The Latest on Ike…At 7 p.m.
…The center of Ike is clearly off the north coast of Cuba this evening. The center is about 165 miles southwest of Key West.
…Top winds are still 75 mph. Cloud tops are cooling rapidly in the feeder bands wrapping around the center.
…Ike should become at least a category three hurricane as it passes over warm eddies and exists under a favorable wind pattern aloft. It could weaken a little before landfall as it encounters some shear over the western Gulf. But still, Ike should be a major hurricane at landfall.
…Movement is WNW at 10 mph. The models are generally coming around to the theory that the hurricane will recurve around a retreating ridge of high pressure over the southeastern United States. But for now, it appears that recurving will happen after the center is near the Texas coast. I would not be surprised to see this consensus shift to the east later tonight or early tomorrow.
…Recon Status…just after 6 p.m. AF 303 found a pressure of 969 mb and flight level winds of 74 knots. That mission is enroute back to Keesler. Mission 16 is flying legs now through the storm.
Category: Uncategorized