WDPN32 PGTW 040900 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION 32W (THIRTYTWO) WARNING NR 001// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 9.6N 142.9E INITIAL INTENSITY: 25 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 249 NM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF NAVSTA GUAM MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WESTWARD AT 09 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 12 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS A NEARLY FULLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) 32W. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY LOOPS IN CONJUNCTION WITH A 040244Z OCEANSAT-3 OSCAT PASS. WHILE THE SATELLITE DATA HELPS IDENTIFY THE LLCC POSITION, THE LATTER REVEALS AN ELONGATED NATURE OF THE CIRCULATION, CONTRIBUTING TO THE UNCERTAINTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE POSITION ASSESSMENT, AS WELL AS INITIAL TRACK FORECAST. ADDITIONALLY, FLARING CONVECTION CAN BE OBSERVED ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE CIRCULATION, AS WELL AS ALONG THE SLIGHTLY DETACHED SOUTHERN BANDING. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 25 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE AFOREMENTIONED OSCAT PASS SHOWING 20-25 KT MAXIMUM WINDS TO THE NORTH OF THE LLCC, AS WELL AS THE AGENCY DVORAK ESTIMATES LISTED BELOW. ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS REVEALS CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING WARM (30-31 C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SST), LOW (5-10 KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS), MODERATE EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW, OFFSET ONLY BY MODERATELY DRY AIR TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: WESTERN EXTENSION OF A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED TO THE NORTHEAST AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T1.0 - 25 KTS CIMSS D-PRINT: 19 KTS AT 040600Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: FAVORABLE VWS: 5-10 KTS SST: 30-31 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE EQUATORWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH INITIAL WIND RADII: NOT APPLICABLE 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THIS INITIAL PROGNOSTIC REASONING MESSAGE ESTABLISHES THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TD 32W IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE CONSOLIDATING AND INTENSIFYING THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD AS IT TRACKS TOWARD THE NORTHERN PHILIPPINES. INITIALLY, THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WITHIN A WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT, DOMINATED BY A NORTHEASTERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW TO THE NORTH OF THE LLCC, AS WELL AS A WESTERN EXTENSION OF A STR CENTERED TO THE NORTHEAST. AS A RESULT, TD 32W IS EXPECTED TO SLOWLY TRACK SOUTHWESTWARD OR REMAIN QUASI-STATIONARY. AS THE DEEP CONVECTION CONTINUES TO DEVELOP, THE EXTENSION OF THE STR WILL RETROGRADE EASTWARD, ALLOWING THE SYSTEM TO TURN NORTHWESTWARD AND TRANSIT ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE THROUGHOUT THE CURRENT FORECAST PERIOD. IN TERMS OF INTENSITY, TD 32W IS EXPECTED TO REACH TYPHOON LEVEL MAXIMUM WINDS WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS AND CONTINUE STRENGTHENING UTILIZING FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT, AS SOON AS THE VORTEX BECOMES FULLY SHIELDED FROM THE ENTRAINING DRY AIR. MODEL DISCUSSION: NUMERICAL MODEL TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN FAIR AGREEMENT THROUGHOUT THE CURRENT FORECAST PERIOD AND THE JTWC OFFICIAL TRACK IS LAID WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. INITIAL POSITION AND TRACK UNCERTAINTY ARE A RESULT OF QUITE SIGNIFICANT DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE GLOBAL DETERMINISTIC MODELS. GFS PORTRAYS THE LLCC CONSOLIDATING SOUTHEAST OF THE CURRENTLY ASSESSED POSITION, WHILE ECMWF AND ECMWF ENSEMBLE (ECENS) ARE MORE IN LINE WITH THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS. ADDITIONALLY, ECMWF IS CURRENTLY INITIALIZING BETTER, AS CONFIRMED BY SCATTEROMETRY AND SATELLITE IMAGERY, THEREFORE JTWC TRACK FORECAST IS LAID CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS, BUT LEANING CLOSER TO THE SOLUTIONS OFFERED BY ECMWF AND ECENS. INITIAL CROSS-TRACK GUIDANCE SPREAD AT TAU 12 IS ESTIMATED AT 50 NM, EXPANDING TO 150 NM BY TAU 120. ALONG-TRACK SPREAD HOWEVER IS AS HIGH AS 450 NM AT THE END OF THE CURRENT FORECAST PERIOD, RESULTING IN OVERALL MEDIUM TRACK FORECAST CONFIDENCE. INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS ALSO IN FAIR AGREEMENT, AS ALL AVAILABLE DATA INDICATES STEADY INTENSIFICATION, HOWEVER MULTIPLE RAPID INTENSIFICATION (RI) AIDS ARE ALSO TRIGGERING, INDICATING UNCERTAINTY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SPEED OF CONSOLIDATION FOR TD 32W. JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST IS LAID CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS AND IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 00-72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN