WDXS31 PGTW 180300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE 05S (BELAL) WARNING NR 012// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 24.0S 64.9E INITIAL INTENSITY: 45 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 483 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHEASTWARD AT 05 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 21 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS TC 05S (BELAL) WITH A PARTIALLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) LOCATED JUST NORTH OF AN OBSERVABLE CONVECTIVE STRUCTURE BEING HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY A NORTHWESTERLY SHEAR COMPONENT. THE STORM HAS CREPT NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE LAST SIX HOURS, AS IT IS INCREASINGLY INFLUENCED BY THE STEERING RIDGES TO THE NORTHEAST AND SOUTH. THE INITIAL POSITION WAS IDENTIFIED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BY A 172246Z 37GHZ MICROWAVE PASS, INDICATING AN ASYMMETRIC AND SHALLOW EYE-LIKE FEATURE WITH DEEP, BUT ISOLATED CONVECTION JUST TO THE SOUTHEAST. THE INITIAL INTENSITY WAS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON PERSISTENCE AND SUSTAINED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT WITH SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE FIXES LISTED BELOW. STRONG NORTHWESTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS) WITH CONTINUOUS DRY-AIR ENTRAINMENT FROM THE WEST WILL CONTINUE TO DISSIPATE TC 05S THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD (TAU 48), DESPITE RELATIVELY WARM SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SST) OF 26-28C. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER NEAR-EQUATORIAL RIDGE (NER) TO THE NORTH. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T3.0 - 45 KTS KNES: T2.5 - 35 KTS FMEE: T3.0 - 45 KTS FIMP: T3.0 - 45 KTS CIMSS ADT: 39 KTS AT 172100Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY UNFAVORABLE VWS: 20-25 KTS SST: 26-28 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: WEAK POLEWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: LOW 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TC 05S (BELAL) IS FORECASTED TO CONTINUE TO PROGRESS SLIGHTLY FURTHER TO THE NORTHEAST AND LOOP BACK TO THE WEST ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE NER TO THE NORTH, SLOWS DOWN TO A NEAR-STALL, AND EJECTS SHARPLY SOUTHWESTWARD ALONG THE NORTHERN SIDE OF A LOW TO MID-LEVEL MID-LATITUDE AREA OF ANTICYCLONIC ROTATION POSITIONED DIRECTLY POLEWARD OF TC 05S BETWEEN TAU 0 AND TAU 36. THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD, THE CYCLONE WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE IN INTENSITY AS STRONG WIND SHEAR (25-30 KTS) WILL FURTHER DISSIPATE THE TROPICAL STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM, DEGRADING ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. TC 05S WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO BE FURTHER WEAKENED A CONTINUOUS SURGE OF DRY AIR FROM THE WESTERN PERIPHERY, COMPLETELY ENCIRCLING THE TC BY TAU 48. THE COMBINATION OF DRY AIR AND STRONG VWS WILL LEAD TO DISSIPATION OVER WATER BY TAU 48. MODEL DISCUSSION: DETERMINISTIC MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN AGREEMENT THAT TC 05S (BELAL) WILL CONTINUE TO STEADILY SLOW IN ITS RE-CURVE TO THE WEST THROUGH TAU 12. THE MODELS ARE IN RELATIVE AGREEMENT THAT A DIRECTION SHIFT TO THE WEST IS EXPECTED, BACKING SLIGHTLY TO THE NORTH BY TAU 12, THEN PROGRESSING WEST AND SOUTHWESTWARD BETWEEN TAU 24 AND TAU 36. TRACK SPREAD DURING TC 05S RE-CURVE REMAINS IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH A CROSS-TRACK SPREAD OF 45 NM, AND INCREASING TO A CROSS-TRACK SPREAD DURING ITS SOUTHWESTWARD TREK BETWEEN TAU 24 AND TAU 48. THE CROSS-TRACK SPREAD CONTINUES TO INCREASE TO 150 NM NEAR TAU 48, AS TC 05S DISSIPATES WITH STRONG AND CONSTANT INFLUENCE FROM DRY-AIR ENTRAINMENT AND STRONG VWS. THE MAJORITY OF JTWC CONSENSUS MEMBERS AGREE THAT THE CYCLONE WILL STEADILY WEAKEN THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD (TAU 48). FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN