WDPN31 PGTW 070900 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION 02W (TWO) WARNING NR 002// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 4.0N 147.6E INITIAL INTENSITY: 30 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 582 NM SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF HAGATNA, GUAM MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 09 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 11 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS A SLOWLY-CONSOLIDATING, SYMMETRIC LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) WITH FORMATIVE CONVECTIVE BANDING OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SEMICIRCLES. A 070559Z GMI 89GHZ COLOR COMPOSITE MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALS IMPROVED ORGANIZATION WITH SHALLOW BANDING WRAPPING INTO A RAGGED LLCC AND FRAGMENTED DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING PRIMARILY OVER THE NORTHERN SEMICIRCLE. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE MSI AND GMI IMAGE. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE WITH MODERATE WESTWARD OUTFLOW AND LOW VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS) AS WELL AS WARM SST VALUES AND HIGH OCEAN HEAT CONTENT. INITIAL INTENSITY OF 30 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE AND IS HEDGED ABOVE THE DVORAK ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CIMSS ADT ESTIMATE AND IMPROVED CONVECTIVE STRUCTURE. THE 070000Z SOUNDINGS FROM BOTH CHUUK AND GUAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT INDICATE DEEP EASTERLY FLOW REFLECTING THE STRONG EAST-WEST ORIENTED SUBTROPICAL RIDGE POSITIONED TO THE NORTH. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYERED SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) ENTRENCHED TO THE NORTH. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T1.5 - 25 KTS KNES: T1.5 - 25 KTS CIMSS ADT: 29 KTS AT 070540Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE WESTWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: NOT APPLICABLE 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK HAS SHIFTED SIGNIFICANTLY WEST OF THE PREVIOUS FORECAST, ESPECIALLY IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TD 02W IS FORECAST TO TRACK WEST-NORTHWESTWARD THEN NORTHWESTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERIES OF THE STR THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THE LOW- TO MID-LEVEL STR IS CURRENTLY STRONG AND IS ORIENTED EAST-WEST SUPPORTING THE WEST-NORTHWESTWARD TRACK IN THE EARLY PART OF THE FORECAST. TD 02W WILL INTENSIFY SLOWLY THROUGH TAU 36 AS IT CONSOLIDATES UNDER GENERALLY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS BUT IS FORECAST TO INTENSIFY AT A STEEPER RATE AFTER TAU 36 AS POLEWARD OUTFLOW IMPROVES. THE PEAK INTENSITY OF 90 KNOTS IS EXPECTED NEAR TAU 120. MODEL DISCUSSION: WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GFS, THE BULK OF NUMERICAL MODEL GUIDANCE SUPPORTS THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK AND SHIFT WEST FROM THE PREVIOUS JTWC TRACK FORECAST. THE 070000Z ECMWF ENSEMBLE STRIKE PROBABILITY PRODUCT INDICATES A NARROW CONE OF 60-70 PERCENT STRIKE PROBABILITY WEST OF 140E THROUGH TAU 96, WHICH SUPPORTS THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK. THE COAMPS-TC ENSEMBLE AND UK MET ENSEMBLE (MOGREPS) ALSO SHOW A SIMILAR GROUPING OF SOLUTIONS WEST OF 140E. GLOBAL MODELS INDICATE A BROAD MIDLATITUDE RIDGE PERSISTING SOUTH OF JAPAN, WHICH WILL STRENGTHEN THE EXISTING STR. ADDITIONALLY, THERE ARE NO DYNAMIC SHORTWAVE TROUGHS SUFFICIENT TO WEAKEN THE STR THROUGH THE FIRST THREE DAYS; IN FACT, THERE IS ONLY ONE SIGNICANT SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSING WELL TO THE NORTH OVER JAPAN WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. GFS IS THE SOLE OUTLIER AND IS ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE AIDS ENVELOPE. GFS APPEARS TO BE STRUGGLING WITH THE FORMATION OF THIS SYSTEM IN THE EARLY TAUS AND SHOWS A NORTHWARD TURN INTO THE EAST-WEST ORIENTED STR FROM TAU 24 TO TAU 48. AFTER TAU 48, GFS ALSO RAPIDLY DEVELOPS ANOTHER SYSTEM EAST OF THE PHILIPPINES (ABOUT 900 NM WEST), WHICH INTERACTS WITH AND SLINGS 02W DIRECTLY INTO AND THROUGH THE STR WITH NO EVIDENCE OF ANY DYNAMIC SHORTWAVE TROUGHS THAT COULD POSSIBLY WEAKEN THE STR. ADDITIONALLY, THE NORTHWARD TRACK IS LESS PROLONGED IN THE 070000Z RUN VERSUS THE 061800Z RUN AND THE TRACKER SHIFTED FURTHER WEST AWAY FROM GUAM. BOTTOMLINE: THERE ARE CONCERNING ISSUES WITH GFS WITHIN THE SYNOPTIC STEERING ENVIRONMENT THAT ARE ODD AND UNLIKELY, THEREFORE, THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK IS SHIFTED CLOSER TO THE JTWC MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS WITH THE BULK OF THE DETERMINISTIC AND PROBABILISTIC GUIDANCE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: LOW INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: LOW// NNNN