Forecasters: Be prepared for heavy rain, tornadoes in Florida.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Tim Collie, Brian Haas and Josh Hafenbrack

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ After pummeling Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula for nearly two days, Hurricane Wilma is heading toward South Florida packing torrential rains, 100 mph winds and the potential for devastating tornadoes and storm surges on Monday.

Forecasters on Saturday warned residents on the state's heavily populated east coast not to be lulled by the hurricane's projected impact on the southwest coast near Naples.

"Particularly with the speed of this hurricane, it's quite possible that it will maintain hurricane strength as it crosses the state," said Craig Fugate, Florida's emergency management director. "This will not just be a coastal event in southwest Florida and the Keys _ it's potentially going to reach further north as winds impact...

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