The diurnal maximum was not very kind to Edouard, as a bit of vertical wind shear hampered its development during that time. However, this wind shear should reduce over the next 24-36 hours while Edouard continues to move westward towards the Houston/Galveston area. Edouard is currently a 50 mph tropical storm, which is quite surprising considering its pressure increased to 1006 mb last night. However, the NHC has kept the wind speeds at this magnitude because the hurricane hunters found that pressures have fallen once again back to 1002 mb. I would likely put the storm at 45 mph at this time, but I wouldn't be surprised to see steady strengthening until landfall. Just as the NHC said, this storm could reach hurricane status before landfall if it moves slightly southward of the forecast track, or has no other inhibitors on its way to the coast. Low tropical cyclone heat content water in the northern gulf will keep Edouard from strengthening rapidly.
Above is a water vapor image of Edouard at this time. You can see the cloud tops are not very cold, indicated by the lack of bright orange and purples on the image. This is likely because of the wind shear which was present during the night. However, something going for Edouard is the lack of very dry air. The dry air moving in from the north has been moderated considerably by MCSs and Edouard itself. Thus, dry air is no longer a strong inhibiting factor for development.
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