Sometimes IR doesn't tell the story. Clearly the NHC was right on the Cat 2 upgrade per recon
Their forecasts have been top notch this year and I have little reason to believe their forecast will be too far from reality.
The timing is everything for an east coast special. The storm has to be far enough N&E to feel the trough but not get pushed OTS by it and it can't get trapped by the ridge either.
I would be surprised if the Euro doesn't correct west a tad. Think the 18z run overdid the east track and most of the eastward models went back west again.
There's a leftover trough that tries to do it but not strong enough.
Another option is it gets blocked by the high building over it as it moves NE.
Should be an interesting few days to say the least
The GFS is correcting towards the other models. I expect more east shifts
I think we'll see a sharper turn NE in to SW FL. That's a strong trough in the east.