According to the weather guy on WWL, recreation of the eye would strengthen the storm rather than weaken it, as the band that would replace the eye is much stronger...
At least that's what I understood him to say...
I heard him say the same thing -- it will strengthen it.
Ususally eyewall replacement cycles will weaken the storm first quite dramatically before it then strengthens to worse than before.
However, this storm just has slowly weakened during the same cycles, but to only a slight degree....and then started to even strengthen during those cycles.
I do not know if it has time to fully go through the cycle and strengthen a lot, but by the time it hits land, it probably will be entering a slow strengthening phase and be about where it is now in intensity.
Ususally eyewall replacement cycles will weaken the storm first quite dramatically before it then strengthens to worse than before.
However, this storm just has slowly weakened during the same cycles, but to only a slight degree....and then started to even strengthen during those cycles.
I do not know if it has time to fully go through the cycle and strengthen a lot, but by the time it hits land, it probably will be entering a slow strengthening phase and be about where it is now in intensity.