A 2nd dropsonde, this one in the outgoing eyewall, read 927mb surface pressure / 104kt surface winds. That is 5mb lower than the vortex recon reported the eye being only a few moments earlier. Weird.

Earl is shedding outer convective bands. Generally you only see this when a storm is becoming annular. Everyone needs to watch this storm very closely. Microwave shows no sign of an ERC to weaken the storm anytime soon.

The loss of outer convective bands on the north and west sides can be easily seen on IR: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/east/nwatl/flash-rb.html

Also, note the close up AVN IR loop: The eye is almost completely cloud free with a very cold eyewall now - http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/flt/t2/flash-avn.html - and also on the water vapor loop - http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/flt/t2/flash-wv.html