A turn for the better?

Perhaps.

 As usual, Brendan's got the explanation.  By no means does this change the strong likelihood that New Orleans wakes up to severe and unprecedented flooding tomorrow.  What does change is the down-the-road impact Katrina makes on coastal areas and particularly inland.

I hope it continues to weaken.  We have a few more hours in the water for Katrina to simmer down to a more manageable hurricane.  Once again the unpredicted becomes the norm.  If nothing else we've been able to watch one of the more remarkable hurricanes in history.

Stay strong, New Orleans.