To answer three questions in the thread...

We will know more tomorrow about the evolution of the flow pattern as it relates to Dennis, both with the ridge and the trough.

It is not necessarily a cold front passing through Texas, but is an upper-level feature.

The stronger trough was alluded to last night, yes. It could dive south, it could move east, or it could move southeast. All have different results towards the track, whether taking the storm north, north-northwest, or northwest (not in any order) to landfall. It'd probably erode the ridge more than the models indicate, but you also have to keep in mind the possibility that the ridge ends up being stronger than the models indicate. That may not be the case, but is always a possibility until proven otherwise.