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Wilma weakens on approach

Hurricane Wilma weakened slightly to a Category 4 hurricane with top winds of near 150 mph early Thursday, though forecasters have warned that this could just be a lull before the storm picks up steam again as it gets closer to the U.S. state of Florida. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast recently, officials aren?t taking any chances.

"We had well over a thousand lives lost in Hurricane Katrina," Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center said. "If Wilma comes into the Florida coast as a Category 3 or 4 hurricane, that potential for large loss of life is still with us here with this hurricane. This is one of the more perplexing storms we`ve had to deal with this year. We`re just going to have to watch it."

Before Florida, Cuba lay in the path of Hurricane Wilma, and residents were preparing for the storm?s fierce winds. Like Florida, Cuba is no stranger to hurricanes but largely escaped the devastation from previous hurricanes earlier this year. As of 5 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, Hurricane Wilma`s center was about 195 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.