WDPN33 PGTW 150300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION 23W (TWENTYTHREE) WARNING NR 002// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 18.9N 126.6E INITIAL INTENSITY: 30 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 412 NM NORTHEAST OF MANILA, PHILIPPINES MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WESTWARD AT 10 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 15 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS A LARGE CLUSTER OF DEEP CONVECTION OVER THE WESTERN PERIPHERY DISPLACED FROM THE PARTIALLY EXPOSED LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION. AN EARLIER 142056Z SSMIS 91GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALS SHALLOW BANDING WRAPPING INTO AN ELONGATED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) POSITIONED ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN EDGE OF A CURVED CONVECTIVE BAND. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE ANIMATED MSI AND THE SSMIS IMAGE. A 142153Z SMAP WINDSPEED IMAGE SHOWS A SWATH OF 25-30 KNOT WINDS OVER THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN SEMICIRCLE. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 30 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE SMAP WIND SPEED IMAGE, ALONG WITH AGENCY DVORAK INTENSITY ESTIMATES. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE MARGINALLY FAVORABLE WITH WEAK POLEWARD OUTFLOW, WARM (29-30C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SSTS), AND MODERATE (5-10KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS). INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) TO THE NORTHEAST AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T1.5 - 25 KTS KNES: T2.0 - 30 KTS CIMSS ADT: 29 KTS AT 142350Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY FAVORABLE VWS: 5-10 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: WEAK POLEWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM 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: TD 23W IS FORECAST TO TRACK WEST-NORTHWESTWARD IN A MARGINALLY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTHEAST THROUGH TAU 36. BY TAU 48, THE STR IS EXPECTED TO REALIGN TO A NORTHWEST-SOUTHEAST ORIENTATION WHILE A DEEP MIDLATITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO DIG OVER EASTERN CHINA, THESE SYNOPTIC FEATURES WILL STEER THE SYSTEM IN A NORTHWEST DIRECTION PASSING JUST NORTH OF LUZON. AFTER TAU 72, AS THE SHORTWAVE TRANSITS EASTWARD, A DEEP LAYER RIDGE OVER EAST CHINA WILL THEN BECOME THE MAIN STEERING FEATURE WHICH WILL ALSO INDUCE A NORTHEASTERLY SURGE EVENT AT THE LOWER LEVELS. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE SYSTEM TRACKING SOUTHWESTWARD AND THEN WESTWARD THROUGH THE REMAINED OF THE FORECAST. TD 23W WILL STEADILY INTENSIFY THROUGH TAU 36 WITH RAPID INTENSIFICATION POSSIBLE BETWEEN TAU 36 TO TAU 72, AS POLEWARD OUTFLOW IMPROVES BY ENHANCED UPPER LEVEL WESTERLIES FROM THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH, WHILE THE SYSTEM TRACKS OVER WARM (29-30C) SSTS AND HIGH OCEAN HEAT CONTENT. BETWEEN TAU 96 AND TAU 120, THE NORTHEASTERLY SURGE EVENT WILL INCREASE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS) WHILE INCREASING DRY AIR AROUND THE SYSTEM WHICH WILL RESULT IN STEADY WEAKENING THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST. MODEL DISCUSSION: NUMERICAL MODELS ARE IN OVERALL GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH TAU 48 WITH ONLY A 150 NM SPREAD IN SOLUTIONS, WITH A LARGER SPREAD OF 150-200NM FROM TAU 72 TO TAU 120. THROUGH TAU 72 BOTH THE AVNI (GFS) AND AEMI (GFS ENSEMBLE) TRACKERS REPRESENT THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF GUIDANCE, WHILE ECMI (ECMWF) AND EEMN (ECMWF ENSEMBLE) TRACKERS MAKE UP THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE. THE BULK OF THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE (EPS) AND GFS ENSEMBLE (GEFS) SOLUTIONS SUPPORT THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK THROUGH TAU 48, WITH INCREASING UNCERTAINLY AFTER TAU 72. THEREFORE, THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK IS POSITIONED CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. THE RELIABLE INTENSITY GUIDANCE REMAINS IN FAIR AGREEMENT AND SUPPORTS AN INTENSIFICATION PHASE WITH HWRF ON THE HIGH END OF THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE INDICATING A PEAK INTENSITY NEAR 85 KNOTS, ABOVE THE INTENSITY CONSENSUS PEAK OF 75 KNOTS. GEFS INDICATES HIGH PROBABILITY OF MODERATE INTENSIFICATION AND A 10 PERCENT CHANCE OF RAPID INTENSIFICATION (RI) BETWEEN TAU 48 AND TAU 72. AFTER TAU 72 THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE INCREASES IN UNCERTAINTY DUE TO HOW THE SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE MODERATE NORTHEAST SURGE EVENT. THEREFORE, THE JTWC FORECAST INTENSITY IS PLACED WITH LOW CONFIDENCE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: LOW INTENSITY 72-120 HR: LOW// NNNN