During this period of rapid strengthening, a small eye formed with a diameter of only about .

Very warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, 86 degrees, might have contributed to the rapid strengthening, Mr. Gadomski said.

The rapid strengthening of Charley in the eastern Gulf of Mexico caught many by surprise.

After this bout of rapid strengthening, Hugo began to rapidly deepen, becoming a major hurricane early the next morning.

Cyclone Iris was most notable for its rapid strengthening in its early stages, followed by its rapid decay.

Operationally, the probability for further rapid strengthening was considered nearly nine times the average of a normal hurricane.

The result was a rapid strengthening of the inner core on the evening of July 19.

An eye began to form during the afternoon of October 16; once fully formed, the storm underwent another period of rapid strengthening.

On the next day, environmental conditions became very favourable for rapid strengthening, with no upper level wind shear and very good upper level divergence.

The administration's drive for a rapid strengthening of programs to prevent and treat AIDS and malaria had been caught in limbo.