[steveegg]

New Vortex Data Message - eye fix at 5:11 pm CDT - Max flight-level winds 132 knots in the NW quad (replaces the old 133 knots/NW quad that a NOAA plane found just after 2) -

000
URNT12 KNHC 222219
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 22/22:11:00Z
B. 25 deg 58 min N
  089 deg 39 min W
C. 700 mb 2326 m
D. NA  kt
E. NA  deg     nm
F. 054 deg 124 kt
G. 312 deg 019 nm
H.         913 mb
I.   9 C/ 3065 m
J.  19 C/ 3049 m
K.  15 C/ NA
L. OPEN E
M. CO14/35
N. 12345/ 7
O. 0.02 /  1 nm
P. AF306 WX18A RITA01       OB 11
MAX FL WIND 132 KT NE QUAD 21:24:10 Z

Other significant changes from the last run (eye fix at 4:20 pm CDT, 51 minutes prior) -

- Movement 5 minutes north, 8 minutes west
- Eyewall now open on the east (was open on the southeast)
- Concentric eyewalls now 14 and 35 nm wide (was 16 and 41 nm wide)

[SE Mom]

Dan Abrams talking to the commander with the hurricane flyers- he said it's been REALLY rough up there...everything shaking so much they were having difficulty reading their gauges..this may account for the seeming disparity between the AF and NOAA??

[raygun]

URNT12 KNHC 222032
VORTEX DATA MESSAGE
A. 22/20:20:10Z
B. 25 deg 49 min N
089 deg 22 min W
C. NA mb NA m
D. NA kt
E. NA deg nm
F. 221 deg 111 kt
G. 134 deg 010 nm
H. EXTRAP 913 mb
I. 10 C/ 3658 m
J. 16 C/ 3654 m
K. 11 C/ NA
L. CLOSED WALL
M. C17
N. 12345/NA
O. 0.02 / 1 nm
P. AF306 WX18A RITA01 OB 05
MAX FL WIND 122 KT NE QUAD 19:19:30 Z

Because of eye expansion, the temp dropped. Even so humidity also decreased (a little) to about 67%, winds have dropped dramatically (so I'm not inferring this as evidence of entrainment (merely a reduction in eyewall boundry layer mixing due).

Moreover, recent IR image is indicating she's gone asymetrical again.