Ike exploded yesterday from a tropical storm into a dangerous hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph. It seems to be encountering more shear on the north and northwest edges as seen on the water vapor images. You can see the outflow in those areas being blow away. According to the forecasters Ike will encounter increased shear over the next 24-48 hours, thereby hindering the expansion of the storm and may even weaken him over the short term.
Shear Forecast
If the the forecast holds together Ike will maintain his current strength or slightly weaken, but by 36 hours will be under less than 15kts of shear and very favorable conditions. The only caveat is with Hanna stalled over the last couple of days: she may have stirred up the cooler waters under her and laid a trap for Ike...only time will tell.
This is a picture of the 500mb (about 18,000 feet)trough coming through the Midwest that should pick up Ike and pull him to the north in a few days.
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