WDPN32 PGTW 232100 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION 09W (NINE) WARNING NR 001// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 19.6N 125.3E INITIAL INTENSITY: 25 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 388 NM NORTHEAST OF MANILA, PHILIPPINES MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTH-NORTHWESTWARD AT 07 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 11 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS A QUICKLY CONSOLIDATING LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) WITH FLARING, DISORGANIZED CONVECTION, SCATTERED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE ROTATION. A 231323Z ASCAT-C BULLSEYE DEPICTED A SMALL, BUT WELL-DEFINED LLCC WITH 25-30 KNOT WINDS EXTENDING FROM SOUTHWEST TO EAST OF THE CIRCULATION CENTER, PROVIDING THE IMPETUS FOR THE FIRST WARNING. A 231937Z COLOR-ENHANCED 89GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE SHOWS WHAT COULD BE A NASCENT MICROWAVE EYE FEATURE AND WELL-DEFINED BANDING FEATURES WRAPPING INTO THE CENTER. THE INITIAL POSITION IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON A PARTIALLY EXPOSED LLCC IN ANIMATED PROXY VISIBLE IMAGERY, AND EXTRAPOLATION TO THE MICROWAVE CENTER IN THE AFOREMENTIONED MICROWAVE IMAGERY. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED ASCAT DATA, AND ANALYSIS OF THE AVAILABLE AGENCY FIX ESTIMATES, THOUGH THE ACTUAL INTENSITY IS VERY LIKELY CLOSER TO 30 KNOTS THAN 25 KNOTS AT THIS POINT BASED ON THE LATE RECEIPT OF THE DISCUSSED MICROWAVE IMAGERY. ANIMATED WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WEAK AND STILL-DEVELOPING POINT SOURCE OVER TOP OF THE SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A ROBUST TUTT-CELL FAR TO THE NORTHEAST, JUST EAST OF KYUSHU. THE FORMER IS PROVIDING LOCALIZED RADIAL OUTFLOW AND MODERATE EQUATORWARD FLOW, WHILE THE LATER IS SUPPORTING WEAK POLEWARD OUTFLOW. THE SYSTEM LIES IN A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT, WITH GOOD OUTFLOW, LOW (10-15 KNOTS) VWS, ZESTY (30-31C) SSTS, HIGH OHC WATERS (110 KJ PER CM2). THE SYSTEM IS CURRENTLY MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH-NORTHWEST ALONG THE WESTERN SIDE OF A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED TO THE EAST NEAR 135E. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED TO THE EAST. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T1.0 - 25 KTS KNES: T2.5 - 35 KTS FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 30-31 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE POLEWARD AND EQUATORWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: NOT APPLICABLE 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THIS INITIAL PROGNOSTIC REASONING MESSAGE ESTABLISHES THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TD 09W (NINE) HAS DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS, AFTER HAVING TRAVERSED SOUTHWARD ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF A MONSOON GYRE OVER THE PREVIOUS SEVERAL DAYS. HAVING REACHED ITS FURTHER EQUATORWARD POINT, THE SYSTEM IS NOW MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHWEST ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF A STRONG STR EXTENSION THAT HAS DEVELOPED TO ITS EAST. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO CONSOLIDATE AND STRENGTHEN. BY TAU 24, MULTIPLE, FAIRLY DRASTIC CHANGES IN THE UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN BEGIN TO EMERGE. FIRST, THE STR CENTER CURRENTLY STEERING THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO QUICKLY WEAKEN AND DISAPPEAR AROUND TAU 36. SECOND, THE STR WILL BE REPLACED BY A MONSOON GYRE THAT SETS UP TO THE EAST IN THE DEEP-LAYER MEAN PATTERN, WITH THE OUTLINES OF THE CYCLONIC FLOW REACHING ALMOST 1700NM. THIRD, A NEW STR CENTER DEVELOPS NEAR HONG KONG. THE COMBINATION OF THIS TRIFECTA WILL RESULT IN THE SYSTEM SLOWING AS IT REACHES THE POLEWARD INFLECTION POINT AROUND TAU 24, HANG OUT THERE FOR A FEW HOURS, THEN TURN SHARPLY EQUATORWARD AS STEERING TRANSITIONS TO THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE STRONG GYRE TO THE EAST AND THE STR CENTER TO THE WEST. THE SYSTEM TRACKS GENERALLY SOUTHWARD ABOUT TAU 96, WHERE IT ENCOUNTERS ANOTHER SEISMIC SHIFT IN THE STEERING PATTERN AS THE GYRE DISSIPATES AND IS REPLACED BY A MONSTROUS STR CENTERED AROUND 40N 160E. THE FAR WESTERN EXTENSION OF THIS RIDGE WILL ASSUME THE DOMINANT STEERING ROLE AFTER TAU 96, AND THE SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO SLOWLY TURN BACK TO THE NORTH BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. IN TERMS OF INTENSITY, THE FAVORABLE ENVIRONEMNT WILL FUEL STEADY INTENSIFICATION THROUGH TAU 72, WHERE AN INFLUX OF NORTHERLY SHEAR WILL LEAD TO A 24 HOUR PERIOD OF STAGNATION IN THE INTENSIFICATION TREND. INTENSIFICATION RESUMES AFTER TAU 96 THROUGH TH REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST. LATE RECEIPT OF THE LATEST COAMPS-TC ENSEMBLE DATA SUGGESTS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF RAPID INTENSIFICATION BETWEEN TAU 48 AND TAU 72 (80-100 PERCENT), WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE HAFS-A 1200Z DATA AS WELL. THEREFORE, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A HIGHER PEAK IN THE FORECAST THAN IS CURRENTLY ANTICIPATED, AND THE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID INTENSIFICATION (RI) AFTER TAU 48. MODEL DISCUSSION: TRACK GUIDANCE IS FOR THE MOST PART IN SURPRISINGLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN LIGHT OF THE UNUSUAL TRACK FORECAST. THE TWO OUTLIERS ARE THE UKMET ENSEMBLE WHICH TAKES THE SYSTEM INTO A LANDFALL ON THE NORTHEAST COAST OF LUZON THEN INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, AND THE NAVGEM WHICH TURNS THE SYSTEM EAST, THEN SOUTH AND ENDS UP NORTH OF PALAU. REMOVING THESE TWO OUTLIERS, THE REMAINDER OF THE CONSENSUS MEMBERS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE TURN TO THE SOUTH AROUND TAU 24, FOLLOWED BY A NEARLY QUASI-STATIONARY PERIOD BY TAU 96 AND A TURN TO POLEWARD THEREAFTER. THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK LIES CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS MEAN AND LIES AMONGST THE TIGHTEST GROUPING OF TRACKERS. CONFIDENCE HOWEVER IS LOW DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN THE SYNOPTIC STEERING ENVIRONMENT AND JUST HOW THE GYRE-STR COMBINATION WILL ULTIMATELY SET UP. INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON STEADY INTENSIFICATION, THOUGH MULTIPLE RI TRACKERS ARE TRIGGERING, INCLUDING THE FRIA, RICN, RI70 AND RI45. THE HAFS-A AND CTCX DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE ARE ON THE HIGH END OF THE PACKAGE, PEAKING THE SYSTEM NEAR 120 KNOTS, WHILE THE COTC, SHIPS AND GFS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER. THE JTWC FORECAST IS IN LINE WITH THE CONSENSUS MEAN, WITH LOW CONFIDENCE IN LIGHT OF THE LATE-BREAKING RI GUIDANCE COMING IN. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: LOW INTENSITY 72-120 HR: LOW// NNNN