WDPN31 PGTW 232100 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 25W (SURIGAE) WARNING NR 003// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 17.2N 136.2E INITIAL INTENSITY: 35 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 728 NM SOUTHEAST OF KADENA AB MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 14 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 14 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS TROPICAL STORM (TS) 25W (SURIGAE) SLOWLY IMPROVING ITS CONVECTIVE STRUCTURE AS THE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) BECOMES FURTHER TUCKED UNDERNEATH THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE LARGER CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST (CDO) EXTENDING TO THE NORTHWEST. THE LLCC IS ASSESSED TO STILL BE SLIGHTLY ELONGATED ALONG THE SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST AXIS BASED ON THE EXPOSED LOW LEVEL CLOUD BANDING ON THE SOUTHERN SEMICIRCLE. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS REVEALS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS OF WARM (29-30 C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES, MODERATE RADIAL OUTFLOW ALOFT, AND LOW TO MODERATE (15-20 KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS). THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH LOW CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE OBSCURED LLCC IN EIR IMAGERY. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE AGREEMENT ACROSS AGENCY DVORAK FIXES AND CIMSS ESTIMATES LISTED BELOW. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: OBJECTIVE BEST TRACK CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CENTERED TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T2.5 - 35 KTS RJTD: T2.5 - 35 KTS RCTP: T2.5 - 35 KTS CIMSS ADT: 33 KTS AT 231740Z CIMSS AIDT: 34 KTS AT 231740Z CIMSS D-MINT: 30 KTS AT 231556Z CIMSS D-PRINT: 34 KTS AT 231810Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE RADIAL ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: LOW INITIAL INTENSITY: HIGH 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 25W IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT A STEADY PACE FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST OF THE SYSTEM. BETWEEN TAUS 48 AND 60, TS 25W IS EXPECTED TO SLOW IN TRACK SPEED AND TURN NORTHWARD AS IT NEARS A WEAKNESS BETWEEN THE STR TO THE NORTHEAST AND A WEAKER STR CENTERED TO THE NORTHWEST OVER CHINA. WHILE THIS WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT WILL CAUSE A SLOW IN TRACK SPEED, THE STR TO THE NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN THE PRIMARY STEERING MECHANISM FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE FORECAST PERIOD, CAUSING 25W TO BEGIN RECURVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS IT ROUNDS THE STR AXIS. REGARDING INTENSITY, 25W IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY INTENSIFY OUT TO TAU 48 AS VWS ABATES AND ALL OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS REMAIN FAVORABLE. A PERIOD OF RAPID INTENSIFICATION IS FORECAST BETWEEN TAU 48 AND 72 AS THE RIDGING TO THE NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE ENHANCED POLEWARD OUTFLOW. AFTER THIS PERIOD OF RI, INTENSITY IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY INCREASE TO A PEAK OF 105 KTS, WITH INTENSIFICATION SLOWING AS OUTFLOW DECREASES; HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS POTENTIAL FOR 25W TO PEAK AT A HIGHER INTENSITY. MODEL DISCUSSION: MODEL TRACK GUIDANCE IS IN IMPROVING AGREEMENT ON THE RECURVATURE SCENARIO; HOWEVER, ROUGHLY HALF OF THE INDIVIDUAL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS OF GEFS AND ECENS STILL PORTRAY A DIRECT NORTHWESTWARD TRACK, AS DOES THE UKMET ENSEMBLE MEAN. MOST NOTABLY, THE GFS DETERMINISTIC SOLUTION NOW DEPICTS A NEW TRACK IN LINE WITH THE RECURVATURE SCENARIO OUT TO TAU 96 BUT THEN TURNS SHARPLY WESTWARD TO TRANSIT TOWARDS NORTHERN TAIWAN AS THE GFS MODEL FIELD DEPICTS THE STR CENTERED OVER CHINA BUILDING SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AROUND TAU 96 AND BECOMING THE PRIMARY STEERING MECHANISM OF 25W THEREAFTER. THE OFFICIAL JTWC FORECAST TRACK IS PLACED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE OUT TO TAU 72 AND LOW CONFIDENCE THEREAFTER DUE TO THE CONTINUED DISAGREEMENT ON THE TIMING AND SPEED OF RECURVATURE, DISREGARDING THE OUTCOME DEPICTED BY GFS AND MORE IN LINE WITH THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS, AND MARKEDLY SLOWER IN TRACK SPEED THAN ALL AI MODELS. MODEL INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ON A STEADY INTENSIFICATION OUT TO A PEAK OCCURRING BY TAU 96, WITH HAFS-A AND COAMPS-TC DEPICTING RI BEGINNING AT TAU 48 AND PEAKING AT TAU 84 ON THE HIGHER END OF THE GUIDANCE PACKAGE, WITH A TOTAL SPREAD AT THIS POINT OF PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 KTS. THE OFFICIAL JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE OUT TO TAU 72 AND LOW THEREAFTER DUE TO THIS SPREAD, CLOSELY IN LINE WITH THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS OUT TO TAU 72 AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE IT THEREAFTER TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PEAKS DEPICTED BY MESOSCALE MODELS. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: LOW INTENSITY 00-72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: LOW// NNNN