WDPN31 PGTW 080300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 15E (NOLO) WARNING NR 070// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 26.9N 156.0E INITIAL INTENSITY: 55 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 1097 NM SOUTHEAST OF MISAWA AB, JAPAN MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: WEST-NORTHWESTWARD AT 17 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 32 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED (EIR) SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS AN ASYMMETRIC CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST OBSCURING THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER, WITH RAPIDLY CYCLING DEEP CONVECTION. TROPICAL STORM 15E CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE AGAINST VIGOROUS EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WITH LIMITED SUCCESS. A 072302Z METOP-SGA1 89GHZ MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALS LIMITED CONVECTIVE BANDING OVER THE SOUTHERN SEMICIRCLE, WITH A WEAKLY DEFINED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS ASSESSED AT 55 KNOTS BASED ON THE 3.5 (55 KNOTS) CIS FROM ALL AGENCIES AND THE CIMSS OBJECTIVE INTENSITY ESTIMATES RANGING FROM 51- 58 KNOTS. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: SAR DATA CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: DEEP-LAYER SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) ENTRENCHED TO THE NORTH. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T3.5 - 55 KTS RJTD: T3.5 - 55 KTS RCTP: T3.5 - 55 KTS CIMSS ADT: 51 KTS AT 072340Z CIMSS D-MINT: 58 KTS AT 072044Z CIMSS D-PRINT: 58 KTS AT 080040Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINAL VWS: 15-20 KTS SST: 29-30 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: MODERATE WESTWARD OTHER FACTORS: DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: MEDIUM INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: HIGH 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING. FORECAST DISCUSSION: TROPICAL STORM (TS) 15E IS FORECAST TO TRACK WEST-NORTHWESTWARD ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR THROUGH TAU 36, WITH A SHORT-LIVED PERIOD OF REINTENSIFICATION TO 65 KNOTS DUE TO DECREASING VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS). AFTER TAU 36, TS 15E WILL TRACK NORTHWARD TO NORTHEASTWARD WHILE ENCOUNTERING INCREASING VWS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRONG MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES. BY TAU 72, TS 15E WILL ACCELERATE AND BEGIN EXTRA-TROPICAL TRANSITION (ETT) THEN COMPLETE ETT BETWEEN TAU 96 AND TAU 120 AS IT GAINS FRONTAL CHARACTERISTICS AND TRACKS UNDER THE JET. MODEL DISCUSSION: THE PHYSICS-BASED MODELS INDICATE INCREASING UNCERTAINTY FROM TAU 24 TO TAU 60 AS THE SYSTEM RECURVES AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR, WITH A LARGE CROSS-TRACK SPREAD AT THE RECURVE POINT. AFTER TAU 60, THERE IS INCREASING UNCERTAINTY DUE TO MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN ALONG-TRACK SPEEDS. AI-BASED AND DETERMINISTIC ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE JTWC TRACK FORECAST WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. DUE TO THE PROXIMITY (ABOUT 700NM FROM TAU 36 TO TAU 48) WITH TS 27W, THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY FOR WEAK BINARY INTERACTION. THE VAST MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS DEPICT A RECURVATURE, WITH ONLY A FEW SOLUTIONS INDICATING QUASI-STATIONARY OR ERRATIC TRACKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEAK BINARY INTERACTION. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 00-72 HR: MEDIUM TRACK 72-120 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 00-72 HR: MEDIUM INTENSITY 72-120 HR: MEDIUM// NNNN