Ivan aircraft recon...

Although Hurricane Ivan looked slightly ragged last night and much of
today, it appears to now be taking full advantage of the increasing
oceanic heat content and could be at the onset of another rapid
intensification phase.  The frequency of in-situ measurements made by
aircraft is wonderful.  Here I'll include a table of some parameters
throughout the day when aircraft were in the storm:

TIME (UTC)   MSLP (mb)   EYE DIAM (nm)   ODT T#
1023         934         20              5.3
1105         934         20              5.3
1738         940         16              5.7
1913         937         16              5.8
2037         933         15              6.0
2215                                     6.2

So, you'll notice the eye has been contracting throughout the day which
will also lead to intensifcation.  The Objective Dvorak Technique
T-numbers are using just infrared satellite imagery, and are a function
of cold cloud tops over the eyewall and a warm eye... the higher the
number, the stronger the storm, objectively.

Please visit my tropical Atlantic headquarters.