WDPN32 PGTW 291500 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 21W (ETAU) WARNING NR 011// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 30.0N 165.4E INITIAL INTENSITY: 40 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 645 NM NORTH OF WAKE ISLAND MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHWARD AT 18 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 20 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS A LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) PARTLY OBSCURED BY A MASSIVE THUNDERSTORM. THIS CONVECTION HAS PERSISTED NEAR THE CENTER FOR OVER 06 HOURS IN THE FACE OF HIGH SOUTHWESTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS) OF 25-30 KTS. THIS IS IN LARGE PART ENABLED BY STRONG POLEWARD OUTFLOW ALOFT INTO A CHANNEL OF 50-60 KT GEOSTROPHIC WINDS INDUCED BY A TROUGH NORTHWEST OF THE SYSTEM. THE SURFACE CIRCULATION CONTINUES TO SPIN VIGOROUSLY IN THE SHORTWAVE-INFRARED IMAGERY (SWIR), ALTHOUGH THE LACK OF CONVECTION ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE VWS HAS RESULTED IN AN INCREASINGLY ELONGATED LLCC. THE INITIAL POSITION IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE PARTIALLY EXPOSED LLCC OBSERVED IN THE SWIR IMAGERY. BECAUSE THE SYSTEM STRUCTURE HAS CHANGED LITTLE IN THE PAST 06 HOURS, THE INITIAL INTENSITY HAS BEEN HELD AT 40 KTS, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY A BLEND OF THE T2.5-3.0 SUBJECTIVE DVORAK FIXES AND THE RECENT OBJECTIVE ESTIMATES FROM CIMSS RANGING FROM 33 KTS TO 38 KTS. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: WESTERN FLANK OF AN EXTENSIVE LOW- TO MID-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL NORTH PACIFIC AND POSSIBLE INTERACTION WITH TYPHOON (TY) 20W AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T2.5 - 35 KTS RJTD: T2.5 - 35 KTS RCTP: T2.5 - 35 KTS KNES: T2.5 - 35 KTS PHFO: T3.0 - 45 KTS CIMSS SATCON: 38 KTS AT 290510Z CIMSS ADT: 33 KTS AT 291210Z CIMSS AIDT: 34 KTS AT 291210Z CIMSS D-MINT: 38 KTS AT 291113Z CIMSS D-PRINT: 33 KTS AT 291210Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: UNFAVORABLE VWS: 25-30 KTS SST: 26-27 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: STRONG POLEWARD ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH INITIAL WIND RADII: LOW 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: THE FORECAST CALLS FOR A CONTINUED POLEWARD MOTION FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST. THE NORTHWARD TRAJECTORY IS A RESULT OF AN EXTENSIVE LOW- TO MID-LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED EAST OF THE DATELINE. AFTER TAU 12, AN APPROACHING TROUGH WILL INDUCE AN EASTWARD TURN. AS TS 21W GAINS LATITUDE, IT WILL TRAVERSE OVER PROGRESSIVELY COOLER WATERS, CROSSING THE 26 DEGREE ISOTHERM INSIDE 12 HOURS AND ENTER A MORE BAROCLINIC ENVIRONMENT. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE SYSTEM WILL GRADUALLY LOSE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TRANSITION INTO A SUBTROPICAL STORM. THE INTENSITY CHANGE THROUGH THE FORECAST IS MINOR AS A RESULT OF INCREASING BAROCLINICITY ASSOCIATED WITH LIGHT THERMAL ADVECTION AND THE APPROACHING TROUGH. THERE REMAINS SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY IN THE FORECAST. SEVERAL MODELS, INCLUDING GFS AND HAFS-A, EXPLICITLY DEPICT A LOOP TOWARD THE SOUTH IN RESPONSE TO THE FUJIWHARA EFFECT WITH TY 20W. IF THIS OCCURS, THEN TS 21W WILL ENCOUNTER MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS THAT MAY RESULT IN SLIGHT INTENSIFICATION BETWEEN TAU 24 AND TAU 60 AND PROLONG ITS DEMISE. THIS ALTERNATE SCENARIO WOULD NECESSITATE A DRASTIC CHANGE TO THE TRACK AND INTENSITY FORECAST PHILOSOPHY. THE NEXT 12-24 HOURS WILL TELL THE STORY. MODEL DISCUSSION: MODELS AGREE ON A GENERAL POLEWARD MOTION FOR THE FIRST 12 HOURS. THE ECMWF AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GOOGLE DEEPMIND SOLUTIONS TRACK THE SYSTEM NORTHWARD FOR THE FIRST 12 HOURS, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST. AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, THE GFS AND HAFS-A MODELS LOOP THE SYSTEM SOUTHWARD. SIGNIFICANT ALONG-TRACK AND CROSS-TRACK SPREAD EXISTS, OWING TO DIFFERING LEVELS OF BINARY INTERACTION WITH TY 20W. THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK IS PLACED WITH LOW CONFIDENCE NEAR THE CENTER OF THE GROUP OF MODELS THAT EXCLUDE THE SOLUTIONS LIKE GFS AND HAFS-A AS THEY DEPICT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCENARIO. THE INTENSITY AIDS ALSO EXHIBIT HIGH SPREAD, LARGELY ATTRIBUTED TO THE WIDELY VARYING SCENARIOS. THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST IS ALIGNED WITH THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS FOR THE FIRST 12 HOURS AND THEN LEANS INTO DEEPMIND AFTER TAU 12. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: LOW TRACK 72-120 HR: --- INTENSITY 00-72 HR: LOW INTENSITY 72-120 HR: ---// NNNN