WDPN32 PGTW 311500 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 27W (BANYAN) WARNING NR 004// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 7.2N 131.6E INITIAL INTENSITY: 35 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 119 NM NORTH-NORTHWEST OF SONSOROL MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 09 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 12 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT TROPICAL STORM 27W (BANYAN) HAS CONTINUED TO HOLD TOGETHER SURPRISINGLY WELL, AS THE SYSTEM HAS RETAINED A SMALL CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST OF DEEP CONVECTION OBSCURING THE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT IS MARGINAL, WITH WARM (29-30C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SSTS) AND STRONG EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW BEING OFFSET BY STRONG NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT AROUND THE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, IN THE MIDST OF STRONG AND PERSISTENT NORTHEASTERLY FLOW ALOFT, THE CONVECTIVE BURST HAS ENABLED A SMALL REGION OF RELATIVELY LESS SHEAR ALLOWING THE SYSTEM TO MAINTAIN A CURRENT INTENSITY OF 35 KTS. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON ANIMATED EIR, AND THE PGTW FIX POSITION FIX. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 35 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE PGTW, RJTD, AND KNES DVORAK INTENSITY ESTIMATES ALONG WITH A COMBINATION OF OBJECTIVE DVORAK INTENSITY ESTIMATES. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTH. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T3.0 - 45 KTS RJTD: T2.0 - 30 KTS KNES: T4.0 - 65 KTS CIMSS SATCON: 38 KTS AT 311043Z CIMSS ADT: 37 KTS AT 311140Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINAL VWS: 15-20 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: STRONG EQUATORWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH INITIAL WIND RADII: LOW 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TROPICAL STORM 27W HAS GRADUALLY TURNED AND TRACKED TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTH. BY TAU 12, THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO TRACK TOWARD THE NORTHWESTWARD AS THE STEERING RIDGE TO THE NORTH IS FORECAST TO REORIENT TO A NORTHWEST-SOUTHEAST DIRECTION, THIS WILL ALLOW THE SYSTEM TO STAY A NORTHWESTWARD TRACK THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST CALLS FOR THE SYSTEM TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT TS STRENGTH OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS UNDER MARGINAL CONDITIONS. HOWEVER, THE UPPER LEVEL ENVIRONMENT IS FORECAST TO BECOME LESS FAVORABLE DUE TO UPPER-LEVEL CONVERGENCE, ALONG WITH MID-LEVEL DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT. THESE UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS WILL RESULT IN A SLOW WEAKENING TREND AFTER TAU 12. THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DEGRADE FURTHER WITH DISSIPATION JUST TO THE EAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINES BY TAU 48. MODEL DISCUSSION: THE TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN OVERALL GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE JGSM MODEL TRACKER WHICH REPRESENTS THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE. THE MINIMAL SPREAD IN TRACK GUIDANCE LENDS HIGH CONFIDENCE TO THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK. THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE REMAINS MIXED, AS COTI, CTCI, AND HWRF INDICATE A FLAT INTENSITY TREND THROUGH ABOUT TAU 12 FOLLOWED BY STEADY WEAKENING BY THE END OF THE FORECAST. WITH THE DECAY-SHIPS (BOTH GFS AND NAVGEM) INTENSIFYING THE SYSTEM UNREALISTICALLY TO A PEAK OVER 55 KNOTS. THEREFORE, THE JTWC FORECAST IS PLACED CLOSER TO THE COTI, CTCI, AND HWRF INTENSITY SOLUTIONS AND JUST ABOVE THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: HIGH INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN