Don't have much time to add anything -- been out of town and am now fighting off food poisoning -- but will add this little bit...

* Harvey is dubiously a tropical cyclone, but is trying to become more and more tropical through time...sort of what the NHC has been saying all along. The intensity is somewhat of a surprise, but it is likely a storm like Franklin -- a shallower storm with the strongest winds at flight level also reaching down to the surface. It has a decent window for some strengthening as it accelerates out to sea, like Franklin did, but should ultimately meet cooler waters. It's probably here for a few days, though.

* There's no 95L on it yet, but at this rate, we will have storm #9 within the next day or two. Already with a pressure of 1008mb and convection all around the center, the area of low pressure S & SW of the Cape Verdes continues to become better organized. Look for 95L to be designated later today -- if it doesn't go to TD 9 -- with strengthening likely thereafter. The system should continue west for a few days; beyond that, its track will be influenced by how strong it becomes and how much of an effect Harvey has on eroding the subtropical ridge as it moves eastward. There's a good bit of model support for this one.

* Bill Gray is calling for 20 named storms now, in line with NOAA's forecast of 18-21. I don't see much of a reason to disagree with that if the activity of the past two seasons continues. The conditions are certainly ripe for something, and HF's call of thnigs breaking loose soon meets with agreement here.

* Not going to discuss the Kerry Emanuel article in Nature about storm intensity and global warming other than to say that there are limitations within the study that need to be corrected for and that, once again, Chris Landsea's comments are the ones best suited for the task.

More if I feel better in the next day or two...