Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
862 FXPQ50 PGUM 130756 AFDGUM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tiyan GU 556 PM ChST Thu Jun 13 2024 .Marianas Synopsis... Partly cloudy skies with isolated showers and gentle to moderate trade winds prevail across the Marianas this afternoon. Showers are increasing east of the waters. Ritidian buoy shows seas between 3 and 4 feet, while altimetry shows seas of 4 to 6 feet east of the islands. && .Discussion... Some minor changes to the previous forecast. Over the past few days, partly cloudy skies with isolated showers prevailed during the day, with mostly cloudy skies and scattered showers at night. This pattern looks likely to continue tonight through Saturday night. Therefore, the current forecast now shows scattered showers from around 6 PM through around 9 AM for the next few days. Meanwhile, a Tropical Upper-Tropospheric Trough (TUTT) cell is seen to the northeast of the Marianas. This location puts the Marianas under upper-level divergence from the TUTT. This divergence will promote the development of thunderstorms over the region for the next few days as the TUTT cell continues to move westward. By Sunday morning, the TUTT looks to be far enough west to bring upper-level convergence over the Marianas, helping to decrease convection over the region. && .Marine... No big changes to the marine forecast. Combined seas look to remain between 4 and 6 feet through the end of the week, building to between 5 and 7 feet for the weekend into next week. This will maintain surf large enough to produce a moderate risk of rip currents along east facing reefs. Surf could produce a moderate risk of rip currents along north facing reefs over the weekend. Gentle to moderate trade winds will prevail through the beginning of next week. Weak trade- wind troughs along with a TUTT cell to the northeast of the waters are expected to bring a few thunderstorms to the waters through Saturday night. Occasional strong gusts are possible with the thunderstorms. && .Eastern Micronesia and Chuuk... A well defined Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) has developed across the region extending from the Marshall Islands and all the way to Chuuk State. Scattered to numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms extend along the ITCZ and is affecting all the primary forecast points from Majuro to Chuuk. Added some occasional gusty winds up to 30 mph over land and 30 knots over the waters to the forecast at Majuro tonight and then at Kosrae Friday night, based on the GFS showing locally stronger winds at the locations with the heavier showers and thunderstorms. The ECMWF did not really show these locally stronger winds, but past events show the GFS is typically more aggressive with convective driven winds and usually picks up this potential sooner than the ECMWF. The GFS then loses these locally stronger winds after Friday, so did not mention occasional gusts at Pohnpei or Chuuk at this time. The ITCZ will shift north and south through the weekend, but not expecting much change in overall showers and thunderstorm coverage across the region until early next week, when models start to show signs that the ITCZ may start to fracture into a series of trough, which will still support an overall wet pattern across the region. Altimetry shows combined seas across the region are around 4 to 6 feet, and pushing up to 7 feet east of the Marshall Islands. Scatterometer data shows winds are gentle to moderate along the ITCZ with pockets of fresh winds embedded within the heavier convection. These fresh winds with occasional strong gusts will affect Majuro tonight and Kosrae Friday night. The previous forecast mentioned seas decreasing by 1 to 2 ft near Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and potentially 2 to 3 feet near Majuro by the weekend, but models are not showing as large of a decrease in the trade swell and wind waves anymore. This has led to limiting the decrease in seas by about a foot across the region through the weekend. && .Western Micronesia... Satellite imagery shows scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to the east of Yap Proper and Palau this evening, along a trough in eastern Yap State, while the main islands of Yap and Palau are currently partly to mostly cloudy with isolated showers. Winds are also light and variable at Palau and Yap as a weak trough extends from the Phillipines towards Palau and then merges with the trough in eastern Yap State. Previous model runs had showers moving into both Yap and Palau already, so the current forecast delayed scattered showers to near midnight for Yap and after midnight for Palau, based on current satellite imagery and newer model guidance. Also, as the TUTT cell currently northeast of the Marianas continues to drift westward and through the Marianas this weekend, the risk for thunderstorms will increases across Palau and Yap, so made sure isolated thunderstorms was in the forecast for both locations starting later tonight and through at least Saturday night. After Saturday night, models show the TUTT lifting northward which would help to decrease the potential for thunderstorms on Sunday. As the ITCZ continues across eastern Micronesia and Chuuk, models depict an overall wet pattern for Palau and Yap, supported by troughs and trade convergence that break off from the ITCZ and push westward into Palau and Yap through at least early next week, along with some strengthening of the trade winds around both locations. The buoys near Palau and Yap and altimetry data shows seas around Palau and Yap are around 2 to 3 feet. Seas are not expected to change much through the middle of next week, as wind waves and trade swell are not expected to change much. Winds will remain light around Palau through at least the weekend, but easterly winds are expected to become light to gentle at Yap around Saturday. && .GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GU...None. MP...None. Marianas Waters...None. && $$ Marianas: Kleeschulte Micronesia: Schank