fci wrote:wxman57 wrote:You might also check the upper-level wind forecast for next Tuesday when Ida's entering the SE Gulf. The 12Z GFS is similar to the Euro in indicating strong SW-WSW flow across the central and northern Gulf. This is what would cause Ida to turn to the NE toward Florida. It could also cause some weakening in the Gulf, as shear increases the farther north Ida gets.
Didn't Wilma face a lot of shear which only enhances it as she become Extra-Tropical.
Spread out the eye to a very large size too?
(Not that I am saying Ida will be another Wilma, but the comparison serves due to proximity and time of year)
Wilma had become annular in the SW Gulf; very large eye embedded in a virtually perfect circle, the truck tire shape. That's a very stable configuration. That stability, along with tailwind shear enabled it to hold a lot of its strength. Of course who knows what will happen with this one, way too early.