WDPN33 PGTW 041500 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TYPHOON 22W (FITOW) WARNING NR 18// RMKS/ 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. TYPHOON 22W (FITOW), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 212 NM SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF KADENA AB, OKINAWA, HAS TRACKED NORTHWESTWARD AT 05 KNOTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS. ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THE SYSTEM REMAINS WELL ORGANIZED WITH AN EYEWALL OF DEEP BROAD CONVECTION ENVELOPING THE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC). THE EYE HAS BECOME MORE SYMMETRIC OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS AS THE CONVECTION IMPROVES. THE CURRENT INTENSITY OF 85 IS BASED ON A RE- ASSESSMENT OF THE DVORAK ESTIMATES FROM PGTW, KNES AND RJTD, ALL INDICATING A 77 KNOT SYSTEM AND DO NOT APPEAR TO REPRESENT THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS INDICATES THE RADIAL OUTFLOW HAS MAINTAINED THE SYSTEM OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS, WITH A FAVORABLE TAP INTO THE MID-LATITUDE WESTERLIES SUPPORTING ADDITIONAL POLEWARD OUTFLOW. CURRENTLY THE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (VWS) OVER THE LLCC HAS BEEN SLOWLY INCREASING TO MODERATE LEVELS (10 TO 15 KNOTS) AS THE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO INTERACT WITH THE MID-LATITUDE TROUGH. TY 22W HAS MAINTAINED A NORTHWESTWARD TRACK FOR THE PAST 12 HOURS AS THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) CONTINUES TO BUILD WESTWARD. 3. FORECAST REASONING. A. NO CHANGE TO THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY SINCE THE PREVIOUS PROGNOSTIC REASONING MESSAGE. B. TY 22W IS FORECAST TO REMAIN ON A NORTHWESTWARD TRACK OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS, TURNING TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST AS THE STR BUILDS TO THE NORTH OF THE CIRCULATION. THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM THROUGH TAU 36. FROM TAU 36 THROUGH 72, INCREASING DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT ALONG THE NORTHWESTERN QUADRANT, DECREASING SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES (SST), AND THE EVENTUAL TRACK TOWARDS COASTAL CHINA WILL LEAD TO A STEADY WEAKENING OF TY 22W. C. AFTER TAU 72, TY 22W IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL INTO MAINLAND CHINA. THE FRICTIONAL LAND EFFECTS AND INCREASING VWS WILL QUICKLY CAUSE THE SYSTEM TO WEAKEN, WITH DISSIPATION EXPECTED BY TAU 120. WITH THE EXPECTION OF CMCX, MODEL GUIDANCE HAS SHIFTED FURTHER SOUTH OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS. THE CURRENT FORECAST KEEPS THE TRACK ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE MODEL GUIDANCE, MORE IN LINE WITH ECMWF AS THE CURRENT TRACK HAS BEEN STEADILY NORTH OF CONSENSUS FOR THE PAST FEW MODEL RUNS. BASED ON THE RECENT SHIFTS IN MODEL GUIDANCE THE CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST TRACK HAS DROPPED TO LOW CONFIDENCE.// NNNN