WDPN33 PGTW 050300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL DEPRESSION 27W (KOGUMA) WARNING NR 001// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 10.5N 168.0E INITIAL INTENSITY: 30 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 109 NM NORTH OF KWAJALEIN MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHEASTWARD AT 09 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 10 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS A MOSTLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) AND PERSISTENT CONVECTION LIMITED TO THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT UNDER THE PRESSURE OF APPARENT SOUTHERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS). A 042124Z ASCAT-B PASS CAPTURED THE CENTER OF THE LLCC AND REVEALED 25-30 KT WINDS IN THE NORTHWESTERN QUADRANT. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE EXPOSED LLCC IN ANIMATED MSI. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 30 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE SCATTEROMETER WINDS. THE ENVIRONMENT IS CHARACTERIZED AS MARGINALLY FAVORABLE, WITH WARM SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES, LOW TO MODERATE VWS, WEAK RADIAL OUTFLOW ALOFT, AND PLENTY OF MOISTURE AVAILABILITY. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: NOT APPLICABLE (THERE ARE NO INITIAL WIND RADII). CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: THE NORTHWESTERN FLANK OF A NEAR EQUATORIAL RIDGE (NER) CENTERED TO THE SOUTHEAST AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T1.5 - 25 KTS RJTD: T2.0 - 30 KTS CIMSS D-PRINT: 34 KTS AT 0500Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY FAVORABLE VWS: 10-15 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: WEAK RADIAL ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH 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: TROPICAL DEPRESSION (TD) 27W (KOGUMA) HAS CONSOLIDATED OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS NORTH OF KWAJAELAIN AND HAS TRACKED SLOWLY IN A PRIMARILY NORTHWARD DIRECTION OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO TRACK NORTHWARD OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS UNDER THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE NER TO THE SOUTHEAST. AFTER TAU 12, A MUCH MORE PROMINENT SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THE NORTHEAST WILL BEGIN TO EXERT A STEERING INFLUENCE ON 27W, BECOMING THE DOMINANT STEERING MECHANISM FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. UNDER THIS INFLUENCE, TD 27W IS FORECAST TO TURN NORTHWESTWARD IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE ARC FROM TAU 12-60, THEN ESTABLISH A NORTHWESTWARD TRAJECTORY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. IN TERMS OF INTENSITY, THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CONSOLIDATE SLOWLY IN A MARGINALLY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT WITH ONLY MODEST INTENSIFICATION THROUGH TAU 60. THE RATE OF INTENSIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE AFTER TAU 60 ONCE THE VORTEX FULLY DEVELOPS, BECOMES MORE VERTICALLY ALIGNED, AND TAPS INTO A POLEWARD OUTFLOW CHANNEL. MODEL DISCUSSION: MODEL TRACK GUIDANCE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NAVGEM, IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ABOUT THE OVERALL TRAJECTORY, HAVING A 200 NM CROSS-TRACK SPREAD AT TAU 120. THERE IS GREATER DISPARITY IN THE TRACK SPEED, WITH AN ALONG-TRACK SPREAD OF 370 NM AT TAU 120. GFS IS THE SLOWEST SOLUTION WHILE THE UKMET ENSEMBLE IS THE FASTEST. DESPITE THE SPREAD, THE TWO MODELS OFFSET EACH OTHER IN THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS, WHICH LANDS AMONG THE BULK OF REMAINING GUIDANCE. THE JTWC TRACK FORECAST IS PLACED CLOSE TO THE AFOREMENTIONED CONSENSUS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GFS-BASED COAMPS-TC AS A SIGNIFICANT HIGH INTENSITY OUTLIER, THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ABOUT THE INTENSIFICATION TREND THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST FOLLOWS THE MEAN OF THE REMAINING GUIDANCE, SLIGHTLY BELOW THE CONSENSUS DUE TO THE ANOMALOUSLY HIGH COAMPS-TC CONTRIBUTION. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: HIGH TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 00-72 HR: HIGH INTENSITY 72-120 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN