They've turned on the 1 minute rapid-scan GOES-12 imagery on Frances and there's some really cool stuff coming out of it right now. Remember the little vortices we saw inside of Isabel last year? Frances has 'em now too, about 4-5 depending on when you look. Don't recall the address, but it's from UWisc.

Cloud pattern got organized a bit faster than I thought, leading to an increase in strength. 5pm pressure is 939mb -- and for those interested, Lixion Avila is doing the 5pm. The storm is moving much further west and much faster than originally anticipated, meaning landfall is now in the 4 day window as opposed to near 5 days. NHC 5pm brings the storm up to 130kt, then levels it off a bit to 115kt before landfall near St. Augustine in 96-108hr. The storm then moves NW to just east of Valdosta, GA.

The track is slowly bending more left...as the upper low to the west retrogrades further and weakens, as it is doing now, I think we'll see it come a bit back further to the west with time as well.