WDPS32 PGTW 020900 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE 09P (NINE) WARNING NR 007// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 15.1S 154.8E INITIAL INTENSITY: 30 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 530 NM EAST OF CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: EASTWARD AT 06 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 12 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES AN EXPOSED, WEAK LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION (LLC) WITH FLARING DEEP CONVECTION ON THE NORTHWESTERN PERIPHERY. A 020624Z SSMIS 91GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALED A RAGGED AND WEAKLY DEFINED LLC WITH A BURST OF DEEP CONVECTION TO THE NORTHWEST. TC 09P IS LOCATED UNDER AN UPPER-LEVEL COL REGION WITH COMPLEX FLOW; DEEP CONVECTION IS FLARING UNDER THE DIVERGENT REGION OF THE COL WHILE THE LLC IS LOCATED UNDER THE CONVERGENT REGION. POLEWARD OUTFLOW IS RESTRICTED DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW AND TROUGH TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DRY AIR PRESENT OVER THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE SYSTEM WITH MID-LEVEL DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT. SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (29-30C) AND VERTICAL WIND SHEAR REMAIN CONDUCIVE. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE MSI. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 30 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON A BLEND OF DVORAK ESTIMATES AND THE CIMSS ADT ESTIMATE. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: NEAR-EQUATORIAL RIDGE (NER) POSITIONED TO THE NORTH AND NORTHEAST. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS KNES: T1.0 - 25 KTS CIMSS SATCON: 39 KTS AT 020316Z CIMSS ADT: 37 KTS AT 020540Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINAL VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: WEAK EQUATORWARD OTHER FACTORS: DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH INITIAL WIND RADII: NOT APPLICABLE 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TC 09P IS FORECAST TO TRACK EASTWARD TO EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD UNDER THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE NER THROUGH TAU 72. TC 09P WILL MAINTAIN INTENSITY AT 30 KNOTS THROUGH TAU 24 DUE TO DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT AS WELL WEAK OUTFLOW ALOFT. AFTER TAU 24, THE SYSTEM WILL INTENSIFY SLOWLY AS POLEWARD OUTFLOW IMPROVES AND THE CORE ENVIRONMENT MOISTENS. AFTER TAU 72, TC 09P WILL GRADUALLY TURN SOUTHEASTWARD ALONG THE WESTERN FLANK OF A BUILDING SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) TO THE EAST. THE SYSTEM WILL PEAK AT 55 KNOTS BY TAU 96 THEN WEAKEN SLIGHTLY, HOWEVER, THIS PORTION OF THE INTENSITY FORECAST IS UNCERTAIN DUE TO POSSIBLE DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT AND SLIGHTLY COOLER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (27-28C). MODEL DISCUSSION: NUMERICAL MODELS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT WITH A 230NM SPREAD IN SOLUTIONS AT TAU 72 AND REMAIN IN FAIR AGREEMENT THROUGH TAU 120. THE 020000Z ECMWF ENSEMBLE (EPS) STRIKE PROBABILITY GRAPHIC SUPPORTS THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. THE BULK OF THE DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE TURNS THE SYSTEM SOUTHEASTWARD BETWEEN NEW CALEDONIA AND VANUATU. RELIABLE INTENSITY GUIDANCE SUPPORTS THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST WITH HWRF INDICATING A PEAK OF NEAR 50 KTS NEAR TAU 96 AND THE JTWC INTENSITY CONSENSUS (ICNW) SHOWING A PEAK OF 60 KTS NEAR TAU 96. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: LOW// NNNN