Good morning Dan (and everyone else)... Actually the 8am advisory just upped the winds officially to 80mph. But still, a 10 mile eye for a cat 2 hurricane is unheard of, I believe, let alone for a cat 1 storm.

I will be a bit surprised by the recon info this afternoon - if it finds anything less than a strong Cat 2 or a Cat 3 hurricane. Given how rapidly Dean *appears* to be strengthening - from looking at the IR loop and the size of the eye - the islands are in for much more than they might have initially anticipated. It's interesting, given Dean's small size, that just about ALL of the Lesser Antilles chain is under a tropical system watch or warning - be it a hurricane warning or watch, or a tropical storm warning or watch. Then again, looking at that IR loop, Dean is growing in size, too, to the south.