People stand by the shore at Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. (Xinhua/AFP photo)

The southern part of the United States is once again under the threat of a monster hurricane, which is expected to come ashore on Florida this weekend, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday.

The new hurricane named as Wilma has become the most intense Atlantic storm ever recorded early in the day, a Category 5 storm with 277 kph wind, which the NHC described as "extremely dangerous."

Currently situated in the sea of the western Caribbean, the hurricane is on a path to reach Florida by the weekend.

It has already caused heavy rains in Central America and Mexicoand a hurricane watch is in effect for the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, parts of Cuba and the Cayman Islands.

NHC forecasters said Wilma is stronger than the devastating Labor Day hurricane which hit the Florida Keys in 1935, but it is not expected to keep its record strength long enough as it reaches Florida.

It will likely spare the central Gulf Coast which has been devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recently with over 1,200 people killed and billions of US dollars in economic loss.

Nevertheless, the hurricane still poses a serious threat to Florida. Some residents have started buying water, canned food and other emergency supplies, saying they take every storm seriously after witnessing the devastation of the two previous killing storms.

On Monday, Wilma became the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm, tying the record set in 1933 as the busiest hurricane season in the history.

It also used up the list of names prepared for hurricanes this year. As the six-month hurricane season won't end until Nov. 30, any new storm will be named with Greek alphabet, starting with Alpha.

Source: Xinhua