WDPN32 PGTW 091500 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 25W (MAN-YI) WARNING NR 003// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 15.5N 157.8E INITIAL INTENSITY: 40 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 757 NM EAST OF ANDERSEN AFB MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHWESTWARD AT 15 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 14 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS A VERY COMPACT TROPICAL STORM (TS), WITH A PARTIALLY EXPOSED LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) ON THE NORTHWESTERN EDGE OF A SMALL CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST (CDO). A 091059Z ASCAT-B BULLSEYE PASS REVEALED A HIGHLY ASYMMETRIC WIND FIELD, WITH THE LLCC PINCHED OFF IN THE NORTHEASTERN CUSP OF A WAVE FEATURE. WINDS ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN SIDE OF THE CIRCULATION ARE QUITE WEAK, AND THE ENTIRETY OF GALE-FORCE WINDS CONFINED TO THE EASTERN HEMISPHERE. THE STRONGEST WINDS, UP TO 50 KNOTS IN THE ULTRA-HIGH RESOLUTION (UHR) ASCAT DATA, ARE RAIN FLAGGED AND UNDER THE DEEPEST CONVECTION IN THE NORTHEAST SECTOR OF THE CIRCULATION. THE INITIAL POSITION IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE PARTIALLY EXPOSED LLCC IN THE ANIMATED EIR, AND AN EXTRAPOLATION OF THE CENTER EVIDENT IN THE ASCAT DATA. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS SET AT 40 KNOTS, WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE GENERAL CONGRUENCE OF THE AVAILABLE SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE INTENSITY ESTIMATES OUTLINED ABOVE, AND ANALYSIS OF THE NON-FLAGGED ASCAT WINDS. THE ENVIRONMENT IS MARGINALLY FAVORABLE, WITH WARM SSTS AND GOOD POLEWARD OUTFLOW OFFSET BY THE SMALL SIZE OF THE SYSTEM AND THE MODERATE WESTERLY SHEAR. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: SCATTEROMETER DATA CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF A DEEP-LAYER SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED NEAR THE DATELINE. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T2.0 - 30 KTS RCTP: T2.0 - 30 KTS KNES: T2.0 - 30 KTS CIMSS SATCON: 39 KTS AT 091200Z CIMSS ADT: 37 KTS AT 091230Z CIMSS AIDT: 36 KTS AT 091230Z CIMSS D-MINT: 33 KTS AT 090754Z CIMSS D-PRINT: 41 KTS AT 091200Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY FAVORABLE VWS: 15-20 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE POLEWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: HIGH 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TROPICAL STORM 25W WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK NORTHWESTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF A DEEP STR FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. BY TAU 24 TRACK SPEEDS WILL SLOW DOWN A BIT, AS THE STEERING PATTERN WEAKENS AND THE PRIMARY STEERING INFLUENCE SHIFTS FROM THE STR TO THE NORTHEAST TO A STR TO THE NORTHWEST. AFTER TAU 24, THE TRACK WILL FLATTEN OUT TO A MORE WESTWARD DIRECTION AS THE STEERING RIDGE SLIDES BY TO A POSITION DUE NORTH OF TS 25W. AFTER TAU 48, THE SYSTEM BEGINS TO TAKE ON A MORE SOUTHWESTWARD TRACK AS IT COMES UNDER THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF A THIRD AREA OF RIDGING THAT DEVELOPS EAST OF OKINAWA. IN TERMS OF INTENSITY, MOST GLOBAL AND MESOSCALE MODELS AGREE THAT A POINT SOURCE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALOFT OVER THE SYSTEM IN THE NEXT 12 HOURS, REDUCING DEEP-LAYER SHEAR OVER THE SYSTEM AND ALLOWING IT TO INTENSIFY. THESE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TAU 24, AND THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO REACH PEAK INTENSITY OF 55 KNOTS WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. AROUND TAU 36, AN INCREASE IN WESTERLY MID-LEVEL SHEAR WILL BEGIN TO IMPINGE UPON THE ALREADY RELATIVELY WEAK VORTEX, AND TS 25W WILL START TO WEAKEN. BY TAU 48, DEEP-LAYER SHEAR INCREASES SHARPLY, USHERING IN AN EXTENSIVE LAYER OF DRY AIR OVER TOP OF THE SYSTEM. THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF THE HIGH SHEAR AND DRY AIR WILL USHER IN THE DEMISE OF TS 25W, WHICH WILL STEADILY WEAKEN THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS THE REMNANT VORTEX SLOWLY SPINS DOWN. MODEL DISCUSSION: DETERMINISTIC TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NAVGEM, WHICH TAKES THE SYSTEM POLEWARD AND LOOPS BACK TO THE EAST ON AN UNREALISTIC TRACK. THE REMAINDER OF THE GUIDANCE IS TIGHTLY PACKED AROUND THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK, WITH A CROSS-TRACK UNCERTAINTY OF 125NM AT TAU 72 BETWEEN THE GFS TO THE SOUTH AND THE JGSM ON THE NORTH. CROSS-TRACK SPREAD VARIES LITTLE THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE JTWC FORECAST LIES ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE THROUGH TAU 72, THEN CLOSE TO THE CONSENSUS MEAN, ROUGHLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE, THROUGH TAU 120. INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE SYSTEM WILL INTENSIFY THROUGH TAU 24, FOLLOWED BY A STEADY WEAKENING TREND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST. THE HWRF AND HAFS-A INDICATE A PEAK BETWEEN 60-70 KNOTS, WHILE THE CTCX SHOWS A PEAK OF JUST 50 KNOTS. THE JTWC FORECAST FOLLOWS THE CONSENSUS MEAN THROUGH THE ENTIRE FORECAST PERIOD. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: HIGH TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: HIGH INTENSITY 72-120 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN