WDIO31 PGTW 222100 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE 01B (ONE) WARNING NR 001// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 17.6N 84.8E INITIAL INTENSITY: 35 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 362 NM SOUTHWEST OF KOLKATA, INDIA MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 04 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 13 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS PERSISTENT DEEP CONVECTION OVER A CONSOLIDATING, PARTIALLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN COLDER THAN -80 DEGREES CELSIUS, AND NEW CONVECTION IS DEVELOPING ON THE UPSHEAR SIDE OF THE LLCC IN THE PRESENCE OF MODERATE NORTHEASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS). THE ENVIRONMENT IS GENERALLY FAVORABLE, CHARACTERIZED BY VERY WARM SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SST) OF 29-30 DEGREES CELSIUS AND RICH DEEP-LAYER MOISTURE, ALTHOUGH THESE FAVORABLE FACTORS ARE PARTIALLY OFFSET BY AROUND 20 KTS OF VWS. AFTER TRACKING GENERALLY WESTWARD OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS, THE SYSTEM HAS SLOWED TO 04 KTS. ASCAT PASSES FROM 221444Z AND 221506Z REVEALED A WELL-DEFINED, THOUGH ASYMMETRIC, LLCC, WITH GALE-FORCE WINDS CONCENTRATED IN THE SOUTHERN SEMICIRCLE. BASED ON THE ASCAT DATA, 95B HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC) 01B, AND THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS SET AT 35 KTS WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE PARTIALLY EXPOSED LLCC AND THE ASCAT PASSES. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: SCATTEROMETER DATA CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: A WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT DEFINED BY A LOW TO MID-LEVEL SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) OVER NORTHWESTERN INDIA AND A STR OVER THE FAR NORTHERN PORTION OF THE BAY OF BENGAL AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T2.0 - 30 KTS DEMS: T2.0 - 30 KTS FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: FAVORABLE VWS: 20-25 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE WESTWARD OTHER FACTORS: LAND INTERACTION ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH INITIAL WIND RADII: HIGH 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THIS INITIAL PROGNOSTIC REASONING MESSAGE ESTABLISHES THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TC 01B IS DRIFTING WEST-NORTHWESTWARD WITHIN A WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT BETWEEN A STR OVER NORTHWESTERN INDIA AND ANOTHER STR OVER THE FAR NORTHERN BAY OF BENGAL. THIS SYNOPTIC-SCALE PATTERN WILL CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. THEREFORE, THE COMBINATION OF BETA DRIFT AND A SLIGHTLY STRONGER STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE STR TO THE NORTHEAST WILL DRIVE THE SYSTEM NORTHWESTWARD AT 03- 05 KTS INTO INDIA BETWEEN TAU 12 AND TAU 24. THIS MOTION WILL CONTINUE UNTIL DISSIPATION BY TAU 36. THE HIGH-MOISTURE ENVIRONMENT AND VERY WARM SST WILL PARTIALLY OFFSET THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF VWS WHILE THE SYSTEM REMAINS OVER WATER. THEREFORE, THE FORECAST CALLS FOR SLIGHT INTENSIFICATION TO 40 KTS AT TAU 12. A BRIEF PEAK SLIGHTLY ABOVE 40 KTS IS POSSIBLE PRIOR TO LANDFALL. TC 01B WILL DISSIPATE OVER LAND BY TAU 36. THE 30-KT INTENSITY AT TAU 36 REFLECTS ENHANCED SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OFF THE COAST OF INDIA WHILE THE INLAND VORTEX WEAKENS AND BROADENS. MODEL DISCUSSION: THE TRACK GUIDANCE ENVELOPE IS WIDE, WITH THE CROSS- TRACK SPREAD INCREASING FROM 60 NM AT TAU 12 TO 125 NM AT TAU 24. GALWEM LIES ALONG THE EQUATORWARD EDGE OF THE ENVELOPE, WHILE NAVGEM IS THE POLEWARD OUTLIER. THE GFS, ECMWF, AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GOOGLE DEEPMIND SOLUTIONS ARE NEAR THE CENTER OF THE ENVELOPE AND CLOSEST TO THE CONSENSUS (CONW). THE JTWC FORECAST TRACK IS POSITIONED SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF CONW AND HEDGED TOWARD DEEPMIND AT TAU 12 AND TAU 24 WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. THE FORECAST DEPICTS A LANDFALL BETWEEN SRIKAKULAM AND VISAKHAPATNAM. THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS MUCH TIGHTER, WITH A 05- KT SPREAD THROUGH TAU 36. THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE, ALIGNING CLOSELY WITH HAFS-A, DEEPMIND, GFS, AND COAMPS-TC AT TAU 24 AND TAU 36. THE 40-KT FORECAST INTENSITY AT TAU 12 IS ON THE HIGHER SIDE OF THE ENVELOPE. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 00-72 HR: HIGH// NNNN