ORLANDO, Fla. -- Computer models showing the path of Wilma have the storm moving into South Florida as a possible Category 3 Hurricane at the end of the week, with one model bringing the storm into Central Florida, according to Local 6 meteorologist Larry Mowry.

"The computer models are all showing that curve to the north and east but where they differ is how soon that curve will occur," Mowry said. "The hurricane model, which is the GFDL, has the storm moving right into Central Florida but the other models have the storm farther south, heading over the Keys and toward Miami. One model takes it toward the Florida Straits."

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Tropical Storm Wilma strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday, tying the record for the most hurricanes to form in an Atlantic season.

The storm is forecast to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds exceeding 111 mph by Thursday.

A cold front dropping in from the south is going to weaken a high pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico and turn the storm to the north and northeast.

Once the storm reaches the Gulf, there will some strong westerly winds that will kick the storm off to the northeast this weekend, Mowry said.

"So, unlike Frances last year that brought us so much rain and stalled over Florida, if this one hits Florida it is likely to be a quick moving storm that may only last hours," Mowry said.

At 5 p.m., the center of Hurricane Wilma was located near latitude 16.7 north, longitude 81.5 west or about 180 miles, 290 km, south of Grand Cayman.

Central Florida Forecast

If Wilma continues on its current path, parts of Central Florida can expect heavy rain over the weekend.

Tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph and higher are possible too.

"The track is still very uncertain with this storm so keep up to date on the forecast this week," Mowry said.

12th Hurricane Of Season

Wilma is the 12th hurricane of the season, a number reached once before in 1969 since record keeping began in 1851. At 11 a.m. EDT, Wilma had top sustained winds of near 75 mph, just above the 74 mph threshold to be a hurricane.

Six hurricanes have hit Florida since August 2004, causing more than $20 billion in estimated damage and killing nearly 150 people in the state. Another hurricane, Rita, brushed by the Florida Keys last month. Wilma was on a path that could threaten coastal areas hit by Hurricane Charley last year.

Wilma first entered the history books Monday, becoming the Atlantic hurricane season's 21st named storm before dawn, tying the record set in 1933 and exhausting the list of storm names.

The Gulf Coast was already battered this year by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Dennis, while Emily hit Mexico. The areas devastated by Katrina will likely be spared by Wilma.

"There's no scenario now that takes it toward Louisiana or Mississippi, but that could change," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center.

The Cayman Islands were under a hurricane watch, meaning those conditions could be felt within 36 hours. A tropical storm warning was posted there and for the Honduran coast, meaning those conditions were expected within 24 hours.

The storm is expected to bring 2 to 6 inches of rain in the Caymans, southeastern Cuba, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica, with as much as 12 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said.

Since 1995, the Atlantic has been in a period of higher hurricane activity. Scientists say the cause of the increase is a rise in ocean temperatures and a decrease in the amount of disruptive vertical wind shear that rips hurricanes apart. Some researchers argue that global warming fueled by man's generation of greenhouse gases is the culprit.

Forecasters at the hurricane center say the busy seasons are part of a natural cycle that can last for at least 20 years, and sometimes up to 40 or 50. They say the conditions are similar to those when the Atlantic was last in a period of high activity in the 1950s and 60s.

It's difficult to know whether the Atlantic was even busier at any time before record keeping began. And satellites have only been tracking tropical weather since the 1960s, so some storms that just stayed at sea or hit unpopulated areas before then could have escaped notice.

The six-month hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Wilma is the last on the list of storm names for 2005; there are 21 names on the yearly list because the letters q, u, x, y and z are skipped. If any other storms form, letters from the Greek alphabet would be used, starting with Alpha. That has never happened in roughly 60 years of regularly named Atlantic storms.

"We've got six weeks to go, so a lot of things can happen," Mayfield said, noting that there have been 10 late-season hurricanes Category 3 or higher since 1995.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.