Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
567 FXPQ50 PGUM 012032 CCA AFDGUM Area Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED National Weather Service Tiyan GU 632 AM ChST Sun Nov 2 2025 Corrected names at the end to remove the extra entry. .Marianas Update... Clouds are increasing a bit on satellite, so partly sunny was a good call. Right now showers look scattered over Saipan, figuring that over the whole day they will average isolated, since this is the diurnal maximum. The KBDI did go down to 30, so we`re still very much in wet season. According to almost every model we can look at, the next tropical disturbance is already spinning up a little northwest of Chuuk. It will likely end up somewhere between southwest of Guam and the Rota channel, which is still a pretty wide spread. That will be the main impactor of our weather this week. && .Tropical Systems... Tropical Depression 31W Kalmaegi was named just a few hours ago by the Japanese Meteorological Agency. It is expected to move northwest (away from Yap and Koror, Palau) while intensifying. This means about all Micronesia will see from it is west or northwest swell. For further details on Kalmaegi, please refer to the public advisory issued by the National Weather Service under WMO header WTPQ31 PGUM and the warning from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center under WMO header WTPN31 PGTW. The system that was being tracked as invest area 99W appears to be washing out. It has been downgraded to sub-low by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, and will probably be eliminated entirely as a suspect area later today. A new area seems to be wanting to spin up northwest of Chuuk, but has not yet developed enough to warrant its own invest area yet. This is the area that many models are trying to bring toward the Marianas, so keep an eye on that one. Thankfully it shouldn`t have overly much time to strengthen. && .Eastern Micronesia Update... Majuro and Kosrae are looking fairly dry for today at least, while Pohnpei will still have scattered showers. The inherited forecast covered this well, so no changes were needed. Winds will be 5 to 10 knots through Wednesday at Pohnpei and Kosrae, increasing to 10 to 15 knots for Thursday. At Majuro, the winds will be 10 to 15 for most of the week. && .Western Micronesia Update... Tropical Depression Kalmaegi is pulling away from both Yap and Koror fairly rapidly. Not much improvement in Koror weather because the monsoon tail will likely get dragged over them, but had to improve the forecast for today for Yap considerably. Chuuk is within the same group of troughs as Pohnpei, and no change was needed this morning. Winds of 10 to 15 knots will dominate in Western Micronesia, picking up to between 15 and 20 knots Wednesday and Thursday at Koror. && .Prev discussion... /issued 710 PM ChST Sat Nov 1 2025/ Marianas Synopsis... Satellite imagery shows partly cloudy skies that suggest isolated showers over the Marianas. Altimetry shows combined seas of 6 to 8 feet, while buoy data shows about 6 feet. Discussion... An unsettle wet pattern is expected for this week. This is due the the convergences zone produced by invest 98W over the weekend and 99W during next week. The convergence zones is weakening over the Marianas as 98W moves further away into the Philippine sea. This zone is expected to producing scattered showers over the the region. Invest 99W is currently a weak circulation near 12N147E southeast of Guam. It is embedded in a monsoon trough that is extending from 98W and between FSM and Guam to near 10N150E. This trough will likely produce multiple spinners over the course of next week and the models are having a hard time deciding which spinner is "the one". Whether it is 99W or another invest, heavier showers and near gale winds are possible with the peak anticipated to arrive around Wednesday to Thursday. Then, the shower are expected to gradually taper down starting around the end of next week. Marine... The outer edge of a trade-wind surge has moved into the Marianas, bringing moderate to fresh winds and combined seas of 6 to 8 feet. These conditions are expected to persist through the week. The trade-wind surge could be enhanced by a circulation from Invest 99W, which could lead to conditions hazardous to small craft for portions of the Marianas later in the week. There will be a moderate risk for rip currents along north and east facing reefs through at least the weekend. Hydrology... Short term... Invest 98W, is centered north of Yap Proper near 10N136E. Model guidance shows 98W`s convergence zone from the trade winds is directly over the Marianas. This will force a tightening of the streamline winds and consequentially bring in heavier showers to the region. As 98W moves further into the Philippine Sea, so to will this convergence zones move with 98W. Long term... The models are poorly handling 99W. Currently, GFS is locked on to a small "spinner" that has little to no convective activity with it near 12N147E, and the ECMWF has a east-west trough. This "spinner" is part of the monsoon trough that is extending from 98W eastward between FSM and Guam. This will be the breeding grounds for multiple "spinners" over the next few days and one of them will be the one that actually becomes something. Timing, location and intensity, are still in a great deal of flux. There is potential for Guam and the CNMI to see rainfall amounts of 3 to 7 inches from Sunday night through Thursday night, though locally higher amounts will be possible. This rainfall is expected to produce minor flooding across the islands, with flash flooding possible in areas of heavier rainfall, especially over Guam. Tropical Systems... A developing disturbance, Invest 98W, is centered just southeast of Yap Proper near 10N136E, moving slowly north-northwest. 98W is now the subject of a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). This means that Invest 98W is expected to become a significant tropical cyclone (Tropical Depression) within the next 24 hours. 98W is becoming more organized and is in an area of favorable conditions for development. Model consensus favors the invest becoming a tropical depression over the Philippine Sea just north of Yap Proper. Further development is expected as it moves west-northwest across the Philippine Sea. Invest 98W will be monitored closely over the next couple of days as it moves through Yap Proper. Residents in northwest Yap State and northern Palau should continue to monitor forecasts for any changes, watches, warnings or advisories. For more information on Invest 98W and the TCFA, see bulletins issued by JTWC under WMO headers ABPW10 PGTW and WTPN21 PGTW. There is also a Special Weather Statement for Yap and Palau issued by the National Weather Service under WMO header WWPQ82 PGUM. Another weak disturbance, Invest 99W, is centered southeast of Guam near 12N147E, moving west-northwest. 99W remains very disorganized with only a weak circulation evident on the latest visible satellite. Very little convection is seen with 99W. The likelihood of Invest 99W becoming a significant tropical cyclone within the next 24 hours remains low. Latest model guidance does not favor development of this little spinner and it looks like another circulation may develop along the monsoon trough as it spreads over the region. This area remains active and will be watched closely for any development over the next few days. For more information on Invest 99W, see bulletins issued by JTWC under WMO header ABPW10 PGTW. Eastern Micronesia... The drier trend continues across most of eastern Micronesia. A trade-wind trough seen to the north of Kosrae looks to bring scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to Pohnpei Sunday into Sunday night. The main feature affecting the region remains the disturbance over and east of the Marshall Islands. A west-east oriented trough extends from a very weak circulation southwest of Kwajalein to a more pronounced circulation east- southeast of Majuro, near the Date Line. As this trough progresses west, the weak circulation looks to dissipate while the trough and more robust circulation strengthens slightly. This system looks to bring increasing convection to Majuro by Sunday night. Meanwhile, a weak trade-wind trough looks to move into Pohnpei and Kosrae Monday night into Tuesday, bringing a brief period of scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms to both locations. Later in the week, the disturbance over the Marshalls looks to approach Pohnpei and Kosrae, bringing another round of increased convection. As this feature moves out of the Marshalls, the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) looks to redevelop and strengthen westward as a surge of trade winds move through. This will result in convection continuing at Majuro through the end of the week. For the marine forecast, no major changes were needed. For Kosrae and Pohnpei, combined seas of 3 and 5 feet and light to occasionally gentle winds look to continue through the middle of next week Winds are then expected to become gentle to moderate for the end of the week. For Majuro, light to gentle winds look to become gentle to moderate around the middle of next week. Combined seas of 3 to 5 feet will begin to build early next week, reaching 6 to 8 feet around midweek as a northeast trade swell builds due to a trade-wind surge. Western Micronesia... Invest 98W is located north of Yap as confirmed by visible satellite imagery and surface observations at Yap. It remains the subject of a TCFA (Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert), meaning the formation of a tropical cyclone (of at least depression strength) is likely within 24 hours. In fact, recent visible and infra-red satellite imagery shows rapid cloud development over Yap and to the south as significant cloud top cooling is underway. A sudden burst of lightning has coincided with this indicating a strengthening phase is underway, with 98W likely becoming a tropical depression in the next few hours. Locally heavy rainfall and convective wind gusts in the 25 to 30 knot range have already occurred and remain probable at Yap, and to a lesser extent Palau. This potential will continue through Sunday. Then, as 98W moves away, an active pattern will keep at least scattered showers and isolated thunderstorm probable into the first half of next week. As for marine conditions, we were contemplating hoisting a Small Craft Advisory for Yap, but the peak of gusts has already occurred when only one observation hit 25 knots and Yap, with the remained in the 19 to 22 knot range today there, which is very marginal for the 22 knot threshold part of criteria for such an advisory. Given that the system is moving away from the region now and only a gradual strengthening is expected over the next 36 hours, we decided to hold off on issuing the headline. Seas also remain below 10 feet negating the need for such. Note: A Small Craft Advisory is issued when we expect one of the following (or more) for a prolonged period of time - frequent gusts to 22 knots, sustained winds of 22 knots, or 10 foot seas to issue the advisory. Otherwise, look for Gentle to strong winds to persist through the forecast period, with higher convective gusts probable. Seas will hold in the 5 to 6 foot range. && .GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GU...None. MP...None. Marianas Waters...None. && $$ Marianas/East and West Micronesia/Tropical Update: Stanko Marianas: Bowsher East Micronesia: Kleeschulte West Micronesia: Doll