WDPN32 PGTW 280300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 20W (WUTIP) WARNING NR 06// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. TROPICAL STORM (TS) 20W (WUTIP), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 543 NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF HANOI, VIETNAM, HAS TRACKED SOUTHWESTWARD AT 06 KNOTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS. ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) AND RECENT MICROWAVE IMAGERY INDICATE THAT TS 20W HAS INTENSIFIED RAPIDLY OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS (FROM 30 TO 55 KNOTS) AND THAT THE SYSTEM HAS STALLED AFTER TURNING SHARPLY SOUTHWESTWARD DUE TO WEAKENING OF THE NARROW STEERING RIDGE. ANIMATED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY DEPICTS A CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST FEATURE WITH MULTIPLE DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDS WRAPPING TIGHTLY INTO THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). A 272253Z TRMM IMAGE DEPICTS A SMALL, WELL-DEFINED MICROWAVE EYE FEATURE WITH IMPROVED CONVECTIVE BANDING LOCATED PRIMARILY OVER THE NORTHERN SEMI-CIRCLE AND WESTERN SEMI- CIRCLE DUE TO WEAK EASTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. BASED ON THE TRMM IMAGE, THERE IS GOOD CONFIDENCE IN THE INITIAL POSITION AND RECENT MOTION. ANIMATED WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS IMPROVED POLEWARD OUTFLOW INTO A DEEP SHORTWAVE TROUGH DIGGING INTO EASTERN CHINA. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS ASSESSED AT 55 KNOTS BASED ON DVORAK INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 55 KNOTS FROM KNES AND PGTW. TS 20W IS TRACKING SLOWLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE SUBTROPICAL STEERING RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTH. 3. FORECAST REASONING. A. NO CHANGE TO THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY SINCE THE PREVIOUS PROGNOSTIC REASONING MESSAGE. B. TS 20W IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TRACKING SLOWLY WESTWARD TO WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH TAU 24 UNDER THE STEERING INFLUENCE OF THE WEAK STR. AFTER TAU 24, THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY ACCELERATE WESTWARD AS THE STR REBUILDS (AFTER PASSAGE OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH). DYNAMIC GUIDANCE DIVERGES WITH SOLUTIONS VARYING FROM WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD TO WEST-NORTHWESTWARD. TS 20W IS FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL OVER VIETNAM NEAR 30/06Z THEN TO DISSIPATE DUE TO LAND INTERACTION. TS 20W WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY TO A PEAK INTENSITY OF 80 KNOTS PRIOR TO LANDFALL DUE TO GENERALLY FAVORABLE CONDITIONS. C. IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD, TS 20W IS FORECAST TO DISSIPATE OVER LAND. OVERALL, THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE ENTIRE JTWC FORECAST TRACK DESPITE MINOR DIFFERENCES IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS.// NNNN