Katrina is beginning to really slow down as the ridge over the south-central US begins to erode and move out. Radar motion over the past hour shows motion of about half of an anticyclonic loop, putting the storm about in the same location it was an hour ago. Water vapor imagery (http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/nwatl-wv-loop.html) clearly shows the erosion of the ridge -- no longer is the moisture seen racing around in a clockwise fashion. The trough over the northern Plains continues to flatten it out and in response, the ridge has begun to move towards the SW, pretty much as projected last night. The trough continue to move south and eastward as shortwaves rotate around its periphery over the north-central Plains. As the ridge & trough move over the course of the day, Katrina should move slowly towards the west and gradually northwest in advance of the trough, heading for a second landfall in the Panhandle in the Sunday/Monday time frame.

The storm made it a bit further south than expected, but I think it's about as far south as it is going to go. It did slow down from last night, however -- 7hrs of motion for about 55-60 miles as opposed to 75-80 miles. That's going to continue now, I feel. Where that puts the storm at second landfall only remains to be seen. It's not gonig to be a good one for wherever it ends up.