It seems like the drought conditions in the Southeast may actually be helping here with all the dry air being advected into Irene. The western portion is becoming quite poor in organization. It doesn't look like it will ever become a major hurricane again as the stronger winds aloft are not being mixed down to the surface. The decreasing water temperatures ahead, increasing wind shear as it gets picked up into the upper-level trough, and the interaction with land are all going to slowly weaken this hurricane. The biggest threats are now waves and storm surge, but the large wind field will still be an issue for many areas.
