure gradient, although the associated convection gradually organized.

[2] On October 18, Wilma curved west-northwestward and intensified into a hurricane, and subsequently underwent explosive deepening over the open waters of the Caribbean Sea.

[2] The hurricane weakened over the Yucatán Peninsula to Category 2 intensity, but gradually re-strengthened once it reached the Gulf of Mexico, despite a significant increase in wind shear.

The cyclone briefly re-intensified to a Category 3 hurricane while passing north of the Bahamas later on October 24 while absorbing the smaller Tropical Storm Alpha to the east.

[19] As far north as Flagler County, many schools and universities closed for at least one day in anticipation of the storm, including in Southwest Florida and the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa metropolitan areas.

Key West postponed Fantasy Fest, often held annually around Halloween, until December, resulting in only about one-third of the usual attendance figures and a loss of millions of dollars in revenue for hotels, restaurants, and stores.

[5] For several days in its formative stages, Wilma's outer rainbands dropped heavy rainfall in Haiti and as far east as the Dominican Republic.

[2][31][32] Less than a week after Wilma formed, Tropical Storm Alpha struck Hispaniola and caused additional deadly floods in Haiti.

[15] Due to high floodwaters, nearly 250 people required rescue from their homes in Havana, using inflatable rafts and amphibious vehicles to reach the most severely flooded areas.

[38] The hurricane wrecked 410 acres (167 ha) worth of agricultural products in Pinar del Río and Havana provinces,[39] which included damaged fruit trees, bee colonies, and tobacco houses.

Officials cut electricity in Havana after winds reached 45 mph (72 km/h); after the storm, there were power and water outages in the city, nearby neighborhoods, and in Pinar del Río province.

[37] Across the Yucatán peninsula, Hurricane Wilma dropped torrential rainfall, inundated coastlines with a significant storm surge, and produced an extended period of strong winds.

[53] Additionally, the Lakeland Linder International Airport reported 7.53 in (191 mm) of rainfall on October 24, which remained the highest one-day total at that location until Hurricane Milton in 2024.

[61] In Monroe County, storm surge from Wilma impacted the Florida Keys twice, with the second event causing the worst coastal flooding in the island chain since Hurricane Betsy in 1965.

[65] Damage in Monroe County reached at least $200 million, with approximately half the total occurring in Key West, though the figure did not include incorporated areas.

Surge destroyed around 200 recreational vehicles in Chokoloskee and covered Everglades City with about 4 ft (1.2 m) of water,[64] flooding structures including the Old Collier County Courthouse.

[64][73] An aerial survey in Broward County indicated that 70% of homes and businesses in Coconut Creek, Davie, Margate, North Lauderdale, Plantation, and Sunrise experienced some degree of impact.

In Martin County, which recorded a wind gust as high as 108 mph (174 km/h) in Hobe Sound, the storm extensively damaged 120 dwellings and destroyed 48 others.

[77] Rainfall totals ranging from 10 to 13 in (250 to 330 mm) in parts of Brevard County left freshwater flooding; about 200 homes in Cocoa suffered water damage.

[82] As Wilma was moving out to sea, a nor'easter developed near Cape Hatteras; the two systems produced high waves, coastal flooding, and beach erosion from Delaware to Maine, resulting in some road closures.

The high winds resulted in downed trees and scattered power outages, with traffic blocked on parts of Interstate 95 in Rhode Island and the Green Line train in Newton, Massachusetts.

[99] On November 28, Mexico declared a disaster area for 9 of Quintana Roo's 11 municipalities – Benito Juárez, Cozumel, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Isla Mujeres, Lázaro Cárdenas, Othon P. Blanco, and Solidaridad.

[103] On October 24, 2005, the same day Wilma made landfall in Florida, President George W. Bush approved a disaster declaration for Brevard, Broward, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie counties.

These included allocating $66.7 million to improving shelters, mandating that high-rise buildings have at least one elevator capable of operating by generator, and requiring gas stations and convenience stores to possess a back-up electrical supply in the event that they have fuel but no power.

In Nassau, the Red Cross disaster contingency stock sent a boat with food items, blankets, health kits, tarpaulins and water.

In response, the Grand Bahama Humane Society distributed about 340 kg (750 lb) of dog food and treated or euthanized injured animals, depending on their condition.