WDPN31 PGTW 131500 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 01W (WUTIP) WARNING NR 013// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 18.8N 108.3E INITIAL INTENSITY: 60 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 189 NM SOUTHEAST OF HANOI, VIETNAM MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHWARD AT 01 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 24 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS TROPICAL STORM 01W (WUTIP) AS HAVING STAYED NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS, STAYING WEST OF HAINAN. A 131102Z SSMIS 91 GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE SHOWS THE MICROWAVE EYE FEATURE WITH CONVECTIVE BANDING SURROUNDING THE SOUTHERN SEMICIRCLE OF THE SYSTEM. CENTRAL CONVECTION HAS BECOME A BIT LESS ORGANIZED COMPARED TO 6 HOURS AGO, BUT THE CIRRUS FILAMENTS EXTENDING EQUATORWARD HAVE BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT 01W IS IN A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY STRONG EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW ALOFT, LOW (10-15 KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, AND WARM (29-30 C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THE PROXIMITY TO LAND IS THE ONLY NEGATIVE FACTOR AT THE MOMENT. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON ANIMATED RADAR IMAGERY AND THE MENTIONED SSMIS MICROWAVE IMAGE. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 60 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE AGENCY DVORAK AND OBJECTIVE INTENSITY ESTIMATES LISTED BELOW. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SOUTHWESTWARD EXTENSION OF A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTHEAST. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T4.0 - 65 KTS RJTD: T3.5 - 55 KTS RCTP: T4.0 - 65 KTS KNES: T4.0 - 65 KTS DEMS: T4.0 - 65 KTS CIMSS ADT: 49 KTS AT 131110Z CIMSS AIDT: 57 KTS AT 131110Z CIMSS DPRINT: 60 KTS AT 131110Z CIMSS DMINT: 50 KTS AT 131101Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: STRONG EQUATORWARD OTHER FACTORS: TERRAIN INTERACTION WITH WESTERN HAINAN 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: 01W IS FORECAST TO BEGIN A NORTHWESTWARD TRACK OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS AS IT ROUNDS THE RIDGE AXIS. THE SYSTEM WILL THEN CONTINUE ON A NORTHWESTWARD TRAJECTORY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS IT TRACKS ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR. LANDFALL IS FORECAST TO OCCUR JUST WEST OF THE LEIZHOU PENINSULA BETWEEN TAU 18-24. REGARDING INTENSITY, 01W IS FORECAST TO MAINTAIN ITS CURRENT INTENSITY OF 60 KTS THROUGH TAU 12 AND UP UNTIL THE TIME OF LANDFALL DUE TO THE LOW VERTICAL WIND SHEAR AND WARM WATERS WITHIN THE GULF OF TONKIN. HOWEVER, IF THE SYSTEM MAINTAINS ITS SLUGGISH MOVEMENT, RAPID UPWELLING COULD CAUSE WEAKENING OF THE VORTEX. AFTER LANDFALL, 01W WILL QUICKLY WEAKEN AS TERRAIN INTERACTION DEGRADES THE SYSTEM. DISSIPATION IS FORECAST TO OCCUR NEAR TAU 48 AS THE VORTEX ACCELERATES NORTHWESTWARD. MODEL DISCUSSION: NUMERICAL MODEL TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A 60 NM CROSS-TRACK SPREAD AT TAU 24, NEAR THE TIME OF LANDFALL. AFTER TAU 24, ALONG-TRACK SPREAD GREATLY INCREASES TO AROUND 300 NM AS THE VORTEX BECOMES SHALLOW AND MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHWEST. ECMWF IS THE FASTEST TRACKER WHILE GFS IS THE SLOWEST. THE JTWC TRACK FORECAST IS PLACED WITH OVERALL HIGH CONFIDENCE, THOUGH THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY NEAR THE END OF THE FORECAST REGARDING TRACK SPEEDS. INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS IN MODERATE AGREEMENT WITH HAFS-A AND GFS BOTH SUGGESTING WEAKENING FROM TAU 0 WHILE HWRF SUGGESTS INTENSIFICATION TO 65 KTS AT TAU 12. ALL MODELS AGREE ON WEAKENING AFTER TAU 12. THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE, CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: HIGH INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN