IRENE HAS BECOME A LITTLE BETTER ORGANIZED DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS WITH A STRONG BURST OF DEEP CONVECTION HAVING DEVELOPED OVER AND
SOUTH OF THE WELL-DEFINED LOW-LEVEL CENTER. A 13/2232Z SSMI OVERPASS DEPICTED A LARGE BUT CLOSED EYE FEATURE IN THE LOW-LEVELS...BUT THE MID- AND UPPER-LEVEL CIRCULATIONS WERE STILL OPEN TO THE NORTH. THE LAST RECON FLIGHT-LEVEL WIND DATA SUPPORTED 55-60 KT...SO WITH THE INCREASE IN DEEP CONVECTION SINCE THAT TIME...AN INTENSITY OF AT LEAST 60 KT SEEMS... ALTHOUGH IT COULD BE STRONGER.
IF THE CURRENT CONVECTIVE TREND CONTINUES...