ORLANDO, Fla. -- Hurricane Wilma crashed ashore early Monday as a strong Category 3 storm, battering southern Florida with tornados, 125 mph winds that shook the sturdiest buildings and pounding waves that flooded parts of this area and Key West. At least one death was blamed on the storm.

Wilma's devastating winds weakened slightly after reaching Florida's heavily populated east coast by midmorning.

But they were still deadly: A man in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs died when a tree fell on him, Broward County spokesman Carl Fowler said. Fowler had no other details.

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Tropical storm-force winds were expected to move into parts of Central Florida with some hurricane-force gusts Monday morning.

"There will be some hurricane-force storm gusts but for the most part, (Central Florida) has lucked out with this thing going to the south," Sorrells said.

Wilma was expected to bring a 17-foot storm surge in South Florida when it makes landfall.

"Yes, it has done exactly what we thought," Sorrells said. "The good news is that it will be all over by noon or 1 p.m. But for that thing to kick like it is, you have to have a cold front to push it and that is happening. Our big tropical moisture is interacting with a cold front and causing all of this spin, all of this tornado activity."

A tornado was reported in Cocoa, Fla. Sunday night and several others were reported around Brevard County.

After the storm passes through Florida, record-breaking cold weather will be possible in Orange County.

"This thing checks out and the colder air rolls in," Sorrells said. "We could have some record cold temperatures during the overnight tonight through Tuesday."

By 11 a.m., the storm's top sustained winds had dropped to 105 mph, a Category 2 storm. But forecasters said winds could be a category stronger in high-rise buildings like those that line Florida's coasts.

County-By-County

Tropical storm-force winds extend out from the storm about 200 miles.

"It looks like a wind event for a lot of different places in Central Florida, Local 6 meteorologist Michele Cimino said Monday.

In Volusia and Brevard County, residents can expect winds of 55 to 60 mph and gusts up to 90 mph.

Heavy rain will drench the coastline until Monday afternoon.

The possibility of watches and warnings with tornadoes will continue throughout the day.

In Polk and Osceola counties, a tropical storm wind warning will remain throughout Monday.

Winds in the counties will be 50 to 60 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph.

Heavy rain can also be expected with a threat of tornadoes most of Monday. Trees are expected to be down in Polk and Osceola, Cimino said.

In Lake and Sumter counties, an inland tropical storm warning will remain in effect along with a tornado watch until Monday afternoon.

Winds in both counties will be 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 54 mph.

"Everyone in the counties can expect at least two inches of rain," Cimino said.

In Orange and Seminole counties, an inland tropical storm warning and tornado watch will continue Monday.

Winds will reach 35 to 45 mph with gusts hitting 65 mph, Local 6 News reported.

A flood watch will remain for Monday also in both counties.

Wilma Arrives

Forecasters said the low-lying Florida Keys could experience a storm surge of 9 feet, with an 18-foot surge possible along parts of the state's southwest corner -- where flooding seemed more of a concern than the powerful winds of Wilma, Florida's eighth hurricane in 15 months.

In Miami Lakes, as Wilma spun more than 150 miles away, the blue glow of transformers exploding illuminated the pre-dawn sky.

While landfall occurred far from the Keys, the storm's strongest winds were on its south side -- and forecasters feared that could mean trouble for the island chain. County officials said more than 90 percent of year-round Keys residents failed to heed evacuation warnings and were riding Wilma out at home. The southernmost city in the continental United States was experiencing sustained winds of 60 mph -- with gusts of 76 mph.

Key West Police Chief Bill Mauldin said the city had severe flooding just before dawn, "more extensive than we've seen in the past." But he wouldn't know until daybreak the full extent of any damage.

He said emergency workers have made no rescues. He said the only known structural damage happened when a tree fell on a house. The woman inside was unhurt.

Power outages were reported in the Keys and along the southwest side of the state. More than 22,600 Floridians spent what almost certainly was an anxious night in dozens of shelters across the state's southern half. Wilma was expected to complete its path across the state by early Monday afternoon.

"This is a very dangerous hurricane," said Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. "People need to stay hunkered down."

Virtually the entire peninsula was under some sort of storm-related watch or warning.

After meandering at a crawl through the Caribbean for several days, Wilma pulled away from the Yucatan peninsula on Sunday as a Category 2 storm but strengthened in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Wind shear that was expected to rob Wilma of some strength didn't appear.

At the Six L farm worker camp south of Naples -- three miles off the ocean -- workers nailed plywood to windows. Some with campers fled north; 90 farmworkers said they would ride out the storm.

"Where would we go? We've got no place to go," said Salome Rodriguez, 51.

Sunday night, four tornadoes were reported in the southern half of the state, including one near Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral that caused some structural damage, but no injuries. At least 31 counties -- covering more than half the state's population, and stretching all the way from Key West to the Orlando area -- were under either a tornado watch or warning Monday morning.

One significant storm-related injury was reported Sunday; a 12-year-old girl suffered a fractured skull when she jumped in front of a stack of 30 to 50 hurricane shutters that were falling on her mother and was buried by them, said Palm Beach County Sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller.

Julia Bijuli-Singh was in critical condition at Delray Medical Center, Miller said. Hospital officials would not update her condition. The girl's mother was also hospitalized with cuts, Miller said.

In Europe, crude oil slipped below $60 as traders expected Wilma to avoid already battered Gulf of Mexico oil producing and refining facilities. At least four companies operating in the gulf shut down production platforms.

Forecasters also continued to monitor Tropical Depression Alpha on Monday, two days after that system formed off the Dominican Republic. Alpha briefly was a tropical storm, the record 22nd named storm for the Atlantic season. It was the first time the hurricane center exhausted the regular list of names and had to turn to the Greek alphabet.

Alpha wasn't considered a threat to the United States, and was expected to dissipate over the open Atlantic sometime Monday or early Tuesday.

Watch Local 6 meteorologist Tom Sorrells, Larry Mowry and Michele Cimino for your latest forecast.