


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
619 FXPQ50 PGUM 020510 AFDGUM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tiyan GU 310 PM ChST Sat Aug 2 2025 .Marianas Synopsis... Satellite and radar imagery are showing scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across Guam and Rota, with isolated showers across Tinian and Saipan. Latest altimetry and local buoys are indicating seas 4 to 5 feet over the waters. && .Discussion... A broad and weak tropical disturbance within a large area of surface troughing is currently centered just east of Guam. This disturbance will continue to slowly push west across the Marianas tonight. Expect scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms, with the better coverage over the southern Marianas as the circulation center looks to pass over Guam. The elevated potential for showers and thunderstorms will continue through Sunday night due to moist, converging south to southeast flow along the backside of the departing disturbance. A brief lull in activity is expected on Monday with a surface ridge and drier air working through the region. Another round of active weather is expected to return by Tuesday as a surface trough and embedded disturbance lift northwest out of eastern Micronesia and towards the Marianas. && .Marine... Light to gentle winds this afternoon will turn more southeasterly and become gentle to moderate through Sunday as a tropical disturbance passes across the southern Marianas. Combined seas of 4 to 6 feet, comprised mainly of a lingering west-northwest swell, will continue through the weekend, to then decrease slowly next week as said swell subsides. A moderate risk of rip currents will continue along west and north facing reefs as the elevated west-northwest swell persists. A strengthening secondary trade swell will likely bring a moderate rip current risk along east facing reefs beginning tonight. && Tropical Systems... Iona, now a Tropical Depression, remains just east of the Date Line this afternoon and looks like it will cross the Date Line later this evening. Iona looks to continue to move west-northwest with little change in intensity over the next couple of days. Iona looks to pass northeast of Wake Island sometime Monday, staying well to the north of the Marshall Islands. Swell from TS Iona could bring higher seas and surf across the Marshalls Sunday, but given the weakening trend of Iona, models keep seas and surf below hazardous levels. && .Eastern Micronesia... The Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) extends east-southeastward across the Date Line, passing just north of Majuro, across Kwajalein, north of Kosrae and ending at a circulation centered southeast of Pohnpei and southwest of Kosrae. The circulation and ITCZ are producing scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across Pohnpei and Kosrae this afternoon, with only isolated showers seen across Majuro as the ITCZ remains north of the atoll. The ITCZ is expected to slowly drift west while it dissipates over the next couple of days. For Majuro, a trade-wind trough near the Date Line will move through the Marshalls, pulling the eastern end of the ITCZ far enough south to allow increasing convection over the atoll through Sunday night. By Monday, a dry trade-wind pattern looks to move in and continue through most of next week. As the ITCZ dissipates, convection will decrease across Kosrae and Pohnpei, with the dry trade-wind pattern over Majuro expected to move into the region Monday. Near the end of next week, a weak trade-wind trough is expected to move into the region, bringing a slight increase in convection to Pohnpei and Kosrae. A benign marine pattern is expected to continue through the end of next week, with seas of 4 to 5 feet dropping about 1 to 2 feet at Pohnpei and about 1 foot at Kosrae and Majuro. Seas will then build about 1 foot around the middle of next week at Majuro. Mostly light to gentle winds are expected through the coming week at Kosrae and Majuro, with occasional moderate winds possible at Pohnpei through Monday. && .Western Micronesia... The broad anticyclonic flow and ridging pattern over far western Micronesia will gradually shift north of the region through the weekend. Satellite this afternoon shows just partly cloudy skies and isolated showers near Yap and Palau, with some island-effect showers developing over Babeldaob. Similarly, further east, a dry ridging pattern prevails across Chuuk and much of Yap State, with only isolated showers seen near Chuuk Lagoon. Northwest of Chuuk, a large, weak circulation sits near the Marianas with its center just east of Guam, with showers and thunderstorms building along its southeastern flank. This system will very gradually nudge west into the region just north of Yap Proper through early next week as the ridge pulls further away. This will allow for better shower and thunderstorm chances for Palau and mainly for Yap, primarily from Sunday through the middle of next week. For now, although surface forcing is limited, any convection with sufficient depth will be supported by strong easterlies aloft. A weak trough is beginning to push west into Chuuk, with visible satellite showing a line of showers beginning to increase along its axis. This will be the first of a series of troughs to move through the area over the next day or two, maintaining scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms for the remainder of the weekend and early next week. Benign sea conditions continue, and there was very little change to the marine forecast. Recent altimetry and Babeldaob buoy data continue to show combined seas of around 2 to 3 feet near Palau, 2 to 4 feet near Yap, and 3 to 5 feet near Chuuk. The weak north-northwest swell will continue to recede over the next day or two as the trade swell becomes more dominant. && .GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GU...None. MP...None. Marianas Waters...None. && $$ Marianas: Slagle East Micronesia: Kleeschulte West Micronesia: DeCou