Nighttime has been good to Dolly so far, but bad for south Texas.

As of 1AM CDT, Brownsville radar, color-enhanced IRs and the most recent microwave passes expose an undeniable improvement in Dolly's internal structure, including a now essentially complete, 360Â°, closed eyewall, although it is a bit ragged and still weak in parts. Cloud tops have also cooled substantially during the past few hours, with a ring of very cold tops now encircling the COC.

Given that numerous center fixes have found Dolly's pressure to have leveled off at around 982mb, with the recent developments it becomes reasonable to expect her winds to soon follow, with perhaps even yet another lowering of her pressure before sunrise. An oft-associated pressure-to-wind relationship suggests an increase to 85MPH, given the 982mb level, and another deepening phase may render this past-news before too long.

On a tracking side note, given the slowing of forward speed and a few obvious wobbles, it would be very prudent that everyone even fairly well north and south of the center of NHC's "Cone of Uncertainty" to rush to completion any preparations they need to make to be prepared for a significant hurricane strike.