543 WDPN31 PGTW 170300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TYPHOON 04W (SINLAKU) WARNING NR 033// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. SUMMARY: INITIAL POSITION: 19.5N 145.4E INITIAL INTENSITY: 80 KTS GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 391 NM SOUTHEAST OF IWO TO MOVEMENT PAST 6 HOURS: NORTHEASTWARD AT 06 KTS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT: 32 FEET SATELLITE ANALYSIS, INITIAL POSITION AND INTENSITY DISCUSSION: ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS TYPHOON (TY) 04W WITH A RAGGED, CLOUD-FILLED, AND POORLY-DEFINED CENTRAL EYE FEATURE, IN ADDITION TO DRY AIR WRAPPING INTO THE CORE FROM THE WEST. A 162011Z WSFM MICROWAVE IMAGE REVEALS THAT THE WEAK INNER EYEWALL HAS COLLAPSED ALONG THE WESTERN QUADRANT WHILE THE DEEPEST CONVECTION IS CONFINED TO THE OUTER EYEWALL APPROXIMATELY 45 NM FROM THE CENTER. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS REVEALS A MARGINALLY UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY MARGINAL (26-27 C) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES, LOW TO MODERATE (15-20 KTS) VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, AND DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT, OFFSET BY THE ROBUST DIVERGENCE ALOFT. THE INITIAL POSITION IS PLACED WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE ELONGATED AND POORLY-DEFINED EYE FEATURE IN ANIMATED MSI. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 80 KTS IS ASSESSED WITH MEDIUM CONFIDENCE BASED ON THE AGENCY DVORAK FIXES AND CIMSS AUTOMATED INTENSITY ESTIMATES LISTED BELOW. INITIAL WIND RADII BASIS: PERSISTENCE CURRENT STEERING MECHANISM: THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CENTERED TO THE SOUTHEAST. AGENCY DVORAK AND AUTOMATED FIXES: PGTW: T5.0 - 90 KTS RJTD: T5.0 - 90 KTS KNES: T4.5 - 77 KTS CIMSS ADT: 84 KTS AT 170130Z CIMSS AIDT: 82 KTS AT 170130Z CIMSS DPRINT: 82 KTS AT 170130Z FORECASTER ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ENVIRONMENT: MARGINALLY UNFAVORABLE VWS: 15-20 KTS SST: 26-27 CELSIUS OUTFLOW: STRONG RADIAL ANALYSIS CONFIDENCE: INITIAL POSITION: HIGH INITIAL INTENSITY: MEDIUM INITIAL WIND RADII: LOW 3. FORECAST REASONING. SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CHANGES: THERE ARE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST FROM THE PREVIOUS WARNING FORECAST DISCUSSION: TY 04W (SINLAKU) WILL CONTINUE NORTHWESTWARD TRACKING ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR CENTERED TO ITS SOUTHEAST FOR THE DURATION OF THE FORECAST. THE ENVIRONMENT IS INCREASINGLY HOSTILE, WITH RISING VERTICAL WIND SHEAR, DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT, AND COOLING SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AS THE STORM TRACKS FARTHER POLEWARD. AFTER TAU 24, SINLAKU IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION AS THE DRY AIR, SHEAR, AND COOL OCEAN SURFACE ERODE THE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS. 04W IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETELY EMBEDDED WITHIN THE UPPER-LEVEL JET AND COMPLETE EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION NO LATER THAN TAU 48. CONSEQUENTLY, 04W WILL CONTINUE ITS STEADY TERMINAL WEAKENING TREND THROUGH COMPLETING EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION. MODEL DISCUSSION: DETERMINISTIC TRACK MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN STRONG AGREEMENT THROUGH THE DURATION OF THE FORECAST PERIOD, WITH A 60 NM CROSS-TRACK SPREAD AT TAU 48 (DISCOUNTING NAVGEM AS THE LONE OUTLIER SLIGHTLY FARTHER TO THE WEST OF THE MODEL ENVELOP). AS A RESULT, THE JTWC TRACK FORECAST IS PLACED CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE. RELIABLE INTENSITY AIDS ARE ALSO IN STRONG AGREEMENT THAT 04W WILL CONTINUE TO QUICKLY WEAKEN UNTIL TAU 48, LENDING HIGH CONFIDENCE TO THE JTWC INTENSITY FORECAST. FORECAST CONFIDENCE: TRACK 0 - 72 HR: HIGH INTENSITY 0 - 72 HR: HIGH NNNN