Is it just me or is

[mobilebay]

Dennis racing along WNW. I mean it looks like he turned on the after burners. He is zipping along.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT ... -loop.html

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

It sure seems like it.

[clfenwi]

I was pondering why I was seeing so many obs to decode; when the mission started, it looked like it was going to be a hit and run with only a handful of obs... then I looked at the satellite loop... Dennis is certainly spending more time over water then he looked like he was going to at say, 0130.

[Normandy]

Yep, looks like hell have more time to strengthen.

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Starting to look like Ivan when it was moving northwestward into the central Caribbean. A nicely defined round cdo has formed with a pin hole eye. Outflow is amazing. This thing is getting its act together fast!!!

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT ... IR4/20.jpg

[clfenwi]

Although, looking at this map: http://www.posolstvo-cuba.ru/cuba/cuba- ... ef-big.jpg

this shift in course could do more harm to Dennis in the long run. It looks like if it had stayed on a pure northeast course, it would have found a nice flat area to make his second landfall at. With the way it is going now, it does not look like it would have to go over some more rugged terrain to get across... (if anyone can find a better / more detailed map, especially one with elevations given, please drop a link // or if you have an atlas handy, post what the elevations are in the middle of Cuba.)

[mtm4319]

Pico San Juan (22N, ~80.2 W) is 1135 meters in elevation. If it can make it past 80.4-80.5 while still over water, there aren't any spots in Cuba higher than, say, 400 feet until you get west of Havana.

[Huckster]

As long as the storm continues to steadily move, I seriously doubt Cuba will really bring down Dennis too much. From what I can see, the highest elevations that might lie in Dennis's path are in central Cuba, but the storm would have to begin immediately moving NW to even NNW for the center to cross those mountains directly.

[Wpwxguy]

Try this, clink the link below and this is the radar posted by HURAKAN. It seems to update, maybe need to refresh. Anyway, scroll down until you have the eye on the bottom of your page on the left and right scroll bar. Then watch the movement, it looks barely north of west. IMO

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=66751

[thud15de]

I just looked a a sat loop, and you are right it looks like it is paralleling southern Cuba's coast, bearing WNW.

[Hurricane Cheese]

While I'm slightly hesitant to get on the "It's bombing" bangwagon quite yet, I must say that if this motion continues, and it remains over the open sea, we could see a pretty strong Cat 4 hitting Eastern Cuba tomorrow.

If it remains at his present speed, it will likely still be a Cat 3/4 when it emerges into the Gulf.

Very interesting times right now with this storm...

[Normandy]

Dennis is gettin really strong....we need to pray it doesnt hit Havana (IE pray it turns NW)

[TexasSam]

Seems like Dennis is going to miss the 4am (central time) forecast point by about 100 miles south & west...

[Normandy]

Yep hes definitely missing that forecast point.

[NorthGaWeather]

5 AM forecast will be adjusted West per NWS employee.

[wxwatcher91]

the NHC still has Florida a big possibility

[mobilebay]

If your talking Panhandle, then yes. That just the cone of uncertainty, the parts shown there is just the distance from where the center is on any storm.

[clfenwi]

http://cuba.america-atlas.com/pictures/cuba-map.jpg

is a slightly better map than the one I referred to earlier.

[wxwatcher91]

thanks for the link!
judging by that map, the best bet for Dennis is to go just north of NW over Cuba starting just west of Cienfuegos. that way Dennis would avoid the central mountains and the mountains on the west

[skysummit]

Dennis is beginning to get to the stage that he can do what ever he wants. Will he begin to make his own environment? To me it looks like things are shaping up for right between Pascagoula and Gulf Shores. Unfortunately that would put Mobile underwater.