WDPN33 PGTW 082100 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 14W (CHAN-HOM) WARNING NR 008// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 32.7N 151.7E INITIAL INTENSITY: 40 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 617 NM EAST OF YOKOSUKA, JAPAN MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD AT 11 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 20 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS TROPICAL STORM 14W (CHAN-HOM) WITH A FULLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) AND A BAND OF WEAK CONVECTION ALONG THE SOUTHERN SEMICIRCLE. THE PLACEMENT OF THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW TO THE EAST CONTINUES TO INDUCE SUBSIDENCE IN THAT AREA, HINDERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION. DRY AIR, INDICATED BY A FIELD OF STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS, TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO ENTRAIN INTO THE CORE OF THE VORTEX, WHICH IS FURTHER IMPEDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CENTRAL CONVECTION. A 081533Z AMSR2 36 GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE SHOWS A PARTIAL MICROWAVE EYE FEATURE WITH A DISTINCT WEAKNESS IN THE WESTERN SEMICIRCLE. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE AMSR2 IMAGE AND THE EXPOSED LLCC IN ANIMATED EIR IMAGERY. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 40 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE HIGH SIDE OF THE AGENCY DVORAK AND CIMSS INTENSITY ESTIMATES LISTED BELOW. THE LACK OF CENTRAL CONVECTION IS LIKELY CAUSING THE CURRENT INTENSITY TO BE UNDERESTIMATED BY THE DVORAK-BASED INTENSITY ESTIMATES. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT 14W IS IN A MARGINALLY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY MODERATE EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW ALOFT, LOW (10-15 KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, AND WARM (27-28 C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES OFFSET BY SIGNIFICANT DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: SCATTEROMETER DATA CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT WITH RIDGING OVER SOUTHERN HONSHU EXTENDING EASTWARD AND A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTHEAST. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T2.5 - 35 KTS RJTD: T2.0 - 30 KTS RCTP: T2.5 - 35 KTS KNES: T2.0 - 30 KTS CIMSS SATCON: 48 KTS AT 081730Z CIMSS ADT: 34 KTS AT 081730Z CIMSS AIDT: 32 KTS AT 081730Z CIMSS D-MINT: 37 KTS AT 081534Z CIMSS D-PRINT: 35 KTS AT 081730Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 27-28 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE EQUATORWARD OTHER FACTORS: DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT WITH A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL LOW IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE EAST ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: MEDIUM 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TS 14W IS FORECAST TO TRACK SLOWLY WESTWARD OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS AS IT CONTINUES TO BE PLACED WITHIN A WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT. AFTER TAU 12, THE TROUGH TO THE NORTH IS EXPECTED TO PROPAGATE NORTHEASTWARD, AWAY FROM 14W, AND THE STR TO THE NORTHEAST WILL BUILD BACK IN. BY TAU 36, THE STEERING PATTERN WILL BECOME MORE DEFINED AS THE SYSTEM TRACKS ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR WITH INCREASING TRACK SPEEDS. AROUND TAU 60, RIDGING WILL EXTEND TO THE NORTH OF THE SYSTEM, CAUSING THE TRAJECTORY TO FLATTEN TO A MORE WESTWARD TRACK AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST OF HONSHU. LANDFALL IS FORECAST TO OCCUR JUST AFTER TAU 60 NEAR SENDAI. 14W WILL THEN QUICKLY TRAVERSE OVER HONSHU AND EMERGE WITHIN THE SEA OF JAPAN AROUND TAU 72 AND CONTINUE ON A WESTWARD TRACK. SUBTROPICAL TRANSITION IS FORECAST TO BEGIN ONCE THE SYSTEM EMERGES BACK OVER WATER AS A STRONG UPPER-LEVEL CYCLONE ANCHORS OVER SOUTHERN HONSHU, INDUCING SIGNIFICANT VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. BY TAU 96, 14W IS EXPECTED TO HAVE SHALLOWED OUT AND DECOUPLED UNDER THE EFFECTS OF THE HOSTILE UPPER-LEVEL ENVIRONMENT, MARKING THE COMPLETION OF SUBTROPICAL TRANSITION. REGARDING INTENSITY, 14W IS FORECAST TO STEADILY INTENSIFY OVER THE NEXT 36-48 HOURS AS POLEWARD OUTFLOW ALOFT MARKEDLY IMPROVES AND THE CORE MOISTENS. NEAR TAU 60, JUST BEFORE LANDFALL, 14W WILL EXPERIENCE ANOTHER BOUT OF DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASING EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. THIS IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE THE SYSTEM TO SLIGHTLY WEAKEN RIGHT BEFORE LANDFALL OCCURS. AFTER TAU 60, TERRAIN INTERACTION FOLLOWED BY SHEAR AND DRY AIR IN THE SEA OF JAPAN WILL LEAD TO FURTHER WEAKENING AS THE SHALLOW VORTEX TRACKS TOWARD THE EASTERN COAST OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA. MODEL DISCUSSION: NUMERICAL MODEL TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN MODERATE AGREEMENT THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH A CROSS-TRACK SPREAD OF 180 NM AT TAU 72 AND PERSISTS THROUGH TAU 96. JGSM MAKES UP THE NORTHERNMOST TRACKER WHILE THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEAN IS THE SOUTHERNMOST. ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SHOW QUITE A BIT OF SPREAD BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS, HOWEVER, THE ENSEMBLE MEANS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF GUIDANCE. THE JTWC TRACK FORECAST IS PLACED CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS WITH OVERALL MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. INTENSITY GUIDANCE GENERALLY AGREES ON STEADY INTENSIFICATION THROUGH TAU 48 FOLLOWED BY WEAKENING THEREAFTER WITH NO SIGNIFICANT OUTLIERS PRESENT. AS A RESULT, THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST FOLLOWS CLOSELY TO THE CONSENSUS WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 00-72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN